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.

Zach Kelly

Being a musician that played in numerous bands I was always frustrated with every project I was apart of not growing in the way I wanted it to. And being involved in my local music community I saw plenty of other bands that were always in the same boat, having talent but not moving forward. I decided to take it upon myself learn how to grow the careers of artists and bring that knowledge to my community so we could all move forward together. Read more>>

Dylan Cate

When the pandemic hit, I saw beloved restaurants around Seattle closing their doors, temporarily and for good. And then something amazing happened; chefs from those restaurants started opening pop-ups, cooking their own food rather than someone else’s menu. People were bringing out recipes and showcasing dishes from their upbringing, and all of a sudden Seattle’s food scene was full of people cooking their food and telling a real story. I was hungry, and curious, so I started biking around to every pop-up I could visit. Read more>>

Ammar

The idea for Garden Kid came naturally. I’ve always been passionate about fashion and dreamed of starting a clothing brand — I just didn’t think it was realistic at the time. But eventually, I realized the only thing standing between where I was and where I wanted to be was my mindset. Once I flipped that switch, I knew it was time to go all in. Read more>>

Valentina Fuidio

I started making my own candles using all natural and organic ingredients because of my asthma, which I’ve had since birth. When my family and friends saw the work I was doing, they began to encourage me so that other people with the same health problem as me could enjoy a candle and not have to worry about their health afterward. And that’s how all of this began to grow and have an incredible feedback from the public. Read more>>

Cathy Weaver

I have been Networking full time now since 2008. My business has expanded and during this time, Jesus prompted me to write a BOOK about Networking … WHAT !!! So I sat down at my desk and the next thing you know, “Networking On Steroids” was born. With that first book (Who knew there would be 3 more, so far) I was asked to speak and train other groups and organizations on the skills and techniques I share in my first book. Read more>>

Archna Patel

The idea of Asmi began to take root in 2016, shortly after I became a mom. I was navigating life as a working professional while adjusting to motherhood, and in the middle of that, I never stopped caring about fashion. Dresses and skirts with pockets were always a favorite, but quickly became my go-to. I needed practicality and functionality. I needed place for my keys, phone, tissues, or even a small toy for my child. Read more>>

Schiniqua Brown-Rodriguez

The idea for my business came to me in a dream. It was early 2011, my children were about 5 and 6 years old, and I was raising them alone. The nighttime was always very peaceful for me, put them down to bed and then just focus on what needs to happen the next day. I didn’t always dream, or at least I didn’t always remember them, but this particular dream was different. When I awoke in the morning, I remembered everything about my dream, it was so realistic. I could see the 1970s-built home with the words AGAPE on Earth on the front of the house, which had been renovated. Read more>>

Tana Cain

I grew up in a small town in a church where the “Church Ladies” served every Sunday to serve coffee and cookies after church service, meals after funerals and other community functions. When we moved to Woodbury, I knew that I had to be intentional about creating my community. I met these amazing kindred spirits that embodied that community that I was looking for. When one of us had a graduation, the rest of us took care of the details so that our friend could be fully present to celebrate her child and make memories. Read more>>

Gerard Amsellem

As i was a teacher in the public school system i created few different film classes for teenagers. and as i was doing it i realized that this will be an interesting class for adult who have a strong interest in world cinema .
I was at the time the manager of a painting gallery, i decided to try to screen classic foreign films. After few times the space got too small and i moved to a better place where i reinforced my vision of teaching cinema to adults outside of a school system. Read more>>

Susan Sutherland

The Mustang Ambassador Program was formed after I met Jaime Wade at a wild horse adoption in Wyoming in 2009. We both previously had adopted and rescued mustangs and wanted to make them more visible to the general public and help share the plight of wild horses and burros. These majestic animals are frequently rounded up from public lands and lose their wild freedom. The goal was to make the mustangs ambassadors to the Pikes Peak regional community and that was the genesis for the organizations name. We also liked the acronym “MAP” as our signature programming encompassed equine-assisted learning for youth to provide a navigational tool for their personal growth and self-leadership skills. Read more>>

Sonia Perez

My inspiration came from a very special and intimate place — my morning moments with God.

