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.

Caroline Creidenberg

I first started Wedfuly back in 2017, my senior year of college while studying computer science. I was searching for a more female-dominated industry where I could flex my software engineering skillset while surrounded by a culture that I felt at home in. Initially, The wedding industry was and still is very female dominated so I started to look for a job at an existing wedding-tech company, but quickly realized there weren’t a ton of companies that gracefully merged the tech side and wedding side. Read more>>

Leon & Britt Rohrbaugh

We started out in 2004 flipping real estate after I was done being an electrician and Britt wanted a career change from being a child care provider. We honed our skills and up-ed our tool collection over a couple of years and flipped quite a few residential properties. After a few open houses, there were several people who didn’t want to purchase the property but did want us to make their kitchen or bathroom look like what we had remodeled, so we got a MN Contracor’s license and started a small remodeling company called Homeworks of Duluth, LLC. Read more>>

Galina Naguibine

I always wanted to have something of my own. In the beginning it was an idea of a bakery. I was in the baking business since I was 15 and worked in a variety of private bakeries, grocery store bakeries and baked elegant cakes to order for weddings and novelty cakes for birthdays. But after some time we realized that we wanted to live a healthier lifestyle and got into juicing, smoothies and anything that has a lot of vitamins and health benefits. Read more>>

Meech Da Shredda

A couple years ago I found myself watching WWE. I realize that wrestling is predetermined but people still watch it like it’s real. So I wanted to tap into that market with something that was real. Also in the city of Cleveland Ohio there is no real opportunities for artists who are up and coming to develop and grow their skills. So what I wanted to do was create opportunities where I didn’t have them when I wanted to be a artist. Read more>>

Victoria Monday

The inception of LadyVic Glamour Collection was an emotional and passion-driven journey born from the desire to solve my own beauty challenges. As a lover of fashion and beauty, I knew the impact a gorgeous hairstyle could have on a woman’s self-esteem. Read more>>

Debbie Todd

Through all my seasons of life, there has been a common theme. I tend to look for opportunities to make a difference and have a natural connection with others. Our short term vacation rental business is no different. Although this new season of life was not planned and has totally taken us outside our comfort zone, making a difference and connecting with others is at the forefront of our family owned business. Read more>>

Kelly Korver

Back when I attended college, I was dating my now husband and we discovered that we genuinely enjoyed working on projects together. I would design and he would encourage and plan and build. After a particular art class where I learned about the process of screen printing, we decided to create a few custom t-shirts as gifts for our family. Read more>>

Kimberly Thon

I started out paper crafting, making handmade greeting cards and invitations. I did it for a few years and honestly just didn’t see it going anywhere. I bought a used sewing machine from a garage sale and stated making small items to add to my booth for craft events. I wasnt happy with sales and I had a vision in and ran with it. My husband thought I was nuts. I took these dolls to an Art Fair and they sold really well and that’s what I’ve been doing for the last few years. Read more>>

Jamia Fields

I started Stoic Los Angeles (STOLA) in 2020. I had this idea for years of creating a business and I knew I wanted to start with high fashion streetwear. Fashion has always been my creative outlet off the soccer field, so I knew I wanted to create something in this space, but I also knew I wanted the brand to have a strong message. Read more>>

Miranda Rayne

I started competing in pageants at the age of 7. I always liked unique wardrobe, I never wanted to be wearing something someone else had so we’d find a something, a dress, romper, suite whatever but then we’d alter it making it unique to my style. Doing this I never ended up being caught wearing the same piece of clothing that someone else had. Read more>>

Amy Anderson Chen

Standing in line to check out at the shoe department at Nordstrom my mother looked at the artwork on the wall and whispered to me, “that’s what I used to draw as a kid.” Looking up, I glanced at the piece before turning back to her. “High heels. I used to draw them all over my school notebook. When I looked at pictures in the Sears catalog I used to wonder who was wearing these shoes and where they were going.” Read more>>

