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.

Katrina & Tyler Brooks & Payne

Katrina Brooks: I attended The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) for my BA and MA degrees. I was very unsure of what I wanted to do after graduation but did finally love what I studied which was Psychology. I worked at various jobs after college, exploring my likes. I got hired at a community college 8 months after graduation working with the TRiO program, which impacted me during my undergrad career. Read More>>

Noemi Jaime

The idea for Scents By Tia LLC was born from something as simple and meaningful as time spent with my nephews. They call me “Tia” — Spanish for aunt — and that’s how the name came to be. I don’t have children of my own, but for the last 18 years, my brother’s kids have been my world. I’ve always been the “cool and fun aunt,” constantly coming up with arts and crafts activities to keep them engaged. As they got older — and especially during the lockdown days of COVID — that became a bigger challenge. Teenagers are not easy to impress! Read More>>

Jess Dunn

Two years ago, after surviving melanoma, I entered the next phase of my life: learning how to coexist with the sun in a healthier way. In addition to daily sunscreen, my doctor emphasized the importance of UPF clothing, which is how I first learned that most of our everyday clothes don’t actually protect us from UV rays. Read More>>

Jen Maecker

My vision for establishing an acupuncture clinic focuses on delivering a warm and patient-centered treatment experience right from the moment individuals step through the door. It is crucial that every patient feels genuinely heard and validated throughout their entire visit. Allowing patients to share their experiences is essential to the healing process. This understanding was crucial for me when starting my business. Read More>>

Elizabeth Pajak

I started ERP Sportraiture because I was like so many other sports moms— underwhelming sports photos out of guilt. Not because I loved them, but because they were all that existed to mark the season
I knew there had to be a better way to preserve the time, effort, and heart our kids pour into their sports. Read More>>

Sabrina Moreno

As a passionate reader, I’ve always dreamed of being part of a community of fellow book lovers—people who share similar interests and enjoy exchanging recommendations. It took me some time to take the leap, but eventually, I started my own blog and book club, which gradually evolved into an online bookstore. Read More>>

Tabitha Clark

As someone who has always had a passion for cooking, entertaining and bringing others together, developing my own cafe’ where I could so on an even larger scale was a true dream. Read More>>

Brooke Hart Jones

The idea came to me in the middle of the night—one of those moments where you are jolted awake. My mind was racing with inspiration, so I grabbed my phone and started jotting everything down in my notes app. I couldn’t shake the feeling: this idea had the potential to make a real impact. It felt big—like something that could make a significant difference. Read More>>

Marquita Henderson

Confetti and Elegance was brought to life with the desire of creating a memorable event for my mother’s 50th birthday. What began as a desire to make this special day one to remember, it quickly turned into a passion. Read More>>

Kristi Toguchi

I am a third-generation magician, and I have performed around the world for most of my life. The lifestyle as a performer has made me miss many of my family events and special occasions with loved ones. Unfortunately, in 2014, my dad passed away. After this experience, I was very upset that I missed out on so many important memories with my father. Read More>>

Wendy Babcock

It started because I kept hearing the same thing from my clients

“I want the TEDx credibility. I want to be seen as an expert. But I don’t know if I have an idea worth sharing.”

But you know what they did have? Read More>>

Karina Premerlani

I got married 6 years ago and had to travel at least 1 hour away to get the experience I desired to find my wedding gown. Never at this point did I think I would run my own business someday. I worked in a medical lab at the time and never expected the career part of my life to change much. After Covid that all changed, I had my daughter and lost my job all in one week. They were very uncertain times; for awhile I was a stay-at-home mom which was perfect for me in the beginning years. Read More>>

Ravali Madap

I’m a software engineer by profession and have been working in IT for several years. But deep down, I always had an entrepreneurial spirit – a constant desire to start something of my own. Over the years, ideas like opening a restaurant, starting a café, or selling homemade food often crossed my mind. However, between a demanding job and personal responsibilities, I never quite had the time or clarity to fully pursue them. Read More>>

