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.

Theresa Adams

My holiday gifts of apple butter to friends and family while in college took on new meaning when, as fate would have it, I married an Adams in 1992—and my apple butter became known as ‘Adams Apple’ Butter. Thousands of homemade jars and 20 years later, I founded Adams Apple Company and began the process of bringing the original Adams Apple Butter to market. Read more>>

Qing Lei

When I run out of Ideas, I often go online to see the latest design trends. At the same time, I will think about some social problems and some public welfare topics in my free time. This is a good way to exercise design thinking. Because while accepting commercial projects, we may be limited because of cost or other reasons. Read more>>

Phillip Young

January 1, 2016 the idea resonated of wanting to pursue becoming a business owner. However, in the very moment I didn’t know what it would be. After several months of praying and fasting asking God to show me my passion & gifts “he did just that”. On July 22, 2016 it came to past & was made official I started my Event Planning & Designing company. Read more>>

Emily K. Whiting

My heart throbs for other parents raising children with medical complexities. I know all too well what a lonely, scary and overwhelming journey it can be, from initial diagnostics to diagnosis, treatments and daily living with specialist appointments, durable medical equipment, lab work, testing, side effects, post-operative protocols, insurance, etc. Read more>>

Holly Carpenter

The idea of Carpenter Hospitality Consulting did not form overnight. It formed over months – maybe even years and morphed over time as I thought about it and formed an idea of what this dream company would be if I ever started it. Then in the fall of 2021 I saw the writing on the wall as I sat in meetings for the company I was the senior sales manager for the past 4 years and explaining to leadership why we needed sales managers. Read more>>

Susi Norman

So back in December 2014, the direct-selling jewelry company that I supported decided to close its doors. It came as a really huge shock as I truly thought I would be retiring from this company.  As I am someone who needs to figure things out quickly, I spent three days barely sleeping, doing research on perhaps another jewelry company I could support while doing that, I had a conversation with some ladies from my networking group. Read more>> 

Diana Castro

Since I can remember I have been fascinated by cameras, TV, and movies. When I was able to start working at 16 years old, I saved up money to buy a camcorder and a love story started with my vocation. When I got the chance to work for free for production companies, I just did it, and I was able to see and experience the film universe. It was my own version of Disney World. No matter how long the hours were, it made me feel alive. I loved it all. Read more>>

Jennifer Loehding

How did I come up with the idea for my business? Well, my official business name is Life by Design LLC. Under that name, I do business as a work/life strategist, a certified DreamBuilder Coach, an author, a creator, and a host of two podcasts, one of which is relaunching here soon. Most people who know me think all I do is my podcasts because I enjoy them a lot, and that’s all they see. However, all of my work centers around one core message. Read more>>

Jackie Morin

Wonderpuff cotton candy was born from sadness. I wanted to create Joy in a world as chaotic as ours. I’ve always wanted to be a business owner but never knew how to. I love sugar and disco balls and wanted to create my own colorful world that can be not only financially sustainable but what people would love to support. Many of us have been conditioned to silent our dreams and our desires. Read more>>

Rachel Hasley

We founded Divanyx in 2011 after getting married. I have a bachelors in Graphic Design that allows me to professionally edit photos. My husband realized that talent of mine and had the idea that we both could become photographers with the plan of offering unique editing services as well. I was excited about the opportunity given that I was new to the area (having moved from Jalisco, Mexico to Minnesota) and I was seeking a job (at the time, it was very hard for me to find a graphic designer job). Read more>>

Kelsey Brandon

Sixteen years ago, I began working in the service industry. I’ve always had a love for giving people the best experience possible. I achieved this by being intentional and anticipating anything they may need. I later left to try out the corporate world. I felt like I was missing something, but I did not want to get back into traditional bartending at a bar or restaurant. Read more>>

Maurice Brown

I went years and years getting friends and family travel deals. When it was time for someone to travel, they would call me. I’ll search and find them a deal and they would enjoy their travels. So one day I decided, I should be getting paid to do this! So I started my journey on being a certified travel agent. Started in 2021 and have more than $100,000 in travel sales. I still love helping others save money and hearing their travel stories when they return. Read more>>