Every morning, I would sit quietly, talk to God, and pour out my heart — my dreams, my fears, my gratitude. It was in those sacred moments, in that peaceful connection with Him, that I felt this powerful and divine guidance so clearly in my soul. Read more>>

Jenn Warren

In April 2021, we moved to a new home away from our family and current job as pastors. It wasn’t our plan to move while the pandemic was still on and most of Oregon was still closed, but the toxic environment at our current church, coupled with family conflict, made it necessary. Read more>>

Gabriela Garcia Olivo

I knew that entering the fashion industry meant stepping into a crowded space, so I reflected deeply on how my brand could be different. I thought back to my first job at Zara, where I worked as a sales associate and later as a visual merchandiser. That experience opened my eyes to the harsh realities of fast fashion—the overproduction, the synthetic fabrics, the constant pressure for consumers to buy more, more often. I realized I wanted to build something completely different: a brand rooted in sustainability, ethical manufacturing, and a philosophy of buying less but better. Read more>>

Jamari Warren-Hayes

I’ve always been drawn to the arts. Growing up, my mom kept me involved in all kinds of activities—sports, piano lessons, karate, school plays. I even played Moses in a kindergarten production. Looking back, I think all those things planted the seed early on for how much I love expressing myself creatively. Fashion was a big part of it too—it all just naturally stuck with me as I got older. Read more>>

Taylor Bratlien

The idea for our business actually started with my business partner, Grace. One night, we were just hanging out and chatting about life—being moms, the struggles of balancing everything, and how we both felt like we needed something more. Grace, being the creative one, was the first to bring up the idea of doing something together, but something that was fun and different. Read more>>

Taylor Liam

I am Designbyshopium, a digital artist specializing in illustration and photo editing. I hold both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Fine Arts, and throughout my academic journey, I honed not only my technical skills but also my ability to express emotion through visual storytelling. Read more>>

Daphne Jenkins

Since I was 9 years old, I’ve had a passion for hair. While most little girls practiced on baby dolls, I had my sister. Our mom wasn’t the best with hair, so I stepped in and took over. Even then, my goal was healthy hair—and that continues to be the foundation of what I do today. Read more>>

Griscelle

On December 8th, 2022, we lost our daughter, Evangeline. She was just 10 months old. Losing her shattered everything I thought I knew about life, motherhood, and purpose.

In the earliest days of grief, I found myself desperate to hold onto her — to create something that would not only honor her memory but carry her light forward in this world. And I kept coming back to one thing I loved most while she was here: dressing her in the cutest outfits. Clothes that felt like her. Clothes that told a little story about who she was. I loved finding pieces for her and her brother to match. And of course, I loved the classic “Mommy and Me” looks. Read more>>

Brunjo Music Productions

The idea to start a music production company happened right before the 2020 pandemic, we were a couple semesters away from graduating from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. It was Tanir who came up with the idea to form a production team after spending time in the Music Production and Engineering major. He decided to ask his friends Amelia and Jordan if they would be interested in joining, and they said yes! Now the only problem was deciding on a good name. Read more>>

Jenlene Nowak

Years ago I lived in Arlington, VA with a bunch of housemates. Each day when I would walk to the metro to go to my nonprofit job in DC, I passed the brightest little mosaic studio, kind of like the paint-your-own-pottery studios that were popular. I kept telling myself I had to go in and make a project, because I had never made a mosaic before. Eventually, I walked in to discover a world of color and creativity that I never knew existed. The people who worked there were so welcoming and FUN! I chose a project and was taught how to pick out colors, cut tiles, glue down pieces into a design and then grout! It was a complete blast and nothing I had ever done before. I was hooked! Read more>>

Elan Page

Like many parents, my husband and I began homeschooling during the pandemic, and it was incredibly eye-opening. Our oldest daughter – who was in kindergarten at the time – had actually been bored in school, and we hadn’t even realized it because we seldom saw her in her learning environment! But once we began educating her at home, we realized that both of our children could thrive in a customized learning environment that honored their unique needs, interests, and pace. Read more>>

Hannah Nichol

I started my business in 2018 as a solo website designer, working with businesses and nonprofits to help them grow and connect with their audiences online. I loved bringing their visions to life, but I pretty quickly noticed a deeper need. So many purpose-driven brands were doing meaningful, community-centered work but struggling to stand out in a crowded digital space. Their stories were powerful, their missions clear, but they lacked the marketing support and strategy to scale their impact. Read more>>

Melissa Rodriguez

I’d like to share the story behind Curated Spread, a concept that blossomed during an unexpected time in my life. As someone with ADHD, I’ve found that my impulsive nature often fuels my creativity. This journey began in 2020 when I returned home after celebrating Mother’s Day. With the pandemic limiting our celebration options, I decided to create a cozy picnic for my mom, filled with an assortment of snacks, a charcuterie board and my signature tablescape designs. Read more>>

