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.

Dannissa Maldonado

I owned a catering business back in Puerto Rico, named Coquidelicias by Dannissa and after I moved to Florida everything stopped. I started working in the Hotel Industry rightaway but always with the idea of having my own business in the back of my head. Read more>>

Xianglin Mu

As an illustrator, I firmly believe that all creativity stems from everyday life, especially for those of us passionate about artistic expression. Being someone with an affinity for novelty, I’ve found the internet to be an endless wellspring of inspiration, not only sparking my creative ideas but also accelerating the progress of my projects. Read more>>

Jeremiah Baker

If we’re going all the way back to the beginning I’ve always been fascinated by objects & art. And, I’ve always wanted to make a brand. Even as a child I had sketches for fashion concepts, brand names, posters and always took things apart and reassembled them in my own creative ways. Read more>>

Danielle Billett

Prior to being an interior designer, I was a very successful hairstylist. I worked for companies like Paul Mitchell, I was a salon manager for Ulta beauty and I had my own salon suite. The pandemic shut me down a lot and I was pregnant with my third child at the time. Read more>>

Robin Sturdivant

My husband worked in Law Enforcement for 30 years and retired seven years ago. His time with the force always involved working with the youth and families. Most of the time this involved “at-risk” youth, we prefer to say “misguided.” Read more>>

Jasmine Rezonable

After I had the idea to start creating pancake art and made my first pancake, my world changed entirely. Everything that I did revolved around pancake art and the idea of being able to turn this into a full time business. At the time I can remember doodling while at work to eventually get off of work, driving the 1.5 hour drive back home just to get started on making pancake art through the night. Read more>>

Elise McVeigh

I launched Elise McVeigh’s Life Camp seminar company around the time my second son was born in 2001. I had put together a church retreat for young moms. The talks I had were all related “How to Get Your Groove Back” as a mom. Meaning do not get lost in being a mother. Make sure you keep your identity and keep on doing things for yourself. Read more>>

Jondel Gibson

I’ve always wanted to run my very own business but I never knew what that would look like. You never know when’s the right time, sometimes you just have to go for it. One day, being 4/8/2022 to be exact, I decided to file for my LLC which only took a little over a week before receiving my documents. Read more>>

Matt Alcobia

I was producing music at home, and performing 4 days a week. I was getting a lot of bookings and started hiring other DJs to fill the gigs. I ended up starting a DJ agency and booking DJs into venues from the Sunshine Coast, to the Gold Coast. I had 5 DJs including myself booked out throughout the week. Read more>>

Laura Lopez

Laura&EmiliaJewelry LLC inicia en agosto del 2021 cuando estaba en el tercer trimestre de mi hija Emilia, después de trabajar por muchos años en la industria de los restaurantes como mesera logre hacer unos ahorros antes de que mi hija naciera y decidí comprar algunos materiales para empezar a crear pulseras y collares con mi propio estilo, empecé vendiéndole a mis amigas, familiares y vecinos todo lo que ganaba en mis ventas mi reinvertía siempre, Read more>>

Amanda Leavitt

After graduating college, I accepted a position as a middle school science teacher. I found myself spending a lot of my own money for hands-on learning activities to complement our curriculum. Soon I took a chance on my creative dreams by investing in a laser so I could make custom pieces on my own out of materials such as acrylic, wood, leather, tile, cutting boards, rubber, silicone, metal blanks and more! I was hooked! I really Read more>>

Asya Broussard

The idea from my business came from my own experiences of so many families calling for me to come and work and I hated having to turn people down. It was important for me to always make my clients happy and give them the best experiences possible. I started sending my friends out on the jobs I couldn’t take and a client said that I should charge for what I’m doing. Read more>>

Josh Moser

Laborjack started as an extremely simple concept out of Colorado State University in Northern Colorado in 2016. The original premise: “Uber is the biggest taxi cab company in the world and they don’t own a single vehicle; let’s build the biggest moving company and never own a single truck or van.” Read more>>

Mariah Smith

I started out as a student manager for my college football team in 2016. Having daily interactions with so many coaches and natural born leaders really inspired me to want to influence people on the same level as I was surrounded with daily. I eventually got heavily involved in pageantry as a hobby, and quickly realized the close correlation to football, and how I could use the same coaching principles about grit and determination that I received from football in the pageant world. Read more>>

