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.

Kari Hartley

I absolutely love this question because anyone who owns a business knows just how much of your heart and soul goes into actually making that business run. The idea of flowers was never something I ever thought I would get into, I was in the Navy, hobbies with woodworking and construction renovations, and played a lot of sports. However, when my husband and I married super young and broke, I designed flowers from recycled newspaper blooms from Hobby Lobby. It sounds so silly to say now, but at that time, I thought it was the coolest thing. Read more>>

Sabrina Shumaker

When I was 22 years old, I was going to school for elementary education. Rushing to finish school assignments and other responsibilities so that I can create art was the norm every single day, but I never questioned if it were a plausible path. That is, until I met a wonderful artist in Orlando who made a living off of her art. I began to research and watch videos online of other artists explaining their process and their ways of funding their craft and reading books and engulfing myself with every aspect of the art career. Read more>>

Nadia Weekes

Top Knot Swim is a swimwear brand based in Toronto, Canada. I started my brand from a personal passion for designing creative swimsuits. The journey began in 2013 when I started custom-designing swimwear by altering pre-existing swimsuits. Driven by the desire to make swimsuits that have a minimal aesthetic, trendy and inspired by my family trip in Hawaii, I began hand crafting designs that accentuated my style and flattered a women figure. Read more>>

Caitlin Wise

I spent most of my career as an event planner for different companies and non-profits, and after becoming familiar with the industry, I knew I wanted to pivot to a more creative role that still involved events. I did research into the Kansas City market, and thought there may be an opportunity for unique event rentals, backdrops, and installations. Once I decided to start my own business, Read more>>

Michelle Felan

At the time I was young mom and I have always been into design and style. I remember having subscriptions to interior design magazines and stumbled across a diy furniture flip. Now keep in mind this is before Pinterest, all I had to go off of was pictures and step by step instructions on this particular magazine. This being said I really had no video tutorial to thoroughly walk me through this, so this side table did not come out as the magazine picture. It took me awhile (years) before I even considered redoing another piece of furniture. Read more>>

Haley Biggins

I think I was born a natural story teller. When I was a kid, I would hangout with my friends and ask them to write songs with me or make a silly film on our crappy 2002 digital cameras. I took some classes in high school and college where my knowledge and passion for photography grew a lot. I forget how I even ended up with my first camera, a Canon Rebel, but I had no intentions on creating a business from it. I briefly worked in the film industry for about 2 years after graduating college and unfortunately, Read more>>

Paula Even Trenda

Back in late 2004, my sister saw an advertisement for a “Certified Chocolatier” course. Since she knew I loved to cook and bake, she shared this with me. This led to taking the class and enjoying learning about the different taste profiles of chocolate, how to work with chocolate, and create my own flavors and candies. This began a fun little side-gig of candy making for friends and family for the next few years from my home and then from our local private schools kitchen. Read more>>

BreAuna Campbell

I started doing makeup in 2019 on myself. At the time I worked for a group home company 2-12 most days out the week, and each day I carried a duffel bag and ring light to work to practice different makeup looks. I documented my journey for all my peers to see good or bad. Read more>>

Ian Orlikoff

For years I imagined what it would be like to see the inside of the trees we were working on. We bought a sawmill in 2016 with our past business (a tree service) and when the first wood slab was cut, we were fascinated instantly. Little did we know this passion for wood would turn into a full-time business. Read more>>

Nancy Knight-Brown

So, the idea stemmed from both a lifelong love of dance and a young adulthood dream of opening/running a dance studio. Then, recently, as I contemplated what I would do after I retired, the thought floated, or was spiritually planted, in my subconscious in a dream. That next morning, I awoke with a desire to start researching how to open a dance studio. I started talking to other small business owners and researching costs, expenses, income, average revenue associated with running a dance studio. Read more>>

Dana Schwimmer

I studied interior design in college and always appreciated architecture. Designing concrete jewelry was an idea I had once, many years ago. I always loved the way exposed concrete looked inside a house, but didn’t have enough time for it. When I moved to the US I decided I don’t want to pursue interior design and started thinking again about jewelry design. For me it is really quick from the idea to a 3D model. I started to 3D design and in the same time to test concrete mixes checking to see what can hold and not break as a small piece. Read more>>

Ebony Jones

To start, I knew I wanted to start a business. I didn’t know what that business would consist of, so when I first got the idea I wanted to start my candle business, I was in the tub with the candle lit my mom brought me for my birthday, listening to music. After being in the tub for a minute, I realized that it was relaxing and that I enjoyed it, and I knew that many people would feel the same way, especially if you had a long day and wanted to come home and relax. Read more>>

Suchay Fontz

1-How did i start? Well my love for weddings and events started when i was born, my mother was a bridal designer, and she had her prefer vendors for weddings, and i started watching and seen how they planned and prepared for events, eveything from concept to design to realization. 2- Process of idea to execution: The journey from my business concept to execution involves several keys: I started with identify my businnes concept, with what type of events i wanted to do, market needs, personal interests, innovation and opportunities. Read more>>

