Starting a business or creative project is scary for many reasons, but one that is often overlooked is the anxiety related to whether this is really “the one.” To some, this isn’t a valid consideration while to others this is the only consideration. Some argue that what you work on, along with who you work with are the two most pivotal decisions you’ll make and so we’ve asked folks to tell us about how they came up with their ideas and how they knew this idea was the one.

Heather Riley

Absolutely! So, the idea for Make It Pop Balloon Company really came from a mix of personal circumstance, creative curiosity, and honestly—a need for connection. I spent 12 years working as an insurance agent, and I genuinely loved the work. It was stable, meaningful, and I built great relationships. But everything shifted once I became a mom and started working more from home. Read more >>>

Kristina Vail

I had been teaching and practicing mat Pilates for over 10 years, but had recently started Reformer Pilates because I had found a studio that was within my price range and had classes that worked with my work schedule. I had fallen in love with it and was participating 5 to 6 times a week. Read more >>>

Ace Gonzalez

The idea for Ace Productions NYC came together from a mix of purpose, curiosity, and evolution. Before launching my agency, I worked in the nonprofit world managing and producing events and creative programs. I loved watching projects bring people together- seeing artists, community members, and partners light up when their work was seen and celebrated. Read more >>>

Brigitte St-Jean

For years, I did everything I was “supposed” to do. I built a solid career in the private sector, working in the environmental field, and later transitioned to the public sector where I became a dedicated public servant. I worked hard, climbed the ladder, and took pride in doing things well. On paper, everything looked fine — but inside, I was running on empty. Read more >>>

Matt Duhamel

I came up with the idea for Metamora Films while driving down a highway in Utah. A billboard caught my eye—it mentioned something about metamorphosis. I began playing with that word in my head and eventually landed on a shorter version: Metamora. Read more >>>

Gina M. Esswein

From Compliance to Creativity: My Leap of Faith When I first set off to college, I chose to study Art History and Literature. At that time, I was like many twenty-year-olds—uncertain, searching, and still trying to find my place in the world. Solid decision-making wasn’t yet my strong suit. But life has a way of guiding us, often in unexpected directions. Read more >>>

Antoine Martin

I coached Little League football for 16 years, and in the process, I became a mentor, role model, and father figure. I just wanted to see better for the next generations, you know? I had a real passion for helping people—especially the kids in our community. I loved it so much that I got into the education field to become a teacher. Read more >>>

Ciarra Schenk

In June of 2024, I got engaged to the love of my life, and I was ecstatic to start wedding planning. Within just 48 hours of saying “yes,” I had already booked our photographer, hair stylist, caterer, and a couple venue tours. Being a teacher, I wanted to get as much wedding planning as possible completed before summer’s end. Read more >>>

Katrina 6372338

The idea began after a conversation that changed how I saw both leadership and myself. I had reached out to a senior director for guidance about the next steps in my career. Her response was simple but shocking: she said no one had given her a playbook, so I shouldn’t expect one. It stunned me. Read more >>>

Ryan Jae

⸻ In 2022, I found myself juggling a full-time job while being a single mother to a pre-teen and caring for my mother, who had just started dialysis and was recovering from a leg amputation. Read more >>>

Katherine Langevin

The idea for my business came from my own story. I didn’t grow up around money or know anything about investing. I was raised in Colombia, and when I moved to the U.S. at sixteen, I had to figure everything out from scratch. Read more >>>

Kimberly Steele

For 18 years, I was an online college professor. This gave me the flexibility of being home and available for my children as my husband owned his business and was constantly away. I LOVED this and it worked wonderfully for me, until they grew up… and they left me. Just like they were supposed to! Read more >>>

Katie Wyant

First, let me start where the real story began. For over a decade, I struggled with infertility. It was a long and very painful chapter filled with hope, heartbreak, and waiting for something that never came. Seven years ago, I finally had to close that chapter of my life. Read more >>>

Scott Arnold

Acute Mania Live was created during the Covid 19 pandemic in July 2020. As a musician, this was a very tough time since venues and establishments were closed and we had nowhere to perform. Also, I have journalism background and always wanted to interview bands and musicians. Read more >>>

Bren Herrera

The idea for my foundation wasn’t something I sat down and brainstormed — it was born out of years of showing up for my community. Read more >>>

Sabrina Evans

Thee Social Maven didn’t start from a business plan; it started from a pause. I’d been working nonstop for years designing, managing campaigns, building other people’s brands, and I hit a point where I had to ask myself some hard questions: – What do I actually want to be known for? – Who do I want to serve? – What am I truly great at? Read more >>>

Bonnie Kraus

When I got caught in a snowstorm in Hobble Creek canyon, with no cell service, dark and with below freezing temps rolling in, I have to admit I didn’t have the best gut feeling. The backroad I was on had become slick and despite my best efforts and new tires I found my Honda CRV sliding off the road and into an embankment. Read more >>>

Jess Hoy

The idea for my work as a talent and influencer representative and talent relations consultant grew out of years spent observing the importance of needing a combined agent and public relations consultant. I observe cultural movements and industry developments in lieu of short cycled trends to develop a well-defined and authentic personal brand that builds long-term relevance and public interest. Read more >>>

Maria Landin

We started our farm because it was our dream to have a hobby farm and raise a family; that was our goal when we got married. Read more >>>