Kevin Singleton

Before I started Yearning Wild Treats & Chews, I worked full time for a railroad. In order to live the lifestyle that I wanted for my family, I was working 2-3 overnight shifts (8-10 hours per shift) a week, in addition to my 40 hours a week during the day. All the extra time away from my wife and young kids was starting to take a toll on me. Read more>>

John Alexander

I’m a big believer that Love & passion will always lead the way! As cliché as that may sound to many. It’s truly the core foundation to all my business and success. Sticking to what I desire and know best has allowed me to work hard and achieve my goals. That approach remains the same till this day. “Find something you love and get so good at it where it does not even feel like a job.” Read more>>

Natalie Bazile

I came up with this idea when I couldn’t find anyone doing it in the Gainesville area. Growing up in Miami, every neighborhood had someone who made alcoholic daiquiris and/or nonalcoholic slushies. These drinks were colorful and full of candy; ultimately a fun and tasty drink. During phase one of the COVID-19 pandemic, I went looking for something similar. Read more>>

Terrance Watson

I first came up with the idea for my business, while organizing belts in my dresser drawer. I never had a location to keep them so I began to roll them up and sit them in my drawer. The only issue was, they would often unroll them selves, and my attempt to be neat was failing. Then one day I thought if my drawer had a recessed area for my belts to sit in, they would hold in place perfectly. From there, the concept was born. Read more>>

Stephanie & Janice

The idea for Coffee Socials started because we wanted to go beyond the analytical park of marketing. Although we’re well versed in all parts of marketing, we feel that the way you brand yourself visually is the most important thing. Working in corporate marketing, it was hard seeing bigger companies take that risk of putting more effort into their online presence. After years of being help back and tons of ideas shut down…it finally happened Read more>>

Asmaa Albadawi

During the summer of 2019, my husband (Safwan) and I visited Turkey for a couple of weeks. The plan was to have fun, go sightseeing, eat, and shop for LOTS of hijabs! (The hijab is the headscarf traditionally worn by Muslim women.) With Turkey being a majority-Muslim country, there was a prevalence of hijabs worn and sold everywhere there. Read more>>

Whitley Collins

I came up with the idea to open Whit Collins Studio after working in a chain salon for sometime. I wanted to specialize in services that we hadn’t offered or that wasn’t even a thought to do. In addition to that, I wanted to create a community for all people but in particular, people of color and a welcoming space for LGBTQ clients. Read more>>

Melanie Gnau

After my husband and I got married in 2012, we were looking at ways to save money. We were moving at the time and apartments were out of control expensive. I was looking online one night and came across a couple living in a Winnebago. It was inspiring and changed the trajectory of our lives. Soon after we bought an Airstream, remodeled it and lived in it for about four years. Read more>>

Kim Butler

A little over 10 years ago I found myself in a transitional season. I had quit my job a year earlier to go on the mission field. When I got back I was looking for potential opportunities and found myself freelancing as a business and project manager. During that time I got connected to a community of creative entrepreneurs in Atlanta, GA. Read more>>

Chelsea O’Leary

My grandmother, Grandma Trudy, first exemplified the value and beauty of home food preservation. She canned, pickled, and preserved the fruits and vegetables she grew and sourced throughout the spring, summer, and autumn seasons. She then turned those canned, pickled, and preserved fruits and vegetables into delicious, nourishing, and comforting dishes. I loved everything about her canned goods: the flavorful way they tasted, the colorful way they looked, and the sweet, wholesome way they completed her kitchen. Read more>>

Michaela McCall

In March 2020, I began dating my now husband, Ken. Ken is the last of a dying breed, a cowboy who represents the legacy of the American west. From the very beginning of our relationship, I was introduced to the lifestyle of a cowboy, the lifestyle that is the American west. I was still working in the cardiology office, but my passion for healthcare was diminishing with each day that I dated Ken. Read more>>

Anisha Vinjamuri

Know the Founder: I am Anisha Vinjamuri, the founder and CEO of UMMSKINCARE. The inspiration to build a body care and wellness brand that bridges the gap between internal wellness and external skin health stemmed from my journey of experiencing burnout while living life at a fast pace in the technology world. ⁠Read more>>

