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.

Shanice Harris

Let’s be real—life has a way of wearing you down. After my fourth child, I hit a wall. Between endless to-do lists and making sure everyone else was okay, I lost sight of the woman I used to be. I barely recognized myself in the mirror, and honestly? I was tired of just surviving. Read more>>

Susan Swederski

I basically wanted clean ingredients in my skincare. We have an interesting family dynamic with three special needs living with my husband and I, whom are all sensitive to skincare products.
I wanted to create skincare that we all could use. I love essential oils and wanted to incorporate those into my creations. I started experimenting with different butters and bases, which were very good but then I discovered Beef Tallow! I found an excellent source of Grass-fed & Finished Tallow that I could buy in bulk. I had my friends try it and the healing of cystic acne, redness, dark spots and wrinkles began! Read more>>

Anais Chaumien

I started my career as a lawyer, and then spent a few years working in real estate.
But I always felt those were jobs to pay the rent. I was never passionate about any of this.
One thing I was always passionate about though? Apartments, and how to style them.
I spent all my weekends rearranging my space, or my friends’ apartment. I was constantly changing my decor. Read more>>

Jonathan Marc Stein

I did not always know I wanted to be in the fashion industry. After contemplating my future while in high school I settled on either being a chef, architect, or artist. When it came time to decide what major I would choose when starting university, a degree in Mechanical Engineering seemed to be a challenge I wanted to pursue. While waiting for a lecture to start during my sophomore year, I decided to open up Youtube and found an intriguing video of a 1990-something Alexander McQueen runway show. From this point on I became fascinated with all things fashion and set my mind on manifesting a career in the industry for myself. I started to teach myself the skills of design, sewing, and pattern-making. After a long year of practicing and developing the necessary skills, I put together a makeshift collection. Read more>>

Vincent Spriggs II

So G.A.M.E. Changers Movement is a non-profit. What I do falls under the umbrella of a social entrepreneur.

What I do with the G.A.M.E. Changers Movement is connected with my God given purpose and experiences as a teenager. I always felt like I would do something big and that I would need to give God the Glory. As a teenager, I experienced first hand the positive impact of mentorship on my life. My experience in young soldiers mentorship program at the Soul Factory Church and stand up men that took time out to mentor me really changed the trajectory of my life. I am naturally introverted and shy. Read more>>

Lacey Wallen

When I was a kid, I hated reading with a passion. I couldn’t focus on the story and I found it to be a waste of my time during the summer months. For my first job, I started working at my local library. This helped me be able to see what books were popular at the time and what books got checked out the most.

In late 2016, at 21 years old, I read my first book for fun. It was Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews. This sent me down the rabbit hole of reading. I was finding books that were keeping my focus and flying through them. I was trying to tell my patrons at the library about the books I was reading, but with the clientele, I never got too far. Read more>> 

Martín

I was born in a relatively small town in Argentina and went to the Buenos Aires (+12 million people and nation’s capital) and there I discovered an entire new world of literature, not only narrative but also graphic novels and other genres. Then I started wondering why there’s not a single bookshop in my town offering good quality literature, mostly from small and independent publishers. So I decided to open a small bookshop offering a good selection of contemporary narrative, poetry and essays. Also, a friend who was selling used books in his house moved his bookshop into the same space as mine. Read more>>

Alicia Hardy-Woodard

In 2013 my husband and I dressed up as clowns for our son‘s fourth birthday party. We invited all the neighborhood children for the celebration and had many games and prizes. It was such a good time, as we seen the excitement in the children, and wanted to continue to spread joy. We started slow with some of our friend’s children at their birthday parties. The fun and play we bring with our service, we knew this could be something that is much needed in the community. Read more>>

Trey Dunbar

I’m passionate about photography and sports (especially Basketball) So I decided to create THOROBREAD INC.MULTIMEDIA GLOBAL ENTERPRISES LLC., which is dedicated to bridging the gap between athletes, fans, and the ever-evolving world of sports media. Our mission is to empower athletes both on and off the field by providing innovative multimedia solutions that enhance their visibility and engagement. We strive to create a vibrant community where fans can connect with their favorite sports and athletes, fostering a deeper appreciation for the game. Through cutting-edge technology and creative storytelling, we aim to redefine the sports experience, making it accessible, interactive, and inspiring for everyone involved.” Read more>>

Fernanda Soriano

I was born and raised in Mexico, and as an immigrant, my journey has been filled with both challenges and hard-won lessons. Growing up, money was never a subject of discussion in my household—we simply knew if we had enough or if we didn’t, without ever exploring how to make it work better for us. This unspoken reality was compounded by the painful fact that my mom and I were victims of abuse, a hardship that left its mark on my early life. Read more>>