Stephanie King

I had an idea of wanting to get into the business of doing shirts for babies, toddlers, children, and adults at the beginning of 2023. It’s a lucrative market and it allows you the luxury of having your own schedule. I spoke with my husband about the idea and he put me in touch with someone he knew who was currently in the business. Read more>>

Tommy Dodd

I have been creative all of my life, always leaning toward creativity and art. Any pathway involving creativity and expression was always an outlet I leaned toward and chased. In my many moments of reflection, I found myself fascinated with photography in its full art form. Read more>>

Jillisa Kraemer

It was a Sunday just like any other for us in May 2022. My husband, daughter (4yo at the time) & I were in our car on our way to our weekly visit & dinner with family. Read more>>

Lyndsey Johnson

I started my real estate brokerage after more than a decade working in corporate America. I left a career as an executive, for a real estate development firm, because I wanted to define my own version of success. The beginning was simple, I knew if I clearly visualized a goal I could achieve it. Read more>>

Alexis Vascimini

I began my soaping journey in 2022 after a number of failed attempts to find my niche in the art world. Going from general arts and design, to cosmetology, and finally a handmade small business. DIY projects and crafting has always been an interest of mine, I knew someday I’d like to work for myself and make something with my hands. Read more>>

Harbin Harrison

Sometimes, I can be quite impulsive when a new idea strikes me. It’s like witnessing the spontaneous germination of a thought in my mind, and I often feel a compelling urge to spring into action immediately. However, it’s no surprise that these ideas tend to surface when I’m on a bus, in the middle of a movie, or during a meeting. Read more>>

Evonne Britton

I have been a track and field athlete for as long as I can remember. From winning states in Texas as a high school hurdler to going on to Penn state to be a school record holder and now as a professional training for the 2024 Olympics. I wanted to share my story to success and share my journey to competing at the highest level and being the best version of me. Read more>>

XZERÈ NOIRE

In the process of failing and failing and failing then failing again. You eventually get so good at failure that something has to give. The vision of XZERÈ NOIRE has always been clear. Looking from the outside in the foundation has been set. Execution remains solely on what the company is set to do: which is to embody a culture to recreate industry standards. Read more>>

Gillian Hu

It began with a passion, stemming from my personal wellness journey and my deep-seated love for food innovation. Konjac wasn’t new to me; it was a staple from my childhood in Yunnan. But while training as a dancer and athlete, its health benefits truly dawned upon me. Read more>>

Thomas Fooshee

My small home side business started out as a hobby that provided a creative outlet for me. I am a professional firefighter for the City of Chandler in Arizona. A couple years ago I took a class at a local cooking school and learned how to make macarons. Read more>>

Alyssa Lescallett

When the pandemic happened, I decided to take on a new hobby — the art of sourdough. What started as a challenging and at times, very frustrating hobby, quickly turned into a passion of mine. I have always loved baking — coming up with recipes, recreating my favorite foods into healthy alternatives, baking delicious foods to share with family, baking to relieve stress, etc. Read more>>

Scott & Karissa Wright

I needed a change of career. The stresses of my job were really affecting my health in a very negative way .Kayaking and nature are so relaxing. We knew we wanted to go out every day, so choosing to start a kayak tour company was easy. Read more>>

Jasten King

Well, I actually started photographing almost 20 years ago when I first moved to LA, just to get into punk shows for free. It escalated rather quickly- mind you with no training- working for local music magazines only probably cause I was just really outgoing and involved in the scene. That all got put aside when I joined one of the bands I was photographing to then focus on playing music and touring for several years. Read more>>

Gabriela Gonzales

In high school, I stumbled upon my love for photography when I joined the yearbook team as the designated photographer. Capturing moments and memories became a true passion of mine. A few years after graduating, I became a proud parent to four beautiful children. Naturally, I found joy in photographing them, cherishing every milestone and documenting their growth. Read more>>

