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.

Yassin Adam

Surprisingly, I got into writing just this year. I had no prior intentions or goals specifically to write any screenplays, but some odd things happened to me this past year that led to me taking directions that I would’ve never really imagined or envisioned myself taking. I’m extremely grateful, regardless. I think it has led to me becoming more of a well-rounded and passionate artist and actor, altogether. Read more>>

Joy Semien

In 2017, as I began my graduate studies, I delved into researching disasters and their impact on communities. It quickly became evident that there was a significant gap in how communities—especially nonprofits and businesses—communicated and collaborated during crises. Inspired to address this, I came home one evening, spread out a poster-sized sheet of paper, and sketched out my vision for a hub that would bridge these gaps and foster connections during disasters. Read more>>

Damari Withers

After being inspired by my father’s music label and having an introduction to creative writing, I attended college and established a name for myself as a unique spoken word artist, while strategically building an audience for a hip-hop album I planned to release by graduation of 2017. While in college in 2014, just like my pops, I met other like-minded artists to form a powerhouse conglomerate named Champion Sound Recordings. We went on to trailblaze a path for upcoming artist at our school, performing everywhere on campus, regionally, and even booked out-of-state shows. Due to contrasting goals, I departed from the independent label in 2019, revitalizing my own independent career. Read more>>

Chelsea Gifford

I never intended to own a yoga studio, however, I come from a yoga lineage. My mom started yoga studios in Nashville, TN so I had been around the industry. She is an Iyengar instructor and had taught at the Iyengar Yoga Studio before it was the Yoga Center of Denver. The owners were moving to Europe and asked my mom about her interest in taking over the studio. She was done with her studio days and not living in Denver and suggested they speak to us about it. We looked at the business and the location and were interested in the space and the future of that area. I also had a personal passion for sharing Iyengar yoga with a younger audience who may have never heard of it before. We had a vision of creating a space where people could practice various modalities and lineages of yoga, enjoy wisdom of long standing Iyengar instructors, and enjoy a 7,000 square foot space for events. We added various styles, massage rooms, a 200 and 300 hour teacher training, workshops, and event rentals. We also did massive renovations on the building to provide the oasis feeling in the city. We bought the business during the pandemic, went through tech and software updates for a streamlined experience for the client, navigated city mandates, team dynamics, having a baby, moving, and more. It is really beautiful to see how the vision has turned into reality. Read more>>

Justin Goodrum

In 2009 I graduated from the University of New Mexico (UNM) and two friends decided to create a podcast called The Low Blow. All three of us would talk about fighting before class began and when we graduated decided to create a podcast. I’m originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and combat sports are a huge part of the culture. Podcasting was still fairly new in 2009 so we would meet in person on UNM’s college campus to record our shows. We recorded one to two shows a week covering the most popular news and then transitioned to interviewing various fighters and journalists. At first, we launched the show on our own and then partnered with FightFans Radio and UScombatsports with the purpose of additional exposure. Read more>>

Adam Borrero

The idea for SquaredUp Fitness had been in my heart for years. I started coaching and training people in 2013, fresh out of high school, and I knew right away that I wanted to own my own gym someday. I worked for other gym owners, but their focus was always on profits, not people. I wanted to create a space where people’s well-being came first, where they felt supported and part of a community. In 2017, I started using the name SquaredUp Fitness because I’d always tell my clients to “square up” with the punching bags. I began sketching out ideas—drawing mock-ups of what I wanted the gym to look like, playing with color schemes, and even designing potential merchandise. I had the vision, but I didn’t have the resources to make it a reality yet. Read more>>

Jonathan Waks

I was fired when I went on my honeymoon by a group of business people who referred to employees as their family. I had a feeling it was coming but you always felt that way inside of a heartless company. I spent a day bitching and moaning to whomever wanted to hear the sob story and then I started working. I am impatient and felt every second mattered, and the only way I would find something else was to get into it as soon as possible. Resume written, web site developed LinkedIn conversations started. But once you have broken up with someone there is a cooling off period where you should not just get into a long term relationship right away. It is best to explore what works for you and where you want to be. Read more>>

