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.

Charisse Piros

My mother Via and I talked about creating a blog for years. It was something we felt was needed but we never executed the specifics or how it would look. At the end of 2020 the conversation popped up again, I was fortunate to have the funds to pay for a domain and website. We went for it! We wanted to show the difference between out generations on topics giving advice and perspective to our audience. Read more>>

Hannah Pettigrew

My original plan was to not start my business when I did, I wanted to wait until I finished my master’s program and got a little more experience under my belt. I had an opportunity with a bride that asked if I could plan her wedding. She was a bride that I sold her dress to at the bridal store I work at and I could not pass up the opportunity. Right then, I decided I needed to get the ball rolling and start my business. Read more>>

Sara + Troy DeRose

Our culture loves some great “start-up” stories, and we certainly love this question as we love to know how people started. Our story is more circular than linear — a lot of evolutions in a direction, but certainly more than one idea! After owning a graphic design and sign shop on the western slope since 2005, Troy moved to Colorado Springs and started over, launching Fixer Design as a freelancer graphic design shop with exactly one client who was a referral from a longtime friend. Read more>>

Susan DeSylvia

After our son was born, I left my corporate job and my 2 horses to become a Mom…. After 2 1/2 years I was eager to ride again! My husband said “if you want to ride horses again, we need to find a way to pay for it”. Not long after that conversation, my Father gave us a camcorder for Christmas. Eureka!! I found a way to pay to ride horses again! I could film my friends lessons at the barn I used to keep my horses! Read more>>

Chelsia McCoy

I started this business literally as a hobby. I enjoyed writing and helping other people get their ideas out to write their books. I also loved editing and proofreading stories/articles or whatever someone needed help with. I’ve been writing since I was about 12 years old, so I frequently joke that I eat, sleep, and breathe writing! In 2018, while working my corporate job I began to think about what it would be like to do writing full time and really begin to promote what was a “hobby” as an actual business and make money from it. I wrote down a lot of thoughts and began researching book-writing businesses. I didn’t find much in my initial search, but I kept writing, helping people, and researching. Read more>>

Jessica Raak

Honestly, my husband was my biggest motivator. He believed I could successfully own and run my own business before I ever did! At first, the amount of work that I only imagined it would take, was enough to discourage me from even making it past the general idea. Michael, my husband, is an amazing realtor in and around Houston, so when I simply mentioned that I was thinking about expanding my business , he immediately started the hunt for space. Read more>>

Haley Duncan

The product idea of a 90 day habits journal came from a need that I had for my own business. I was a successful network marketing professional and the tools I needed weren’t out there. I started creating these tools and systems that I was using to have success and then I realized that there were probably other people out there like me that this product could really help. I took pen to paper and I wrote out my idea and called my friend Niki Marinaccio who was great with design – she put together a prototype that we now call the 90 Day Cycle to New Habits Journal. Read more>>

Deron Gadsden

The simple answer, and honestly the truth is I just did it. When I had the original idea to start a business, I just knew I wanted it to be something that could help black people. I spent some time going back through my old business school notes, honestly not sure what I was looking for, but I ended up reviewing notes for my Strategic Management course. The course was all about setting up an organizational strategy to achieve a mission in a competitive market. Read more>>

Jessica Ramirez

I’ve been creating Experiential Marketing opportunities for clients since 2005. The good o’l days in college, at Cheeseburger in Paradise, Kalamazoo, Michigan. 15 years later we have a buzz word for it. And getting laid off during the pandemic, I realized there was a lot of downsizing happening. That my skills and experience were of value. Not only for my clients but their vendors, staff or consumers. Sometimes you need something to push you into the direction your spouse to go towards. Read more>>

Rob Lihalakha

My entrepreneurship journey was a lot different than your traditional journey because I’ve always been an out the box guy. I started my entrepreneurship journey after leaving McNeese State University as a graduate assistant women’s basketball coach. To begin with, I decided to leave because we had won two conference championships in my first two years of coaching and I told myself I do not want to stay because knowing myself and personality, I knew I would get bored. Read more>>

Jasmin Cruz Martinez

I have alway worked, since the age of 16. I started in the food industry and worked my way up to an office setting job. I’ve always wanted to have a business and be my own boss. I also tried to execute couple diffrent businesses and wasn’t successful at it, but it’s OK! Before you become an overnight success you have to be an everyday hustler and restart as many times as you need. Read more>>

Briia J.

It all started with just an idea. I was about 16 years old when I fell in love with makeup and came up with what I thought was a crazy and impossible idea. That Idea was to start my own makeup line! I knew I wanted to create something special and different that would shake up the beauty industry but I had no clue of how I was going to execute this plan. I decided to go to cosmetology school to get a more in-depth learning of what makeup really was and how to properly use it. Little did I know, that was all the push I needed to get started on my cosmetic makeup journey. Read more>>

Jim Stringer

My grandfather was an artist and illustrator whose work was well known and published on both local and national levels. As a child I use to sit in his studio and watch him sketch, draw and paint. He also loved technology and had many photo cameras and movie cameras he used and collected. I was always fascinated with his collection of technology and his skills as an artist. I thought it was so wonderful that he could not not only draw and paint but create images and movies. My early years of watching and learning from him certainly influenced my own creative skills and I would dare and sketch with him in his studio on my summer stays when I was out of school. Read more>>

