One of the challenges we’ve seen to true equality of opportunity is that schools and books often can’t (or choose not) offer access to one of the most equalizing resources – first hand stories of how successful entrepreneurs made their ideas a reality. If you grew up in a family or community that had many successful entrepreneurs you may have been lucky to hear many conversations and stories about starting and executing on an idea, but there are millions of people across the country who haven’t had the same advantage and so our hope here is to create a space where those stories can be told in a more public forum for the benefit of any and every aspiring entrepreneur.

Sharon Asby

I actually started photography back in 11th grade. It was the only thing that kept me in school, honestly. Everything else felt like noise, but photography gave me something to look forward to. I started out taking photos of my friends, then got asked to shoot events and weddings. I had no idea at the time that it would turn into a full-blown career. I just knew I loved it. Read more>>

Veronica Foster

Never in all my years did I think that I would own the Association of Bridal Consultants. I started as a Wedding Planner back in 2002, and in 2017 I earned my Master Wedding Planner designation. I figured I would move to destination weddings instead because I was getting older, and then in 2021, our then-President and Owner stated that he wanted to retire. I still didn’t say anything because I just wasn’t sure about my direction, and I was making good money with Destination Weddings. Then, in 2023, he stated that maybe he should just close the Association down, and that is what bothered me. Read more>>

Kat Heart

My backstory is long and dark, I’ll try to spare you the details and stick to the highlights. I went from a drug addicted mother, into the arms of an abusive father, then into foster care at 13, which led to a cross country move, and right into a terribly unhealthy relationship and teenage pregnancy. Four kids later, I left him, and the day I did I picked up a guitar. I was 27 and had never played or sang outside of a year of chorus in high school. In fact, for the entirety of that marriage I was discouraged from making noise at all. Music saved me. It gave a rich voice to the things I had experienced. Read more>>

Jennifer Eldon

It definitely didn’t start with a business plan — it started with burnout and the feeling that I couldn’t keep living the way I was. I had been in high-stress corporate jobs, and by the time I left, my nervous system was fried. I wasn’t sleeping, I was anxious all the time, and I felt completely disconnected from myself. I went to a breathwork class not really knowing what to expect, and something in me cracked open. I finally felt again — like really felt — and it scared me, but also gave me hope. Read more>>

Joshua Cole

For roughly 13 years, I had an unconventional career trajectory involving frequent involuntary stays courtesy of the state prison system—let’s just say cell phones weren’t the only thing I couldn’t hold onto. During this “career hiatus,” I was painfully unaware of the collateral damage my actions caused to my loved ones. Read more>>

Mariatu Savage-Whyte

The idea for SunkissedMari Skin first came to me back in 2011. It was more of a feeling than a fully formed concept — a spark of something I knew I wanted to create, but I wasn’t quite sure how to bring it to life. I’d seen firsthand the impact of beauty standards and bleaching products, especially during a visit to a market in Sierra Leone. That stuck with me — the idea that skin care could be healing, affirming, and rooted in love rather than shame. Read more>>

Betty McCain

It’s real funny story how I got to open up Blade & Arrow hair salon. Let me start by saying I had already had up another Salon business and it has been thriving but something inside told me I would love to have a second hair salon business and change the messaging to be luxury sustainable eco-friendly and a low toxic nontoxic salon space. I had pitched this idea of opening another salon with one of my stylist, because during Covid, we were closed for so long we would take hikes to pass the days and weeks by and we would talk about what would be like. She definitely wasn’t ready and neither were we because it was such uncertain times.. but years went on and my other business was doing very well after all of that shut down and this epiphany happened, where I re-pitched the idea of opening up another Salon to the same stylist Friend. Read more>>

AMONA Adams

It all started with The Angels Talk Show—a vision God gave me during a season of deep emotional pain and spiritual searching. I was going through my own healing journey and needed a safe space to process grief, trauma, and faith. The show started as a way to speak life over others while speaking healing into myself. I didn’t have a team, a budget, or a roadmap—just a message, a phone, and a heart full of obedience. Read more>>

Taylor Mosley

I like to start by defining my idea. Where was it birthed from or inspired by. Once I’ve done that I stretch and pull it apart to the discover what I want to achieve followed by how I want to achieve it. I tell people, “if there is nothing new under the sun go over it.” I mean this to say what will never go out of style is inspiration. I strive to be that. When i started in photography i instantly gravitated to art or any work that i felt sparked a conversation. I knew i wanted to do that, that was the idea. The next step was figuring out what that looked like for me style -wise. I then set small goals and constantly researched techniques to be able to achieve the idea. The first two years were the hardest because refining the process usually is. Years three and four were magical as I started to understand clearly that the idea was both possible and for me.  Read more>>

Michelle Trail

Traillionaires was a name and a conversation before it came into reality. It was nearly 19 years ago when marrying Mr. Trail my marital maketing background plus my educational experience always has me coming up with trendy names. I created TRAILlionaires and said one day this will be legacy. I created the email to hold the name and then went on about my career and extra curriculum activities working to figure out what was naturally taking on to a skill or talent I could ask others to pay for. There birth Traillionaires as a business and nonprofit. Read more>> 

Stone Hubbard

In my high school costume construction class, I learned a surface design technique from Elizabeth Knodle, a revered Texas artist and educator, with remnants of fabrics from Todd Oldham’s trunk shows. She then taught us how to take the technique and turn it into a one-piece foldover bag. My love of designing and constructing bags was born. I went on to pursue a career in Theatrical costumes but the love of the surface design technique and making bags stayed. I would take the fabric remnants from shows I worked on and would make the costume designer and or costume crew bags. Then my friends started asking for bags for gifts. Read more>>