Dareel Sco

One thing I learned while starting our business LuvFirst The Movement LLC is that dedication to a purpose makes it all worth while. Our business idea started with me years before as I was using LuvFirst as a slogan during my early years as an independent artist. My goal was to create a new image for myself so that audiences would know what I was representing without any discrepancies. As my slogan started to gain popularity I decided to turn my slogan into an actual brand and entertainment company by teaming up with likeminded individuals. Read more>>

Bre Via

Our BBQ journey began in 2020. Brad and I first met in July of that year, and he invited me to my first BBQ competition in August. At that time, Brad was competing with another BBQ team, and I attended to see what the experience was all about. I vividly remember driving into the competition and being in awe of the various types of smokers and trailers. Once we were set up, I took the opportunity to engage with other teams about their setups and what had drawn them to the world of competition BBQ. The response was overwhelmingly positive—everyone was incredibly welcoming and took the time to answer all of my questions (and I had many!). One team even extended an invitation for dinner. It was at that moment that I truly fell in love with competition BBQ and the incredible BBQ community. Read more>>

Tina Razquin

Tina embodies the relentless pursuit of the American Dream—a dream she chased with determination and grit. She didn’t just immigrate to the United States; she came here with a vision to build something lasting, something that would contribute to the fabric of this great nation. Today, that vision has flourished. Her handcrafted leather wine bags, created with passion and skill, are now proudly part of very important brands corporate gifts Read more>>

Jd Theexpert

When I started, the idea for my business was born from two passions: marketing and helping independent artists succeed. I had worked in the marketing space for years and noticed how difficult it was for talented individuals to gain exposure without big budgets or industry connections. That realization sparked the idea of creating a marketing agency tailored specifically to independent artists and social media personalities. The first step was research. I spent countless hours understanding the struggles of upcoming artists—everything from their lack of time to market themselves to challenges navigating platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Spotify. I also analyzed what successful artists and influencers were doing differently. Read more>>

Tejanita Bush

My journey into birth work began in July 2020. I was a few months postpartum with my second daughter, and the airline industry, where I had worked as a flight attendant for seven years, faced potential furloughs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While I had seniority and wasn’t overly concerned about my job security, I found myself reflecting on what other paths I could pursue if the airlines were no longer a reliable option. Read more>>

Rosilynn Morris

I didn’t go to school to run a business…I went to school to become a therapist. So when I decided to launch my private practice, Find Your Piece, the idea of becoming a business owner felt, well, terrifying. Sure, I had dreams of helping clients and building a practice where I could make a difference, but the logistics? That was a whole other animal. The list of things I needed to figure out was endless—registering a PLLC, getting an EIN, building an online platform to showcase my work, selecting an electronic health record system, deciding whether to be private pay or accept insurance. And that’s just scratching the surface! My brain was constantly swirling with questions: What did it really mean to be a business owner? Was I ready for all this? Read more>>

Christopher Schlierf

For me, turning an idea into reality has always felt like an act of manifesting. Ideas often seem to come from a place I can’t fully explain—almost spiritual in a way. You might call it the source, God, or a higher self planting a wish or a vision in your mind. That creative spark emerges from nowhere, but with love, passion, and dedication, it grows. It’s the same process whether I’m writing a song, developing a film, or shaping a career path. It all began for me back in school, drawing comics and cartoons. I’d create stories to make my friends laugh, to entertain, and to connect with people. That early experience of crafting something from nothing lit a fire in me. I realized I wanted to pursue a life where I could create—where the things I made would exist forever, not just disappear after being used or completed like tasks on a checklist. I didn’t want a job that only focused on execution; I wanted to bring new ideas into the world, ideas that hadn’t existed until they were born in my mind and brought to life. Read more>>

Tina Lopez

The idea for Healthy Life Phases, LLC came to me during a pivotal moment in my own life. I had been working hard, prioritizing everyone else’s needs above my own including my current employer and family, and feeling the consequences of burnout creeping in. That’s when I started asking myself a series of powerful questions: What would my life look like if I truly put my health and happiness first? How would it feel to help other women do the same? That moment of clarity sparked the vision for a business centered on guiding women to rediscover themselves, reclaim their time, and infuse their lives with health, balance, and joy. Read more>>

