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.

Eugene Wilson V

Going from an idea to execution has its fair share of challenges as many times there is not a one shoe fits all roadmap. Growing up I never thought about having a career in film production as I originally went to Michigan State University to study Music Composition. Read more>>

Konn Lavery

You don’t have to outline every step of the way. There are plenty of ideas out there, and how you execute the concept defines your success. As long as you have a general direction in mind, you can tune your mind into seeing opportunities and create new habits you may have missed before. Read more>>

Morgan Lewis

Morgan Creates was a concept or a phrase developed by someone I was dating at the time in 2018. I always had a passion for cooking so when I’d cook something new, he’d say, “What did Morgan create today?”. It became a tag line. Read more>>

Meg Paradise

I was reading a book before bed about the alcohol industry, and that night I had a lucid dream about opening an alcohol-free cocktail bar, and the name Umbrella Dry Bar came to me. The next day I began researching how to file an LLC and how to incorporate, because I thought the name was so perfect. Read more>>

Kaleigh Kellner

I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. As a kid, I would come up with these wild ideas for businesses or products and pitch them to my parents. I would always get stuck on the “I’m not sure how to move forward with this idea, so I’ll just keep it as an unlikely dream” stage. Read more>>

Sean Warner

The concept of Grubbly Farms originally started in my last year at Georgia Tech when I first read an INC magazine article that discussed insect growing and harvesting. After reading this article, I was convinced that we would all be eating bug burgers one day. Read more>>

Jessica Warrick

Hello! Thank you for having me! Taking my book from an idea in my heart through to bringing it to life was an incredibly long journey. My book is a deep-dive into the darkest parts of the grief and trauma I have endured as a result of losing my infant son when he was just 4 months old. Read more>>

Jadah Manon

I started Jadah Glam during COVID because I finally had the time and opportunity to start my own company. I knew that long term I wanted to have a business in all sectors of the beauty market because I wanted to be an entrepreneur and had a passion for the beauty realm. Read more>>

Julie Delgado

It was my husband’s idea to open a space next-door to the guitar shop and have a venue/show room space. He introduced the idea to me of creating a show that is part storytellers, part MTV unplugged, part inside the actors studio… If you remember that show it involved an intricately woven interview by James Lipton. Read more>>

Ian Kersey

My content creation journey started in early 2020 with the goal of expressing my passions for photography, music, and menswear. I began narrowing my content to the niche of streetwear and photo editing, later becoming a focus on sneakers and men’s fashion. As I became more consistent as a creator, I began to treat my platforms less like a hobby and more like a business. Read more>>

Shuntavia Ruffin

So in 2020, I began making cheesecake-stuffed waffle cones. After great feedback from friends and family, I tried out other desserts such as dipped treats, candy-covered fruits, cupcakes, and more. Since I had such a great response in the summer of 2020, I decided to continue making treats on a part-time basis, and from there my business Delightful Treatz was born! Read more>>

Lisa Wilson

I started knitting in 2012 as a respite from the challenges that come with being a human being. Each time I picked up my knitting needles a flow energetic magic would surround me and the creating began! Try as I may, following patterns from others only created a jumbled mess of a baby blanket in my lap and left me flustered. Read more>>

Tajia Diggs

Going from idea to execution is very simple- JUST START! when starting a business, you won’t have all the answers or even all the tools “necessary” to start but if you allow that to get in the way, you’ll be waiting to start forever. Many times the biggest thing stopping someone from starting a business and executing their idea, is fear. Read more>>

Jira Sai

During the pandemic, I started collecting houseplants and it became an obsession. The thought came to me while I was stressed out with my full-time job back them, as I was wiping the leaves of my fiddle leaf fig to unwind, that ‘I could do this all day’. A few months later, I started my small, online business. Read more>>

Jaclyn Schoknecht

For about the last 15 years, I’ve had this vague plan in the back of my mind to start a caftan company. I’ve always been a huge fan of the timeless chic and comfort of caftans. What can I say? I’m a child of the 70s! I thought it was high time to shake off the notion that they’re just huge, shapeless garments for old ladies. Read more>>

Briana Nerestil

When it comes to taking an idea from conception to execution, the process can vary depending on the scope of the project. Generally, it involves planning, research, design, testing, and implementation. First, the idea needs to be fleshed out and evaluated for feasibility. My idea of starting a satin-based brand came to me at times of boredom and depression during the Pandemic lockdown. Read more>>

Cydney Payden-Diggs

Back in August 2020, my contracting job as an Executive Assistant got terminated and I had no concrete plan on what to do next. For the first time since I started working at 14, I did not have a job lined up as a safety net. About 2 months into my job search, I was offered a job that paid well but didn’t quite feel like the right fit for me, so I declined. Read more>>

Sugar Vermonte

I had the idea for Maybe Cheese Born With It during the height of the pandemic. For the prior seven years I had been working locally at the Autism Model School. I absolutely loved the work, but after going back after “the long pause,” I very quickly came to the realization that I couldn’t keep working that hard while being that broke. Read more>>