Jenene Mckay

It all started with our our mother she was a our inspiration. She was fantastic cook and entertainer abd threw the best parties. She passed away from stage 4 breast in 1993. Since then I have always loved cooking and I started my catering company Til the Last Bite! in 2015 and enlisted my sister Juliet Sosa to join me on this crazy adventure. Clients loved the pairing of our food and wine. So.. we figured we should have our on wine to pair with our food. So we dove in to learn everything about the wine making process. Read more>>

Sladjana Ahmetovic

This is a great question. I knew the idea was specific to a certain consumer. Knowing that the mobile art studio would cater to mostly cannabis users and other artist, I had to focus on that market. With Arizona going recreational, my customers would be at the dispos as well as other art and cannabis friendly events. I had made sure to attend these events to speak to, showcase, and explain how Pretty Dope Paintings works. Thankfully, there is a great community here in Phoenix that really enjoys both art and cannabis. Read more>>

Meredith Limoges

A lot of people have great product, service, and business ideas. What has been most challenging for me is bringing said idea successfully to market. I still wonder if I’ve completely figured that out. The first thing my co-founder Shirley Beaudin (a.k.a. mom) and I did was decide on the final products we wanted to launch with. Then we researched the ways we could get it in front of people without a lot of capital. We are a grass roots, no investors company that pulled ourselves up from the bootstraps. We started out at retail pop up events and selling on Etsy. All while finding suppliers and figuring out manufacturing that was scalable. Read more>>

Ayana Bennett

I’ve always wanted to write a book; ever since I read my first urban fiction story. I tried for many years and couldn’t get pass the first page. It wasn’t until I was 8 months pregant with my first daughter that I was finally able to get not only pass the first page but complete the book. My first book, A B-More Love debuted three days before my daughter was born. Once I started writing, I couldn’t stop. I would have to say that it was my lack of imagination that kept me from being able to write a book. While it also was the fact that I was trying to write like how I’ve read books over the years. Once I put my own into my writing, it flowed like it was second nature. Read more>>

Chris Diaz

I always had the idea of creating a legacy, breaking generational curses, and building generational wealth. My previous business left me unfulfilled, unhappy, and dissatisfied. I began to question my past decisions, and my reason for why I was doing what I was doing. That led me to draw conclusions, and I was able to figure out that I wasn’t living for God, I was living for others. To impress others, to seek validation, gain instant gratification, and find the quickest way to riches. Read more>>

Valerie Reed,LBSW

After the passing of my Brother(only known sibling) , my mother, and my husband 2011-2012, I knew that GOD had a plan for me. I knew that there had to be some purpose to my pain. I could not wrap my mind around the fact that I was “left alone” to fend for myself with my three young children. I did not have any idea on what GOD was up to but I knew that is was a great feat that I would have to tend to. I was always a writer and I used my writing as an outlet to express my emptions about my grief. Read more>>

Jaime Bilotti

I have always been someone who is fueled by curiosity and with that comes the fact that I cannot let my curiosity go unexplored. I place a lot of value behind my intuition because everything else can be learned but your intuition is what nobody can define for you and makes each of us unique. Due to my curiosity, in addition to my professional experiences, I have listened to many podcasts, watched many documentaries, and read many books to soak up as much information as I could from various entrepreneurs. Read more>>

Jo Ann Herold.

I have had the idea to write a book since I was seven years old. As a young girl, I kept a journal and documented my daily life with the goal to someday be an author. As an adult, I also kept a journal, documenting goals, dreams, thoughts and feelings. I studied Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and used the Franklin Covey planning tools. Every year, I had as a goal to write and publish and book, but it never happened! I would just push this goal to the following year. Read more>>

Karla Richey

Miami Kids Magazine started when I became a mom for the first time. I was pregnant and with many questions about what to do with my life. I moved to the United States when I was 24 years old. My family was in my home country and my closest friends too. I didn’t know who could help me with advice about my pregnancy. So I went online, and it was overwhelming. Read more>>

Jenny Randle

In my mid-20’s I was working as a video editor in Hollywood and felt led to transition out of the height of my career. I told one person I felt called into speaking and they asked a simple question, “Why would you do that?” For nearly a decade I twisted those simple words and made it all about me. “Why would I do this? I wasn’t smart enough. I didn’t have the skill set. I’m not as fancy as the other people in similar career paths.” I was making it all about me and my abilities… or lack of. Read more>>

Sierra Cobbs

As a licensed professional cosmetologist for close to 20 years I have never worked in a professional setting salon setting. I’ve always worked at home. I had the idea that if I continue to work it within my comfort zone that I wouldn’t be able to reach the people that I’m supposed to be reaching as a part of my purpose. What I do is I help others adjust their crowns(hair) by providing them a luxury service that reminds them of the royalty that lives within. Read more>>

John Roo

I started programming with my dad. We did small projects with microcontrollers like the Arduino to turn lights on and off with sensors. These projects gave me a grip on programming in general. I’ve always been a gamer and always taken an interest in retro gaming. I decided I wanted to make a game. I chose the gameboy because I thought it might be easier than creating a modern game(it was not easier). Read more>>

TaJara Riley

The craziest thing is, the idea wasn’t mines. The idea was brought to me by another individual in 2020. We were considering doing it together, but I began to notice that I was pursuing it more so than the other person. I purchased supplies, tested out various products, and began to fall in love with it as a whole. Once I noticed that I was pushing more to make candles and learn, I decided to do it on my own. I had many moments where I wavered, but a friend of mines gave me great advice of his that led me to want to continue to make candles. Read more>>