Going from idea to execution isn’t easy. Part of the difficulty is that often there is no playbook to follow and while we can’t offer a playbook either, we wanted to create a space where aspiring entrepreneurs could read the stories of how some very smart, very thoughtful entrepreneurs form the community got started.
Brittany Styles
I often get the question of how Style House by Brittany got started and it honestly started when I was a little girl. I always loved decorating my birthday parties and redecorating my bedroom. I did this for years for myself and a few family friends. It wasn’t until college that I actually started to consider this as a career and how to build what is now a creative design studio. Read More>>
Angela Hinkle
The idea for This Is The Flex came from a passion for bringing people together and making moments feel special. I was helping decorate a baby shower for a close friend, and after hearing several people say, “You really need to do this professionally,” I finally took it seriously. That moment lit a fire. Read More>>
Chedva Ludmir
My previous startup, Emerj, started from working with many small women-owned brands and recognizing a pattern: women leaving corporates at certain stages in life. After an especially deep conversation with a client, I started having intentional conversations with women from all industries about workplace culture and how human-oriented (or not) their organizations were. Eventually, I published a 30-question survey for women in the workplace. Read More>>
Justin Marlowe
For years, I had wanted to tell my story of growing up as an African American within multiple suburban environments. My situation had been exacerbated by the fact that the parents of my peers were proverbial casualties of the “Civil Rights” era. And we, as children, were collateral damage from their experiences. My trials and tribulations were rarely rooted in macroaggressions, but minute moments that built and became more than the sum of their parts. Read More>>
Lianna Johnson
This idea started while I was in college. I’ve always had a passion for flowers and felt like it they were one of the easier ways for me to express my emotions. I’ve been making floral arrangements for a year and decided to take it more serious this summer. In the beginning, I was very hesitant, but one day I decided to create a floral arrangement and remember the feeling of excitement. Shortly after posting on my socials, I received so much positive feed back. It was now time for me to show off my skills. Read More>>
Ayana Benjamin
It all started with a simple crochet practice piece—a circular pot holder I was experimenting with as a way to unwind and explore a new creative outlet. I posted it casually on social media, thinking nothing of it. Then someone commented, “Is that an earring?” I laughed at first—because it definitely wasn’t—but then something clicked. I dared myself to take that comment seriously, to redesign the piece as wearable art. I went back to the yarn, reworked the size and structure, and posted the finished earring. That person became my very first client. Read More>>
Tammy Hickey
Picture this…. I was recovering from my unilateral mastectomy in June of 2020. I had finished 3 months of chemo. Was recovering on my back deck with no hair, no eye brows, drains hanging from my body and made a life changing decision that I was going to make this traumatic season MEAN something. I had done so much work on body acceptance over the years, yet this took me to a whole other level. Read More>>
Adriana Flores
Creating BellasFloresStudio was the most challenging and rewarding thing I’ve ever done. As a first-generation entrepreneur, I knew I wanted to build something that would support both my family and myself. In mid October 2024, I reached a turning point, I was tired of doubting my future so I decided to invest all my savings into renting a suite and purchasing the necessary equipment. It wasn’t until January of this year that I began actively promoting and offering my services. Read More>>
Dennis-Michael Broussard
The evolution of going to pop culture events and conventions was a slow and gradual, but certainly inevitable process. I had already been producing events for corporations and nonprofits for a while, but I was slowly moving to aligning my entrepreneurial proclivity with a growing area of interest for me – which was pop culture and pop culture events. It was a combination of factors; a lack of (or rather, very few) options in San Diego, in which there was a market, and a growing, hungry audience, yet nothing catering to them, other than the grand daddy of all pop culture events, San Diego Comic Con; Read More>>
Anant Agarwal
