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.

Natalie Poston

My co-founder, Alli, and I built the initial business plan for JoyLet in an MBA class called “Lean Startup” while at Georgetown McDonough. Everyone had to pitch an idea on the first day of class. Alli pitched a baby gear rental business–an idea she’d wanted to explore at business school. With so many friends of mine becoming parents, I loved the idea, joined her, and JoyLeft was born. JoyLet is a monthly subscription platform for baby and toddler gear and toy rentals, which helps parents gain flexibility, while saving time, money, space, waste, and stress. Read more>>

Alejandro Badillo

Since I have started my usage of recreational Marijuana, I had used alot of different ways to enjoy my smoking, from blunts to bongs, and I had always been facinated by the diferent tipes of pipes and bongs, I would buy different bongs at the smoke shops whenever I would broke mine or got bored of it, but mostly I would break them by accident. Read more>>

Gold Blake

Building the Gold.Blake creative brand started with just the idea to express myself creatively on photo. After walking runway for NYFW numerous times, I noticed I had great runway pictures however the portfolio aspect of my modeling needed more. Therefore I challenged myself. I used to work at J.Crew and was known as one of the creative employees due to modeling and being one of two employees that was usually called on to dress the mannequins and assist with the store window display. Read more>>

Javani Austin

In the beginning, I was just trying to vlog my life, allow people to witness the experience of a 20 something Atlanta native going through life to the beat of her own drum. I knew what I wanted to do, own multiple businesses that were successful and of value to my community. I had no idea or clue how to make it a reality. I knew YouTube was never an overnight milllionaire story. Read more>>

Ebony Little

I started with myself; growing up and into teenage and adulthood I had very bad acne and used makeup to try to cover it up. The more I applied it the more I feel in love with it! After a few years I thought that I could be a makeup artist but didn’t know where to start. I started practicing on my friends to build my skill and after a few years I felt that I was ready and announced on Instagram and verbally that I was now a makeup artist. Read more>>

Adrienna McDermott

I started Ava And The Bee with a $200, a 9-year-old laptop, and a business named after my cat. Fast forward five years later, and we are the boutique wedding marketing agency for wedding professionals, with a team of five and a months-long waitlist to work with us. And our education hub, The Creative VA Academy, has helped over 250 students start and grow their own creative virtual assistant businesses. Read more>>

Yenesis Alfonso

My life changed when I decided to plan a 3 week adventure to Italy. This would become our first experience to Europe! After a year of planning, I found the perfect suppliers to match our needs and dreams as we visited that beautiful country, taking into account the experiences we wanted to enjoy as a family. The goal was to create memories to last a lifetime. Mission accomplished! We travelled the main regions from the Amalfi Coastline to Venice/Milan. Read more>>

True Lawton

The “idea moment” was so simple in comparison to getting the business actually going. I remember looking through all the texts of musicians and music industry people who were looking for work and all the texts from my handyman clients asking when I could get to their jobs. I remember feeling like I was standing on a geyser. I also had the sensation of looking up from your day job and seeing a rainbow slowly form towards where you’re standing. The “idea moment’ also was at the bitter end of our families savings, Read more>>

Jessica McClure

I have always loved looking at magazines, new collections, outfit ideas-all things fashion. After high school, I decided to pursue that love with a fashion merchandising degree at Brenau University. While having a full course load, I also worked full time at Wendy’s. Wendy’s was just a car payment at that point until my college professor urged me to find a job fashion related. I applied at tons of places and never got the call, until what felt like an eternity later – Plato’s Closet wanted to set up an interview. Read more>>

Xenia DidThat

I’ve loved pro wrestling for over 16 years now, my love for wrestling could now independently drive! But when I was younger I was never really intending on making it into a career. Sure we all have dreams when we’re kids, but in some shape or form a lot of the time we suppress them. I got a formal education – a Bachelor’s and a Master’s – in PR, Journalism and New Media, and at one point it just clicked. I found myself thinking – hey, what if I try and put the two together and start creating pro wrestling content? Read more>>

Charity Hairston

Our plan began with us figuring out our targeted area, and deciding who we woud service. Martinsville/ Danville VA and surrounding areas, Greensboro, Winston- Salem. Charlotte, NC and surrounding areas. Next on the list was creating a business name. We went back and forth for weeks with different names and Marvetta stated that she wanted to come up with a unique name that represents the both of us and our personalities. Read more>>

Charlotte Trecartin

During the Fall of 2020, I was a full-time student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign pursuing my Bachelors degree virtually (due to Covid). But that’s not all! I was also a nanny, competitive bodybuilder, and cycle instructor at the local Lifetime Athletic. What can I say, I love being active. Read more>>

Dayane Vail

If you are planning on starting any project, my advice is ‘just do it’! Most projects stay on the first step forever and never leave the paper or that cool folder full of ideas on Pinterest. At least mine started that way, a folder full of different projects and ideas, and I kept waiting for the right moment, to have more money or more free time, but these things never happen so in the midst of chaos I set $200 a side (might not seem like a lot but trust me when you have nothing every penny counts), bought the basic of material I would need to start trying things out. Read more>>

