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.

Joy Dean

The idea for our business came to life in a way that was completely unexpected—and completely perfect. About five and a half years ago, I was working as a dyslexia specialist at my kids’ school when I discovered that my eighth-grade daughter, Alia, had a “super secret side hustle.” She was making bold, quirky jewelry and selling it to her classmates for lunch money. I was both surprised and inspired—it was clear she had a creative spark, and her friends clearly loved what she was making. Read more>>

Barbara Luraschi

I actually started my business quite unexpectedly. It all began after my son’s first birthday—when I made and decorated a cake for him, I realized how much I loved the creative process. I started exploring cake modeling more seriously, and soon, magazines began asking me to create monthly tutorials. Read more>>

Quentin Kasseh

The inspiration for Syntaxia came after spending over a decade deeply immersed in solving some of the world’s most challenging technical problems. From implementing sophisticated demand-forecasting systems for global retailers to optimizing intricate pharmaceutical supply chains, I consistently observed the same pattern: complex problems were often met with equally complex solutions, engineers building intricate technologies that, while impressive, rarely matched the actual needs of the businesses they served. Read more>>

Thomas Casey Zellers

The idea for my podcast came along when my outlook on the current society was at a boiling point for me personally. I was tired of people thinking they know everything just because they read an article or looked it up on Google. It was apparent that, seemingly, no one stops to ask anyone their story anymore. So the guests I have on my show are all people that I have mutually shared experiences with from my time and work done in the film industry or from other jobs I’ve worked on the side of filmmaking or they have taught me about their own experiences in an attempt to change people’s perceptions about things they think they already knew about. I hope that my audience is open-minded and listens to each guest’s given experiences and learns from it and challenges them to explore and talk to people for their stories in their own time. Read more>>

Monika Gawlowska

Tell us the story of how you came up with the idea for your business. Paint the picture for us so we really understand the context, circumstances, the emotions, etc. The story of Flutter Labs began during one of the most challenging times of my life. I went through a serious medical procedure—a health crisis that forced me to reexamine everything around me, including what I was putting in and on my body, and especially what I was using in my home. Through that experience, I learned that many of the symptoms I had been living with were linked to toxic exposure—chemicals hidden in everyday cleaning products I had trusted for years. Read more>>

Simon Nguyen

Living in Nashville, I can confidently say we have some great BBQ. However, there weren’t many options for those seeking a healthy, plant-based diet. I’ve worked in the restaurant industry for over 10 years, developing my own signature style, which could best be described as Asian fusion. Read more>>

Crystal Foote

The idea for my business came through stillness. After nearly two decades working in advertising and tech, I hit a wall. I was succeeding by every external measure, but internally, something felt misaligned. One evening during meditation, I asked for clarity—not for another promotion, but for purpose. The answer came quietly but firmly: “Use your gifts to build what’s missing.” Read more>>

Jackie Melfi

The story is one of necessity. When my now husband and I were dating, he owned a night club called colette. What made his night club different was the audience. The venue catered to open minded couples and singles. Whereas my husband had years of experience in the world of CNM (consensual non monogamy) my upbringing was polar opposite. I’d heard about “swingers” and what little I knew of the community was not anything complimentary. Like most of society, I had a negative view of couples in open relationships. I assumed these couples didn’t understand the concept of marriage, were incapable of truly loving their partner, nor must they grasp how to have a good relationship if they were “always looking for someone better.”  Read more>>

Wayne LeSane

My wife Melissa and I have been together for 22 years and married for 18. From the very beginning of our relationship, we’ve practiced non-monogamy. Back in the early 2000s, resources were scarce—there was no Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or even therapists or coaches openly discussing non-monogamous relationships. We had to figure things out on our own, navigating the highs and lows without a roadmap or support system. Read more>>

Vladimir Simic

I always knew that I would do something in the fashion industry. But as a child I didn’t know how to define it. The only thing I know and remember is that as a child I loved to cut dolls’ hair. Maybe that is the best explanation why I am a hairdresser. Read more>>