Kelli Geilow

Certainly! Let’s dive into my journey from idea to execution! It all began with a tiny spark of inspiration during your travels in 2019 when you discovered the concept of tiny tent parties in Europe. The idea intrigued me, and upon returning home, I couldn’t shake it off. The first crucial step was acknowledging this idea and allowing it to take root in your mind. Read more>>

Lexi Annis

I spend a LOT of time researching different ideas that pop into my head for the more creative shoots I do. I also spend a lot of time on Pinterest looking for different elements I can add in to get more creative during the shoot! Read more>>

Christa Griffin, MBA

I would be lying if I told you I always wanted to be an author. I always wanted to be an entrepreneur, YES; However, I was not sure what that would look like and how to even start it. I also did not know any authors at that time. I’ve always had great ideas, I’ve always been a dreamer, and I like to make money. Read more>>

Spencer Ratliff

I started my own custom furniture business in 2013 and after just a couple of years of slowly getting started the thought of a shared shop with shared equipment and resources really appealed to me. Not only because I was lonely in my one man shop but because the deeper I got into my business the more I realized just how hard getting stared in this industry really is and it made me want to make it easier for others. Read more>>

Yaqi Zhang

The Spark of an Idea: When I embarked on creating my thesis project, I was driven by the desire to explore the intricate world of cymatics – the study of visible sound vibration. My transition from a science student to the realm of digital arts was just two years old. This shift, though enlightening, brought its own set of challenges. Read more>>

Elisia Dunwood

I first had to decide what I loved doing that also came natural to me. I then had to decide what it would cost me. After that, I had to figure out what steps I needed to take to turn one of my hobbies into a business. For months I researched what steps I would need to take as far as registering the business. Read more>>

Jada Ivy

I wanted to create a place where art and fashion could share a space. The idea came to me when I was trying to figure out how to display my paintings in the best possible way. I started a career at an art gallery and realized creatively I had restrictions, so I created my own studio.(JadasArt Studio) My brand is unique in that each design is created from an original artworks or paintings. Read more>>

Jordan Ferrer

In 2015, I had some friends who were graduating from USC who had asked me to take their graduation portraits. Photography had always been something I have been passionate about, and I first started learning my craft as a high school yearbook photographer. Taking the graduation portraits for my friends was such a great experience because I was doing something that I was so passionate in. Read more>>

Becky Martin

Launching my photography business was quite organic. My husband purchased my first camera for me when my oldest son was 6 months old. I started taking his photos daily, my sister in laws asked me to photograph my nieces and nephews…soon their friends were asking me and I figured I should probably get serious about learning all I could about photography, because I believe in doing things well/professionally. Read more>>

Brandi Soto

To get to the “how” we must get to the “why” first. The reason why I started is very important. I started a cake decorating business in 2016 and it was going well. Then in September of 2017I became very sick and ended up in the hospital. I had to stop all together baking and cake decorating because after a week in the hospital my eyesight was better but all together, I wasn’t. Read more>>

Megan Huntey

When I sat down and really thought about starting a business, I think the best thing I could have done was ask for help. I researched how other successful owners in the business started, how they laid out a business plan, and I asked for help with the financial aspects that weren’t my strong suit. Asking for help and acknowledging that we can’t do everything perfectly is the best thing someone can do for their business. Read more>>

Jonathan Limon

This journey started for me back in 2017. I was focused on branding my music, JLimon Music. I realized I had to focus on my presentation and how I brand myself. I wanted to be taken more seriously and not release any mediocre work. I knew the image I wanted to present with my music and wanted to take the necessary steps needed to get there. Read more>>

Olivia Denton

When my husband and I got married, we realized our area had a shortage of venue options for couples who wanted to maintain a smaller budget. After we said, “I do,” we started considering purchasing a new home with more land than we had, and we also started to consider looking for a property that could double as a new home and potential venue. The first step was narrowing down what that property must include. Read more>>

Rianna Hijlkema

I’ve often wondered what it would be like to wake up one day and realize I made money while I was sleeping. And as I was designing the 50th custom sleep plan template, I decided that there must be a better way to generate income and provide cost-effective solutions to my clients. So, I created a landing page where I sold a DIY template that sleep consultants could buy and edit themselves. Read more>>