Coming up with an idea for a business or creative project can feel exhilarating. Inspiration for a new idea can come from so many places and we’ve asked some great folks from the community to share their stories of how they came up with their ideas.

Joseph Charnin

On October 13th, 2017, I experienced a significant turning point in my career. As I sat in my home office, diligently working on tasks for my job at Patriot National, an insurance company in Fort Lauderdale, little did I know that my life was about to take an unexpected twist. Just moments after completing a crucial assignment and sending off the confirmation emails, I received a call from HR about my layoff. The initial shock quickly turned into a mix of emotions and uncertainty. Read more>>

Kate Moon

FLOW STATE Wellness Studio – the name of the studio. One year, I was hosting a yoga retreat in Mexico, and one of my clients fell on a gravel road and skinned up her hands pretty badly. She was disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to do yoga the next day since she couldn’t put her hands on the ground (downward facing dog, table top, etc.). So, I went back to my bungalow and started sequencing a class where we barely used our hands on the floor (only fingertips for stability). Read more>>

Dwight Thomas

When I first started out it was only in the Private Investigations sector, eventually later bringing in security in various stages. Both positions fall simultaneously together under one rule which is being attentive to detail: I decided to of course stick with being a P.I while becoming a consultant in the busy, harsh world of being a security officer. Read more>>

Jack Ambriz

The Unicorn Hunters Club was founded after identifying a need in the e-commerce industry. As passionate cigar enthusiasts, my partner and I noticed that despite growing customer lists, many had the same question: “Where do I start with cigars?” Seeing this recurring question led us to realize that there was an opportunity to offer value to both newcomers and aficionados. Read more>>

Roman Flintroy

The Bubble Bath Bar came into fruition through a conversation I was having with my partner about how we could not find an all natural bubble bath that has a luxurious lasting lather. This conversation lead me to do some research on bath products. The information that I found explained how most bubble bath and shower gel products have harmful chemicals and ingredients that not only dry the skin, but also causes diseases and other problems. Read more>>

Chumika Williams

The beginning of RetwistedbyMeek will always remain as a moment I’ll never forget. Knowing that I actually took a life changing risk, will always be an intense exciting feeling for me. RetwistedbyMeek all started in 2021 while I was working for my previous job, that I was employed at for 4 years as a supervisor. I had step down as a supervisor and accepted a new position, that included a set schedule from 4am-12:30pm. Read more>>

Gabori Partee Sr

I came up with the idea for my business and moniker based off the system used to rate us in the USMC. There was an evaluation called a Fitness Report. The fitness report was used to let us know where we excelled and where we were falling short in particular areas of our military jobs. We called them “Fitreps” for short. Read more>>

Lily Merrick

I saw fellow musicians struggling to get out of these really intense contracts when there was a huge abuse of power or just unfair contract stipulations. I had previous business experience in the race horsing industry. I wanted to marry that experience with my love for and experience in music as an artist myself. It inspired me and encouraged me to create a music label that looks out for its artists. Read more>>

Rachel Dang

My dream of opening a coffee shop started 3 years ago when my parents had just left Vietnam along with everything they built the past decades for Seatle, where my sister and I begins our life adventures. It was hard for them at first. A couple of 50-years-old with neither knowledge of English nor this new country that came with a complete different culture and weather sacrificed everything for their children. I remember the moment I felt helpless when everything this new chapter of life could give my dad was job rejections. Read more>>

Gabriella youngblood

I am a mom and a writer on the Medium app. I started writing about things that are meaningful to me. I write poems about loss and love, stories about my day raising a toddler in this crazy world, and I also write about navigating relationships with family and friends. I have encountered a lost within the past 5 years and have noticed that writing about my situations but only help me release whatever i’m going through but I believe it gives others some perspective. Read more>>

Madaiko Payne

Zumamiko origins began as a nesting project between me and my mother. I have always been a pretty crafty person, drawing and scrapbooking were in my wheel house; however, when I became pregnant with my second daughter the DIY bug bit pretty hard. Upon finding out that we would soon be welcoming a new baby girl to our family, I had the bright idea to handmake everything for her. I consulted with my mother, who was much more versed than I was in sewing, quilting, and crocheting, to help with this enormous task. She was completing ready for the journey! Read more>>

Elizabeth Siggers

I knew I needed to open my own business, because I had been a stylist for a popular salon for 12 years. I felt as though I was running the salon myself. I also felt as though I learned everything I could possible learn there. It was time for me to step out on faith! Read more>>

