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.

Sara Lauto

After finishing culinary school I immediately started an internship at 32 east working under chef Nick. I learned so much in such a short period of time. I was interning at the restaurant 2 night a week and working 2 other jobs to pay the bills. Bartending at a popular bar in lake worth and serving at a steakhouse in Boca Raton. Read more>>

Angela Burkett

After giving birth to my daughter in 2012, I took to task of finding a quality program rich with child centered experiences offering the feel of a home away from home. A learning environment which modeled a whole child approach to learning. I decided to launch Mustard Seed Daycare so that I may provide such services to not just my daughter Uchechi but to the children of other parents looking for such a program as well. Read more>>

Melanie Moore

I was a teacher for 25 years and when I retired, I thought it was a good time to pursue my dream of opening a bookstore. That was in 2017. I planned on a brick and mortar and began my research. I talked with booksellers and owners throughout the country and took a week-long class in Florida through Paz & Associates learning everything I needed to do to open a bookstore. By the spring of 2018, I was ready to look for a space. Read more>>

Eric Brundidge

I started Aspira Pura to give back instead of just taking like some big Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies do. After working at a few fortune 500 companies, I saw a common occurrence when helping the neighborhood and local communities. Read more>>

Leila Bedoian

My husband and I have a background in hospitality and always talked about owning a B&B. I personally thought it would be terrible because you would have to be tied to property 24/7. At the time, I was doing marketing for a real estate team, surrounded by transactions every day, and I thought, “Hey, we could totally own a short-term rental”. Read more>>

ALYSSA SPACE

ForHerCosmetics was started originally as a beauty blog on Instagram in 2017. Then blossomed into my mothers dirt room as a small workspace where I made natural lipsticks. After a year and a half of working day and in day out as a fulltime Quality assurance chemist and part time entrepreneur, I grew out of my workspace. Read more>>

Samuel Carter

Kevin Knutson (one of the other Unleashed owners) worked as corporate security officers for a metro area hospital. While it was an exciting job it was not something we wanted to do forever. One slow day while sitting in the security office, slacking off, watching videos on Facebook we came across a feature on a similar concept in Denver. Our thought was “why couldn’t we do that?” Read more>>

Charlotte Campbell

It all started with baking cupcakes and cookies for my daughters school.. Their class would look forward to Fridays because they knew my daughter’s were bringing something lol. As this progressed, I would show up to family gatherings and cookouts with treats. Everyone would be excited, things escalated in a good way as I started to take sweets to work for celebrations of co-workers. Read more>>

Amber Darsch

I started Color Me Well Graphics after spending lots of time in other printing and marketing companies and feeling like there were things I could do differently. I wanted to create a more positive atmosphere, better customer service and have the chance to see the design process from beginning to end. I wanted to create not only exceptional design work but also create marketing and promotional goods that benefit my clients so they can reach their own business goals and dreams. Read more>>

Jami Derby

Senorita Succulents started in the fall of 2020, as did many businesses. I never imagined myself starting a business, I guess I was always selling myself short not thinking I was creative enough to do so. My love for plants & succulents comes from my grandpa who has the nicest yard that he tends to everyday. Read more>>

Guillermina Ibanez

Chilakillers is born with the idea of bringing traditional mexican mercado food to Central Texas, I am always looking to bring the authentic flavors and we spend enormous amounts of time researching our ingredients to make sure that the flavor in our food transports our customers all the way to the little corner restaurant of the oldest mercado in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Read more>>

Michael Travis

The idea to write a book started stirring in my heart & soul back when I was 10 years old in 1972. My parents took my siblings and I on a cross country summer trip in our VW van for 45 days. My mom asked each of us to write a journal about the trip. I fell in love with road trips, and writing about people and places during that endless summer. Read more>>

Juaquan Herron

I was a comic book creator for 5 years, and I noticed there was no streamlined process to find markets, conventions and tradeshows to sell my comicbooks. It was also not convient and after working 12 hour days, I would just give up if the search wasn’t easy. I decided to change the narrative and help other small businesses. I was able to pitch to digital Sandbox and was granted 20k to create our MVP Read more>>

Diondra Filicetti

A year after graduating from the Creative School at Ryerson University in the heart of downtown Toronto, I found myself sitting in a grey cubicle, surrounded by miserable people and enclosed by grey walls. I kept getting told that things were going to get better and that systems were going to improve, but month after month, systems broke down, fingers were pointed and there was no sign of improvement on the horizon. Read more>>

Jordan Brigance

I started this endeavor in May of 2021 in order to help make ends meet for my family. Covid was still in full swing and money was tight so I decided to be resourceful and create a “side hustle.” My business started from selling small thrifted knickknacks on my Instagram account and developed into refurbishing furniture. Read more>>

Kayla Victor

I have been a full-time graphic designer since 2017, but my love for stationery started when I was a little girl. My parents used to actually buy me a box of printer paper and notebooks for Christmas every year. Ive always had a strong passion for good design and quality paper products but when I designed and planned my wedding – that is when I knew I wanted to share this passion with others. Read more>>

Adrienne Mays

I was working at an insurance company and I never got to see my child. I was a new mom and I worked 11am-7pm everyday. Often I had to work later than my schedule, so I would get home really late. Read more>>

