A dad can’t find a bakery to make a birthday cake that can accommodate his daughter’s allergy-related needs. Two freelancers realize they need a way to organize all of their client contracts and can’t find software that adequately handles their use case. Necessity is often hailed as the mother of innovation – but not all ideas come from necessity. Unfortunately, in our experience, often media coverage of the ideas that powered amazing businesses and projects often stops at a very superficial level. The founders noticed a need and boom – idea. Often the ideation process has a much longer, more complex story and so we’ve asked some entrepreneurs and creatives we admire to go into detail about their ideation stories.

Kiara Martin

There was a time when my life felt like an endless cycle of hospital rooms, medications, and unanswered questions. I was searching for relief, for clarity – something to hold on to in a world that seemed to be slipping through my fingers. My body was betraying me in ways I couldn’t explain. Doctors ran tests, offered surgery, prescribed pills, and sent me on my way, yet nothing changed. The seizures came without warning. After having seizures two times a day, three times a week, my emotions were tangled in the frustration of not knowing what was wrong, of feeling unheard and unseen. Read more>>

Dr. Destiny Huff, Lpc

I’ve been in the mental health field for over 15 years now. I am a licensed professional counselor and certified trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapist for children. So, working with children, adolescents, and their families has always been my passion. So that is why I started HRG Counseling & Supervision, LLC. The business I’m going to talk about today is Destiny Huff Consulting, LLC. Destiny Huff Consulting, LLC started because of my sons. Read more>>

Michael Oz

The idea for DriveOz.com came from my deep experience in the auto industry and recognizing a major gap in the market—customers struggle with inconsistent pricing, lack of transparency, and the hassle of finding the exact car they want at the best possible deal. Traditionally, car leasing and buying have been fragmented and time-consuming, with customers relying on dealers, brokers, and outdated processes that don’t always yield the best results. Read more>>

Melanie Bange

I have always struggled to stay home and love to be busy. When I was in my late twenties and in the middle of a divorce, my friend suggested I start an Instagram blog to document adventures, places, food, and any other life ideas; at that point, she was in the process of having her first child and living vicariously through me. After a couple of years of encouragement, starting a new relationship, and taking on a support parent role, I realized I needed a consistent hobby, loved taking pictures of our travels, and talking about things we had been able to do. Read more>>

Priscilla Carpenter

I’ve never been one for the ‘extra.’ I believe in embracing one’s natural beauty and being comfortable in their own skin. While I understand the desire to enhance one’s features, I think society has blurred the lines, making it seem like being authentic is a crime. Read more>>

Scott Hayes

I’ll be blunt. Going out to eat with celiac disease is a pain in the butt. Unless the restaurant is 100% gluten-free (and sadly these are few and far between), there is a risk of cross-contamination. And one crumb is all it takes to set off the autoimmune response.

I wanted to create something that makes it easier for people like me to eat out. There was only one app on the market that was geared toward finding safe places to eat, but the app is crowdsourced, which can lead to a restaurant being labeled ‘celiac safe’ when indeed it’s not. Read more>>

Jaylen Posey

This idea and name came about way before our time. My dad created this name in the late 90s. His close friends and family started to call him Kountree because of the activities that he did. From hunting and fishing to backyard bonfires, he began to obtain the name Kountree. Him and his brother have always had the idea of filming the moments of hunts and it had passed down to me. Read more>>

Mike Walsh

It all started in 2015 on a trip to London. Grabbing a coffee (in the form of an Americano) everyday before getting on the Underground Train from a street cart. The idea of small footprint coffee carts for events was born. I wanted to take my inspiration from European cafes and offer something similar n the US. At first, I bought an espresso machine and had no idea what I was doing but took some classes and invested in coffee education. I had no idea what the market need would be but eventually discovered that a lot of caterers hate dealing with coffee and I could be a resource to them and their customers. Plus, we were elevating the event experience by offering Specialty Coffee in the form of Cappuccinos, Latte, and more. Read more>>

Jordan Gale

My business was born out of my passion for sound – I was 19 and studying for a computer science degree when I saw that one of the professors of electrical engineering had built a guitar amplifier and had it sitting in a display case on campus. I had been playing guitar for a couple years at that point, and was fascinated with the science of it. I wanted to understand how it worked, I wanted to make my own. I switched majors to Electrical Engineering the following semester. Read more>>

Meridith Elliott Powell

One of my core values is listening to the my customers, and then using what I learn from them to build a business that is relevant. In 2016, I was actively practicing this value, and every customer I was talking with was telling me the exact same thing.

