Coming up with an idea for a business or creative project can feel exhilarating. Inspiration for a new idea can come from so many places and we’ve asked some great folks from the community to share their stories of how they came up with their ideas.

Julia Bri

Julia Bri Photography all started because of my very first dog, Leila. Photography was a hobby of mine prior to adopting her but I fell out of touch with it. When I adopted her, I realized I wanted to document everything. So I dusted off my old camera and took it everywhere with us. I even started to take it to the dog park to capture her playing with friends. I remember one day I showed one of the dog parents some of the shots I had gotten. I’ll never forget the look of pure excitement on her face when I showed her. That was the moment I realized I wanted to continue to spark those kinds of emotions for people with my images. Read more>>

Bj Carmichael

I’ve always been considered to other people as having high confidence and very sure of myself. In response I would always say “don’t you feel the same about yourself”??? Even at my worst I need think my best. Thats negative can overtake your spirit if you don’t get a holt of it quickly. Everyone has something they would like to do differently or change or enhance a little more. That’s just the want of wanting to be perfect. Read more>>

Edem Jimbo

Tombo is a shoe brand that’s inspired by African Music and Art. I have been a visual artist for over 20 years and the entertainment industry for 10 years. In the past 10 years African music has really exploded and gotten worldwide recognition as a vehicle for our culture. Music and fashion go hand in hand so as the genre was getting more popular I noticed a huge void when it comes to African footwear brands. The music movement is garnering billions of views and you see musicians, dancers and fans wearing African costumes with non African footwear brands. Read more>>

Janel Rogers

In the Summer of 2019 my friend and I regularly attended Crafts and Drafts at a downtown eatery every Sunday (now defunct). We got to know the host really well and she overheard us chatting about macrame, at the time I was giving my friend private lessons. The host begged me to teach a class at one of her upcoming Crafts and Drafts but I initially declined. Teaching a group was not something I’d ever done before… Read more>>

Colton Trout

For this we have to go all the way back to my high school days when I started volunteering at a local bakery. As a sophomore in high school a part of our school requirement was volunteer hours. Most sophomores went for the typical religious & local non profit route but I knew that was not going to be for me. If I was going to volunteer my precious time I was going to do it in an area that genuinely interested me. What better place to start than with FOOD! More specifically a gourmet bakery! I found my local gourmet bakery and went in bright eyed and bushy tail looking for opportunity. Read more>>

Nekeria Hutchings

Becoming A Business Owner Was Me Taking A Risk I Didn’t Know Anything About What I Was Getting Myself Into Or How I Would Know It Would Work For Me I Was A Stripper And Wanted To Get Out The Game And I Told Myself I Wanted To Do Something That Would Make Me Twice As Much As I Made Stripping It Was Scary But exciting At The Same Time I Started To Do My Research After Jumping Head first In the Business Industry I Created My Own Website & Logo And Came Up With My Name Which Is “ Chocolate’s Fashion Beautique” , Read more>>

Mabel Rodriguez

Growing up, I was the kid that always brought home stray dogs, or volunteered at the animal shelter. I love dogs and I’m still that kid in many ways. Being a designer and someone who’s always had one or two dogs, I taught myself how to make a lot of accessories for them. I love making things that are a little different from what I see in the marketplace, sometimes taking inspiration from the fashion world to make trendier pieces. My current dog Charlie is a big inspiration for my designs. Read more>>

Briana Cain

I started my business Graphics By Bri, on September 29, 2020, when I was 16 years old. As a teenager I always knew I wanted to start some type of business. Becoming an entrepreneur was just always something that I wanted for myself, it was something that I wanted to pursue and accomplish at an early age. Yet, I had no idea where to begin. I didn’t know what type of business I wanted to start nor did I know what I wanted to sell. I did a lot of brainstorming and research but I just couldn’t think of any business ideas that I felt passionate about. Read more>>

Jay Bee Zay N/A

Well technically it wasn’t my idea to start doing an open mic haha. About 8 years ago, I was really struggling financially, so as a musician, I started going bar to bar asking if they wanted live music. I stumbled upon this bar called Allycat and the manager there liked the idea of having live music, but suggested an open mic. In my head, I was NOT liking that idea because with my history of attending open mics, they were not fun and were ran horribly. Being as broke as I was though, I accepted the gig immediately haha. I’ve never ran an open mic before, but if I was going to do it, Read more>>

Casey Nwachukwu

-This journey started back in high school. I was someone that people could go to for advice, emotional support, and an energy boost when they needed it the most. -Furthermore, there was a specific class project during junior year of high school that really brought out the inspiration to get into motivational speaking. In my English 3 class, my teacher, Mrs. Simmons, gave the students a project that required us to create our own quote. Having been tired the night before from band practice and other clubs, the initial plan was to take a Michael Jordan quote and claim it as my own. Read more>>