Erik Sopracasa

Going from Idea to Execution sounds easier than it is. Especially for creative people coming up with ideas is part of the daily job, it stimulates your inspiration, imagination and it’s where you find your energy. I’ve learned very early though that realizing an idea can be really tough as you will encounter many aspects you most likely don’t think about when you are dreaming of realizing that specific project. Read more>>

Annemarien Faraminan

How was Hooties started…. My family has always been huge on candles and diffusers, but with our daughter having severe asthma, allergies and eczema and my mother’s as well having been diagnosed with cancer. The selection was limited on the candles and products that they can use. Read more>>

Tim Van Ee

I started Flavors on Fire two years ago, after a period of brainstorming the idea. Food has been a large part of my life since childhood, so it came naturally to do something in the food industry. Teaching was another passion of mine, so a Cooking Studio was the perfect combination of both passions. Read more>>

Kenita Smith

I founded H.O.P.E, Inc. (Helping Other People be Empowered) organization based on my personal life story. I was a single parent in college, a sophomore when I had my first son. It took me ten years to complete my college degree due to the lack of resources and support for single parents attending a two- or four-year college and working. There were many outlets for homeless single parents or even those obtaining a diploma or a certificate, but not those of us pursuing an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree. Read more>>

Chris Himels

This all started just sitting on a couch with a sewing needle and some floss. I made hand stitched pieces for a while just was a way to pass time. I didn’t watch television or anything. I would work my job then sew pieces. gradually I built up a nice collection and was asked to showcase them at a DIY music venue. As the shows were playing I had my little zone setup and people would come glance at my stuff at the time I had no clue what to price things at. I was just happy to get my pieces into peoples hands. Read more>>

Mary Harcourt

The idea came from the pain points I felt daily at my spa. I owned an eyelash extension spa in Los Angeles. We offered multiple treatment rooms with a fully trained staff. When applying eyelash extensions, you isolate individual lashes, as a hair strand, between your tweezers. From there, you select an extension, dip it into adhesive and apply it to the natural lash. Read more>>

Jennifer Altamirano

Once the idea of taking our homemade hot sauce to a retail level became a goal and official business, we started by doing extensive research on the process of manufacturing and bottling. There is no hand book or step by step instructions spelled out so we just started calling different departments that handle permitting and asking all kinds of questions. Eventually we checked off all the boxes needed to begin and start submitting our sauce to stores. Read more>>

Chasmine Iyonna

I actually started out as a makeup artist. I never wanted to be a salon artist I’ve always seen myself doing more. 4 months after I received my Makeup Certification my work was featured on The BET Awards, Love and Hip Hop, Growing Up Hip Hop Atlanta, The Word Network, Music Videos, and so much more. From there I build many connections and turned my business into an Enterprise. Which is now called Chasmine Iyonna Enterprise. Read more>>

Adrienne Davis

In 2013, a local independent school hired me to lead their diversity efforts. Like so many others in inaugural DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) roles, it often felt like everything related to “diversity” became my responsibility. One focus in particular–responding to identity-related incidents and interactions–pushed me to expand my knowledge base and skill capacity. The need was nonstop at the school (and the community, in general). Read more>>

Jônelle Music

I was a christian my whole entire life. I never really thought that I would be able to do music even though i always have. I grew up playing the trumpet in elementary school and with that I had to learn music theory. I sang in the school and church choirs, I led services in worship, took part in musicals and a bunch of other things. In 2019 my life began to pretty much fall apart. Read more>>

Karla Monagas

My process of going for idea to execution, was and has been a journey. The desire to go after my passion was always a thought in my mind, but how to go about that, and actually make my vision a reality was harder than I expected. Read more>>

Rucky Likekele

If we’re being completely honest, my official journey of learning photography/videography started in 2014, but that’s a story in it of itself. The idea of doing photography full-time first came across my mind January 2017, literally 2 weeks after graduating from Towson, with an exercise science degree. Yeah, I know, absolutely nothing to do with my career. Read more>>

Eshan Mahimkar

Every great project starts off with a great idea, so that’s where I started! During Summer 2022, I decided to enter the Creative writing competition for Coppell Gifted & Talented Association. I had already won 2 awards for my poetry through the Association. I had my first book published the year before, so I thought, why not try my hand at a short story? Read more>>

Tyson Schrader

My partner, Gonja Demirkazan, and I were at a cross-roads in our careers, our location, and our lives. The pandemic was a perfect storm of challenge and opportunity for us. We knew we needed a change, and we used the extra time at home to research our next phase. The two years of the pandemic were fraught with big moves between states, employers, and lifestyles. We finally settled on our dream home – Conesus Lake. Read more>>

Mohamed Hauter

The idea of starting a photovoltaic panel manufacturing facility brewed for years. The market was scarce in 2005 and raw material suppliers were very hard to find. For those reasons, we decided that opening a solar design, manufacturing, and installation company was the better option at the time, and that is what we did. However, considering the ever-increasing need for clean energy, availability of raw materials, maturity of the market, we decided that the time has come to start a manufacturing facility. Read more>>