Manami Kumagai

Hello! I am Manami – the owner of Mana’s Japanese home bakery. I was born and raised in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan. After moving to the United States from Japan in December 2019, I often missed the traditional Japanese-style bread and less-sweet Japanese pastries. Also, my previous job was developing cosmetic and pharmaceutical products, and I had a hard time not using my hands to create something that people are looking for. When I discovered the opportunity to share a taste of home with my community, I opened my first home-based Japanese bakery in TX. Mana’s menu has both authentic Japanese bread, such as a milk bread AKA shoku-pan, and my original creation, such as Shirokuma. Read more>>

Leatrice Woody

A1. The idea came from a deeply personal and painful experience that forever changed my life. Years ago, I owned a thriving salon business. One day, in what should have been a safe space, a beloved client was tragically shot and killed during a service session—right in front of me. That moment shattered my sense of safety and assigned me, a new purpose. Read more>>

Nate Jones

This project has taken on a few different forms over the years, but the version of the band we have now—the five of us—it really came together about a year ago. We’ll be hitting that one-year mark this June, and honestly, it feels like everything clicked into place once we settled into this lineup. That’s when things started to feel more focused, more intentional, and we all began to take it a lot more seriously. Read more>>

Carolyn Closs

I am a retired career Army Colonel now serving as the Founder and President of Closs Global Solutions in Washington, DC. I served more than 30 years at both
the strategic and tactical level. I served in all three components of the Army: Active Duty, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve. I had assignments in Congress as a legislative liaison for the Army, the NSC-White House for two U.S. Presidents (George W. Bush and Barack Obama), Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy and the Chief of Staff of the Army’s Strategic Studies Group. I took those extraordinary experiences as well as other assignments and the many attributes gained from my overall military career, and started Closs Global Solutions (CGS). I called upon friends who are also first-time retirees and sold them on the idea and we worked to establish our mission. Read more>>

Katherine Ramirez

I’ve always been that girl who could spend hours scrolling through clothes, hunting for unique pieces—buying clothes is honestly my happy place. I’d tried starting a business before, but nothing ever really felt aligned with who I am. Then one day, one of our friends told us about this app called Whatnot. It’s this live-selling platform where people buy and sell clothes in real time. At first, my boyfriend and I were just watching for fun—and of course, shopping a little too much. Read more>>

Billy Gemmill

It started on the road. After years of working behind the scenes across tours, festivals, TV/film, and branded content, I noticed the same challenges: high-pressure environments with little room for error, teams stretched thin, and creative visions threatened by poor logistics or lack of support. I saw firsthand how the difference between a successful and stressful production often came down to operational foresight, clear communication, and dependable people in the right roles. Read more>>

Dr. Stacy Gee Hollins

The idea for GEENIUS came to life through a combination of personal experience, professional insight, and deep conviction. As a woman navigating leadership spaces, particularly as a Black woman in both corporate and academic settings, I consistently found myself in environments where leadership development resources were either inaccessible, irrelevant, or simply not designed with women like me in mind. Read more>>

Max Gunther

Spunky Adventures was born somewhere between a dusty trailhead and a late night campfire conversation. I’d been guiding and climbing for years and I kept running into the same thing: people were looking for connection, not just with the rock but with each other, with nature, and with themselves. Read more>>

Antionette Watkins

The idea for UMBEREDco was deeply personal and rooted in my own experiences with loss, resilience, and the need for intentional self-care.

My father was a huge part of my life—his wisdom, strength, and presence shaped who I am today. When he passed away, I found myself navigating overwhelming grief while still trying to juggle motherhood, my career, and the responsibilities that never seemed to pause. I was giving so much to others but neglecting myself in the process. Read more>>

Maria A Galvan

Everything started out in a small garage at my parents’ house in San Antonio, TX, where I made every single apron by hand. It all happened when I realized that I wanted to keep my clothes clean and still look sharp while working behind the bar. First, I made a few aprons for myself, and the constant compliments finally motivated me to start selling them. Read more>>

Lauryn Caldwell

Since a young child I’ve always been into art. I loved to draw, paint and sketch etc . When I was in middle and junior high school I participated in various art shows with my school . Showcasing my work to many of people even some of my paintings were purchased . Fast forward to high school I started growing up I took a big interest with makeup. Watching many YouTube videos of artists working doing their clients . Since then I knew I wanted to do makeup, I went to college . During that time I practiced on my self , my roommates , when we went out to parties & when my college had shows . Read more>>

Tara Block

The idea for Dame Errant Clay came to me in bits and pieces, really. I’ve always been kind of a creative nomad, dabbling in different arts, but ceramics had this special pull on me. It wasn’t something I could easily cart around, so I’d drift away, but I’d always find my way back to it. Read more>>