Rosy Rodriguez

Like many things in life, my journey towards where I am at today as a professional baker was not a linear path, nor was it predictable. The whole idea behind this business was short term – my husband and I were straddled with debt when we were just married and I wanted a way to contribute towards our financial goals. Read more>>

Brianna Larcher

We have been in different “phases” of our business for awhile now…. When my husband and I first decided to start our business, we didn’t have any financing or time to start an actual brick and mortar restaurant: Pascal was still working 50+ hours a week as a chef in a corporate setting, and I was still teaching full-time. Read more>>

Ragoth Bala

Like in most startups, I was the first customer of the product we were going to bring to the market. While working full time and going to business schools in the evenings, I was struggling to eat right as a vegetarian living in Chicago. My mom had come to my rescue, all the way from India. Read more>>

Desiree Rodriguez

Well, I first had the idea to make soap around 2015 and once I decided to really learn how to make it professionally, I decided to take classes so I could get a grasp on the science of it in person. Once I did that and realized this is something I would like to do for the long haul, Read more>>

Marcia Williams

In high school, I joined the yearbook club as a photographer. I was responsible for attending sports games and events for students to look back at during the end of the school year. I continued to do yearbook club for two years- junior and senior year of high school. By my senior year of highschool, Read more>>

Janine Masi Landreth Leigh Ann Thompson

Our journey began meeting at Barnes and Noble on a weekly basis. We did a bunch of research on what appeals to children and how to properly write a successful book. We would read and dissect popular children’s books. We took an online class about the craft of writing children’s books. Read more>>

Khalia Smith

Starting up Tru Grphx Studio, was literally a daily project for my previous business. I owned a boutique. I literally marketed and designed content that would attract potential customers, retain the customers who have shopped, and be the face of my brand. I didn’t think of it as a business idea until other business owners began asking me who my brand stylist or graphic designer was. Read more>>

Cassandra Le

My business, The Quirky Pineapple Studio, started off as a blog during my final year of college. I wanted to write about life after college, what it was like to transition into the working world, and travel. After graduating from college, I took a ‘gap year’ to teach English abroad in Spain – my blog, Read more>>

Ahshia Cavin

My passion for makeup and beauty stems from the lowest point in my life. When I was younger, I struggled with low self-esteem, to the point where I despised looking in the mirror! Read more>>

Pearl Gonzalez

It feels like turning 30 was my turning point. I realized that if I am perfectly healthy and live to be 100, I have already lived 1/3 of my life but if I fall ill, I’ve lived 50% of my life span. At that time I was not happy with how my life was going. Read more>>

Jake Harness

I’ve been making movies for like 10 years or so. I started out just making things with my friends, little movies in the woods. I guess I never stopped making things after that. I continued making short films and branching out into a variety of different visual arts all throughout high school. I then went to Cleveland State University for Film and Media Arts, where I’m getting a BFA in May. Read more>>

Isaac Gordon

Our Talent Partnerships program was important for us to get up and running. Our company was founded on the desire to help developing talent. From concept to execution we wanted to create value for young entertainment industry professionals, Read more>>

Nikeisah Newton

Recipe on how to take a frightening, yet necessary leap from employee to employer! Step 1. Rack up 12+ years of weaving in and out of professional kitchens **Professional kitchens include: fine dining, food trucks, traveling chef, farm to table catering & bar cook Step 2. Take above culinary skills & prepare nourishing veggie friendly meals. Read more>>

Kayla Petrasek

When it comes to the big question of “grow revenue or cut costs” theres a lot to consider. In terms of Aesthetic practices, this is a questions that can come up a lot. Do we hire a team for marketing to grow revenue that we need or do we cut costs and go without? Read more>>

Hai Dinho

I believe that both factors play an integral role within any business model. However, I believe that growing revenue matters more since that shows you are advancing each quarter or year. Cutting costs with out data (revenue) makes no sense since you are essentially working backwards in my opinion. Read more>>

Adam Godet

Cut costs. I intend to remain a one person business with part time contract help. Growth costs a lot of money and I spend my time trying run my business as smartly as possible. Read more>>

Jenna Schwartz

For as long as I can remember my younger brother and I bonded over his love for inventing and mine for business. We had written various business plans together and spent hours discussing next steps. Unfortunately, him and I never took those next steps nor executed on our ideas together. It wasn’t until I was 26 I realized it was my limiting beliefs had been holding me back from making a moves. Read more>>

William F. Wu

I’m going to write about going from writing privately to to the idea of writing professionally. I started making up little stories from the time I was very young. I say “making up” because I dictated a few of these to my mother, who wrote them down on construction paper for me to illustrate, before I could read and write. When I could write, I continued writing stories, often about animals, and poems. Read more>>

Jassma’ray Johnson

At 6 years old, I was diagnosed with a chronic illness- this not only affected my insides, but my outsides too. I was diagnosed with Graves disease- some symptoms included puffy skin, bulging eyes, and hair loss, and that’s just to name a few. For years I struggled with anxiety and confidence, and I distinctly remember being in 4th grade, crying in bathroom stalls because my features began being made fun of heavily. Read more>>