In our view, far too many ideas die at the imagination stage. It’s not because people are lazy, we think the primary reason is because many people don’t know where or how to start. So, we connected with some sharp and generous entrepreneurs who’ve agreed to share their stories of how they went from idea to execution.

Byran Yates

Much like most things in life, nothing ever happens the way you plan. I started my career in New York with an international design firm where we sometimes had large and even unlimited budgets. When we moved to Dallas, Texas, and started our own firm, we truly started from the ground up. We focused on making connections and developing relationships and said yes to everything. We would network and attend events. Read more>>

Whitney Collins

I started my business in the midst of Covid-19, a home based Smoothie and Juice company. I also launched at a time where I was relocating back to my hometown. Fresh to the Core first started with a name that was on a list of other business name ideas I created. Then once I felt at peace about the name, I added it on my vision board for year 2020 as a motivation to research, look up the necessary steps needed to launch. At the beginning of 2020 I was working a full time job and then I remember one day seeking answers just before Covid-19 and the vision board that was taped on my wall fell right in front of me. Read more>>

Lauren Choi

I founded The New Norm when I realized that there must be a drastic change in the way we recycle plastic. The shocking reality is that the U.S. does not recycle most of its plastic because we severely lack the infrastructure to do so. This was truly brought to light in 2018 when China enacted the National Sword policy, banning the import of U.S. plastics. Suddenly, U.S. landfills were overwhelmed because our plastic had nowhere to go. Read more>>

Lynsey Gass

Knowing that I have always wanted to be in the beauty industry, coupled with my love of helping women look and feel their best, AND my mission of encouraging women to stay out of the tanning bed the desire to open my own spray tanning business started. I put it off for a while but the idea and desire kept growing until what I can only imagine was the Lord put me in touch with a friend of a friend’s friend (truly crazy how the Lord works) that I was able to get more information about a certification program that was the foundation of building my business. Read more>>

Amanda Klaus-Henggeler

I was able to start my own business as a lifestyle photographer while working a full time job as a product photographer, I was mostly photographing smaller weddings. I was already editing photos all day at work but during lunch hours I was able to edit my own photos. In 2017 my daughter was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (also known as Brittle Bone Disease) and I became a stay at home parent and was faced with the reality that I could now use this huge lifestyle change to focus on my own business. Read more>>

Melanie Moss

After baking in the kitchens of Babbo and Blue Hill Stone Barns, I decided to start my own business, recipe testing day and night for the Cake Truffle. I had some great experience from baking at these restaurants and also going to culinary school, but I was no chocolatier and I have no previous business experience. I spent my days fulfilling office catering orders for friends and family, and at night, recipe testing for the Cake Truffle and developing the website, packaging, etc. Read more>>

Casey Hart

how does any good business idea start? There has got to be a better way! After ten years in the business, I found a repeating problem between artists and clients. There were too many incidents where clients loved their tattoo, but not the artist or the shop. The shop was cool and the artist was super nice, but the work is not high quality. Overcharging, harassment, poor time management and communication were common issues clients had with their artists. Artists complained of incompetent shop owners, quality of the shop and what it supplies, and the balance of their work life was in shambles. Read more>>

Tierra Gwinn

I’ve been a Freelance Entrepreneur for about 5 years. As a young adult, I am learning and flourishing every day. I have two small businesses, CharmedByT where I am a Freelance Makeup Artist, and CharmedCustoms where I create and design different customized items for special occasions, events, or personal merchandise. As I am wrapping up my undergraduate degree, I added one more thing to my list. Read more>>

Neutron Mendoza

As a kid you dream of flying airplanes & many other things. My childhood was the starting point of me creative thinking. I would write poem’s describing the nature of my thoughts. Participation in musical stage plays like Bye Bye Birdie & Annie gave me since of preparation. Music was then my passion, & never a idea I fell in love with it. Read more>>

Jenny Pham

I have always loved the idea of a “DIY.” My whole wedding was a huge DIY project. If I could create it myself, I did! One thing that I really wanted to do for my wedding, was to have my bouquet preserved. Leading up to my wedding, I did a ton of research into local businesses that offered floral preservations. Surprisingly, there were not many options besides resin or pressed florals that were affordable to me at that time. If you know my personality, I’m self-driven. If I have a goal in mind, I do my best to make it happen. Read more>>