Liz Galvan

As a previous nurse, I worked with various ages and people with disabilities. I used to bring new boxes of crayons with coloring books and sheets with me to help my patients calm down, soothe, and oftentimes, break the ice. Unfortunately, regular crayons breaks easily from the hard grip, and even just by simply rolling off the table which certainly adds up after purchasing new boxes of crayons each week. Read more>>

Tiana Austin-Gardner

As my 2020 Mid-Pandemic Graduation was approaching, I knew it was time for me to start applying for a “real-world” job. I snagged a job as a CPS worker, because helping people was always my passion. After almost a year in this field, I yearned for a more creative outlet and I began to make charcuterie boards for fun. Being a person who doesn’t eat pork, it was extremely hard to find places to purchase stunning pork-free boards locally. Read more>>

Dustin Sixkiller

Iron Life has been a long journey for me, starting just before I was retired from the Navy after 13 years and 8 months of service. I wanted to create a Business that brought awareness to Veteran suicide, and make a difference in our community. Being a survivor of a suicide attempt in January of 2016, I know the path my friends are walking. I just want other Veterans with suicidal ideations that there is Hope, and just say “Not Today”, tomorrow is another day and we will battle on. “Always Forward” as I like to say. Read more>>

Cody Montgomery

So the story goes that I, Cody Montgomery, was living in rural Iowa on my families tree farm in a tiny off-the-grid cabin called the Danger Shack. One day I discovered that a mouse had chewed all these little holes through my t-shirt. At first I was mad, but then I was like “hey this actually pretty cool.” I washed the shirt and started wearing it all the time. I tried to make some more using scissors and stuff but none of the shirts had the same organic randomness to it that I loved. Read more>>

Simone Myrie Dawson

My journey with beauty started when I got my first job in the medical field in NYC. At the same time, I realized that I had super-sensitive skin — after 12 hrs shift I would go home with lots of redness and irritation on my face. That was really challenging for me. One day I got the idea to start my own skin-care brand. It was in March 2009. I always knew I wanted to create something, but I wasn’t really sure how until My daughter Drupassion Winterjoy had terrible eczema. Read more>>

James Turner

My first experience was behind the scenes. I was fortunate enough to get a job with one of the first Urban Fiction Publishing companies, Triple Crown Publications (TCP). At the time I was incarcerated serving a ten year sentence. Ms. Vickie Stringer the founder of TCP came into the institution as a guest speaker being that she had once been incarcerated and her publishing company was in the same city as the facility I was in. Read more>>

Laura Adrian

I’ve spent the majority of my life how to overcome adversity. In high school I experienced anxiety and depression. I was drawn to yoga because I simply felt better when I practiced. As with many of us, I’ve been following breadcrumbs since, learning new tools, philosophies, and practices as I go to deal with the waves of life. Read more>>

Angel Heard

In March 2020 the world had stopped. I was working full time as a Cosmetology & Esthetics Instructor. I remember getting a call from my boss that the country was shutting down and we need to let the students know and pack our things and leave the school immediately. I remember being so scared of what was going to come. I was so stressed and confused at that time. After a few weeks I started to really take time to dig into me. Read more>>

Tyrone Blassingame

Growing up in Philadelphia with a single mother of two taught me the importance of hard work and dedication. My love for creativity began when I was little kid. I used to watch wresting with my grandfather. Groups like NWO and D Generation X inspired me through entertainment. That’s where the bug for entertainment started within me. Fast forward years later as a young adult going into college I was a basketball player who played on scholarship at Division 2 CHEYNEY UNIVERSITY. Read more>>

Tahyira Arias

It was right after I had just finished up studying at university and I had researched a master’s thesis. I felt like my best accomplished self until the financial downturn that would be known as The Great Recession happened. I could not find a job paying $55K and I was 23 years old, white educated, with Black skin. Too many HR departments happily told me I didn’t fit in though I was score higher on assessment than employees who had been offered salaries. True, I did not fit in. Read more>>

Terrell Johnson

The name Just Love was birthed after attending a meeting in which the mayor and various organizations came together to discuss youth violence. The meeting was supposed to be a show of solidarity in which all at the table would come together and create a network of support while becoming a resource for the community. However, just the opposite happened whereas the organizations at the table were vying for opportunities for funding with the belief their approach was needed to help solve the problem. Read more>>

