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. 

Melisa Cristaldi

What started as a personal journey slowly became something much bigger than I expected. My background is actually in science and clinical research, so my life was structured, fast-paced, and very analytical. But alongside that, I always had a deep connection to wine and to my Italian roots. Over time, wine became the thread that brought everything together. Read More>>

Conley Wessel

The idea for TurfBlox came from a real problem I was trying to solve with an athlete. I was working with a college running back who was coming off an ACL injury. Read More>>

Heather Cohen

The Mulberry Project is a boutique, full-service wallpaper showroom inspired by my love of pattern, texture, and pops of color that bring joy to everyday spaces. I curate a collection of unique, often hard-to-find wallpaper lines from artists around the world, so I can help my clients create something truly personal and special. Read More>>

Tiffany Griffith

I didn’t start my business with a big plan to become an entrepreneur. It actually began with curiosity and a desire to make something with my hands. I had fallen down the rabbit hole of watching soapmaking videos and became fascinated by the process. The science of it, the creativity, and the transformation from simple oils into something both beautiful and useful. Read More>>

Tyler Gines

Boujie & Beyond didn’t start with a business plan. It started with loss… and then, eventually, a conversation with my dog. In 2021, my soul dog Stella was hit by a car while I was out of town. She had run off from the dog sitter, and she didn’t survive. There are no words for that kind of grief. Read More>>

Brandon Heller

One day, back in 2018 when I was in 4th grade, my mom and I were brainstorming and trying to come up with a kindness project that was meaningful to me and could help others. We discussed some of the suffering we saw around us and/or heard about. Then the subject of breast cancer came up. Read More>>

Jerry Anselmo

The story of the BMA Foundation doesn’t start with a traditional business plan; it starts with the most difficult day of my life. On September 2, 2008, my wife Mary Ellen and I received the devastating news that our 28-year-old son, Brian, had passed away unexpectedly in his sleep. Read More>>

Rob Swymer

My journey into the neuroscience of leadership began over a decade ago—not in a boardroom, not in a workshop, but in the depths of personal grief. On July 31, 2013, I lost my wife of thirty-two years, Bonnie, suddenly and without warning from a massive brain aneurysm. We had built an amazing life together, the next moment, it was gone. Read More>>

David Har’el

I didn’t start with the idea of building a “business” or even a channel—I started with a feeling. I kept noticing how most content online felt predictable. You’d know the joke before it landed, the twist before it happened. And in real life, it’s not like that. Real conversations get weird. Normal situations shift without warning. Read More>>

Amanda Kelley

For twenty years, I built a life behind the chair. I was the stylist people sat with for hours. I saw women come in carrying more than overgrown roots or dry ends. They carried breakups, burnout, reinventions, grief, new jobs, old wounds, secret dreams, and the quiet question so many of us eventually ask ourselves: Who am I becoming now? Read More>>

Jordan Rumsey

When I started social media, I never knew that it would take off in the way that it did. I started social media as sort of an escape because I really loved everything to do with the 1980s. Read More>>

ADEJOKE EJIOFOR

My journey to founding my nonprofit began as a mother navigating life with a child who had sickle cell disease. Years of hospital visits, pain crises, and advocating for proper care revealed a harsh reality: too many families felt isolated, misunderstood, and unsupported. Despite the prevalence of this condition, awareness was limited, and access to equitable care was inconsistent. Read More>>

Lauren Ellis

Walter Pat’s Bakery Cafe is a seasonally driven small-batch black woman-owned bakery, based in Detroit specializing in viennoiseries, such as croissants and danishes. Walter Pat’s showcases unique flavor combinations and some good classics, as well. We are inspired by our midwest upbringing and southern influence. I started Walter Pat’s Bakery Cafe because I didn’t see the type of pastries that I was craving. Read More>>

Ashleigh Worthington

It started from frustration. I was watching a lot of food content and kept seeing the same thing—big chains, viral items, and overhyped spots. Very few people were consistently highlighting local restaurants, and almost no one was talking about value—whether the food was actually worth the money. As a chef, that stood out to me. Read More>>

Samantha Mans

It was the start of 2017. A new year, we hadn’t even been married a year and a half yet. And I was dreading it. The goodbyes and the loneliness. I said see you later to my husband in a different state and over 6 hours from home. I wouldn’t see him again for at least 6 months (the deployment was set for 11). Read More>>

Kalanithi Kanapathy-Bagley

The idea for Chess for Cure grew naturally from my belief that chess can be more than a game because it can be a platform for meaningful change. Through my work with Discovery Chess Learning Academy, I have seen how chess builds confidence, discipline, and leadership in young people. Read More>>

Zondra Evans

Evans explains that this reality is precisely why she chose the more challenging path—focusing on building strong infrastructure, expanding distribution, and creating impactful content to help guide others on their journey. Read More>>