Dominic Arcuri

The single most important element to taking an idea and making it “operational” is passion. You must have a passion for what you set out to do, or you are doomed from the onset. I have always had a passion for helping others and ultimately, it is what drove me into police work, where I spent 10 years as a police officer and detective. Through my experience, I saw and engaged first-hand, the victims of crime and those that believed they had nowhere to turn for help. Read more>>

Jade Williams

In 2011 I had an idea to start my own talent agency when my eyes opened to the way a popular Houston based talent agency was charging me to learn how to be a model/actress but had no intentions of believing in me. I remembered the next day calling the department stores asking them if they needed a model, as if it was a real job opening. After several no’s I took a few business classes and really learned what was needed to make myself a brand. I was correct because soon after I started Jada Stone Agency I booked my first modeling gig with Bebe. Read more>>

Shunderia Thomas

So my business started as a hobby when I was about 11 years of age. As I grew older, my hobby turned into my hustle throughout my college years. Shortly after, I knew it was more than getting a quick dollar. I fell in love with the creativity of styling hair and the confidence being given to each client. So from there I focused on my passion being my reality. It wasn’t easy trying to build my empire. I worked several jobs during this process some hair related some not. Read more>>

Jennifer Starr

I’ve always felt having tangible memories of family is SO important. This of course includes pets too. After our loved ones are gone, photos are what we hold close and help us reminisce about happy times. A couple years into my pet photography journey, I created Going with Grace, offering my custom photography services for senior or critically ill pets at a reduced rate. I hoped offering a discount would encourage more people to have their pets photographed, since so many are also juggling the expenses of end of life care. Read more>>

Alyssa Chisolm

I was working at a commission based salon, and felt I had reached a ceiling there. I knew I desired more for my career, and had not lost the spark to eventually run my own business. I had built up a fairly full and consistent clientele, and decided that without a risk, there cannot be change and growth. So I started researching business model options as an independent stylist. I found a business that offers salon suite rentals, and set up a tour. I knew at the end of my tour, that this was the place I desired to go. I was informed by the landlord that the suites rent out fairly quickly, so if I was interested, I needed to make a quick decision. I trusted the risk, and gave my deposit. Read more>>

Blake Cochran

As I walked down a nature trail tucked in some random corner of Austin Texas, letting my mind wander, I tripped and fell. As the ground rushed towards my face, my wandering mind took a sharp turn towards survival. My body may have caught my weight, but in that moment I realized how venerable I truly was. Read more>>

Daniela Ortiz

As a stay at home mom, I grew a love for taking my kids to the library and soaking up story time there with my kids. Finding books about their passions was a joy for me scanning almost every book in the aisles and stacking up a collection to take home for them. One day, a dear family member threw an idea at me, you should write a children’s book. Me?? Naaaa. But the idea wouldn’t go away. Read more>>

Kristine Reed

I have always been passionate about the beauty industry. I have had two different brick and mortar locations. I found myself having to shut down my beauty bar salon and go back into the corporate America world. MBBA was always a dream of mines, but in all honesty I was fearful of getting out there again. I ended up getting into the human resources industry for my career and sky rocketed working with companies such as Uber, Northside Hospital, and even Delta in the HR department. Read more>>

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The pandemic hit , and it made a shift in my life as it did to many. Over the years I have always spent my time helping others with what they love, I never sat down and actually figured out what I actually loved to do. So when Covid hit , it kind of forced me to find out what I love . I started picking back up on old hobbies like Painting , making homemade products and crocheting . I always love the idea of helping others. I launched my Podcast “ Tell em knee” May of 2019 . I was shocked at how many people were interested in what I had to say, this then lead me to want to show people what I found essential especially during the current times we were in. Read more>>

Rob Jackson

Well, my background is in information technology, which is an industry that I’ve worked in for over 25 years. My current 9-5 is that of an IT Program Manager. Although that role pays the heck out of the bills, it has never been my passion. The old saying that goes “If you don’t build up your own dreams, someone will hire you to build theirs” has always lingered in the back of my mind – for I’ve always wanted to start my own business, and lighting was a product that reminded me of so many family events while growing up in southern Arkansas. Once I decided to make that leap (around 2016), I started to focus on debt elimination, business research, and community outreach. Read more>>