Shauna Worrell-Waldron

As a New Graduate Registered Nurse working in a new city, new state and in a new nursing specialty, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, I was very observant as I wanted to learn everything about this specialty. One night shift that I worked I noticed a patient I was taking care of had clothing in their drawer that their parents brought from home. Read more>>

Jaime Berkes

Doing hair for 27 years I suffered from joint pain in my hands and tennis elbow pain that was going to end my career. I turned to collagen to fix it but the problem was none of them worked. The reason why was because they were all filled with chemicals and preservatives that are harmful to your health. That’s when I knew I had to create my own collagen without any fillers in it. Read more>>

Portia Gray

I always had a vision of having my own preschool once I lost my son. I wanted to provide a loving, nurturing, educating experience that embraced all abilities and skill levels. As I began my teaching career I was thrilled to bring in new ideas and approaches to the learning environment, but I was often hit with mandated ways of how things were to be done and my ideas weren’t embraced. Read more>>

Lauren Sadler

Operating your own business and working for yourself was the normal for me growing up. My dad and mom started a computer store right before the internet boom. It wasn’t uncommon for my father to have to go to the store at the wee hours of the night because “the servers were down.” Read more>>

Victoria Segovia

Starting a photography business is actually something that I dreamed of doing much later in life! I remember flipping through magazines as a child and being so inspired by the photographs on those pages. I tried my best to recreate the photos with family and friends, watched hours of educational content on Youtube and had fun with the art of self-portraiture. Read more>>

Cassie Erickson

In 2006 I opened a doggy daycare, boarding and training facility. I opened my store in the same shopping complex as a pet store so in order to not compete, I had to make everything I sold in my store. Because of this I started baking dog treats, making collars and leashes and painting pet portraits to have more to offer my clients. Everything was a hit with my clients. In 2009 I decided I needed to close my shop. I had to have some serious knee surgeries and I was having a very hard time healing because of how active I needed to be. I also had a baby 10 months prior. So December 2009 I closed. Read more>>

Lauren Randolph

In early 2020, my sister-in-law and I found ourselves at the kitchen table discussing the impact that George Floyd and the BLM movement had on us. This led to a discussion of how we could take action. We both wanted to make a more conscious effort to buy from Black-owned businesses. The more we talked and shared the more we longed for an easier way to buy Black. Read more>>

Candace Holmes

Our very first goal, and the one still integral to our business, was to make crafting more accessible. There are 3 founders, and all of us are makers and artists. At the beginning of the pandemic, we saw how many people got into new crafts or reinvigorated their interests in different artistic mediums (us included!)This got us thinking about the obstacles that typically keep people away from pursuing those hobbies or new professional mediums, when it’s clear a lot of people enjoy crafting and want to do them. Read more>>

CARLA DURAN

My middle brother Cesar has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and in this particular business venture, he wanted to develop something the whole family could be involved with. Being that our family in Sinaloa, Mexico has a deep history in sugarcane farming- plants have been special to us our whole lives. Our backyard is full of citrus trees, herbs, cacti, roses and many other plants. Gardening has always been a special family pastime so opening up a plant store was a very organic move. Read more>>

Jessica Lauren Kent

Growing up I had always been interested in photography. I started with a little Canon point and shoot when I was about 10, taking photos of everything I came across. Once I got into high school I discovered alternative film cameras (like the Holga and Diana cameras) and loved playing around with those and seeing the crazy results. Read more>>

Keesha Oldham

In 2015 I worked on the Oil Rigs as a Chef Manager. I was in charge of most of the cooking. So everytime I would do a hitch, I’ll always put an array of seasonings and spices in a bowl and mix. Well fast forward to the end of 2019, I thought about the time on the Oil Rigs and was wondering about that seasoning. So I let a friend know and they told me to pray on it and ask God to bring the ingredients back to me. Read more>>

Kendrick Johnson

Kenzthebenz LLC , was founded and created in 2021 to help redefine & reinstall confidence & self love . While in a dark place myself battling with my weight and confidence I found love In dance . It was something that I could connect to and feel free . I begin to also work on my weight and health so I got a full membership at the gym . Read more>>

