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.

Jackie Low

I have been a Registered Dietitian since 2003 and while I loved helping others, I didn’t wake up every morning excited to go to work. Covid hit and since both my husband and I worked in healthcare, we were stuck at home working on the computer. I felt like I was meant for more. I wanted to leave a legacy and this was not going to cut it…. I had talked non chalantly about staging a few times before over the years, but had never truly considered working towards that as a profession. So, on one of our multiple walks a day in our neighborhood during the pandemic, (because, I mean, what else were we supposed to do?), we were listening to Steve Harvey’s ‘Jump’ podcast. Read more>>

Joe Carr

My wife, Serenity, and I started Serenity Kids out of our own experiences as children and for our baby Della. Serenity struggled with illness for much of her childhood. She was constantly sick, had trouble sleeping, and eventually developed severe digestive problems – what we now know was leaky gut. Like most kids, she ate tons of sugar, grains, and dairy. But once she learned how to eat in a way that was healing and not harming her body – quality meats, veggies, and healthy fats – her health dramatically improved. Her experience made her passionate about changing the way families eat so they can live happier lives. And one way to do that is to educate from infancy and provide nutrient-dense food that is delicious and convenient. Read more>>

Elena Nelson

Interestingly enough, I never wanted to go out on my own or even rent a suite. Because of the circumstances at the time, I didn’t have much room for decision making, unfortunately. I knew I could rely on myself to make my business run smoothly so I took the plunge and signed the lease on my first suite. As far as the mission behind my business goes, that’s something I’ve lived by my entire career as a stylist. The ideology behind Hair Ethics is that letting your guard down and being honest and transparent with people is what will propel you forward. I’ve noticed that in this industry stylists are willing to sacrifice quite a bit to make a dollar. Read more>>

Danielle Gootman

I have always been interested in health and wellness. Growing up, my family and friends always said I was a foodie. I started my Instagram blog, @healthywithdani in March of 2020, during quarantine. This was the perfect time to start an Instagram blog because I was doing virtual school, and had a lot of free time at home. I wanted to have a place to share recipes, restaurants, and brands I love. I have been posting regularly on my Instagram account ever since. Read more>>

Joshua Wilson

This all began while we were living in the Caribbean on a 37′ sailboat. As avid scuba divers we began noticing litter in and under the sea, on reefs and especially on deserted islands where no humans visited. We hated seeing such pristine conditions littered with human garbage so wherever we traveled we would always pick up what we could. However, the more we traveled the more we began to see the problem growing. Read more>>

Medina Jett

I bought my first real estate investment property 31 years ago right after I graduated from law school. I have always known that real estate investing was a great way to create generational wealth. Since that time, I have always owned at least one rental property sometimes several at a time while working my regular 9-5 and later while owning my own compliance firm. Owning real estate made it possible for me to send my kids to private schools, take great vacations and support my community. When I sold my compliance firm in 2020, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do next. Read more>>

Lisa Kaczmarek Petrozzi

My vision for Sprouting Seed Wellness came to be, because I wanted to help guide dancers, athletes and other moving enthusiasts to new levels of body awareness and self confidence with mindful movement and holistic wellness practices. Combining my passion and expertise of the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® along with other holistic practices, I like to encourage my students to use their own “super power” of self reflection, self acceptance and self confidence to make decisions that are in alignment with their unique self and their core values. Read more>>

Chantel McDowell

I came up with the idea of sewing my own custom unique designs years ago after graduating high school. It all started with learning to sew a pair of men boxers in home economic class when I was just 15 years old. I fell in love with everything about sewing, from different kinds of fabric, pattern making, measuring, taking clothing apart and putting pieces back together, adding zippers, straight stitch projects down to the simple things like thread a sewing machine. I enjoyed making my own unique outfits as a teenager. Read more>>

Christin Webb

I have always signed up, right on the dotted line; put my name in the hat or raised my hand to participate in a learning experience. The nerd in me has always appreciated learning. Heck, the animal that resonates most with me is an owl. You ask why? Owls are often known for their representation of wisdom. I love the under and overtones of wisdom. I love even more seeing wisdom play out in real life, impacting life in its most prized ability. Read more>>