Jane Dua

Throughout my 12 year-long career in the fine jewelry space, I saw firsthand that beyond excessive waste production and unethical buying practices, fashion has considered women of color as an afterthought far too long. nunchi was born from the desire to merge thoughtful products with authentic, diverse representation. Read more>>

Tuannisha Price

First off I wanted to start a business because I wanted to make extra income. My first idea was to start a personal assistant business called Atus (all things under the sun). Then the wine bug hit me. I was dining at a 5 star resturant and got embarrassed when the snobby sommelier walked me through the tasting ceremony without saying a word. I decided right then and there that I wanted to learn as much about wine as I could. I wanted to be able to speak wine language and function in wine culture like a pro. I studied and started to entertain friends at my house pairing wine with foods and sharing anything new I learned about wine. Read more>>

Kenon Prevo

People always ask me how did I get into cooking and things of that nature. My answer is always going to be how I’ve grown up in a family full of southern culinary artists that didn’t even know that’s what they were. My mom would always cook big family meals for everyone on Sundays, my uncle was always a great cook and grill master , then you have my aunt who was one of the best bakers in the city. Read more>>

DeLea Kearse

In 2018, after discovering a sketch app that I liked, I began creating various images inspired by love songs, then started writing poetry about what I saw in the drawings. But these pieces felt special, and I knew, almost immediately, that I didn’t just want to file them away. The next year, I felt it would be a worthwhile endeavor to marry the two in the most meaningful way I knew how. It was then that I founded TopKnot DediKations, LLC, which specializes in ANY OCCASION, romantic artwork that doubles as greeting cards. Read more>>

Myron McCant

KD Academy, LLC Love, Education, Nutrition… Formerly known as “The Kiddie Depot Daycare” was founded by Penny Dale’ McCant operating in the 3rd district and most underserved portion of Kansas City in 2005. The home-based business was a result of her teenaged, aged son and his girlfriend getting too close, one too many times….lol. This resulted in Penny becoming a grandmother at an early age. From there, she determined that she would start her own childcare business, with the grandchild being the 1st patron. Read more>>

Annetta Rogers

I literally started designing content and business cards just off of playing around and watching a few videos during the pandemic. Once I fell good enough I started posting and then the rest is history. People just started contacting me to place orders for them. It’s all about feeling confident in whatever your are doing, 9/10 it will sell itself. Read more>>

Rachel Piazza

I always knew I wanted to do something meaningful, and after taking my first Women’s Studies class in college, I felt like I had found my passion. I followed this passion and decided to get a master’s degree in women’s studies, without really knowing where it would lead me. Around the same time that I started my graduate program, I started training Brazilian jiu-Jitsu. These two paths converged. I took interest in the embodied experience of gender oppression – how we make ourselves smaller, whether it’s out of fear of violence, to fit a beauty standard, or because we inherently understand that being powerful makes us a target in a misogynistic world. Read more>>

 Jessica Smith

Back in 2015, I had a big group of friends that all felt kind of broken in one way or another. All of us came together and got into meditation, healing, and crystals. We spent a lot of time focused on lifting each other up. I had just graduated with a BFA in fashion but wasn’t expressing myself in that way. One of our friends had learned wire wrapping and I was instantly intrigued. Partly because I could not hold onto a crystal to save my life and partly because it was a new form of art to me. Read more>>

Maria Shapley

At the time I was really struggling with anxiety. I had just experienced something pretty traumatic and the trauma resulted as anxiety. The work I used to do before I started my own business doing Intuitive Life Coaching was the study of Shamanic Psychology. I would travel everyday working in ceremonial spaces working with people, ceremonial plants and getting to know myself better. There was one plant I worked with called Kanna which changed my life. I’ll never forget the first time trying it, my heart felt like it completely opened and a feeling of bliss came over my body. Read more>>

Becca Raccone

When I moved to Colorado years ago I met a man by the name of Eric. He was a bassist in a punk rock band and had hair to match. His energy and love of life drew me in as a friend. Eric loved all sorts of music genres, the Misfits was one of his favorites. Eric introduced me to many bands in the Colorado scene. Many of which I still follow. Read more>>

Shawn Smith

We had been cooking barbecue for friends and family for quite some time so when we got our first stimulus check during the pandemic we used it to cook for our neighborhood and gave it away through our Instagram. We had no idea how far this would eventually take us. Read more>>