Michael Leon

So first, I originally started the ‘Can We Please Talk?’ podcast, which is a news commentary podcast that has reached the top 75 in the U.S.! I was a former news producer and during the pandemic in 2020, I really wanted to add to the discourse as I noticed family members & friends not really being able to source where they saw a piece of news content, and most of the time it was misinformation or even disinformation. Read more>>

Tameca Brown

I initially established Villas10 as a means of creative expression. A family member who was preparing for college requested my assistance in decorating her dorm room. While browsing through retail websites, I noticed a limited selection of dorm-friendly furnishings and accessories. Recognizing this design issue, I promptly grabbed pen and paper to brainstorm the necessary items to complete the space. After extensive research, it became evident that there was a market for specialized design services and the opportunity to create and sell products. Read more>>

Nick Cartwright

In 2018, I was walking around Fairfax and ended up at a store called 424. At the time, I was just a fashion kid who would run around with my friends and film stuff on my VHS camcorder, and take “fit pics” for Instagram. So I was at this store, and I was just trying on a bunch of clothes that I knew I couldn’t afford and taking mirror pictures with them on. Read more>>

Lauren Snead

In 2009 one of my dear friends from high school got engaged and asked me to officiate their wedding. I didn’t have experience officiating a wedding before but knew we wanted to create a unique, meaningful ceremony, so I started asking he and his fiance questions about their relationship and what marriage meant for them. Read more>>

Kanika Feaster

Being an entertainer, especially one that writes and records songs, I am always in the idea to execution process. As the saying goes, “content is king”, so to be in my line of business means you must have lots of products (i.e., songs, photos, videos, merch) and more to stay relevant. Unfortunately given the rate of consumer consumption and the overwhelming numbers of artists also promoting their products across the internet, if I’m not constantly moving from idea to execution my brand is quickly forgotten. Read more>>

Lauren Dove

There are two types of people: those that talk the talk and those that walk the walk. I started from the bottom, just like everyone else. It wasn’t easy, it was hard work. It was a lot of early mornings and long nights. I went to school earned my Cosmetology license, started in a salon making 50% commission. I then started booth renting in a salon and now I run a salon myself! Read more>>

Dr. Pearl Pugh

The idea for Treasures of Pearl came from the pandemic. I really wanted cute, comfy, and classy clothes to wear around the house while I created crafts. This is how Treasures of Pearl was birthed, I called my good friend and asked if she could help and she agreed. We began to research other boutiques, manufacturers, and website hosting sites. We utilized our networks and found a business mentor who helped us not to make the same mistakes as others. Treasures of Pearl is still growing and developing, but I can truly see the growth from the beginning to now. Read more>>

J.I. Mardones

Creating my own business was like starting from zero. Since I graduated from college, in 2015, I was thinking about creating my own business. However, giving the first step was actually the worst and most difficult part of the process because I remember I had very high expectations about my future but at the same time I was very unclear and unrealistic about so many aspects yet. Besides, to find a good name for my business was an additional challenge. Read more>>

Melissa Bernard

I went into school already with the idea of starting my business when finished. Two weeks after graduation I started booth renting from a friends business, she helped me with ideas of how to get started building a clientele. After a couple years at that location, I decided to make a move and open up a location of my own, I then changed my name from Skincare by Melissa to Lavish Divine Skincare. Read more>>

Jerilynn Walker

It all started 20 years ago when I decided I wanted to learn how to make soap. I liked the idea that I could make useful things from scratch and control the ingredients included. There was a learning curve of course, but once I got the hang of it, I started to incorporate plants from my garden, like sage and rosemary. It made pretty green bars of soap that I shared with friends and family. I improved my technique over the years and added new plant materials and clays to widen the range of colors and effects. Read more>>

Jessica McDonough

I had known since high school that event management and planning was my dream job. The industry is large but was somewhat daunting. When I turned 22 is when the idea of small business ownership really started to appeal to me. My husband (then fiance) and I discussed my desire to leave insurance and finance at length. It was a steady career but was not my passion. We spent many months determining how to make the move from insurance admin to small business owner. Read more>>

Suzy Wraines

Unleashing the Power of Simplicity: Revolutionizing the Way We Start Businesses Imagine a world where the process of writing a business plan is not a daunting task, but a thrilling adventure that propels entrepreneurs towards success. This epiphany struck me like a bolt of lightning, fueled by intuition and backed by extensive research. Read more>>

Ioanna Paraskevopoulos

I always loved this city, first of all, and loved its architecture, exploring its neighborhoods, learning about how buildings are built, and what makes communities thrive. My prior work focused on public policy and how to calibrate policy in a way that creates the right conditions to allow neighborhoods and residents to thrive, so I’ve always been interested in this work, just from different angles. Read more>>