They were sharing that they were having their best year on record, experiencing exponential growth. But they were worried about the uncertainty – the threats or rumors that recession was on the rise – and that things would turn downward. Now, at the time we had no idea that Covid was coming, or the impact AI or Geopolitical tensions would have on business today, but the uncertainty, the fear of the unknown was clearly impacting my customers. Read more>>

Stacey Caron

I started “Stacey Snacks” as a small, local catering business in 2008, cooking lunches for local realtor open houses.
Food blogs were very new at the time, and there was no social media.

People were asking for my recipes, and I had no way to get them out, so I started writing a food blog, using a google format (blogger), and being very authentic, using my casual way of speaking.
People got to know me, and the rest is history. Read more>>

Happy Jack Entertainment

The idea for Happy Jack Entertainment was born out of a realization: creators are the new media powerhouses, but most are operating without the infrastructure they need to scale. We kept seeing talented influencers with massive audiences, yet they were hustling deal to deal, chasing fleeting trends, and burning out along the way. The question that kept us up at night was, “Why aren’t creators being treated like the businesses they are?” Read more>>

Jordan Green

The idea for Remble was born out of frustration and a desire to make mental health support more accessible. As a therapist, I sat with people every day who were struggling not just with their mental health, but with the overwhelming barriers to getting the help they needed. Therapy was expensive. Waitlists were long. Stigma kept many from even trying. And beyond that, I saw the limits of one-on-one therapy – there were only so many hours in a day, only so many people I could help directly. Read more>>

Joshua Bovill

It started with a conversation—one that changed everything.

I was speaking with a colleague, a veteran teacher who had been in the classroom for over 30 years—someone I deeply respected. She had seen it all, taught generations of students, and had a wealth of experience. But in that moment, she was vulnerable. She told me, “I just don’t know how to reach my Black boys. I want to, but I don’t know what else to do.” Read more>>

Pam Perry

Absolutely, I’m delighted to share my journey into founding Ministry Marketing Solutions, Inc., which later evolved into what you know today as PamPerryPR.

It all began in the late 90s when the digital dawn was just breaking. I was working as a PR director and felt a compelling need for more freedom and flexibility to truly make an impact. My passion was always centered around helping others shine, particularly authors and speakers who had important messages but struggled to reach their audience. Read more>>

Andrea Alt

I started with being the first K9 handler and the first female ever hired for my department where I work. I began to make educational videos and posting them on social media about how working dogs impact people, help people and risk their lives for us. I then began to receive donations for my K9, from people who watched my videos. I was fortunate enough to have all of the necessary safety equipment for my K9 (ballistic vest, safety harness, proper gear, etc). I traveled around the country for training with my working K9 and met other K9 handlers often. I learned that a lot of other K9 handlers did not have the proper equipment and protection for their working K9. That’s when I started my nonprofit organization. It was my calling and goal to help them get the right equipment they needed for their K9. Read more>>

Nurse Ivy

Before starting nursing school, I had an entire summer free, and I wanted to use that time wisely to prepare for what was ahead. I knew nursing school was going to be challenging, and I wanted to get ahead of the game by learning the foundational topics before the program even started. But when I searched for resources to help me do that, I ran into a big problem—I couldn’t find any structured program designed to introduce nursing concepts in the same order and organized in the same way that they are taught in nursing school. Read more>>

Lisa Hubbard

The idea for my business was born out of a deep passion for Pilates, the creativity to innovate within the method, and to satisfy a personal desire. While traveling the world and teaching new teachers, I attended a large, diverse conference in Asia filled with various approaches to movement. It was inspiring, yet I noticed something missing, no one had ever integrated music into Pilates in a way that truly complemented the method. Read more>>

Samuel Newcamp

I attended a Catholic retreat from a non- profit in Pittsburgh, PA called Preambula Group. The retreat is called “On Fire”. In one of our final sessions, we were posed the question, “How can you take what you have learned here to go out and evangelize?” (I.e. spread the gospels). I was at a loss for ideas. Which is odd for me. Generally I am the idea guy! So the question really irked me for weeks following because I didn’t have an answer. Read more>>

Marcie Cheung

After successfully running my family travel blog Marcie in Mommyland for a few years, I decided to niche down and start Hawaii Travel with Kids. It’s a blog that is geared toward parents planning a Hawaii family vacation. I got the idea after I told a blogger friend that I’d traveled to Hawaii about 40 times and she stopped in her tracks and told me I NEEDED to create a site dedicated to Hawaii since I’m a Hawaii travel expert. I hadn’t thought about it before but it made a lot of sense and I launched Hawaii Travel with Kids in 2019. I knew it would be successful because I already stumbled through travel blogging a few years prior and this time I could set up a site with the knowledge of exactly what to do. It was so much cleaner and clearer! Read more>>