Naquita Gary

So Tinkerjewels wasn’t my first jewlery business. I had a business before called SimplyCharming where I created custom charm bracelets. It was a flop because I was running the business with an Ex and complications arised with it. So I decided maybe running a jewlery business isn’t for me anymore. I meet my now husband in 2018. Conversations were always about dreams and goals. Read more>>

DeJonna Williams

Growing up I was in theater. When I really young I was always in church plays, and had great parts in school plays. I went on to high school and continued in theater. Once I became an adult after having children, I wanted to start in film production. I started out as a production assistant and worked my way up from there. It has always been my dream work on one film set. I guess you can say it was on my bucket list. But here I am almost 10 years later. Read more>>

Amber Henderson-Stevens

I’ve always had a passion for food, especially being in the kitchen and preparing food for my loved ones. even as a child growing up and spending summers in my grandmother‘s kitchen, I didn’t want to be outside playing with my other cousins. I wanted to be in the kitchen with my grandmother watching her as she prepared, southern dishes and desserts specifically peach cobbler. Read more>>

Gina Nuber

It wasn’t my life long goal to become a small business owner. I earned my degree in Forensic Anthropology from Lee University in 2020, and also brought my son into the world the same year. So, my life in academia was put on hold and instead of pursuing graduate school immediately, I wanted to be present with my son. Read more>>

Dany Armendariz

Just like many others, I was affected by the pandemic and lost my job at Disney. It was heartbreaking. That’s when I started baking again which has always been a hobby I loved and started making cakesicles. Encouraged by family and friends, I began selling cakesicles. Little did I know, I had a business in my hands. With the support of my husband, Enmanuel, I made the exciting decision to turn my passion into a business and continue to create magic in a different way; baking and creating delicious sweets for all your special occasions. Read more>>

Aremintto Morris

I am a mother of three and a wife thats takes care of her family. My daughter started to developed very dry scalp and eczema in her scalp. I tried many products but nothing helped, just temporarily stopped the dry spots but never solving the issues. Her hair will be super dry and itchy, i knew i had to do something. We are a holistic natural remedies family, so I knew i didn’t want to use chemicals in her hair. Read more>>

Trevor Williams

Tell us the story of how you came up with the idea for your business.I came up with the idea of Righteous Relentless; it started when my wife was asking me what I wanted for my birthday, and I wanted clothes, but I didn’t find anything that I wanted, and I started to think if I had a clothing brand, what would I create, and the more I thought about it I started searching different concepts, Read more>>

Paolo Salamone

PAOLO SALAMONE Designer & Founder Paolo’s style is Classic & Modern. He was trained by Master Jeweler Ezio Oliverio in the Italian traditional style and grace. Oliverio took Paolo under his wing, sharing his passion for jewelry design as well as his philosophy on quality craftsmanship. Read more>>

Geoff Habiger

The idea for starting our publishing company came from a desire to tell one particular story – the adoption of three girls from Ukraine, my sisters. My parents completed the adoption in 1997 and my step-mother wrote about the effort, tribulations, and joy of that process. This was the early 2000’s and self-publishing, as we know it today, really didn’t exist. Read more>>

Jodi-Kay Edwards

Alignment Is The New Hustle was born out of necessity. A previous breakup took my anxiety from average to extreme, which (at the time I couldn’t see that) was a major blessing. From that anxiety I learned to self soothe, heal and cope. I learned the importance of knowing oneself and listening to that inner voice that’s there to guide us if we let it. Read more>>

Jason Fossee

It all began around 2012. A bunch of chefs and restaurant folks hanging out on Mondays. (the weekend in the restaurant business.) After working for years together making crazy specials a kitchen manager said “Jason, it’s like there is a 600-pound fat kid lives inside you!” So Jason’s nickname became Fat Kid. Read more>>

Jhazzy Wolf

When I first started doing music I would go to a lot of open Mics in San Diego California. It’s what Ultimately got me into making music professionally. The vibe was out of this world! Being surrounded by other artists was the most amazing experience. And I always thought that we needed one in my own city Denver Colorado. FlashForward a few years I was finally able to put this idea into motion. We are now in our second year of Wolf Wednesday Open Mic Read more>>