Paul Stonick

Progress over perfection has always been important to me in product development: launch an MVP, test, learn, and iterate. That was the approach behind my company, KICK Consultancy—a boutique design management firm offering strategy, workshops, Design Thinking, AI upskilling, leadership training, operations, team optimization, coaching, and more. After nearly three decades in Fortune 500s and gritty startups, with the scars to show it, it was time to take control of my own destiny. Watching my peers go out on their own and find freedom and success post-burnout, layoffs or toxic corporate cultures, I realized it was now or never with my current runway. I’d always been an intrapreneur within large organizations; now, I had the chance to become an entrepreneur. Read more>>

Jessica Boyd

The inception of Laser Skin Lounge began in 2021, born out of both necessity and inspiration. As a devoted consumer of the medspa industry, I often found myself driving across town to receive services—a routine that became increasingly challenging after having children. With my time stretched thin, the idea of bringing these services closer to home started as a lighthearted comment to my husband: “I’m tired of these long drives; I should open a medspa nearby.” To my surprise, his response was serious and straightforward: “You can.” That moment lit a fire in me, sparking what would become Laser Skin Lounge. Read more>>

Irakli Khizanishvili

After completing the 75 HARD Challenge—a transformative self-improvement program focused on discipline and consistency—I felt energized and ready for my next big endeavor. Reflecting on my father’s tile and stone business, I saw untapped potential. The idea of scaling it into something greater sparked a fire in me: a vision of a one-stop-shop stone fabrication and installation company that businesses and consumers could rely on for exceptional, custom-crafted spaces. Read more>>

Catherine Sullivan

I have always loved unique scents that either remind me of moments in time or seem to stimulate my senses and trigger a mood …be it a calming, energetic or even sexual. Fragrance really moves me and in the home environment can speak distinctively to others through the olfactory experience. Read more>>

Denkinesh Argaw

It all started with a drive to create something meaningful for the Ethiopian and Eritrean communities—a place where our stories could be shared and preserved. Though I don’t have a formal background in film or TV, I’ve spent the last decade working to empower and elevate Ethiopian and Eritrean creatives, mainly through my publication, 2591Worldwide. Over the years, 2591 has been a platform to showcase creatives through articles, interviews, and events, like our Hollywood is Habesha series, which included panels dedicated to the film and TV industry. This gave us a space to discuss the unique experiences and challenges our communities face in entertainment. Read more>>

Tanika “niik” Lennon

My Natural hair oils: I started by doing research on different natural ingredients to see what works best for natural hair. I suffer from seborrheic dermatitis , which is a skin condition that causes flaky, red, or scaly patches. Some dermatologists mistreat or misdiagnose this condition so I figured it was time for me to figure it out. From having conversations with others, I later found out that some of my family and friends have this same condition. This was a great opportunity to help all of us out. Read more>>

Amy Kauffman

Let me take you back to the summer when the idea for my tech company first sparked. I was running another business in the tech space, and every conversation with my customers seemed to revolve around one glaring problem. It wasn’t just one or two clients—every single one was venting about the same issue. I remember walking out of a coffee shop after yet another chat with a frustrated customer. The summer heat was bearing down as I crossed the parking lot, and it hit me: Why doesn’t a solution for this exist? Then came the next thought: Maybe I can build it. Read more>>

Maynard Belen

MCB Elite Performance Series of Tunes The MCB Elite Performance Series of Tunes represents a significant leap forward for automotive enthusiasts seeking unparalleled performance enhancements. This ambitious idea was initially set aside for several years during a partnership with another business, but after that collaboration came to a conclusion, MCB Autotech LLC seized the opportunity to bring this vision to fruition. With dedication and expertise, MCB Autotech transformed the Elite Performance Series of Tunes from concept to reality, successfully launching a brand that focuses on optimizing vehicle performance and enhancing the driving experience. Each tune is meticulously developed to deliver impressive power gains, improved efficiency, and heightened responsiveness tailored to meet the needs of discerning drivers. Read more>>

Hanna Jung & Nb Kim

Purrple Waxing & Nails originally started out in two separate salon rooms. NB ran her own nail salon and I ran my own waxing salon. We were eachother’s client turned friends and told eachother we’d work hard and move into a storefront together. In two years of starting our own business we were able to becomes business partners and move into a bigger salon together like we had envisioned. Read more>>