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.

Wendy Wolverton

Miss Happy is a character I created in a script that became what I call a Storybook Movie. I wrote the script and the movie came about from a point of failure. I entered the short script in AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women and was rejected. I wanted to make the movie so bad that I decided I would figure out a way to make it regardless. My husband and I decided to try shooting it with miniatures, having one day seen a beautiful, Godly light in our house over a small desk. It looked so realistic that we found inspiration. I visited the Goodwill, found an old castaway Barbie doll, and we began experimenting filming in various scales. Read more>>

Janette Graham

The process of an idea to execute my business… was emotional. It started with a life’s tragedy no mother wants to hear. This was a loss for our family… this brought tears and multiple stressors. How can you put a child in prison? What does this mean for the rest of my children? Was I being targeted? Did this mean I was a horrible mom/parent? Was this the only form of corrective punishment? Why are parents being excluded from the process? Why not speak to the parent(s) regarding this child before stripping all innocence. My son was 13 when he encountered his 1st criminal offense of theft. He was removed from my home without a clear path of rehabilitation consequences or family support. Read more>>

Lucas Serwinski

I can accurately recall my very first day of my very first job (Stop and Shop 2001) thinking that I did not want to work for someone else. Almost immediately, it didn’t feel “right” to me. I naturally craved independence both in job execution and strategizing as well as the risk/reward that came with having the greater onus of responsibility. Read more>>

Natasha E. Davis

When I first launched my business in February 2007 I had big vision, no experience and a lot of fear! During the first 4 years in business I made many mistakes financially and operationally but, my passion and belief in my vision kept me going. Read more>>

Xavier DeRoos

Growing up in southern California has allowed me to be educated on sustainability and eco-consciousness. After moving to Florida I was deeply disappointed in the lack of effort and accessibility of sustainable living. I then started to compost on my own in my backyard. After a while, my friends started asking me if they could add their food waste to my compost and I was happy to do so! This sparked the idea that a compost pick-up program could be a great way to make composting easy for the community. After a few months of composting in my backyard, I quickly began to realize that good quality compost needs to be made at a larger scale. Read more>>

Craig Vincent Jr.

I’ve always wanted to be a “rapper” even as a kid, when the teacher asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up that was my answer! Now it may not be that simple for everyone but I had the talent I just needed the exposure in my book. This was back when everyone felt they needed a “label” to succeed so my goal was get signed and everything else will happen. But it was NOT that simple haha. So by the time I was 16 I took matter into my own hands, I was gifted a mic & a computer for Christmas and I learned to record and mix myself. By time I started my freshman year in college I had a few “fans” and made a little name for myself, I did a few shows and it was overall an awesome experience! I still make music but I’m currently shifting into overall content creation instead of limiting myself to just one talent! Read more>>

Quadir Gray

WHEW GUCCIAMO BOYSZ INC STARTED OUT AS AN IDEA in 2020 ME AND MY BUSINESS PARTNER HAD THIS IDEA THAT WE WANTED TO BE CREATIVE AND BRING SOMETHING FROM OUR BACKGROUNDS AND WHERE WE GREW UP FROM NYC AND FROM LOVE. IM THE FASHIONISTA AND I LOVE TO DRESS AND LOOK NICE AND I HATED PAYING SO MUCH MONEY FOR DESIGNER OR JUST TO LOOK NICE SO I THOUGHT LIKE HOW ABOUT A CLOTHING LINE MY BUSINESS PARTNER WAS DOWN WITH IT EVEN THOUGH MODELING AND FASHION ISNT REALLY HIS THING. THIS IS WHAT BRINGS OUT THE GRAPHIC DESIGNER PART HES MORE HANDS ON WITH SKETCHING THINGS OUT HE HAS A GOOD EYE HE TAKES GREAT PICTURES. Read more>>

Mikesa Scales

I’ve been around large volume events for as long as I can remember. I’ve always been intrigued with taking a single thought and crafting a plan to create the desired result. A spirit of excellence and integrity has allowed me to flourish in an evolving industry for over a decade. The steps that I followed that allowed me to launch my business were the following: ingenuity, fearlessness and GRIT. Today’s society has glamorized everything other than the hard work necessary to to sustain in the event planning industry. I did the work that most wouldn’t do, volunteered and played the long game to establish a reputation that serves me well. Read more>>

Emeka Obi

How I started my brand was working at fashion retail stores and always being introduced to new fashion trends. I would also do research on manufacturers to see which one was the best to produce my pieces. Designing and making the products are the easiest part of starting a clothing brand. The hardest part is finding the audience who will purchase and support your brand. I would always try different ways or review videos of successful brands on how they got their brand to be successful. One good example is Mike Amiri on how he started his brand and how he was able to get his brand from where it is now. I recently watched a video about his journey and I am taking some tips from him on how to get my brand to bigger heights. Read more>>

Amanda Ferguson

I had no intentions of starting a full-fledged nonprofit, but I knew I wanted to collect water for heat relief. It started by asking friends and family to donate $4 for a case of water, and when my garage was packed with five pallets a few weeks later, I knew this could be something bigger. It was all about diving in. I had no idea what I was doing when I decided to incorporate my business and apply for a 501c3. It took research. I read everything and my bookmark tab was full of even more I planned to read. I networked, asked other, googled the answers, whatever it took. The beginning felt and looked like a bit of scrambling, but I realized no one really knew when they started, you just have to start and that’s what I did. Read more>>

Ryo Ito

To transition from the idea of Kaifuku Media to successful execution, begin with a robust business plan outlining target audience, unique offerings, and marketing strategies. I sat at my desk hours thinking about a business plan and how I should market this business. It was very slow at first. I had ZERO clients the first 2 months, but I finally landed my first paying client after 2 months. I finally “ caught on to the algorithm. Posting on social media play form and staying consistent with it was the key to new clients. Read more>>

