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

Vanessa Beardsley

A long time ago, drudging along as an attorney and feeling like a square peg in a round hole, I would think about the kind of small business I would open if I could. I kicked around a lot of ideas during these mental escapes, but it never took on any serious form. Read More>>

Kym Maye

The Architecture of Service: From Vision to Execution I have always known my compass pointed toward service. My education provided the blueprints and my early career provided the tools, but it was a quiet observation prior to the global upheaval of COVID-19 that turned my ‘someday’ into ‘today.’ I looked at the landscape of small businesses and saw a fragmented struggle. Read More>>

Sung Yoo

I believe that anything we accomplish begins with the relationship we have with ourselves. The level of trust we build internally, and the limitations we either accept or challenge, ultimately determine how far we can go. Before any idea or achievement can come to life, there’s a moment where you decide whether you believe you’re capable or not. Read More>>

Essence Henderson

When I launched E4Essentials, it was a reality check. Despite a decade of experience starting with PrettyNPinks at 16, my first week was met with total silence—not a single sale. Then, in week two, the floodgates opened to 6-10 orders a day. Read More>>

Nicole Kizlinski

I moved to Florida with no friends, family or career in 2023. Coming to Florida was me running away from my old life. I didn’t like where I was, who I was, or what I was doing. So I picked a spot on the map near the beach and took off. Read More>>

Malana Olson

Sometimes when we are at weddings and finish totally transforming a room with florals I stand back and think ‘this was all just an idea in my mind at one point’ I had gotten my start in floristry in high school working for a local shop in my hometown. Read More>>

Sandra Davis

When I decided to move forward with starting my floral design company, I began researching immediately. Researching what licensure was needed, what floral education options there were so that I could have a foundation, what supplies florists use and consistently need, what website domain is the best, what flower types were so I wasn’t completely in the dark when trying to order them… Read More>>

I Min Lin

I started as a manager at a hot pot restaurant in Chinatown. I noticed a real lack of authentic Taiwanese flavors in Chicago, so I created Hello Jasmine. We specialize in high-quality bubble tea and street food like popcorn chicken and large cutlets. More than just food, I want people to feel the warmth of Taiwanese hospitality. Read More>>

Alexandra Ellison

First, you should know something about me: There are very little ideas I have that I haven’t already started executing in my head. It’s almost impossible for me to have an idea independent of a plan to execute. For this reason, I don’t always have the most ideas in the room; sometimes I only have one. Read More>>

Tracy Jackson

The idea to write a book began many years ago when I was in my early twenties. Even then, I felt that my life experiences had shaped a meaningful story worth sharing. Read More>>

Rachel Williamson

The idea didn’t start as “I’m going to write a book.” It started as a pattern I couldn’t ignore. I had spent years developing store managers and frontline leaders, and I kept seeing the same thing over and over—really talented people getting promoted into leadership roles without the tools or guidance to succeed. Read More>>

Raven Bourne

I actually started my journey as a makeup artist back in 2014, but at the time, I didn’t see it as “starting a business.” It was more of a curiosity that turned into something I couldn’t let go of. I was working at a well-known makeup counter, and that’s where everything clicked for me. Read More>>

MARY DEVINE

I began writing my debut memoir, Standing Up – Making the Best Out of Surviving the Worst, almost by accident. I retired from the New Castle County Police Department in 2016, but I hadn’t prepared for what would come next. As often happens in life, kismet—God, fate, whatever you choose to call it—seemed to guide me in an unexpected direction. Read More>>