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.

Tia Smith

I honestly didn’t start out with a big business plan it started out of necessity and curiosity. At the time, I was living in Florida with my mom, and we both wanted wigs that looked good, felt comfortable, and didn’t feel overly manufactured or overpriced. We couldn’t always find what we were looking for, so I decided to try making them myself. Read More>>

Jen Sugermeyer

I didn’t set out to build a beauty brand. I was in a high-pressure corporate career, outwardly successful but internally burned out, disconnected, and struggling. Getting sober became a turning point for me. It forced me to slow down, face myself, and become intentional about how I wanted to live. Read More>>

Thea Kvamme

I have always loved to write. When my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, my kids always asked why grandma kept repeating herself or asking who they were. I quickly realized that kids need books to better explain to them. I had also promised my mom before she passed that her beloved Mr. Mousey would continue to go on adventures. Read More>>

Jayla Lee

I was actually looking for something creative to get back to myself. I always loved art since I was younger and when I saw someone get a logo made for a t shirt brand, I started researching on how I could make those. Read More>>

Michael Dozier

The idea for my business emerged gradually through a series of formative professional experiences that shaped both my perspective and my sense of purpose. Rather than a single defining moment, it was the cumulative effect of working within mission-driven organizations that revealed a clear and compelling direction for me. Read More>>

Yolandra Baker

The idea for my business was born from a genuine love for learning a new skill and discovering how much joy it brought both me and the people I served. I began by learning how to bartend simply because I enjoyed it. The creativity, the precision, and the art of crafting a great drink. What truly sparked the passion, though, were the reactions. Read More>>

Lizzy Kates

Before I started my business, I had already been a Florist for a different company for 5 years and a manager for 3 of those years. Over those 5 years, I designed and executed many, many weddings and they all had something in common. Read More>>

Jeff Knauss

It was late November 2022. I’m at my kitchen table at 11 PM, can’t sleep, just playing with ChatGPT for hours. This thing had launched that day and I’m asking it to research ideas I have, be my thought partner, create marketing strategies, stuff that used to take teams days to produce, and it’s doing it in seconds. Read More>>

Giovanni Pessina

Ideas are always popping up and fading away; the real deal is zoning in on them and making them accessible—for yourself and everyone else. For example, I’m big on walking. Often, when I’m out walking, I notice people, stuff, or situations that grab my attention, and from there I start building a story with characters that are similar, but not identical, to the original inspiration. Read More>>

Alladan Flinn

I learn when I’m having fun, and I think that’s true for most people. Unfortunately, economics is usually the opposite of fun. I used to hear financial talks on the radio and tune out because it sounded so boring, even though I knew deep down it was the most important thing to learn. Read More>>

Alexis Forgy

The summer before my sophomore year of college (about a year and half ago) I was thinking about all of the ways I loved getting to be creative with photography. I have had a photography business for around 4 years now and was primarily doing portrait and sports photography. Read More>>

Katey Fortun

I didn’t set out to build a business – everything started the day my hand lifted into the air on its own at my great aunt’s celebration of life. I wasn’t planning to say a word, but I watched myself volunteer to speak, and that single, terrifying moment opened a path I never expected. Read More>>

Eric Crowe

Unusual Company, in Old Ellicott City, MD, is a unique retail concept born from the tragic 2018 Ellicott City flood. We transformed a historic bank building into a destination for pop-culture, sci-fi, fantasy, and horror collectibles, books, and 16 flavors of authentic Italian gelato. Read More>>

Alison Hernon

I started PhotoBook Magazine seven years ago based on previous magazine experience I had working at InStyle, Vanity Fair and Interview Magazines. I was transitioning into celebrity styling and wanted to meet publicists and build a celebrity portfolio. I was also attracted to sustainability since I love vintage shopping, and body positivity and inclusion aspects that I have included in the magazine. Read More>>

Victoria McEwan

The idea for my creative services business really took shape during the pandemic lockdowns. Live music disappeared overnight, and suddenly social media became the primary way artists could stay connected to their fans. Around that same time, I had just left a corporate day job that I wasn’t happy in and was trying to figure out what my next career move would be. Read More>>

Daniel Jarrett

I came up with the idea by working for other solar businesses who seemed to be a lot more money focussed than customer focussed.. but I thought, ‘Wouldnt the money flow easily if you just keep everyone happy?” which seems to work best for everyone! Read More>>

Alicia Scarborough

The idea for Alicia Joy came together at the intersection of legacy, lived experience, and a moment of clarity I couldn’t ignore. Years ago, my father started a natural and organic skincare business of his own. Read More>>

Patter Gersuk

I have always loved food and cooking! When I had my children I made their baby food, believing that pure, whole food is more nutritious and tastes better. When they were older and needed convenient snacks, I made these energy bars. Read More>>

Roman Francis

How I came up with the idea to start my own photography business starts with my mom. When I was 11 years old and in order to keep me occupied my mom had enrolled me into a kids Biz Camp where they taught us the ins and outs of entrepreneurship. Read More>>

Jocelyn Su

Before Penny’s Pie Shop had a name, it was really just me in my kitchen wanting to connect with people and feed my friends sweet treats. It’s hard to pin point an exact moment that it became a goal of mine to start a cottage bakery and take my baking to the next level. Looking back. Read More>>

Mayra Fonseca

During the hardest times caused by Covid – I was in need of extra income. I always knew I was meant to have my own business. God gave me this business plan for a reason, all I had to do was execute it. I combined by knowledge of running a business with my love for flowers! A forever growing business of love. Read More>>

TABETHA RUSSELL

In planning for my phase 2, after 30+ years in the insurance industry, I was asking God what’s next. My husband Teddy attended a webinar speaking to how to become a mobile notary loan signing agent and all it offered along with the responsibilities. He determined it was not for him but thought I would be great at it. Read More>>

Giana Thompson

I’ve always been drawn to medicine, wellness, and natural remedies, but this interest and curiosity grew stronger during the time of the pandemic. At the time, I was in nursing school and also running a COVID testing site out of my childhood doctor’s private practice. Read More>>

Raneem Sawan

The idea for The Lighthouse Retreat didn’t start as a business plan. It started as a quiet truth I kept carrying with me for years. I was living in Toronto, working in high-tech corporate environments, with my last role at LinkedIn. From the outside, everything looked successful. Read More>>

Stephanie Carlson

It all began with a printer and a heat press, working off my kitchen counter. I’ve always been entrepreneurial by nature — the kind of person who looks at almost anything and wonders how it could become a business. For 17 years, I worked as a natural hoof care practitioner, trimming horses’ hooves for a living. Read More>>

Parmie Dean

FYRE Timing Systems LLC is a business I never could have imagined just a few years ago. It all started with a dream I had when I was in college. At almost every party and event, I saw caricature artists and personalized items being given away: street signs, socks, cups, and bottles. Read More>>

Lance Avery Morgan

Tell us the story of how you came up with the idea for your business. Paint the picture for us. Read More>>

Caroline Tetschner

I came up with “Beer, Beards and Broads: Admiral Zumwalt’s Legacy” from my own time in the Navy. When I joined in the mid-80s, the old salts spoke about “Z-grams” and Admiral Elmo “Buzz” Zumwalt with almost mythic awe. Read More>>

Annie Wiener

Navigating the drinking culture at a big party school was challenging for me. While I loved the idea of grabbing a fun drink with friends, I was extremely health-conscious, and constantly worried that a single night out would derail my wellness routine. Read More>>