Illysia Tartan

In high school, I joined photojournalism because I was really intrigued by the subject. Little did I know I would meet the most amazing teacher who believed in me and saw all of the strengths I had at such a young age. Mr. Curtis saw my passion for photography and gave me every outlet possible to nurture my creativity and the opportunity to thrive as a creative. I was given the school camera to photograph school events, dance recitals, football games, parades and more. Read more>>

Carlos Mesber

I was an actor in soap operas, but after a situation on a telenovela set, I decided to change course and become a producer. I created some pilot programs and ventured to MIPTV in Cannes, France, to meet industry peers and sell my shows. I succeeded in selling them in Romania. From that moment on, my story changed. I am the creator of my path. That’s why I later wrote a book titled “The Script of Your Life is Written by You.” Today, I live in love and find happiness in helping others to have their self-esteem where it should be, relying on self-love to achieve everything in life. Read more>>

Shalanda Waiters

Well I received a email from South Carolina state charity division notifying me that I needed to make my Facebook page a charity because we were interviewed by Florence morning news and it was written that we plan to give scholarships for qualified Students in the area. So I was told I had 2 weeks to make it a state charity. I informed the lady I that I just wanted to give back to the community and I didn’t know you had to have a charity to do so. She informed me that you did and that she would help me do that. She did and I had a state charity in 2 weeks. Read more>>

 Jelitsa Legarreta

It all started with one thought: “Skincare doesn’t need to be complicated.” At the time, I was a mom to a wildly energetic toddler that reminded me over and over again that time was valuable. Leisurely after shower routines? Not happening. Slow mornings? Yea right! A 10-step skincare routine? LOL. Read more>>

Winifred Summer

My beginning started with tears. Depression and anxiety as a result of toxic work environments. The bathroom stall became my safe space. I would go there to cry, pray, and count to ten. After a couple minutes in the peace of the stall, I would emerge back into my workspace with my signature smile, quiet confidence, and can-do attitude. My most celebrated work, The Toxic Job Playbook, started my business. Read more>>

John Hall

I started my career in the surf industry but over COVID, I transitioned to working in the family construction business. Needless to say, the construction world is very different than working for a surf company. The work days were longer and the hours were more rigid, unlike the flexibility I was accustomed to in the surf industry. This new routine didn’t accommodate impromptu surf breaks or rolling into work late if the waves were good. I realized that if I wanted to continue surfing, I’d have to wake up extra early and hit the waves at first light before the sun would even rise. Read more>>

Monica Helm

My love and passion for photography started when I was in high school. I remember buying my first NikonD3100 from babysitting money and could NOT put it down. Every part of the process was invigorating – taking pictures, editing, and delivering. Even though I had NO clue what I was doing back then. Fast forward 10-11 years later, and I’ve finally started my own little photography business. Read more>>

Marco Zafarana & Ali Snow

Like most ideas, our concept for Zaffo’s Artisan Pasta took years percolating in our minds to develop into what it is today (and it is still changing and evolving!). Marco has always been a big foodie and comes from a family that enjoys cooking, so he’d always considered the possibility of creating a food business, especially after moving to the US in 2018. We talked and talked through different ideas, different iterations; tested recipes with friends and asked for their feedback. Saw what they liked and what didn’t rise to the top. We began to plan in earnest and started researching commissary kitchens right around when COVID hit, so that slowed down our plans as we (and the rest of the world) were figuring out what steps to take next. Read more>>

Joseph Zuzula

My business is different than many businesses. I didn’t start off with having a tangible product. I didn’t start off with having much of anything of value for people on an every day basis and quite frankly I still don’t. I started during the pandemic at the end of November creating content and trying to put myself out in front of new people and gaining an audience when the reality was that I had none. I was a guy with a dream that many kept telling me was impossible. I sat on live streams night after night, 8, 10, 12 hours a day, talking with 10, 20 viewers, then 50, then 75, so on and so forth. Read more>>

Mack Knox

The way I started in photography was falling in love with the photos I’d reblog on Tumblr around 2010-2014. I was a huge fan of rock / alternative bands and went to many concerts. I loved the idea of taking photos of the bands performing but had no idea how to get into that as a career. Concert photography was and is still kinda gate kept and hard to get into unless you know someone already in it to explain the steps. I started photography seriously when I was 18 years old, only doing portraits of friends and mutuals online. Read more>>

Raynell McGee

My writing journey began accidentally and out of frustration. I was in graduate school, constantly writing papers. Each week, I would devote over twenty hours to researching and drafting responses to discussions and assignments. During this period, I jokingly said to myself, “All this writing I’m doing, I might as well write a book!” That was it: the statement that changed my life forever. I’ve always enjoyed teaching, but writing allowed me to make lessons permanent. I appreciate that people can reflect on your messages for years. Sharing my life experiences makes me feel like I am contributing to the world. I never want people to feel as if they’re alone and hopeless. I can relate to those emotions and want to share how I overcame these experiences. Read more>>

Chris Cade

I always enjoyed stories as a child. Whether it was books, TV shows, movies, or other other types of media, I was glad to add that story to my mental vault. Fast forward to now, I had already been big into script writing and film making, but I never thought about writing a book. What would I write? What could I give people in book form that could help solve a problem in their lives? I have always been close to God and studied the Bible. So much in fact that it has become my identity. Read more>>

Catherine Magarino

I’d love to take this opportunity to talk about my most recent songwriting project, “Petal Lips, Icy Eyes,” which was released on October 27th of this year. This 5-song EP started as a series of songs I had written several years ago over the course of a toxic relationship in my life. I found myself using music as an outlet to express my feelings and process everything that was going on. Read more>>