Josh Schneider

I came up with the concept for New Romantic Tattoo as a creative space to share with like minded artists. Everything in the shop is hand painted by our artists, as well as some work by our friends. I chose the color palette of the shop & painted everything from the ground up, including all the murals. I was trying to do something I hadn’t seen done before, & I think we are continually making it our own.. We are all super into music, films & other esoteric art, & It shows in the art we create. The name of the shop is a tribute to the punk/goth/new wave influence from my childhood. Read more>>

Jennifer Tsai

I founded LINE OF SIGHT with a clear mission: to redefine eye care by integrating holistic wellness with advanced preventative technology. My early experiences in hospital settings highlighted the critical need for proactive care—too often, patients sought help only after their eye conditions had significantly progressed. I saw firsthand how many preventative treatment options were missing from traditional practices, leaving me feeling like I was simply placing a Band-Aid on problems rather than preventing them. Read more>>

Dilara Kizrak

Bringing an idea to life does not end with just dreaming; foreseeing the problems and obstacles we may encounter to turn it into reality, and understanding the importance of gaining the knowledge and experience – in other words, the ability – to overcome these obstacles was a critical step. However, I did not always do this consciously; sometimes, I managed this process consciously, sometimes intuitively, and sometimes with what my experiences taught me. Read more>>

Alex Shebar

Influencer marketing has become incredibly important in today’s marketplace – it’s a surefire way to attract and audience who’s interested in what you’re doing, promoted by someone real that they trust.

It’s also incredibly easy to do it badly.

And this is what I kept seeing. I grew my own Instagram to about 50k followers and was being invited to work with businesses, but they didn’t know what they wanted or how to get it done and so they kept making mistakes and frustrating both sides – myself and themselves. Read more>>

Pamela And Valentin Ea And Abend

Pamela: We noticed United Nations Climate Conference in Glasgow (COP 26) in Glasgow that words were being misused for greenwashing and political messaging and their true definitions were taken out of context.

Valentin: This coincided with Pamela’s Masters in Photojournalism at UAL when she was using her capstone project to highlight overlooked voices in the youth climate movement, focusing on frontline climate justice activists working on global issues. Generating a creative solution, despite the challenging restraints of the lockdown period, Pamela interviewed 21 youth climate activists around the world with questions about why they were doing the work they were doing, and what they wanted to see as results of the upcoming—and promising—COP 26. Read more>>

Antwon Haynes

I launched *The Icon Presents Podcast* to connect with creatives and give them a platform to shine. Through *Icon Industries*, we had already been working with businesses and the local community, but I wanted to take that same expertise and apply it directly to artists, musicians, filmmakers, writers, and more. What started as a passion project quickly grew into something bigger—a space where creatives could not only share their work but also gain real opportunities. Read more>>

Keshia Williams

The idea for Slayy Hair Boutique was born from both my personal journey and my deep faith in Jesus Christ. I’ve always loved the art of beauty and transformation, but I knew that true beauty wasn’t just about how we look on the outside—it’s about the peace, confidence, and joy we carry within. I wanted to create something that empowered women not just to look their best but to feel their best, both inside and out. Read more>>

Jessie Razo

Growing up in a single-parent household with my sister, I witnessed firsthand the challenges my mother faced in juggling it all—providing for us, ensuring we were cared for, and trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, all while managing a fast-paced life on a tight budget. That experience shaped my perspective and inspired me to find ways to make life easier for families facing similar struggles. Read more>>

Patrick Dotson

Thank you for the exciting opportunity to be part of your platform! It’s such an honor to share my entrepreneurial story and shine a spotlight on the vision behind Digital Bombers.
How did you come up with Digital Bombers?
I grew up in a family that valued hard work and entrepreneurship. My dad started his first company in his 30s and, at 76, is still self-employed. My mom traded corporate life for self-employment and consulting in her 50s. As for my brother… he’s never really had a “real job.” Read more>>

Chelsea Fleming

I have always used art as a way to express myself or my emotions. Whether that be through writing poetry, painting, tie-dying, being crafty always felt soothing. I always had these huge dreams of creating art and making a business around it, but it honestly felt so far fetched, it wasn’t something I felt like I could pursue. My mental health became a bigger focus for me, so I started going to therapy and meditating. I became obsessed with the feeling of being grounded and connected to the world. I started to seek out new ways of finding this, which led me to things like reiki, sound healing, crystals, etc. As I began to incorporate these things into my life and practice them, I found myself really drawn to healing trauma stored in the body. Read more>>