Jaylyn Roberson

I have yet to official launch my business specifically because I want to make sure everything that I envision is executed correctly. It all happened so unexpected and fast; my new skill/hobbies turned into a business. Started out just picking up a new skill for my personal benefit, then those around me (classmates, friends, family, etc.) started to show interest in my new skill. So I decided to give it a real shot and I’ve been inlove ever since. Read more>>

Tia Hart

Growing up, I’ve always had entrepreneur tendencies. It always started with an idea that led to doing research and eventually turning it into a way to make money. Often times, the ideas were mostly my own talents. My first successful “idea execution” was at the age of 12 in the 7th grade. I worked with my middle schools TV News group and had the idea for a short entertainment lunch show. I basically pitched it to my teacher and she gave me access to use the internet during her class to grab content. Read more>>

Samantha D. Liberal

Friend, here’s the thing…we are ALWAYS launching! The idea is almost never fully curated because we only see and know things partially. What we think is the big picture, today, is actually an even bigger picture tomorrow. So these little ideas stirred up my spirit when I realized that my life was changing spiritually and socially and I was afforded the support of friends, at the time. As I was changing, I realized how important it is to either have friends that understand or friends that are going through similar changes. It’s no secret as to why we are placed in classes with other students that are either the same age or have the same test scores. Read more>>

Chelsi Weaver

When I purchased my first Cricut machine back in October 2020, I had no idea what I wanted to make or even try to sell. The possibilities seemed endless as I researched different DIY and personalized home decor items. I knew that I wanted to create something that people would love, but also something that had a twist to it. Read more>>

Ivelisse Lopez

First of all Ive always loved fashion but had a hard time finding plus size clothes that would fit my particular body type. I was always in the search for the perfect jeans, perfect dress and it was an issue for a long time. During this time I was inspired by other women on the internet sharing their struggles and also encouraging other women to love their bodies and to embrace their natural curves and I immediately wanted to be a part of the movement. First thing I did was change the settings on my IG, created looks with the clothes I already had at home and did many fun photoshoots. Read more>>

Arlo Estill

My big brother, Zafer came up with the idea for Hempsmith. He saw the future of hemp textiles and created a clothing brand to promote the benefits of industrial hemp. Zafer died of a heroin overdose in 2016, in that first week I realized I could take Hempsmith and create something that holds Zafer forever. I took his designs and started selling tee shirts by hand. I filled his closet with inventory and learned how to tie dye. My neighbor taught me how to screenprint and the business was born. Read more>>

Monique Freudenberger

When I thought about starting my business, The Blanket Loft, back in January 2015, I had this vision in the back of my mind that I wanted to create something big. I’ve always been creative and have, ever since I can remember, had this urge to be an entrepreneur. I didn’t know what it would look like, but I felt it in my heart every day. I’ve had several businesses over the years. My husband Dave and I partnered up together and ran a plantation shutter company, sold that, and then started an apparel embroidery/print shop. Read more>>

Erika Plackowski

I had been styling on and off for over 10 years and really was stuck on what direction to go into my career and business. After working with pageant contestants I started to find my niche. I hired a Business Coach in January 2020, she suggested I go in the direction of Pageant and Bridal. After a few months of working on content I struggled on created content and really making it work for both pageant clients and brides. Read more>>

Angela Fach

2010 – Angela started Diapers and I Do’s Photography www.diapersandidos.com Diapers and I Do’s Photography began after putting my fast paced art director/graphic design career on hold in favor of adventures in motherhood. Every moment with my new son was my new focus. I wanted to hold those memories forever. I picked my camera up and shot every sleepy angle, every cute little movement he shared with me. Read more>>

Vi Friebertshauser

I started Homads similarly like how most small business owners do which was that I was trying to build something that solved my own problem. At the time, I had a property and was getting involved in short-term rentals. I was traveling a lot and knew what it was like to use platforms like Airbnb and VRBO as a traveler but was interested in renting out my own property. Take note that this was in 2016 so it was close to the advent of property sharing and people were just starting to adopt the concept of the sharing economy. Read more>>

Pureness

My core business has already been established; however, We as a whole needed to expand. The best way to do that for Faces By Pureness was selling products. We have sold items before and still do, however, it was only exclusively, so this would be different. First we decided what products we wanted to sell first and then what would follow. We wanted to make sure there was flow to the items and they all fit the brand as well. Read more>>