Damonia Pegues

Creation Station was born from a mix of curiosity, creativity, and a genuine desire to give kids more than just entertainment — I wanted to give them experiences that spark something inside. I’ve always loved working with children, and as a mom myself, I know how important it is for kids to have safe spaces where they can be hands-on, express themselves, and feel proud of what they make. Read More>>

Robert Carnoske

My family is from Cali, Colombia. As a child growing up visiting family in Colombia was amazing. We would visit every summer and with that came exposure to a fantastic world of culture and food. It was confusing as a kid to want for certain foods, particularly Empanadas when we would come back home to the United States. Making empanadas is a very long process and you don’t just make a few you make a lot. Read More>>

Alia Aubry

I really liked the idea of creating something out of scratch. Taking a few ingredients & making something that people would rave about & enjoy has always been my dream. Read More>>

Carlea Bynum

All of my life, I have cooked. As a child, I stood next to my mom and watched her cook. Then, as a teenager, I began to make meals by myself to help my mom out, which then turned into making full-blown holiday dinners. Growing up, I fell in love with cooking but saw it as a way to love on people, or to serve those who needed it. I saw the ability to cook as a gift that God gave me, and I desired to use it as a way to serve the kingdom of God. Read More>>

Uwe Dreissigacker

I started my first business when I was 14 years old. After that, every single business, from the first online game I created up until my latest white-hat link-building agency, was created as a reaction to something I needed in the previous business. Read More>>

Yeliz Berg

In 2018, I found myself attending wedding after wedding—many of them small, intimate celebrations hosted by close friends. What stood out, however, wasn’t the love stories or the joy in the air. It was the lack of options. Nearly every couple had their wedding in a casino ballroom, not because they wanted to, but because there weren’t many alternatives. The price tags were steep, and the photos? Almost always taken indoors, dark and lacking the natural beauty the day deserved. Read More>>

Tracie Campbell

In the early Days of the online marketplace Etsy, I was successfully selling unique jewelry making supplies through that website, while at the same time not so successfully selling my jewelry designs at local markets in NYC. Like Etsy, most markets was saturated with jewelry designers. So it was tough to compete with so many other jewelry makers online and in person. Read More>>

Camryn Bukowski

The idea for Goat House Gym started at a book club, believe it or not. My business partner, Kaz Matthews, and I were chatting about life, work, and what was missing in our small town of Philipsburg, Montana. For me, it was the community and connection that comes from being part of a gym — something I deeply missed after moving here. I’d gotten certified as a Personal Trainer through NASM and was running group fitness classes out of my garage. A small but dedicated group began showing up consistently — people who wanted to feel strong, capable, and connected. Read More>>

Sully Papo

Honestly, the idea came from being tired of how things were run for independent artists. I was doing shows where you’d pay to perform, just to end up performing in front of other artists, no real fans, no support, no way to grow. It felt like a dead-end. Read More>>

Jennifer Markovitz

I’ve always been the “picture taker” in my friend group and family – the one who could be counted on to document whatever event or fun was happening. When my husband and I had our first kid, I immediately knew I needed to be better at taking pictures so I could capture every moment of her childhood. So, I got a better camera, started taking classes, and practicing. Read More>>

Lanta Burnette

Having experienced immense heartache and heartbreak over the years, I was burdened with deep- seated pain. After a six-and-a-half-year relationship ended in failure, I resisted the urge to write my first novel, despite God”s clear prompting. Nevertheless, a prophetic message from a minister at a women’s ministry gathering revealed that my hands were destined to be a blessing to others. Read More>>

Natalie Weakly

As a kid, I was more focused on climbing trees and plotting my next candy purchase than worrying about how I looked! But my mom had other plans—she enrolled me in every etiquette class she could find, reminding me, “You never know when you’ll dine at the President’s table.” While I wasn’t exactly sold on the idea back then, her lessons about presentation and self-confidence stuck with me as I grew older. Read More>>