Emily Adams

I realized I was naturally talented when it came to business and leadership. It was something that I could talk about for hours and I enjoyed doing it. Whether I was working my 9 to 5 job or helping my friends start their business I enjoyed business, solving problems and anything to do with leadership. It lit a fire in me that I couldn’t explain. In my automotive career I experienced a lot of bad leadership. I had leaders that refused to help me grow and I also saw a lot of loss revenue due to bad leadership, broken processes and the lack of proper gap analysis. This led me to come up with the concept of business consulting to solve these issues where you start at the leadership and then focus on the other areas of the business. Read more>>

Christian Senger

I moved to Charleston in 2007 and it is vastly different than my home town, so I loved exploring, learning, and discovering everything the city had to offer. After a few years, I realized there was so much going on in Charleston, that it was basically impossible for any one media entity to cover it all. So, in 2011, I decided to start a blog detailing some of my favorite things to do in the city. It pretty quickly morphed into a website that serves as a hub for Charleston’s day-to-day happenings, and less about my own personal experiences. Read more>>

Paula Stano

I am a single mother and during my son’s senior year of high school he started looking at joining the Marine Corps. He would bring home many brochures and I would throw them in the trash. The recruiters would call daily and I would always say he’s not interested. But he was. He took me out to dinner one night and explained why he was wanting to join. He had all the pros and cons written on a piece of paper. He was 17 at the time. He said to me, “Mom if you don’t sign me in at 17, I’ll sign myself in at 18”. Read more>>

Zandra Baheyadeen

The ZanCan you see today started as just a saying my husband would express: “Zan can do it!” This was typically in response to issues that arose that needed a quick and efficient resolution. He instinctively knew I would rise to the occasion, enthusiastically embrace the task at hand – no matter how big or small – and successfully see it to its resolution. I suppose without realizing it. I more or less created my business by virtue of my ambitious, determined, and go-getting personality that likes to not only see a job done but a job done well. Read more>>

Megan Besler

My small business is called Moon Water Apothecary. I had a business so many years ago that went viral, and after shutting those doors during a not fun divorce, I took a few years off and went into the corporate world. Earlier this year I started making my own candles and incense oils, and I had so many people telling my just how good our house always smelled. Read more>>

Anabel Aude

I’ve always loved fashion and getting dressed up. I love expressing myself through what I wear. Being in the healthcare industry and having to wear scrubs everyday didn’t allow me to express myself through my clothing, so i found myself spending more money on jewelry. I’d get lots of compliments and my coworkers and patients would ask where i got my jewelry from, which then gave me the idea of starting a jewelry business. Read more>>

Nemiah Hobbs

Project NEMIAH is an Advocacy Organization, primarily focused on serving the families of students with disabilities. Growing up, I was a student who had multiple disabilities and there were those who advocated for me, including teachers, counselors and many others. I vowed that once I had an opportunity, I would pay it forward. So the idea was born in my mind during my adolescence, and upon graduating from High School and entering College- I launched Project NEMIAH. Read more>>

Hannah Gray

When I was six months postpartum with my second child, I can vividly remember standing in my kitchen one afternoon. My husband had just gotten home from work, I was holding the baby, and my three year old was running around in circles. I told my husband I was going to start a candy business. The thought had come into my head that morning and it was like a light switch moment. There was no going back and I was going to be on this path. Read more>>

Oksana Tademy

Years ago, my mother was unjustly laid off from her job of 15+ years. It broke my heart to see the woman who raised me laid off with no back up plan. So, I decided to help her figure out what she loved to do and start her own business. By the time I was done, I had created a brand for her without realizing it! In helping her, I discovered a gift that I didn’t know I possessed. It sparked a fire in me to help more women in the same way; to take their dreams and make them into a profitable reality. Read more>>