Peter Kraft

Tracy and I have been building in the EdTech space together for more than two decades. We have always approached it as partners in life and in business, an “EdTech power couple” in every sense. Along the way, we have started and successfully sold three companies. Read more >>>

LaDonna Duncan

I have sensitive skin and have faced challenges finding products that work effectively for me. Living in a rural community, I noticed that the big box stores do not carry the products I need to care for my skin. I would often drive forty miles one way to purchase items, only to return home and discover they did not work and sometimes exacerbate my eczema. Read more >>>

Blake Johns

I grew up in Arizona, and some of my earliest memories come from sitting on my grandfather’s lap while he enjoyed his evening bourbon. Those moments on his old armchair, with the warm, smoky (or should I say smokeye?) scent of bourbon in the air left a lasting impression on me. Read more >>>

sarah cavallaro

I wrote my novel, Dogs Have Angels Too while living in NYC where I saw humanity play out on the street everyday, every minute. Observing, a young couple fight over a dog lead me to write a two character play. I titled it Cindy and Bill. They became characters in my novel. Read more >>>

Tyler Costa

I have an industrial energy consulting company that helps keep manufacturing in America and my wife is an RN that selflessly serves the needs of other people for the greater good of humanity. But we’ve always wanted to do more. I’ve always looked back with regret for never having served in our great country’s military as I got started in business right out of college. Read more >>>

Dustin Lucas

The idea and creation of my business came after a life-saving liver transplant I received last year. I didn’t even know I was sick until I ended up in the emergency room with multiple organ failure. I had no idea how little time I had left until I was placed at the top of the liver transplant list at UC Medical Hospital. Read more >>>

Lydia Querian

The idea for Elle Karayan came from seeing both sides of the Filipino experience — being born and raised in the Philippines, and then living in the diaspora. I began to notice how, in many diasporic communities, Filipino culture is often represented in a monolithic way. Read more >>>

Shadaha Payne

The idea for Shoe Revive 412 came from my love for sneakers and wanting to keep mine looking fresh. I noticed how many people would stop wearing their favorite shoes just because they looked worn, not because they were ruined. I started cleaning and restoring shoes for myself and friends, and seeing their reactions made me realize this could be something bigger. Read more >>>

Nia McAdoo

I always say that Note and Accord was born out of legacy, love, and timing. Fragrance has been woven into my life for as long as I can remember. My father owned a fragrance company when I was young, and my Aunt Jackie was a perfumer in New York City. Read more >>>

Nathan Wilson

When Mike and I first started talking about Corporate Menace Coffee Co, it wasn’t about building a business for the sake of it. It came out of real nights we lived through. We were young professionals just starting our careers, juggling 9–5 jobs, grad school classes, and late-night projects that stretched into the early morning hours. Coffee wasn’t just a pick-me-up—it was survival. Read more >>>

Theresa Campbell

Autumn Artistry was born out of frustration, heartbreak and ultimately, deep purpose. Back in 2018, while planning my own wedding, I found myself struggling to find hair and makeup artists who could actually work with my features. Read more >>>

Gustavo Velasco Jara

I started Gusto Catering because I wanted to share food in a way that goes beyond a single menu or restaurant space, and also because It’s hard for me to work with the ego of the bosses. Read more >>>

Gabe Tabari

I’ve always thought the gap between creative work and actually running a business. There are so many eCommerce brands that need great photos/videos but don’t have an easy or affordable way to get them. Most professional photography services are super expensive and freelancers don’t usually work the way a business needs them to. Read more >>>

SKYLER MASON

How did SKYIN come to be? It’s a question that delves into more than just a timeline of events; it’s a journey into the very heart of human aspiration and the profound desire to connect. SKYIN wasn’t born out of a single moment, but rather a convergence of ideas, a singular vision by an individual who saw beyond the immediate horizon. Read more >>>

Katja Ivanchenko

I never really came up with the idea. It found me. All that was missing was the medium, which first appeared in photography and now lives on paper, skin, and canvas. There are three short “full circle” stories that mark where illustration began for me—the earliest moments I can remember. Read more >>>

Logan Blow

When I started Court Vision, it wasn’t because I wanted to just run another basketball training program — it was because I saw a gap in development that no one was filling. I had been training players for years, and I kept noticing the same frustration: athletes were talented but underprepared, and parents were confused about where to turn. Read more >>>

Linette Rodriguez

As a kid, I always dreamed of working with animals. But once I got to college, I realized that becoming a veterinarian wasn’t for me. I wasn’t drawn to the medical side of things – the surgeries, the euthanasia, the invasive aspects. So I shifted gears and decided to study Psychology instead. Read more >>> 

Katie Beaver

Back in 2006, I was working full-time in an accounting position and I had a friend who was a CPA. A client they were working on had financials that needed major reconstruction before taxes could be filed and he asked me if I had the time to take it on. Read more >>>

Diesha Banner

Over the past 10 years, I have been deeply engaged in the mixology and bartending space, an industry historically dominated by white males, with limited opportunities for the advancement and recognition of people of color. My journey into this industry began as a quest for additional income while working in the non-profit sector as a single mother. Read more >>>

Patrice King Brickman

I had been investing in women-led businesses for a few years in VC when I came across a woman-led company with a DAF on her cap table, and thought Wow, I can invest money sitting in my DAF? That taps into a whole other bucket of capital to support women and diverse leaders. Read more >>>