Lauren Jackson

From the time I was a small child I had an undying love for all things pink and a passion for organizing. I loved watching a space transform and come to life. It was like magic, swooping in decluttering spaces into organized, functional areas that were both beautiful and practical. However, my passion for organizing didn’t stop at just physical spaces. I developed a love for organizing life events, careers, and even travel adventures for my loved ones. And thus, Organize PINK By: Lauren J. was born! Read more>>

Marissa Berghorst

I didn’t mean to own a store. I originally went to school to work in the medical field, and before I had kids, I was a brain injury specialist at a local hospital. Then, when I had kids I thought I was going to be a stay-at-home mom forever. When I was pregnant with our second child, my then-husband asked for a divorce. In 2012 found myself a single mom of two kids under the age of 2 during a recession when health care was on a hiring freeze. At the same time, my mom was selling a previous business. Read more>>

Cequoia Johnson

Picture this, 2018, it’s a beautiful sunny day on South Beach, Miami, FL; your friends and family are having the most perfect day. Laughs and music can be heard in the background. Jokes are flying and the group is talking about my love for the beach and buying swimsuits. I mean we live in Miami and my family is from Barbados so I LIVE in bikinis. Then your friend poses a question, “Quoi, why don’t you just start your own swimwear brand?” The whole group stops and agrees which leaves me with an important answer…”you know what y’all are right! I should start one.” Read more>>

Tatiayanna Jones

Purple48 came to me during the early stages of the pandemic in 2020. I was laid off from my job, as were many people yet that didn’t make the situation any better. Being stuck at home and having our privileges stripped away, I found solace with online shopping. Read more>>

Natalie Koroniotis

As a holistic nutritionist, my journey to starting my online coaching business, “Holistic Health Blueprint,” began with a deep passion for natural health and wellness. I have always been fascinated by the power of food as medicine and how it can heal the body from the inside out. Read more>>

Angel Hendrix

In 2021, I left my corporate role after fifteen years of service to pursue entrepreneurship full-time. I started NC Solution Group which is a notarial & field service agency. In the fall of 2022, I was looking for an office space for NC Solution Group. My local faith-based ministry had office space available. Once I took a tour of the space, I quickly realized that I didn’t need all that square feet and could share it with the community. This is when I knew I was on to something; and Office Batch was formed. Read more>>

MarSha Joseph

Carrier of the Flame LLC is my initial business name. Solai Customs is one of the many entity branches that stems from COTF. The idea of my business found me. I worked in corporate America but always found myself joining creative teams and leading company workouts and field days. Due to medical reasons I ended up resigning and all my hobbies became my way of making income. From a group fitness instructor to Personal trainer to Jewelry Designer I have found a way to bring them all together under one umbrella. Read more>>

Natasha Polk

I decided to start my wig business after experiencing hair loss cause by stress and tension on my hair and scalp, medically called Traction Alopecia. While giving my hair a break from certain hairstyles I was recommended to try a variety of “protective styles”. When I started observing the choice of wigs I noticed a minimum amount of styles in human hair textures. High grade hair quality is very important. Read more>>

Trinae Lashley

The idea started back when my kids were small & I was a single mom working 12 -hour shift in the hospital. I needed hair & nail care, but all locations were closed when I got off work or required an appointment. Self-care was very difficult. I had the thought to help other single moms & people in general by opening a med spa that offers all services in 1 location & takes walk-ins. This way, busy women can stop in while on a break or just find a spare moment. The name came from my best friend’s words of “go be beautiful” so I named the spa Bbeautiful Injectables Read more>>

Tunisia Morrison

In 2019, I started a business knowing that opportunities were continuously finding their way onto my lap and that I needed to prepare a structure. In 2020, while working as a Chief of Staff to a NYS elected official and with COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter uprisings, I began receiving numerous offers to create toolkits, organize protests, brain dump all I know about civic engagement, politics and policy and be the curator of safe spaces for people. I didn’t take the requests lightly because where do you start to teach someone about their own agency and autonomy? Read more>>

Bre’anna Collins

I began to cook at the age of 9. My mother was one great cook and she loved feeding people. We weren’t rich and didn’t have much, but I’d watch her in the kitchen everyday creating meals from what we had in the fridge or the pantry. I always tried to recreate my mother’s recipes and add my own little twist to them. I still do. She’d taste my food and tell me that I used too much pepper, lol. I always used too much pepper. But, she measured until her ancestors said stop and hat’s how she taught me. She also did catering before starting her own company. Read more>>