Emily Underwood

My husband and I moved to Jefferson because we fell in love with the small-town, Victorian charm of the city and were interested in opening a cocktail lounge here. We had already befriended folk in town and had been visiting off and on for four years. When there was only one spot left for rent on the downtown brick streets, we jumped on the opportunity. Read more>>

Iana Tokarchuk

I’ve been doing photography professionally for at least 15 years, and then, when I had to leave Ukraine in 2022, I decided to start a retouching studio. It was a way to reset during that really stressful time when I felt burned out, and to support myself through all the changes. It also felt like the right moment to diversify my income and build something that could work remotely—so I wouldn’t have to look for new clients every time I changed location (and I did move a couple of times over these years). I wanted to be able to take my clients with me wherever I go. Read more>>

Dhruvi Nisar

In May 2021, a casual introduction turned into the spark of something truly transformative. I met Jenil through my brother Keval, and what began as a simple connection quickly evolved into a deep friendship. We shared more than just interests—we shared vision, curiosity, and the urge to build something of our own. Read more>>

Cynthia Salzman Mondell

I founded Media Projects with my husband and creative partner in 1978 because we believed that films could do more than entertain—they could change lives. Our very first film was about middle-aged women navigating the economic and emotional fallout of divorce after years of dedicating themselves to their families—only to be left for younger women. These were the so-called “displaced homemakers- without job skills, financial support, or legal protection. The film was raw, real, and made changes. Displaced Homemaker organizations used it to fight for legal reforms, and the American Bar Association honored it with a Silver Gavel Award for its unflinching honesty. The Texas Committee for the Humanities helped fund it—and it was they who encouraged us to start Media Projects to keep making meaningful films. Read more>>

Gabby Cusimano

Everything’s connected! I was working as an athletic trainer for a few years and loved getting to learn how different bodies move based off different sports and really starting to see everything moving together and how “victims cry louder than the criminals” from a pain standpoint, where you’re experiencing pain typically isn’t what’s actually causing the pain. I then started working in a physical therapy office with everyone from weekend warriors to NFL combine athletes. Honestly, I didn’t know how to make friends without having the built in buffer of school so I went to a yoga class. Read more>>

Anne CLERY-MELIN

Hello! My name is Anne Clery-Melin and I am the founder of “Down Printable Lane” in reference to the expression “down memory lane”. I am French and I run a digital shop on Etsy selling AI cliparts or images as most people would call them. Before starting out, I was a jewelry designer and had my own website. Having your own website is harder because it means that you have to drive your own traffic. It was my first experience as a business owner and doing everything by myself became physically impossible. From creating, to photographing, to posting, to marketing etc.. it was becoming more a burden than something I loved doing. I lost the motivation and slowly started drifting away from it. Read more>>

Tempest Parker

See me now crown me is a non- profit organization, we believe in the four R’s where we strive to resurrect, restore,restyle the community so they may reign!

We believe that God gives us all a second chance! I heard the Holy Spirit say
Some of our homeless people are our new doctors, lawyers, teachers, preachers they just need a second chance! God took me through a life changing experience that birthed this non profit ! Where we not only feed and clothe the community but we give them resources! Read more>>

Artemis Crow

All my life I had created stories in my head, moving pictures of characters surviving danger, falling in love, surrounded by many friends; all the scenarios I wished I was living, but was too afraid to reach for. I lived for story, fell into books and movies and television, wrapped myself in the confidence and competence of the characters. I never believed I could write my stories; it was a ludicrous idea and an indulgence I couldn’t afford I told myself. Read more>>

Hammad Ali

The idea for Ally Learning was born out of a deeply personal crossroads in my life. I was in medical school at the time—on what many would consider a “traditional” path to success—but something inside me kept tugging in a different direction. I found myself volunteering at youth centers and tutoring kids from underserved communities in the evenings, and it became the most fulfilling part of my week. These students reminded me of my younger self—bright, capable, but navigating systems not always designed with them in mind. Read more>>