Jaclyn Gil Serchuk

Miribel Naturals actually started as My Soigne back in March 2018. I knew I wanted to start a business – but always thought I needed to have an unimaginable amount of money or some crazy never-before-thought-of idea. That’s what I was always told. I didn’t have either, so I never thought I could do it. Read more>>

Hepston Henry

I have been cooking since I could reach the stove. Growing up in a West Indian household, you had to know how to cook! I cooked for my friends all the time and they always asked “what did you put on this?!” It was my family recipe. I started A Little Love Seasoning with the spice blend my mother makes to season pretty much everything we ate. Read more>>

Shirley Sullivan

I have always had a passion for health and wellness of all facets and children. I graduated from St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia with a Bachelor of Science in Food and Human Nutrition and continued my education virtually working on my Master’s Degree which is pending completion… Read more>>

Amber Marie

This is a great story So I have more then one Buisness I own a hairshow/expo called Talent Beyond The Chair I founded this show in 2017 and was inspired by my old business partner Rico Swain when I worked next to him in one of my first shops he introduced me to barber competitions he himself had thrown a few and me coming from cosmology had already been to a big hairshow at that time in my life Read more>>

Julian Robinson

I’ve been preaching the word of God for several years. I’ve also been a project manager for several years. However, one day I took a particular project management course, and one thing the instructor said stayed with me. He said, “if you really take in and get down what I teach you today, you can go out and make 6-figures tomorrow. Read more>>

Audrey Simons

A favorite childhood treat has always been chocolate dipped cones. Growing up, the only place to get them was Dairy Queen and if you got lucky, you’d find a location that also offered Cherry or Butterscotch dips. Read more>>

Ariell Johnson

I was desperately trying to figure out how I could venture into entrepreneurship and I remembered a business project I did in undergrad for a denim boutique. I decided at that moment that I would figure out a way to create an online boutique for women that was inclusive, sexy, chic and unapologetic thus Eleven 88 Boutique was born. Read more>>

Amber Woodruff

My brand (self-titled) // Struggling Butterfly was created from self-experiences and personal journeys. My Book is a memoir and full of conversations, prayers, and stories that led to me turning thirty. Read more>>

Sandra Brown

Every child has the potential to grow into something extraordinary. Every child we meet could be the next doctor that could cure cancer. After losing my dad suddenly to cancer in 2021, I would love for that child to give a family a chance of never feeling that pain but for them to become someone great. Kids need to be shown love, respect, support, and patience to grow into their full potential, which starts with us as parents. Read more>>

Sean Kim

Sean and his husband, Justin have been board game players even before they met. They liked how much variety there is in the world of board games, and they loved how much you get to know about others through playing board games in person. Read more>>

Bridget Truxillo

I left law enforcement partially because I didn’t know how to balance the bad I saw and experienced with my desire to live life from a place of positivity, not negativity. When I left law enforcement, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life because I had put all my eggs in the professional basket of being in federal law enforcement someday. Read more>>

Frank Sobczynski

I came up with the idea for Frank’s BBQ when I was in my early 20’s. Much like a lot of backyard BBQ folks, I started cooking meat over an open flame, grilling steaks, sausages, and chicken for friends and family. I was already working in a kitchen at that point in my life, so I thought to myself that one day I may own a restaurant. It was a concept that was always intriguing. Read more>>

Hector Casanova

Casanova Fish Tacos was born in March of 2009 after been laidoff from probation in December of 2008. This idea was born by accident.. you see, I used to do get togethers at my house during football season while in the department… but we got tired of the same food every weekend. Read more>>

Victor Manley

I honestly feel like the whole VaVichi Clothiers entity was a blessing sent directly to me and my team. It’s basically a culmination of a number of skills, experiences, and circumstances that lead up to the platform we have today. Over the years we have been able to combine technical talents on the creative and manufacturing side of things and years of business and international marketing experience building the foundation for the line. Read more>>

Jeneil Lawrence

I always say pastry is an introduced passion. I was a dish washer at Nobu57, in New York, when I was asked if I wanted a pastry position available. I have never said yes so quickly in my life! Being the only woman among men was just something I couldn’t get used to! I had never been on that side of the kitchen before and i mean literally hadn’t baked a thing in my life before then. Read more>>

Adrienne Chappell

Because of my own need to find natural remedies to treat my skin issues. Researching and studying Oils of the Bible, herbs and their natural healing benefits, lead me to soap making and mixing butters, creams and lotions using the oils and herbs I had learned about. I’m always happy to tell this story because this is a spiritual journey for me. Read more>>

Mekole Wells

I had gained a lot of weight over the yearsI had always had weight issues as a kid and as an adult. I had gotten up to 240 lbs a size 20 in 2002. I had been on fad diets, always wiggling between between 190 and 240. My self esteem was low and I saw I was allowing anything into my life, as far a relationships/ people/ circumstances etc. Read more>>

Ryan Malkin

I recently launched Set The Bar, a 50 state compliance app for the alcohol beverage industry. Set The Bar provides the most commonly asked rules and makes access affordable and easy to understand. This idea was several years in the making. I manage my own law practice, Malkin Law, focussed on serving the alcohol beverage industry. Read more>>