Bryan Baquiran

Freshly graduated with a video production degree from college and moved to Orlando, I was constantly thinking of ways to save money between student loan debt and entry-level salary. One day while reviewing monthly expenses, I realized I spent a ton of money on food and eating out. This caused me to concoct an idea of service-for-service collaborations with restaurants that could help dissolve this monthly expense, where I’d trade photos and videos for complimentary meals. Read more>>

Alexus Smiley Jackson

Hi! My name is Alexus Smiley-Jackson I am the owner of Poetic Picnics! I am originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota but moved to Orlando, Florida for a job opportunity! I LOVE the weather in Florida it’s very different from Minnesota! While I was in the midst of settling down in Florida the pandemic hit, which caused me to work from home. Not being able to interact with people on a day to day became the new norm that I was not fond of! Pre pandemic I enjoyed getting dressed up to check out new restaurants and sit on the patios and rooftops, whenever I got the chance. Read more>>

Diogo Souza

In ancient Rome, Ludus was the place where gladiators used to train in order to build a powerful body and strong mind. Ludus Actius is indubitably a studio of giants, a respectful and most inclusive place where everybody can access their own goals, by building a powerful body and a strong mind without judgment. Years of studies and tests have resulted in a brand-new fitness concept. We’ve compiled the best methods and techniques to create a Strong Training Concept. Read more>>

Asia Comer

It’s incredible how an Idea will consume you, and once executed on, blossoms into something you never knew it could become. The idea of TampaBay Baches was thought of while blowing up balloons on a hotel room floor in Las Vegas. Talk about the unexpected! I had hit the milestone where friends were getting engaged. Bachelorette parties, Bridal showers, and Weddings consumed my calendar. Read more>>

Shayla Hill.

I followed in my grandmother’s footsteps by starting up my own cleaning company. Not content with just offering services to clean other people’s homes, I really wanted to do something different for my clients. I decided that my own line of natural home cleaning products would be ideal, but a conversation with my mom was to lead to something even better. As the all-purpose soap was suitable for cleaning the home or your body, my mom tried a lemongrass scented one as an aid to help her sleep after losing her husband, my dad. The immediate effect was her first good sleep in months. Read more>>

Jasmine Stafford

At the time I was 29 years old (now 32) and living in Clearwater, Florida but only on the weekends. Monday through Friday you could find me at an airport, car dealership, or your local hotel working as a Software Implementation Consultant which basically means I traveled EVERY SINGLE WEEK across the United States to install and train car dealership personnel on my company’s software. In 2018, my daddy passed away and in 2019 I finally decided to try therapy after not properly grieving and going through a horrible break up. Read more>>

Karl Hensel

I love glass. I hold a dual degree in graphic design and (glass) craft. My mother is an accomplished watercolorist, Dad was a research physicist – I absorbed it all and love where art and science meet – applied arts and design, I love working with both realms. Early on, while continuing to make glass art I could see I needed steady income too. After some time traveling I revisited an early love of theater and developed a career designing and then producing Special Event sets and props. Read more>>

Kandy Parker

When Covid 19 came into play I was teaching Prek and had currently been out of work due to schools shutting down. In that time I had a business idea that I’ve always wanted to do since my mother passed in 2017. A lot of the health methods I used for her while she was sick I wanted to help other get well and feel comfort in there skin. One night I made business plan and decide to implement my detox waters with the kp touch. I made a post of Facebook and love and support was so tremendous my idea took off and was able to help a lot of people health wise, emotionally, mentally and physically. Read more>>

Carrie Ray

My sister and I were child actresses. Our mom was a typical stage mother. As kids growing up in the 80’s our mom would pull us from school and schlep us all over LA. We’re talking Los Feliz at 1pm to West Hollywood by 2:30 back to Beverly Hills by 4pm. We spent a lot of time in the car rocking out to what was popular on the radio. We’d sing and dance and laugh and that’s how I remember the 80’s. My sister landed a Michael Jackson Pepsi commercial and we jumped up and down screaming! Read more>>

Eric Olson

Way back in February 2006, I got an email from the Minnesota Home Brewers Association (of which I was a member) from one of our fellow home brewers. He was in Belgium and snapped a picture of a 16-person bike with a barrel on the front that he saw parked on the street. I’d never seen anything like it before. Read more>>

Anthony Simmons

For photography, it was not really planned out. My friend and I have been arguing who is the better photographer between the two of us. This has been going on since tenth grade yearbook club. He does it full time now and I usually take photos every weekend but I am slowing trying to move to part-time. I have grown and gain a lot of skills through the successful phot session and through the mistakes made as well. This is my twelfth year doing this and clients always come back to me because they know I do whatever I can do make sure they have an exceptional experience. Read more>>

Alicia Perkins

In my 10-year career in HR, I hired thousands of people in over 40 industries.It was important to me to be able to have more freedom in my life and make a greater impact on people’s careers. I have seen so many employees lose thousands because they couldn’t negotiate their salary or didn’t know they could. I witnessed many people taking lower-level positions without understanding the value or extent of their skills. There have even been instances where people have taken jobs they don’t want. Read more>>