Ronnique Antoinette

For years, I had been setting choreography for others—pouring my ideas and movement language into various projects, always as a contributor, never quite as the author of my full vision. While I was grateful for every opportunity, I felt something was missing. I had notebooks filled with concepts, movement phrases that lived only in my body, and ideas that explored themes of love, self-discovery, and community—but no space that was fully mine to bring them to life. Read more>>

Nadia Badowski

The idea for Koope was born out of a personal struggle. A few years prior, my skin erupted with painful, fiery and relentless welts that lasted nearly a year. It was confusing and humiliating, especially since I had used the same products for years without issue. Eventually, I was diagnosed with dermatitis and chronic urticaria, triggered by stress and allergens in my skincare. That cracked everything open for me. Read more>>

Mo Cruz And Christina Schmidt

We met as college freshmen studying Drama at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and became fast friends, bonding over our love for film. This flourished when we became roommates after graduating, and spent countless nights watching our favorite romcoms together on the couch. We had always wanted to start a podcast, and when the Covid-19 pandemic hit we both found ourselves laid off and craving a creative outlet. We kicked around a few ideas for podcast topics, but nothing felt authentic until we landed on doing a movie review podcast. Read more>>

Ricardo Hill

I came up with the idea to start THRILL Sports & Entertainment in 2023, two years into the start of my legal career. However, when reflecting on the journey, this business has been something that I have been building throughout my entire life. I have always been an athlete, and have always had dreams of making it to the NBA. However, being only 5’9” and about 175 pounds made that a little challenging to accomplish (shocker!). That didn’t stop me from playing, and it definitely did not stop me from dreaming big. My playing dreams changed a bit, though. It went from playing in the NBA, to just playing for as long as the game would allow me. Read more>>

Cella Siegelman

During the Covid19 pandemic, I was struggling to find an artistic direction that inspired and captivated me. I unintentionally reconnected with a topic that was near and dear to my heart from childhood: Dinosaurs & prehistoric life. Food and animal combinations were my jumping off point as a concept, as they were popular on instagram at the time (and still are). I saw that there was an empty niche, and made my first illustrations of dinosaurs combined with food, such as a Banana Brachiosaurus, and Strawberry Carnotaurus. I continued to make fruit dinosaur designs (now coined “Fruitasaurs”), and started to connect with others online who also enjoyed dinosaurs. I decided to make my first products, enamel pins, of some other prehistoric animal and sweet treat combinations as a trial run. Read more>>

KIARA BRATCHER

Golden Halo Scents was born from the profound impact of my grandmother’s passing on 6/13/23, serving as a tribute to her. Her unexpected passing landed me in an extremely dark place. Once my brother told me that she was gone, I dropped everything and bolted for a very busy street in front of the hospital. My cousin seen me and he stopped me. I wanted to end everything. Not thinking about my husband, my four beautiful children and at the time a breastfeeding baby. I did not want to be loved, touched, talked to…I did not want to be here without my grandmother. I am her eldest grandchild, so for 39 years of my life she was my best friend. Read more>>

Linda Bonner

I have been a card designer since 2018. I was initially creating miniature handmade cards and envelopes, which I sold through Art-O-Mat (TM). I found out about Art-O-Mat when we got one at the local history museum where I worked. These vintage cigarette machines are refurbished to dispense original art the size of a cigarette carton! I was so enamoured and that was the beginning of my art career. Read more>>

Susie Tomenchok

When I was an executive at a Fortune 100 company, I was tasked with negotiating large, multi-year service contracts—often sitting across the table from media companies who brought their top decision-makers. I didn’t have formal training in negotiation, so I had to learn on the job. I studied everything I could—through observation, trial and error, and courses I sought out on my own. Read more>>