Dr. Eddie Connor

Looking back in retrospect, the pandemic caused many of us to forsake what was so familiar to us. Through the turbulent times of the loss of loved ones, rapid changes, discomfort, and an economic downturn much of the messaging was about how to pivot. I realize you have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable and be uncomfortable with being comfortable if you’re going to experience growth. Doing the same old thing will not lead to a new result. We have to embrace the challenge to change and forsake the familiar. Read more>>

Dr. Chanel

..Hey, thanks for allowing me this opportunity first and foremost. I’m truly grateful. The process from having the idea in my head to executing it and seeing it in its full fruition honestly, wasn’t that tedious of a process. I have an innate ability to feel and heal when someone else is hurting and or feeling rejected or bullied. So becoming an advocate started for me as a young child. I’ve always gotten along with predominantly anyone that I come in contact with, so I didn’t meet any strangers growing up, once we meet you’ll either love me right away, or never speak to me again because I’m very direct. Read more>>

Lorna Daniel-Dupree

The idea is always the simplest part. When it’s time to start putting the puzzle pieces together, you realize you aren’t working with a 500-piece puzzle of happy puppies but rather a 10 000-piece puzzle of Where’s Waldo. Read more>>

Malissa Green

Hello and thank you for allowing this opportunity! Wow, idea to execution, what a fun stage in the business during this time! Currently PLAY.ISH LLC Onsite Event Childcare offers a bespoke and luxury childcare service to the wedding, special events, and corporate industries. However, rewind to the following days, weeks, and months leading up to our grand launch announcement, and I’d say it felt tedious with shorter days and longer nights. Read more>>

Sarah Samdani

Hi! Thank you so much for another feature. I’d always liked the concepts behind other current event-related pages, but I wished there was one for the law specifically. In the summer of 2020, I noticed more and more questions being asked about the law––why isn’t this person being charged immediately? Or how was that person’s sentence determined? I realized that while the answer could be found after doing a bit of research, it would be much easier if people could skim through posts that simplify legal concepts. Read more>>

Kasia Guzik

My journey has began with a burst of inspiration and a drive to contribute to magazines. It all started in September 2020 when I found myself going through fashion magazines and being captivated by the features within them. While I admired the creativity, there were moments when I felt that I could offer something even better or more. Read more>>

Kirk Nishikawa

Too many beers were consumed, a drunken promise was made and Brewyard Beer Company was born. Isn’t that how most children are brought into this world? 😛 Read more>>

Shantal Long

Shantal N. Long is the Executive Director and founder of Elite Children Learning Center, a successful childcare business with three established locations. With a passion for advocacy, education, and mentoring, Shantal has dedicated the past 17 years to making a positive impact. She believes that hard work is not just a necessity but also a source of joy. Read more>>

Joe Bragg

When I originally set out to design a game, I didn’t realize a business was going to come out of it. As I was creating Meek Heroes: Victory, people started to come alongside me and encourage me to really dig in and start doing this. I had some friends that shared with them that they thought I should start a gaming business because they felt that the theme/concept/brand I have was worth it. Read more>>

Brian Selden

As a veteran strategist with nearly a decade of experience launching healthy brands, I had always wanted to launch a product of my own. Shortly after going through a much needed health transformation at the time, I realized that the most important thing we put into our body every day is also the most underestimated. Knowing how rare it is for these two concepts to coexist, it was as if the universe had decided my next move for me. Read more>>

Arestia Rosenberg

When I set out to make my first documentary that wasn’t for a brand or studio and was all down to me, I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off. Would I have enough money? Be able to find the right partners? Get the right shots? I got some great advice from my friend, previous collaborator and Academy Award Nominated filmmaker Josh Seftel: “Just start seeing if you can do it and you’ll find you’ll be in the middle of doing it if you can.” So I did – I just started. Bit by bit, things came together. Read more>>

Candis Johnson

I initially started cleaning as a franchise owner. However, I became frustrated with the amount of fees that were coming out, yet I’m doing all of the cleaning so I stopped. Fast forward, I started working a job briefly, then came upon an opportunity to start a business in the personal credit industry. My job closed as I was entering into new territory and then that left me with only one stream of income. Read more>>

Danielle Fahrenkrug

I had an idea and vision before having children of working from home while raising kids. Prior to getting married I had health issues and was told I can not have kids, and I don’t take the words “I can’t” very well. So I sought holistic healing which included cleaning out my body from harmful chemicals like fake sugars and gluten, which both have effects on hormones. Read more>>

Fran Pedron

The idea came to me 2022ish … helping women elevate themselves It was delayed—death of spouse Morphed into an updated idea, which is being executed into several platforms as I type. As I dealt with my life change, I realized that these steps were nowhere to be found and they needed to be available. Vulnerability and Safety Nets go hand-n-hand. No one’s story is the same. I bring my story to life using resources and healing for others. Read more>>