Alanna Tran

Like many of us in middle and high school, I struggled with really bad acne and relied on the popular solutions at the time—salicylic acid face washes, witch hazel astringents, and benzoyl peroxide spot treatments. These products stripped everything from my skin, leaving it red, irritated, and inflamed. In high school, I discovered how makeup could cover my redness and irritation, so I began wearing it daily. Makeup boosted my confidence, but most makeup wasn’t designed for sensitive, acne-prone skin. Almost immediately after applying foundation, I’d feel painful acne bumps forming under my skin. I felt stuck in a cycle: covering breakouts with makeup that worsened my skin, then trying to undo the damage at night with harsh skincare. Frustrated and exhausted, I wondered why makeup couldn’t support my skin instead of hurting it. Read more>>

Michael Smith

In 2019 my brother and I were looking into opening a brewery and distillery and I spent about a year travelling around and visited probably 50 different distilleries and breweries. I met with the owners and was trying to gather as much information as possible before we started our new venture. After almost a year of immersing myself into the world of beer, spirits, and cocktails I had not found the path I wanted to take. A few weeks later we were the first ones to arrive on a vacation trip with my siblings and their spouses. We grew up with fond memories of having Bushwackers on trips to the beach so we decided to make some Bushwackers and have them ready when the crew arrived. Read more>>

Austina Smith

There’s a saying that goes, “You’re only as strong as your weakest link.” That quote has lived rent-free in my mind since the beginning of my journey in public relations, shaping the integrity behind WHO I represent and WHAT I represent.

I didn’t always know I was meant for PR. In January 2021, about seven days into the new year, I was just another entrepreneur trying to figure it out. I had recently launched 21 Majestics as a business consultancy, helping new entrepreneurs access resources. But one thing I did know? If I wanted to grow, I had to network, network, network. Read more>>

Brooke Fettig

The idea for Fur Eternity Rescue came from a deeply personal place. Growing up, I always had a connection to animals—especially dogs. I’ve always believed that animals, especially rescue dogs, have this incredible ability to heal and offer support during tough times. My first rescue experience was when I was young. My family found a stray puppy in the snow—skin and bones, terrified, and alone. We named him Bear, and he quickly became a part of our family. Bear’s story was the start of my passion for rescue work, and it inspired me to do whatever I could to help other animals in need. Read more>>

Robert Dimon

After buying jewelry so many times from chain stores only to be bored of a piece after wearing it only a few times, I decided to try my hand at re purposing some of the necklaces I had and turning them into something new. A few friends liked, and even bought a piece or two. I decided to try consigning some pieces, only to be be discouraged a bit by the shop owners that I tried to sell with. I still would dabble a bit, but the excitement was temporarily lost. Fast forward a few years, and a friend of the family gave up a boat load of beads and jewelry making supplies and my vigor was re-instated. I took new pieces to consign at a couple of stores and thy were accepted and sold well in both. Read more>>

Cintia Saravia

The idea for our business actually came from a personal experience that transformed into a bigger vision. It all started with my cats. I had always been passionate about pets, but I didn’t realize just how much they could become part of your family until I had one of my own. My cats, [Chiquis, Diego, Gordito], aren’t just a pet – they are family. And as we spent more time together, I started noticing something that frustrated me: there weren’t enough fun, exciting apparel and accessories for pets that were both stylish and practical. Read more>>

Karna Pettit

When I was 15 years old, I took a job at the local flower shop not because of the flowers, but because it also doubled as an ice cream shop, and of course, what 15 year old doesn’t want free ice cream. Over the next ten years, I worked on and off at the flower shop. During this time, I learned all about and fell in love with floral design and beyond that I fell in love with the community that I had grown up in. This shop had been a part of Red Wing for 138 years, and had been a cornerstone of the community. It just needed fresh eyes, a few modern updates, and some fun new ideas, and I felt like I had those. Read more>>

Lawrence Blundred

I started writing “serious” inspirational books in 2017, linked to my first wife’s (Donna) “death sentence” diagnosis with a level 4 brain tumor. The first was “Staying Resilient When Life Throws You More Than A Curveball” … followed by a second … :”Rise Above: Survivor or Thriver?” I sought to encourage others who faced perosnal “curveballs” and to honor my wife’s thriving spirit, and memory. While at an author’s event in late 2018, I decided to visit a separate author section dedicated to children’s books. I met many special people (most of them women) who had written – and designed – unique and colorful books. Most of the ones I liked included animals and unique names. Read more>>