Aidora started with a deeply felt frustration: why is taking leave, especially something as life-changing as parental leave, still so complex and stressful? Employees often don’t know what they’re entitled to and HR teams are buried in administrative overhead. There was no modern system that brought clarity and care into the process. Read More>>
Gary Patterson
I’ve known since I was about 12-13 years old that I wanted to be a chef. My father always told me when I’m ready to pick my career let it be something I love to do so it doesn’t feel like work. So that narrowed my decision to two choices, music or food. I was in band, so music was always an interest, but it was more of a hobby for me instead of a career choice. When it came to cooking, that’s something I’ve been around my whole life. Read More>>
Melissa Gonzalez
I have always known I would be a designer; I never imagined I would be a landscape contractor creating garden designs and being their caregiver like my Father. I grew up with a nature loving Father-finding every opportunity to escape the city life to the wild forest; my ancestors were growers of agriculture in places we call “los ranchos”, in a desert climate in Mexico from my Mother’s side. My Father’s side grew more closely to the mountains and rivers. I have engraved the best of both biodiverse environments to paint a better picture and care for wildlife and nature. Read More>>
Joe Lane
I’ve always been a musician Started playing professionally and traveling when I was seven years old. For as long as I can, remember, I have always wanted to play drums. My father had a gospel Quartet, singing group, and I started playing with them. As far as Photography is concerned, I’d like to take pictures for a long time, but in 2011, my sister couldn’t afford to get my nephew see your pictures taken so I asked her to let me try. Read More>>
Ebony Dawson
I’ve always had a love for balloons, even as a child you would find me with a balloon in my hand at birthday parties, fairs etc. I have a background in Early Childhood Education in which I worked in for 18 years. During those years I would always do fun activities with my students that involved balloons and sometimes simple balloon decor for holidays and special occasions. I honestly thought that teaching would be what I would be doing for the rest of my life and I was absolutely fine with that until I had a child and family of my own! Read More>>
Tia Minzoni
The idea for Stella Jets came from a pivotal moment in my life. I was facing a cancer diagnosis in 2019 that forced me to look closely at my life and what I was waiting for. I realized I could not wait for the perfect time anymore. It was time to go all in on the idea that had been in my heart for years. Read More>>
Tina R. Dawson
Going from Idea to Execution: The Birth of CraftConnect Expo
For years, I noticed a frustrating pattern— every major crafting event or creative conference in Metro Atlanta seemed to take place on the north side of town: Alpharetta, Duluth, Cobb, Gwinnett. Meanwhile, those of us on the east side — Conyers, Covington, Lithonia, etc. — have just as much talent & passion but aren’t catered to in our area. Read More>>
Armani Johnson
How did I become the Crown & Complexion Specialist? Let’s start with the crown. I was 12 years old when I found my craft in hair braiding. For myself, it wasn’t much of a calling at the moment but instead an opportunity to make money. I also had a scalp sensitivity due to having eczema so the only way I could get my hair done was if I did it myself. Fast forward over the years, I continued to perfect that craft but I still wasn’t completely in love with it. Read More>>
Michelle Lawton
From Spark to Strategy: The Story Behind Joyful Plate®
People often ask how Joyful Plate began. The truth? It started with a craving—not just for food or wine, but for more meaning, more creativity, and deeper connection in my work. Read More>>
Bob Sandelman
I have always had a keen interest in solving puzzles and playing games such as Scrabble, Boggle, Sudoku, Wordle, and Jumble. I’ve also always been fascinated by unique clocks and calendars and have built quite a collection of both. Read More>>
Rob Scheer
At age 12, I entered foster care with my belongings stuffed into a trash bag. That experience didn’t just stay with me—it shaped me.
Years later, shortly after I turned 18, I came home from school to find my foster parents at the front door—trash bag in hand.
“You’ve aged out,” they told me. “We’re no longer receiving a check from the government. You have to leave.” Read More>>
Jaeyoung Lee
I trained as a professional athlete in Korea, competing at national and international levels. I earned gold medals, poured countless hours into mastering the art, and lived and breathed the discipline. But behind the glory, I saw another side—one filled with politics, favoritism, and disillusionment. I began to lose faith in a system that didn’t always reward talent or hard work. Eventually, I walked away. Read More>>