Jailyn Sawyer

I originally came to hawaii for college in the summer of 2019. I visited a few months prior and decided to take Korean class. Prior to going to UH, I graduated from FIDM in LA with a degree in beauty marketing and product development. During High-school, I obtained my cosmetology license. My roommate at UH, told me if I did hair in hawaii, I could make a killing & I didn’t believe her.. during the pandemic I had nothing to do & went back to hawaii & started doing hair. I started to notice how expensive product & supply was. I also realized how a lot of mixed local women didn’t know how to care for their hair. Read more>>

Terrell Jones

My story starts from 2011, I had a huge love for music and started to DJ. My DJ name was DJBboyJones. I did a good amount of DJing but couldn’t get any traction as a DJ. I didn’t want to do clubs. I just wanted to do private events. I started working in construction and going to college full time for Multimedia. At the time DJing had slowed down and I started to produce my own music. I expanded the DJing company and called it Asphalt Studios in 2016. The name came form working in construction. Read more>>

Tania Rodriguez

Coming up with the idea to create book accessories should have been a no brainer for me but it wasn’t. the idea and concept was right under my nose the entire time but at the time I had not thought about it. I owned a cutting machine that sparked my creative side to kick in and that gave way to my entrepreneurial spirit to rise. I was in love with tea and coffee and new that many in the masses felt the same so I focused on making tea cups and coffee mugs with snarky designs and sayings. Read more>>

Jakia Myles

I remember when I released my first book “Bent But Not Broken”, I was either sixteen or seventeen years and so excited of this accomplishment. The ability to take one of the most difficult times in my life and put it into words was amazing to me. That quickly died down when I found myself reaching out to multiple outlets to share my store and I was faced with rejection after rejection because I didn’t have enough followers, or because I didn’t have a backing of agent etc. Read more>>

Nicole Gustin

In 2014, I went to Miami for vacation and was looking for fun things to do. I came across a food tour. I had never even heard of a food tour, but I saw that it included restaurants, and being a foodie, I immediately signed up. It was amazing. We walked through South Beach, learned the history of the art deco buildings and sampled food from different restaurants. We had Argentinian, Cuban and Italian food and more. I loved it so much that I wanted to start a food tour back in Atlanta. Read more>>

Jazmine Williams

Moma Made It was born out of a bucket list hobby due to COVID 19 in 2020. I went from “on the go” working mom of 1 to a Stay-at-Home mom of 2 and bored and broke. Penny Pinching led me to making my very first cake for my oldest son’s 4th birthday. The cake was dry, overly textured, a little burnt, and with those hard candy letters from Walmart that should never be eaten. The motivation to be better came from my niece’s 5th birthday 3 months later. This is were my first custom cake for a party along with diy cookies. The cake and cookies were a hit and the encouragement to sell my products were endless. Read more>>

Jen McPherson

A little over 5 years ago, I was ready for a career change and suffering from extreme burnout. For a few years on my drive to work I would drive past this vacant building (the one we are in now) and it pained me to see it sitting there empty. I knew the history of the building (1917 library) and I knew what it looked like inside and I was so worried that someone would come in and rip it all out and make it a cell phone store or something. At the same time, my husband and I were frequenting local markets whenever and wherever we could and marveling at the amazing products people in these Michigan communities had to offer. Read more>>

Breon LaFleur

I always had an idea of what I wanted to do for my business based on my personality and character traits. I am a proactive and trustworthy individual. I like completing tasks and helping out with projects. I like to make things convenient for myself and others. I am very organized and I have always managed my time well. I wanted to know if others agreed with me so I ask all of my family and close friends what do they feel I am good at. They all had answers based on their own experiences with me and the common thread was based on my character traits previously mentioned. I did my research to find where I could use my skills and found Virtual Assistance. Read more>>

Neena Casull-Lamb

I’ve been baking macarons for almost 5 years and I set out on a journey to perfect them after I had my very first one. Everything from the texture to the flavor was truly an experience and I wanted to recreate that experience for others! These cookies are one of the most tricky things to conquer, it was a long journey and well; after many failed attempts and almost giving up I finally did it! I wanted to share my passion with the people I loved most and with the love and support of my amazing husband, family and friends, I was able to create something so much bigger. Read more>>

