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.
Jennifer Cheek
The Jen Cheek Luxury Hair Extension Salon was conceived over a decade ago, but it precedes my career as a cosmetologist. I fell in love with hair when I was a little girl. I’ve always been fascinated with texture, instead of Barbie, it was extensions! When I consider the beginnings of my idea for creating an extension salon it was for the purpose of solving a problem. Alopecia, thinning and balding runs through my bloodline. The women in my family have struggled with finding a way to feel confident in their natural hair, and many of the methods for adding extensions led to additional health concerns like psoriasis of the scalp alongside hair loss. When I began doing extensions, it was to create wigs for myself, as I walked through a long but necessary journey of eliminating extension methods that caused tension alopecia in my scalp. Read more>>
Josh Separzadeh
It all began with a conversation over a glass of wine, as many great ideas often do. My partner and I were discussing the complexities of the wine industry, the age-old rituals of trading rare wines, and the need for transparency and authenticity. The more we delved into this, the more we realized how archaic the system was – witnesses, signatures, provenance; it all sounded like something from a different era. Read more>>
Emily Olson
When I opened up the tattoo shop in 2018, I was originally looking for a private studio for only myself. I had been in shops previously that weren’t working out any longer, and decided I would like to be on my own, Acquiring my building was the first step, it was a lot bigger than I had originally been looking for but all the pieces aligned perfectly and I had to have it, Shortly after opening, my now coworker Sarah had reached out and asked if I had room for another artist since she was also unhappy at her current shop, I had the room and she moved on over. Read more>>
Dorothy Chou
The inception of my business took root in the simplest of actions: crafting gifts for friends. As a student at an art school majoring in architecture, the crux of our learning wasn’t just theoretical. It was hands-on, steeped in a culture of creating, innovating, and constantly refining our ideas under the guidance of mentors. This foundation taught me the art of self-reliance. I nurtured my skills by proactively seeking knowledge—whether it be through Google, books, online tutorials, or attending various workshops. Read more>>
Robbin Turner
In 2014, driven by a deep desire to find natural solutions for her husband’s and son’s eczema, I began a captivating journey of discovery. Determined to avoid the perils of slathering their skin with steroid creams, an alternative path beckoned me. I thought about all the times my grandmother made homemade remedies. I immersed myself in books about African herbalism, ancient Egyptian aromatherapy, Southern folk herbalism, and modern-day herbalism. Read more>>
Malcome Childs
The way I came up with the idea was from doing daiquiri tours with my wife. We love going to daiquiri shops and playing the games. One day we were walking in the park together like we normally do, and we were talking about business ideas. I told her the last time we went in the daiquiri shop, the guy took our order and made the drinks within 2 minutes. I said to myself, he just made almost $20 in 2 minutes. I asked my wife if she like the idea, and she loved the idea. After I did the math, and I seen the profit margins, I knew all I had to do is get the people to come in. My goal was to make a daiquiri shop filled with things I would love to do when I go in a daiquiri shop. Read more>>
Thi Rex
Back in 2010, In the nightlife scene of Dallas, there was a notable absence of female Asian DJs. Determined to break new ground, I recognized my profound love for music and my extensive involvement as a consumer in the nightlife industry, motivating me to become a part of it. Read more>>
Helen Taylor
The following are all worthwhile endeavors, I can’t pick one. The idea come to me to fill a void in our underserved urban community. While I had the means (car) to bring our son Chase to different social programs, I knew others did not have this same opportunity. Due to my volunteer involvement in the community, I knew there was a serious void of services for teens to young adults on the autism spectrum in our urban community. Why did I as a mother, wife and full time employee start the Social Chase, it’s simple…happiness. Our son Chase who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3.5 years old is my inspiration to make a difference in the world. Trying to find social activities was a challenge. Read more>>
Savitha Ganesan
Basically I am a foodie . Would love to try new recipes . I cook, lot of dishes at home . I love to explore new avenues. When I came to this country , as an immigrant, I was so fascinated to see the oven, in my apartment. I started playing it , with new recipes. I started to read , lot of articles, about baking . When we see our hard work puffing up inside the oven, it feels so good. It gives us some kind of satisfaction. My friend and I baked a cake and decorated with store bought “cool whip” , for my husband’s birthday in 2009 . That was the first time I baked a cake . It was a pretty decent cake. Seeing the happiness in our loved one’s face, inspired me to take this profession seriously . From then, I started baking for my family and friends. Read more>>
Thelma Gutierrez Chandler
It was during a family and friends’ picnic at the neighborhood park in July 2020, that a family friend approached me and asked if I could take their daughter's senior photos. I was happy they trusted me to do it. However, my initial response was why me? They know that it is my passion to take photos of my kids and family. I am also a self-designated photographer during gatherings Read more>>