John Keilty

Like a lot of people, I think I had the idea for my business when I was a teenager in junior high school, without knowing that I was actually coming up with a business idea. I had started playing the guitar a year or two earlier, and I was bored in English class one day, so I started doodling guitar designs in my notebook (I think I still have a few of those doodles in a folder somewhere). Read more>>

Samantha Pearlman

I have been a photographer for 8+ years. It started with taking photographs of the early morning sunrise. From then onward, I expanded into nature, architecture, landscape, & dabbled in portrait photography. However, for the past five years, I have wanted to be a concert photographer. I was nervous & decided to stick with what I was comfortable with. Read more>>

Zachary Nogra

Our idea was originally born on the golf course, but the fine details of how to execute the idea was a major learning experience. Although I had years of restaurant experience before launching Out Of Nowhere ATX, I quickly learned that there were plenty of things that I had never done before. Putting together our business plan, generating capital, branding and marketing were all aspects that I had to figure out on the fly. Read more>>

Frank Pitchford

The execution of Soho Photos actually came at an intersection, I was already doing freelance/hobby gigs within in my network so a graduation session here and an event there. However I was in the process of getting a part time job to increase my cash flow and the company I was interviewing with seemed to be interested. I did three interviews and they even had me come to a location and check some things out and I felt pretty good, then maybe a day or two later I get an email stating that I wasn’t selected for the position and it seem to be because I was overqualified. Read more>>

Gayla Minor

I initially came up with the idea in 2019 and launched some products. I came up with the idea to coincide with my blog at the time. I was honestly just adding another source of income and didn’t think about anything business-wise.The first steps to starting my business were guidance. I asked one of my cousin-in-laws to show me how to customize drinkware. She taught me the beginning steps to customization with tips and advice. Read more>>

Grace Porter

I have always been an entrepreneur at heart. However, I never knew what business I actually wanted to start. Until one day, a friend I had recently met came over to my home and was in awe over my decorating skills. She took some videos to post on her Instagram story and then told me people were going crazy over my home. I knew I had a passion for interior decor and design but my honest thought was, “who doesn’t?” Read more>>

Jasmine Stokes

Wow, where do I even begin? Let’s see here to sum it all up…my husband spoke my business to me and into me. I have always been known as a intercessor, as a helping hand, as a comforting ear, as a fixer, as a problem solver. Late one evening my husband was speaking to me and he was like “babe you should just be a life coach”. Now this was something I would joke about and I wanted to do and be but I didn’t necessarily know how to go about it. Read more>>

Debra Cass Szidon

The inspiration for The Cass Clutch started with a bag I picked up in a vintage shop many, many years ago. I’d never been much of a purse person, but when I picked up that bag, I felt a connection. It suited my needs professionally as an interior designer and as a mother of 3. It had capacity to carry my laptop, client folders and kid snacks while looking professional and cool. I started carrying it regularly, I just felt … good, right, like myself. People always commented despite the patina on how much they liked it. The more people commented on how much they liked it the more I thought I should re-create it. Read more>>

Jessica Piper

I was diagnosed with autoimmune hypothyroid disease 10 years ago. My immediate response was research in order to eliminate any environmental triggers that contributed to endocrine disruption including and not limited to processed food, household cleaners, body products, and my favorite, candles. Four years passed and I missed the ambiance a candle could create in the home so I began researching wax mediums, fragrance oils, and wick composition. Read more>>

Kristi Williams

I would say it’s more like going from Visions to Execution. I will have to share my story in order for you to understand the Visions. I will provide a brief summary. I was molested by a family member at a young age, pregnant at the age of 16 and 17 (2 kids in high school) , in a teenage domestic violence relationship, 4 children by the age of 24. I was angry, depressed and suicidal. I experienced a lot of barriers throughout my journey. In my early to mid 40’s, I was tired of being angry and unhappy. I started looking up to the sky and found a sense of Peace and Tranquility. Read more>>

Autumn Orlandini

I’ve always LOVED taking photos. My eyes and my mind always worked in this way – seeing something and saying, “Wow, that would be a great photo.” Interestingly enough, I never ever thought of running a photography business, and I really don’t know why it never crossed my mind. Funny thing is, my mom told me that she suggested going to school for photography when I was apply to colleges in high school. I think my response was, “But mom, photographers don’t make money!” Long story short, I was wrong. Listen to your mom kids. Read more>>