Dariana Cedeno

So Me and Mom was born in the pandemic. (Which at the time i was 12) It all started because clay earrings became very popular after we went in quarantine. I was so in love with every style but at the time we were financially unable to purchase all the earrings i wouldve liked to have. So because my mom grew up in a home that was very creative, she knew how to make them herself. So we went out one day and bought a few supplies to try and make our own. Read more>>

Aidan Sowa

I started my business after I worked with the MIT Enterprise Forum Cambridge. As part of my work, I did research on market trends. As a result, I learned that a lot of the marketing which was being used was outdated. As a result, 6 months later I started my own marketing company to offer marketing services. I was excited as I was the only person I knew offering these marketing services. At first, I was just offering lead generation services, however I soon changed the company to a public relations company which got me extremely excited as we have services no other companies have. Read more>>

LaTischa Brown

Honey Bz Organic Juices started because of the transition of my mother (Cynthia A. Brown) with her battle against Uterine Cancer that was in 2013, I didn’t get the idea until 5 yrs later. I had a garden previously as therapy to help me walk through life’s changes. Because I would have so much produce left over after cooking and giving some to coworkers. I started juicing the collards, beet, and herbs lemon thyme. mint, basil, and so on. It became a must for me every day. Read more>>

Alicia Weber

Growing up I dreamed of combining all my passions into one “fun job” one day and it seems that has happened thanks to the internet and online capabilities of the 21st century. I will breakdown the 3 aspects of my entrepreneurship that is geared to providing edutainment, creative promotions, and eye-catching, unique presentations (maybe a cackle too). I really enjoy a good cackle, so I began my character comedy from the inspiration of Carol Burnett. Read more>>

Tyree Cheatham

Well, creating is a natural gift we all have. How we find our creative outlet is a part of the journey. They say we can’t be a jack of all trades but isn’t how we develop as creators? We go through trial and errors to understand where it all began. From photography, event decor, set design, fashion design, and prop design, I invite you all to Haus Of Foto Art & Apparel. Read more>>

Dr. Robbie Walker

My last name Walker, read backward, is Reklaw. Conforming to the year of International Peace, 1986, Reklaw Clothing, Rule Above All ® is an advocate for peace. Since 2014 Reklaw Clothing has impacted social change by spreading peace in our graphics and messages. Reklaw Clothing, Rule Above All ® is a unique brand because it is a lifestyle that inspires our customers and everyone to promote peace; hence the iconic victory hand is represented as our logo. Read more>>

Cristina Amigoni

The idea for our business came up over a period of time and many “happy hour” conversations with past co-workers. I have worked in management consulting for a long time, while having the common denominator throughout my working life around people development. Learning best practices in processes and consulting solution creation, along side technology creation and implementation, has allowed me to gain key business knowledge across industries. Read more>>

Brianna Whiting

Growing up I have always enjoyed doing hair. As a child I would ask all of my friends to let me do their hair. I eventually perfected my craft and decided to go to cosmetology school. In 2015 I made my first u-part wig then soon after I learned to make lace closure and lace frontal wigs. During my high school years my aunt Sherrie was diagnosed with cancer, while going through Chemo she begun to lose her hair. I could remember her asking me to style her hair but I never new what I could do to hide the hair loss. Read more>>

Alberto Petit-Frere

The vision started in 2015 with my first organization called Win or GO Home. For me, it was all abut getting the community together and I figured that nothing brings a community together better than by doing sports events. Honestly, I felt that deep in my heart that I wanted to do more than just doing sports events. I wanted to give back to the community by feeding the people in need at the Collision center. I remember growing up with me, my mom, and my older brother and trust me it was a battle for us. It was tough for us and sometimes, it was quite embarrassing going through the struggle knowing others noticed it. Read more>>

Mel Branker

I came up with the idea for The Black Collective Brand through volunteering for community efforts in my neighborhood. I realized that many of my counterparts had skills and interests that were money generating and thus began the marketing and promotion branch of The Black Collective Brand. I began by making flyers, price lists and promotional items for small black owned businesses. I came up with the idea for The Black Collective Brand through volunteering for community efforts in my neighborhood. I realized that many of my counterparts had skills and interests that were money generating and thus began the marketing and promotion branch of The Black Collective Brand. I began by making flyers, price lists and promotional items for small black owned businesses. Read more>>

Guslene Bubak

The passion for the Salon Suite was born several years ago. One of the many reasons I created The Salon Suite was to provide a one on one experience for my clients and other service industry individuals. The concept of the Salon Suites allows entrepreneurs and other creatives to have their own private space through our rental spaces. Read more>>

Coral Osborne

About a decade ago I ventured out on my own and started a recruitment agency, hiring assistants for high profile individuals namely in the entertainment industry.. I found myself resorting to the kitchen as my cathartic release in times of distress. A few years in, I decided to pursue a part time culinary program. It became very clear within the first couple months I needed to pivot my path. By the time I graduated, I ditched my agency and began working as a Private Chef before starting my own catering company, Cooking My Way To The Top. Read more>>