Martika Bell

I came up with the idea for Belle Swimwear in 2017 & there are a couple of reasons why I created my brand. I love fashion, but swimwear & intimates are near & dear to my heart. The goal of Belle Swimwear is to provide sexy, stylish & fun swimwear for women of all shapes & sizes. My mom was a plus sized woman who loved the beach just as much as me, however when it came to her swimwear options there were very few. Read more>>

Adesola Owolabi

A couple of years later after I relocated to the United States, I started thinking about my passion for creativity. I would take note about the different ideas that came to mind. Since I was in a place where material resources were readily available and I know I could afford to buy them. I wanted to do something that I will be able to incorporate my African heritage and cultural identity into and I also wanted to make this available to the people around the world. Read more>>

Michelle Lemke

I was an Au Pair myself for over two years. Au Pair is basically a international live-in nanny for a Host family. I was struggling once in while during my years about little and big things. Which store has which items, how do I get a cheap rental car? How do I make friends besides the Au Pairs that are in my area? Stuff like that. There is nothing, or someone out there who helps you with that. So I became that someone. I advice Au Pairs in the US. With my experience as a former Au Pair, Teacher and budget travel enthusiast I have all kinds of tricks, tips, hacks and advice. Read more>>

Jason and Hope Brown

In Summer of 2008, I was really frustrated with the job that I had working for a local PR agency. Owner wasn’t trusting her employees and it was a toxic work environment. So at that time, despite a down economy, I believed I could do this better on my own. So I decided to part ways with my existing employer and with no clients or revenue, I launched PublicCity PR in October 2008. I thought at the time I would be an effective solo public relations professional and help Michigan businesses build awareness of their services despite the current economic landscape. Read more>>

Roderick & Ramona Rodgers

Roderick & Ramona Luxury Home Essentials was borne out of an exciting time in our life yet was met during one of the most challenging times, the World was facing the unprecedented time of navigating through COVID. We had just purchased our home and was looking for home essentials, home accessories, linens, towels and furniture to put in our home. Read more>>

Jennifer Rose

Ever since childhood I remember frequent stomachaches and experiencing some food troubles. But it wasn’t until 2015 that I was finally diagnosed with an inflammatory bowel disease. After years of teaching myself to cook everything from scratch, from pastas and perogies to breads and pies, I then had to entirely change my diet to get the inflammation and disease under control. Read more>>

Isabella Fioretti Seelund

I used to be a full time nanny and always took my baby bunnies for the girls, that i was nanny for, to play with them during the day. They always had so much fun, so i thought why not make more kids happy with my pets. January 8th 2022 we did our 1st party, only bunnies. Everyone loved!!! Read more>>

Emily Atnip Becky Waibel

We dreamt of this business for many years before it actually happened! We even had our eyes and hearts set on the perfect little spot to have our bakery! It wasn’t possible because Emily moved to Texas after earning a degree in education to pursue her teaching career. Becky worked for Pioneer Catering at Martin Luther College in New Ulm for 25 years an has always had a passion for baking! Read more>>

Katelyn Moon

It was a year into the pandemic and I had been reading more and more the past couple of years. Instagram is one of the social media platforms I use the most. I had created an account for my dog and was having fun with that. I thought it would be fun to start a book account where I could share my love of books with the world, Read more>>

Shannon Duffy

I have always enjoyed creating things, but starting a business was never my original goal. I just liked tinkering around, making designs and seeing what I could come up with. I watched my maternal grandfather as he created amazing works of art from goose and ostrich eggs, or seashells he found while combing the beach. It was incredible to see the transformations of simple things into intricate objects right before my eyes. Read more>>

Nick Lee

I first came up with the idea the first day I walked into my current employer and was being shown the different areas in the business. Something spoke to me and I was like I can’t continue this, working for someone until I’m old enough to retire; been working since I’ve been 16 and I was 40 at the time. Although I wasn’t sure on what it was I actually wanted to do. I started the job, weeks were going back and several ideas/suggestions arose and I was pondering on but nothing I came up with felt really meaningful to me. Read more>>