Jon Bradley

I’ve always had a love for the cultural arts and the messages within them. I wanted to create a lifestyle brand through fashion that would both connect individuality and promote black positivity. That’s when I realized this was something I became very passionate about bringing to life. Read more>>

Candace Gwynn

My journey began by speaking with a friend. I was worried that I couldn’t start my own business because I did not have a “trade”. I thought being smart was not enough! From there, I was encouraged that I did have value and something to offer the world. Within 2 weeks, I had a full business. I had purchased my LLC, domain name, created a tagline, had my logo designed, EIN number, business contact info! Literally everything but a website which I was taking a course to learn to do on my own! Read more>>

Camille Johnson

When I first came up with the idea for W.T.F., I immediately pitched the idea to my husband. Once upon a time, he was my boss, so I have always valued his opinions when it comes to business. He thought it was a great idea that could help a lot of people, and bought a tripod for me that night. The next few months I spent cooking and creating content and building a foundation on social media. When I felt like I had enough material to work with, I then started reading book after book on how to build an app. Read more>>

Zachary Swinnen

I got a camera when I first moved to St. Louis 5 years ago as something to use to get out of the house when I wasn’t working since I didn’t know anyone in St. Louis yet. I’ve always had an artistic side, but I had no idea how much I would love photography or how much people would like my photos. I started to post some of the photos I took of friends on Instagram, and it wasn’t too long after my initial posts that I was asked to be a second shooter for a wedding. Read more>>

Tina Obeid

I got started in hair school by my little cousin LaMerria Perry who encouraged me to go with her. I had always done hair as a source of income as a teenager she asked if I would join her in school since I had just lost my job as a Custodial worker so it was perfect timing. I’m so grateful that I went and that she convinced me. Also, I had two young boys at the time to support and four years of college seemed so far fetched so I did something I knew I was good at which was hair! Read more>>

Kaleigh Simmons

I had never started a business before PB&K and there were many steps I had to take in order to launch. I had to find a faster way to make peanut butter (other than using a processor), I had to perfect flavors, find the right jars, find a machine to seal the jars, create a label, apply for a food license, find a kitchen to actually make it in, and much more. I had no idea what it took to start a business. on top of it all, there were many shortages of products that I needed. I had a difficult time finding the jars I needed to use. Read more>>

Audrey Ferguson

When the pandemic started and everything was on lockdown in Spring 2020, I spent a lot of time alone in my apartment. One thing that brightened up my days was buying an assortment of flowers from Trader Joe’s with my groceries and making a floral arrangement for my home. I started doing this on a regular basis, making a new arrangement every few weeks and I started enjoying making different arrangements with different florals and greenery. It became a creative outlet for myself. Read more>>

Latoya A. Benson

I’m a creative and multi-faceted at my core. Ideas are just a part of my DNA but I quickly learned that all ideas aren’t viable. This means that every idea you have won’t result into a business but it can fuel or feed into other ideas that will become a business. I officially launched my business in 2013 however my entrepreneurial journey started long before that. It started with a God-given creative idea to start a women’s empowerment newsletter back in 2007. Read more>>

Drew Gonzalez

Going from idea to execution was one of the most scary and beautiful process of this journey. It all started as a hobby of me doing my own nails in quarantine as an expression of my femininity and getting comfortable with that side of myself. I started off just painting a plain color/patten but I wanted to start going deeper with the creativity of my nails to allow my art to be spread everyday on my hands. After each set I just knew the feeling I would get and I started wanting to share that feeling with others. Read more>>

Demariyon Futch

I always had a passion for fashion. I remember as far back as middle school, picking out my own school clothes. Laid out on the bed, with shoes and socks to match. I joined Kappa League in my hometown circa 2006. My first task was to put together a fashion show for the city. Long story short the show was amazing! And I knew at that moment fashion was what I really wanted to do somehow. Soon after I went off to college, studying another passion mass communication. Read more>>

Adam Acevedo

In my fourth year at USC Upstate I came up with the idea of starting Summit. I found there was a lack of accessibility for event bar catering services in the Upstate area of South Carolina, I decided it would be a good idea to throw my hat into the industry and start this company. A bar service company that provides a turnkey bar catering service to people throughout the Upstate of South Carolina. Having a lack of knowledge on how to start a business in the event industry I began doing research and making my plan to start this business. Read more>>