Yanessa Escandell

When I first started HungryQbans in 2014, it was during the early days of people posting food pictures on Instagram. One day, while joking around with my best friend, I said, “Wouldn’t it be funny to start a page just for food pictures and call it HungryQbans since we’re in Miami?” I never imagined it would grow into what it is today. Read more>>

George Agutu

As a kid, I was always experimenting with ways to feel better. Struggling with asthma and bronchitis, I turned to natural remedies—especially clove tea, which became a staple in my routine. I hated taking medicine, so I started making my own version of a healing drink by mixing cloves, cinnamon, and honey into warm water. It was my little homemade remedy, something that brought comfort when I needed it most. Read more>>

Brittany & Jakarie Miller

We came up with the Miller Narratives when we missed big moments in our lives. Due to mishaps in our own wedding, there were key details we wanted documented but things fell through for one reason or another and we realized, “we never want this to happen to someone else”. Read more>>

Anthony Angeleri

Angeleri Cellars is a boutique winery owned and operated by Anthony and Paola Angeleri.

I (this is Anthony) came from a family of winemakers. My dad’s side came from Sicily, immigrated through Ellis Island in the early 1900s. They were the quintessential, traditional Italian family where we would cook together and eat together. My Nonno (Italian for grandfather) would also bring out his table wine at the dinner table… and that is where this started, the dinner table with each other, with community. Over the years I kept learning in the area of winemaking. Read more>>

Hildegard Koenig

The Birth of Ink Against Cancer Foundation: A Story of Love, Loss, and Legacy

The idea for Ink Against Cancer Foundation wasn’t born in a boardroom or through a business plan. It was born in a hospital room, surrounded by the sounds of beeping monitors and the unbreakable bonds of friendship and family.

It all started with our soul brother, Wolf, a beloved figure in the music industry, who was diagnosed with cancer. As he battled this relentless disease, my husband, Jay, and I faced a heartbreaking realization: there were very few financial resources available for individuals like Wolf—those who didn’t fit into the traditional categories of assistance. Read more>>

Latrice Delgado-Macon

The idea for Detroit Fashion Community wasn’t something I just dreamed up overnight—it was something I felt deeply in my bones for years. It came from a mix of frustration, passion, and an undeniable belief in Detroit’s creative talent.

The Moment It Clicked

I remember standing at an event surrounded by designers, stylists, and creatives—so much talent in one space—but there was this underlying feeling of struggle. People were working in silos, hustling individually, trying to navigate an industry that didn’t always feel accessible in Detroit. Resources were limited, opportunities felt out of reach, and the idea of “making it” seemed to mean you had to leave the city. That never sat right with me. Read more>>

Julie Bogart

In my prior life, I was a freelance ghostwriter, editor, and magazine writer. I homeschooled my five kids. Parents began asking me for help to teach their children to write. It was the 1990s and internet communities were just being born. My approach to writing comes from my professional writing background. I start with focusing on the writing voice and giving a lot of space to cultivating a writing life that is meaningful to the writer. Read more>>

Rea Frey

I still remember the exact moment Unreachable was born—not as a business, not as a book, but as a realization. It wasn’t in a brainstorming session or a perfectly planned-out strategy meeting. It was in the quiet, in the space I hadn’t allowed myself to have in years.

For so long, I had been hyper-reachable—by email, by text, by social media, by the never-ending demands of modern life. But the more reachable I became to everyone else, the more unreachable I was to myself. And I started noticing it everywhere. Read more>>

Megan Rembielak

I saw a need for online softball instruction. There were a lot of baseball videos online and not much softball. Many baseball fundamentals carry over into softball but I felt it would be beneficial to start something for females and to help out coaches. parents and players. I was already doing lessons full time and it was goign really well and it allowed me to get great content ideas from parents and players. I posted videos to the facilities Instagram page and it did well so thought why not start my own thing! Read more>>

Grace Quarshie

On August 31st 10am, I was called into a meeting by my boss and in that meeting I was told I am part of 200 people who are going yo be laid of on that day. Before that there had been a rumour about a massive redundancy process that would happen in the organisation I was working and little did I know that I was part of it. Knowing how I have worked and have received an award a year before as a Start performar,it never crossed my mind that i was going to be part of the 200 people. But I remember sweating in an air-conditioned room as my supervisor and an officer from HR were discussing about the redundancy process and package. Read more>>

Kim Wickerham

My idea for a subscription beauty box service is actually twofold.
First, I’ve been working in the beauty industry for a really long time and have firsthand experience with some of the best hair care products in the world. My clients trust my product recommendations and know they will deliver great results. How many times have you walked the beauty isle searching hopelessly for that perfect shampoo only to be disappointed? Kimini Collective takes the guesswork out of shopping by delivering beauty products curated especially for your hair. The average woman spends $3,756 a year on beauty products and services. Let’s spend that money on products that actually work. Read more>>