Brandy Stone

The vision for Celestial Vista was created in bits and pieces and if I am being totally honest, its still sort of coming together. But from day one, the intention behind the space was very clear, and my husband and I allowed that intention to slowly take on a life of its own. I know that is super unconventional, and not the way most successful business owners would tell you to do it, but we both knew that if we could pace ourselves and allow things to unfold while continuing to move forward, we could create something truly amazing. Read more>>

Jermaine West

It all started out as a joke on my 35th birthday saying it’s all about D’ME today. Friends and family started laughing and making fun of me. I kept saying it over and over and then I realized I got something. So I created my first shirt in 2019 with D’ME and eyes on it in the middle. I wasn’t sure what to call my brand at the time. When I began wearing it often times people would ask me if my shirt says D’OOME. I would say NO but I kept hearing it over and over. I fell in love with the idea ,so I was like this is it and the rest was history. Read more>>

Cricket Azima

I founded The Creative Kitchen as a kids cooking school that taught healthful recipes, focusing on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. We hosted huge festivals (Kids Foo Festival) teaching families how to eat a balanced diet, through fun and engaging activities. Read more>>

Kimberly Artley

“Here, please review and sign these papers,” said the Animal Control officer.The pen started shaking in my hand. I couldn’t. I… I just couldn’t do it. It dropped on the clipboard and my body started convulsing. I turned away, falling back into the wall and sliding down, sobbing uncontrollably. How. How did it come to this?!? What could I have done differently?!? Why, God, WHY?!? Read more>>

Gail Gerbig

Eat Drink Find Beauty was launched in the summer of 2021 and I’m now considered a trusted Content Creator in the Tampa Bay area. My husband and I were visiting family in Naples and I shared a photo album of all our adventures together. His sister, an interior designer, was so impressed. She strongly encouraged that I consider starting a professional instagram account to highlight these photos and photography as a business. Read more>>

Adam Pusateri

The idea originated from wanting to make an elevated sandwich shop as our first impression in Annapolis, which then led to the idea of making all of our own bread for the sandwiches which then lead into baking other items besides bread and alas we land at InGrano Bistro Bakery! I couldn’t decide which ethnicity I really wanted to highlight having an Italian background, a Greek partner, and being trained culinarily in classical French so we decided in using a Latin name that could cover all of the basis and any inspirations that we had. Read more>>

TORRENCE MACK

Fortuitously, a transformative encounter occurred at a Best Buy store. A senior citizen was struggling with her smartphone, and I volunteered to assist her. Spending about 30 minutes helping her, left a lasting impact on both of us. She suggested that I should consider helping seniors with technology as a profession. This simple suggestion sparked an idea and set me on a new mission. Read more>>

Nakia Moody

Reciprocated waters came into reality after I started suffering from some personal health issues I faced in my life. I realized I was fatigued and had black rings around my eyes. I was weak to the point I couldn’t drive my children to school or daycare. I knew something was wrong but I pushed myself to do what I had to do as a single parent. Read more>>

Bobbie Abdallah

After I left the corporate world, I started the first mobile doggie daycare service in Denver Colorado to fulfill my lifelong passion for dogs. Unfortunately, due to 9/11 and the ensuing economic fallout, I was forced to close the business. But the seed was planted for my next business due to all the time I spent educating dog owners about their furry best friends! In fact, I spent more time with THEM than their dogs! Read more>>

Brooke Kelbaugh

In the beginning of 2020, like the majority of people, I found myself furloughed from my job. I was working at the Four Seasons in downtown Baltimore as a pastry intern for about 6 months. I’ve always found myself working in the hospitality and food industry, whether it be bartending, waitressing, or even cooking on the line at a private country club. When COVID hit, it really took a toll on my mental health. Read more>>

Charlette Jones

The idea for my books came about while I was doing research. I was trying to create a more obscure children’s alphabet book, but I discovered that those already existed. But while doing my research I found out that many adults could not read or read at or below an eighth-grade level, over 100 million adults in America struggle with reading. Read more>>