Dr. KayLa N. Allen, DHA, MPH, PGCEpid, CHWC

Coming up with the vision for my business was nothing that happened overnight; to this day, it has taken on a form that continues to evolve. At the onset of development, I knew I wanted to build something connected to who I am and what I know to be a part of my purpose in life. Everything we experience and learn in life, in some way, shape, or form, contributes to the future and greater version of ourselves (should we allow that to be so). Therefore, I wanted to tap into that and build something that could give back to others on a larger scale. Read more>>

Tia Silver

I wish I could say I was the first to think of this business but sadly, I am not. I discovered the world of princess parties when I was pursuing my undergrad in San Francisco. I needed a job that would be flexible around my school schedule and of course wanted something fun! I had a friend introduce me to a company that hired actors to play fairytale characters for birthday parties. With me being an acting major and Disney obsessed I knew it would be the perfect job for me! I enjoyed my time working as a performer but after graduation, fate brought me back to my home state of Maryland. Read more>>

Michael Otule

I knew I wanted to start a Podcast or start a YouTube channel. I just didn’t know how I wanted to go about it. I could have easily gone the “video record myself in the gym’ way. Or “video record my daily vlogs’ way, but I wanted to do something different. I followed a lot of excellent athletes that were at the top of their game when it came to making relatable content for everyone. Now, I know what you are going to say. “It doesn’t matter what others are doing, as long as you are doing honest work, people will follow” Or, my favorite, “you most likely will reach people these top athletes aren’t.” Sure! I hear you, but that wasn’t flying with me. Read more>>

Ian Stubblefield

They idea came from a few places. I had a vague idea, mixed with a former mentors, and regular customers at the restaurants I worked at. Initially the idea was born from a desire to be able to work for myself and get away from the long hard hours at the restaurant. I wanted to do something that would fulfill my sense of adventure. When the pandemic hit it was like a big sign telling me to do it. After a month of waiting I went for it, after my wife pushed me a bit, and some regular customers begged for me to cook in their home some how. I was almost impossible to fail with restaurants closed and people wanting to feel a sense of normalcy. Read more>>

Brittany Angelica

There was a lack of information around cannabis and its benefits. I was introduced to CBD/Hemp in 2017, while dealing with severe anxiety and depression. I decided to try it and it helped so much that I wanted more information. I realized there was a real gap in the industry. While finishing beauty school to become an Esthetician, questions started rising around its skincare benefits so as a consumer I went out to find products with CBD/Hemp ingredients. During the time of going to retailers to find these unique products, there was not a lot on the market at the time. Read more>>

Heather Wiggins McKinney Harwood

Heather and McKinney met in the summer of 2020 and instantly bonded over their shared love of sipping skinny margs, listening to live country music, and of course, their obsession with reality TV. During the pandemic, the two’s favorite hobby was planning a girl’s night out and trying out a new restaurant each weekend. Fast forward to January 2021, Heather and McKinney were sitting in Dogwood sharing some sips and decided they both needed a fun new project in their lives. While discussing their hobbies and passions, the two both realized they loved finding all of the best spots in Nashville and sharing those with friends. They chose to put this passion into something tangible and decided to start Sips And The City, an Instagram account highlighting the best spots in Music City. Read more>>

Ahsaki LaFrance-Chachere

Ah-Shi was supposed to be my daughter’s name, however, after multiple miscarriages, I felt the name needs to live in a different way. When building Ah-Shi Beauty, it did not have a name at first. Because I knew the name of the brand had to be meaningful and stand strongly on its own in a very crowded industry. Ah-Shi in Dine (Navajo) means this is me-this is mine. I wanted the brand to speak to the world not only through the product but the name. Everything we do, for example, a business we breathe life into it. So this business is truly connecting the world through the power of beauty, which starts from within. When you say AH-SHI BEAUTY you’re saying “This Is Me…..This Is My Beauty!” I want my customers to see and hear themselves in the brand. Read more>>