Kenny & Stephanie Gibson

Well, initially my wife and I had the idea to start our own food channel when some social media personalities that we follow ended up on the cooking show Next Level Chef. Most of the social media chefs we follow are more social media than chef. Despite not having formal culinary training or a background in food service, these social media personalities are able to put out some amazing looking dishes. Watching them inspired me to start my channel because I felt like my food was at least as good as the dishes that they presented. Read more>>

Lindsay Homister

Back in 2020, my husband, Dave, happened to find a roadside flower stand on his way home and started bringing me home a bouquet of fresh flowers each week.

Knowing the joy and feeling of being loved by receiving a surprise gift of flowers, I realized that was something we didn’t have in our community. Read more>>

Alexandra Leach

The idea for my product, The Earth Lounger, came from our adventures at the beach as a family over eight years ago. At the time, I was pregnant with my second child and found it hard to sit on the ground comfortably. My son always wanted me to be on the sand with him to play, but my back was strained from the pregnancy. I needed extra support and couldn’t sit in a traditional beach chair because it restricted my ability to change positions and I couldn’t play easily with my son. Read more>>

Lex Dascoli

Everyone has a moment when the light unexpectedly goes out in their life. That moment may come at the end of a relationship, during illness, after losing a job, or when someone you love passes away. Suddenly there is darkness where positivity, happiness, and light once lived. For me, that moment came when I lost my Mom in 2017. When she left the physical world, something inside me left too, but I knew that I needed to find the light again. Not only for myself, but for my Mom too. Read more>>

Rachid Akiki

It began with a sound. A distant jingle winding through the streets of Bkaatouta, bouncing off stone walls and into my grandmother’s kitchen. I’d press my face against the window, waiting for that blue and white ice cream truck like it was delivering joy itself.

My teta—Teta Marie—would hand me a few lira, and I’d dash barefoot toward that truck as if everything good in the world was waiting at its bumper. It wasn’t just about the ice cream. It was about presence. About the kind of joy you don’t analyze. The kind that smells like za’atar and lives in your bones. Read more>>

Jessica Page

In 2019, a fire forced my team and me to work from multiple locations, and while it was an incredibly difficult time, it gave me unexpected clarity about the direction I wanted to take my career and my salon. In the process, I also lost part of my team, which made me reflect on what I truly valued in this industry—connection, community, and education. Read more>>

Matthew Dittman

Kelly and I are Co-Owners of Magnify Coffee Catering, and have always had a heart for hospitality and amazing food. We have enjoyed the privilege of working in a coffeehouse together and providing catering for various organizations. Being the owners of a family operated business, we are dedicated to and passionate about our customers. Our decision on “Magnify” as the name of the business is two-fold: the desire to elevate each event we get the opportunity to be involved in and to magnify the Name of the Lord and His Goodness by following Jesus’ example of Loving and Serving. Read more>>

Brittany Thompson

I’ve always had a passion for helping businesses run smoothly. I worked in various management positions, including as a manager in an orthodontics office, and I spent many years trying to figure out how to break free from the 9-to-5 grind. When I was laid off, I was forced to take a hard look at what I truly wanted to do. My mom told me I needed to figure something out, and my best friend encouraged me to trust my abilities. At that time, I knew I wanted to help businesses because I’d always been the person who found solutions to their operational problems. Read more>>

Lee McCord

CargoArtUSA began as a response to a throw away comment. We’ve since built something that helps define family and organizational cultures. We describe our products as “Personalized Decorative Cargo Nets”, but they are really “Industrial Strength Tapestries that Celebrate Life”. Our nets are designed for where life is lived; in the man cave, the cabin, the fence at kids’ ball game, the gym wall, or at watch party / tailgate. We’ve also begun to see commercial adaptations; these nets are used for team building and culture setting in both break rooms and board rooms. And amazingly, we are partnering with many non-profit interest groups like Veteran’s and Alumnae Associations, Touchdown and Dugout Clubs to raise a lot of money to help local community organizations. Read more>>

Jason Ludman

It’s always important to remain curious and adaptable in both business and in life.

Like many people in 2020, I felt like my life was completely rugged by the Covid-19 pandemic.

I live in New York City, but was spending three weeks in Los Angeles in late February / early March 2020. Some of it was work, some of it was pleasure, but my mission while out there was to greenlight a feature film I had been developing for four plus years at that point with my producing partner, Adam Gibbs. This was a film that was going to bring me into the next phase of my career. Both creatively and financially. Read more>>