Emily Friend

I started baking cupcakes and cakes when I was living in Costa Rica and ended up opening a cake shop there a few years later. As I tried to figure things out like how to get buttercream frosting really smooth on cakes, I was frustrated by the lack of information I could find online. YouTube videos seemed to skip over the important details like at what angle to hold your cake comb and they didn’t show the boring details that were essential for mastering a technique. Fast forward five years and I’d grown and sold my cupcake shop, moved to Los Angeles, managed a few bakeries and had a baby. On maternity leave I started making cakes again and remembered the lack of truly step-by-step cake decorating tutorials and, eager to find a way to stay home with my baby for longer, decided to try to fill that gap. Read more>>

Akarsh Vinod

It was 2017, and I was working as a robotics engineer in a small car brakes manufacturing plant in South Carolina. During that time, I had become completely hooked on podcasts and audiobooks, filling every spare moment with them—during my commute, lunch breaks, workouts, cooking, and even in the shower. Read more>>

gary Quinn

Starting my business was not just about having an idea—it was about taking that idea and turning it into something tangible, one step at a time. Looking back, it was a journey filled with excitement, challenges, and unexpected opportunities. Read more>>

Josh Valentin

The idea for CineVerse was born out of necessity during a challenging moment in my career. It was Thanksgiving, and I was producing a project that required additional equipment and crew. I made over 20 calls, but no one was available, nor could I rent anything because everything was closed. That experience opened my eyes to a major gap in the industry. The lack of accessibility, especially during crucial production times, inspired me to create a solution. Read more>>

Tiffany Whitaker

The idea to go into business for myself as a life insurance business owner has two parts: 1) I found myself needing a higher income when I became a single parent. 2) My career as an oncology nurse made me really passionate about teaching financial literacy to my peers and anyone who has the potential to be a future patient- everyone! As I sat there in my new apartment with my then 2-yr old son, I was putting a new budget together as a one-income household. I was attempting to plan for future expenses like a home, private school and athletic programs for my son. I not only wanted to keep up with bills, but I wanted to make sure that I was not sacrificing my savings and retirement contributions for the future; However, I kept coming up short. I debated what raise I would need to ask my boss for and how many annual raises I would need in order to meet my goals. Read more>>

Melissa Herrera

I started my photography journey in 2020 after the birth of my middle child-a long-awaited miracle following years of infertility treatments and multiple miscarriages. She was born at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a time of uncertainty that made me cherish every moment even more. My husband gifted me a DSLR camera so the photos I took would be “better than the ones on our phones”. I wanted to capture her milestones but had no experience with a professional camera. My photos were just not right. So I turned to online courses. I was finding myself late at night watching videos on lighting techniques, learning the difference between a mirrorless camera and a DSLR, learning the exposure triangle… It was all so exciting and I wanted to learn more! Read more>>

Jada Harris

Simply Jay began as a leap of faith, pushing past my doubts and fears to pursue something I truly love. I’ve always been crafty, enjoying all kinds of arts and crafts. To me, creating isn’t just a hobby—it’s a stress reliever and a form of art. I find peace and fulfillment in the process of crafting, and it became my personal escape. During the pandemic, I had plenty of time on my hands and, like many, I found myself scrolling through TikTok. That’s where I first discovered resin art. It was something I’d never seen or heard of before, but it immediately sparked my interest. I spent a month diving deep into the world of resin art, and soon after, I ordered all the supplies to start creating my own. Read more>>

Patricia Russell

I started my own publishing company, after I wrote my first children’s book. The backstory: Following divorce and years of infertility, I was fast approaching 40 and still did not have children. My biggest dream in life was to be a mother. Adopting as a single parent was cost prohibitive and I was unable to find a foster agency willing to certify me, due to my extensive travel. I had nearly lost all hope when I met my guardian angel. It was on a late night flight home in November 2016, seated next to a woman whom I exchanged pleasantries with. I soon learned she worked for one of the foster agencies I reached out to. Read more>>

Joel Sartore

The National Geographic Photo Ark is a multi-year effort to document every species living in human care, an effort that I hope isn’t simply capturing all the animals we’ll lose to extinction, but a testament to all of the animals we can save, while there’s still time.

I’m a National Geographic Explorer and photographer and I started my career on wildlife assignments for National Geographic magazine. From photographing grizzly bears in Alaska to koalas in Australia, I quickly learned firsthand how photography and storytelling could positively impact wildlife conservation efforts. Read more>>