Liliana Jaime

I became deeply passionate about transforming and innovating the essence of Mexican restaurants. I wanted to create a space where our culture could be shared and deeply felt by anyone who walks through our doors. I truly believe that every customer deserves an unforgettable dining experience through bold and fresh flavors, exotic and flavorful margaritas, and our festive spirit. Read More>>

Iliriana Balaj

I didn’t start Live Healthillie because wellness was trendy, I started it because I was frustrated. For years, I was doing everything “right’ or so I thought. I was a personal trainer, tracking calories and macros, enjoying ‘everything in moderation’, working out and moving my body and yet I was still struggling with cystic acne, chronic bloating, migraines, fatigue, eczema and more. Read More>>

Victoria Key

Long before the sun comes up on market mornings, my kitchen lights are already on. There’s flour on the counter, jars cooling on the stove, and the smell of fresh sourdough filling the house. While most of the world is still asleep, I’m finishing the final loaves that have been slowly fermenting for days—bread that started with nothing more than flour, water, salt, and patience. Read More>>

christophe pienkowski

After a 30-year career in gastronomy—first as a French chef working internationally, and later as a brand ambassador representing prestigious spirits houses across Asia, Europe, and the United States, I reached a moment in my career where launching my own venture felt like the natural next step. That vision became Ephemere Los Angeles. Read More>>

Carlos Arroyo

The idea for Beck Watch Co. didn’t begin as a traditional business idea. It began as a personal challenge and a desire to create something meaningful with my own hands. I’ve always been drawn to mechanical things and craftsmanship. Over the years I’ve worked on motorcycles, cars, and projects where patience and precision matter. Read More>>

Alejandra Avila

When I was 23 years old I got my first dog. We’re a dog family, so I was fortunate to grow up with dogs, and I was very excited to finally get one of my own. From the moment I met her at the rescue, it was love at first sight. She cuddled up on my chest and I knew she was my puppy. Read More>>

Shenna Vaughn

Vaughn Bentley Creative is a beacon of empowerment, healing, and artistic innovation, driven by a deep belief in the transformative power of art. Founded by artists who grew up facing adversity, the organization serves as both a platform for emerging talent and a sanctuary for creative expression, particularly within underserved communities. Read More>>

Corissa Sutton

I created the CSE Single Moms Homeownership Initiative and Cohort from one of the most painful and transformative seasons of my life. It did not come from a business plan first. It came from lived experience, heartbreak, survival, and a deep desire to make sure other women did not have to navigate what I went through alone. Read More>>

Anthony Riley

My journey into building Ohio Cannabis Live and organizing the Ohio Cannabis Expo really started with a mix of personal hardship and a realization that something important was missing in Ohio. When Ohio first legalized medical cannabis, there was very little clear, real-world information available for patients. Read More>>

Claudia Nicole Parker

I often describe myself as a unique foodie. Interestingly enough, I love to cook and create far more than I actually love to eat. My passion comes from the creativity of preparing food, experimenting with flavors, and seeing the joy people experience when they taste something that was made just for them. Read More>>

Jac & Jess St. John’s BFF

Jac and I both were trying to be to network and grow our businesses. She had recently moved here and wanted to meet more people and I am born and raised here and was trying busy with all the events. So I invited her to all of them and she said it was too much she wanted to do a lunch. Read More>>

Demirhan Erim

Got it. Here is the same strong founder story without long dashes and with a smooth interview tone: ⸻ I’ve been building community apps for years, and cars have been a passion of mine since I was a kid. When I moved to Los Angeles, I started going to Cars & Coffee events, waking up at 6 AM on Sundays with hundreds of other enthusiasts. Read More>>

Rasheda Jenkins

In 2017 I was celebrating over a decade of being a commercial construction worker. As a black woman I counted as two minorities; meaning on a project that used government funding who had a minority quota, I counted as two. So in other words I was in high demand and was rarely laid off. Read More>>

Saddaf Yusuf

Hera Jewels didn’t begin as a traditional business idea. It actually emerged during a deeply transformative period in my life when I was navigating my own healing journey. Read More>>

Drew Hicks

Last winter, I had a minor surgery that forced me to slow down. Between recovery and the winter weather, life got very quiet. For about two months, almost every hour I was awake, I was either writing or meditating. Somewhere in the middle of that period, something shifted. The way I relate to my own mind, emotions, and reality became much clearer. Read More>>

Micah Elliot

Blackwater Market Comics & Coffee (aka BWM Comics) didn’t appear overnight. In many ways, it’s been brewing for more than four decades. Established in Mansfield, Ohio in 2024, but cultivated in Metro-Phoenix, Arizona, the roots of BWM Comics goes all the way back to 1984 to a desert kid cracking open Detective Comics No. Read More>>

Asmi Shah

I had been on an entire healing journey since 2009 when my parents unexpectedly passed away. Along that journey I did my yoga teacher training, traveled to Nepal for my first sound healing training, and took my Pranic Healing classes right before Covid started. During the pandemic I deepened my energy healing and spiritual practices while still managing my high-tech career at Google. Read More>>