Chris Morgan

My mind was made up. Im going to do this. Then I asked myself but how. So I immediately started to design and order business cards. I created my website and after that excitement died down I realized I need a business plan. So I begin to do my due diligence. Who did I want to serve, what’s my mission statement, oh yeah I need a tagline lol. Read more>>

Jarrhette Burke

My family has always been really talented when it came to art. A bunch of the family has the God-given gift to draw pretty much anything they see, so I quickly became that child that sat on the floor and drew his favorite cartoon characters all day. Read more>>

Octavia Miller

AMID Event Planning started as a personal hobby and honestly a love for travel and event planning. One of my two favorite things to do is gathering with friends and family and creating beautiful meaningful memories. My second love is my love for travel. I live for visiting new places and experiencing all of the food, activities and beauty that my destination provides. Read more>>

Amy Youngblood

After 10 years of collaborating with different firms in both the residential and commercial spheres, I decided to start my firm Amy Youngblood Interiors. Ironically, I started it in the 2009 Recession when the housing market was frankly a mess. I was working for a company that was having big financial problems and could no longer pay me what I was worth. Read more>>

Kevin Veal

When it comes to manifesting an idea. I first envision what it is in my mind that I want to create. I mentally play with different ways to bring forth before settling on the idea. That helps me to bring out the best version. Now I’m ready to get all the necessary tools, images and whatever it is that’ll help me execute the idea properly and to it’s full potential. Once that’s accomplished I critique and correct what needs to be corrected., then it’s done! Read more>>

Britnee Kinard

In 2005 my husband was hit by an IED while serving in Iraq. After he was medically retired from the military due to a traumatic brain injury, the Department of Veterans Affairs informed us that he needed a service animal. Obtaining a service animal was not a short or easy process then. Read more>>

Sayuri Smith-Timmons CPS

As a person with lived experience with attempting to transition from adult entertainment, it was apparent to me I could not be the only one struggling. I started out blogging about my struggles and how I kept myself encouraged with the Word of God as I continued to work at a strip club in metro Atlanta. The blog became a book, Scriptures for Strippers, the first and only devotional and guide to the Bible for women in adult entertainment. Read more>>

Amanda Walsh

I never thought I would be where I am now – don’t all of us business owners say that. Prior to this business I had another one along with my full-time job which was working with postpartum mothers. When I started that business I did everything on my own including building my website which I actually loved. Anyone remember the MySpace days?? I used to love changing the layout of my page and being creative with that. Read more>>

Misha Mills

January 2022, I was tired. I had been doing business as Misha D Mills The Experience for 3 years by myself with no support. I felt as though I had built this empire and didn’t know where to go from there. I decided it was best to give myself a break. That break led me to closing down my business and go back into a traditional salon setting. Now I wouldn’t say it was totally a bad idea but in May 2022, Read more>>

Mirna Hernandez

Hey Guys! First & foremost i would like to introduce myself. My Name is Mirna Hernandez, I am 31 years old, i have 4 Beautiful, handsome Boys & I am a houston Hairstylist going on for 3 years now on September 23, 2022. I feel extremely Grateful to be interviewed by Voyage Houston! This will be my second time writing a little bit more about me. I thank Voyage Houston For this amazing opportunity! Read more>>

Raina Rodriguez

Okay so, my tale of idea to execution involves leaving the industry I was working in for 10+ years, moving myself and my kids in with family members so I could pursue my education, moving across the country, obtaining multi-state licenses, and so much more! Read more>>

Rekieshia Norton-Forrest

One night I was laying in bed scrolling the internet and I came across this article on how more Americans are starting their own businesses (this was at the heigh of the pandemic). As I was reading I started thinking about where I wanted to be career-wise and financially. Did I really want to be working a 9-5 career for the rest of my life? Read more>>

Jason Vallejo

I have worked with the homeless population for 5 plus years and was the Executive Director of an organization in Dallas that lead opening of the first LGBTQ+ transitional housing program. I resigned from that organization at the very end of 2019 because my husband had taken a job in the Austin, Tx area. To make a long story short, he didn’t end up liking his new job and we ended up staying in Dallas. Feelings of frustration and confusion came over me because I left a job that I was so passionate about. Read more>>

Aliyah Nicole

How did its start… It went a little like this and before we get into how let’s talk about why. It started in 2017, as a freshman in college. I was fascinated with beauty and fashion. I would get asked all the time how did I get my hair in a specific hairstyle. Where do I shop because I rarely wore sweats on campus. Read more>>

Alisha Stevenson

You have CANCER! These are the three dreaded words that no one wants to hear. I was at the prime of my life, recently married, working my dream job as a cop, new house, new mother, and wife. I had a good life, and I was healthy, well at least, I thought I was healthy. It was the summer of 2016, and at 33, I noticed blood in my stool a few times over two months. Read more>>

Chris Trapani

I started out in the hospitality industry when I was 15 (30 years ago), working in a cafeteria style kitchen. I wanted to go into law enforcement when I was a child, but was immediately drawn into cooking and hospitality with my first summer job Read more>>