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.

Natalie Grubb

Cooking and baking, as an artist, has always been another creative outlet for me. I want my food to not only taste good but be visually pleasing. I started baking box mixes when I was young and would divvy the cakes up with decoration. Read more>>

Lealem Mulugeta

My story really begins with the dreams that consumed me while growing up in Ethiopia surrounded by poverty, illness, and civil unrest. I was consumed by visions of moving to North America where my family and I would be free to pursue our dreams. Read more>>

Korinne Provoast

To start, we love Elderberry, and it has been a blessing since we introduced it into our lives over a decade ago during the H1N1 Swine Flu epidemic. Due to the massive outbreak, for the first time, we were convinced to get the flu shot. Read more>>

Brittney Brown

I’ve always been a jewelry lover. My late grandmother and aunt used to always give me timeless pieces that I still cherish to this day. It’s funny when I reflect back on how influential those moments of my life with my family were because they really shaped me into the passionate and creative person that I am today. Read more>>

Mariam Ghouri

I have always had the passion for all things education. Teaching always came to me so naturally. I initially started offering private tutoring sessions in my highschool days and continued to do so well beyond college. Read more>>

Amy Collette

Actually, new clients came up with the idea for my business! I was still working a corporate job when I wrote my first book, The Gratitude Connection. Read more>>

Amy Cottrill

I grew up as the only vegetarian-vegan I knew, for most of my childhood years. In high school, I started an Eco Club (environmental), and began organizing vegan luncheons for school staff. Read more>>

Serene Augustain

The year of 2020 was one that many will not forget, as it was the time that covid had shut out people and businesses from the outside world. At the time, I was finishing my Junior year at California State University East Bay in Hayward, California. Read more>>

Dave Oates

Ten years ago, while I knew others who offered crisis communications as a service, I didn’t believe that enough organizations existed who wanted or needed this service. Read more>>

Nicole Peredo

As art is our family passion and business, back in 2019 we – myself and my mom – were already working teaching kids and adults fine arts like painting and drawing. Read more>>

Leah Tavares

Early in the pandemic I saw how so many people were struggling from sickness, from job losses, being stuck at home, and more tragic events. I was trying to figure out a way to serve the community that I could still handle/manage through a quarantine; with a big dream to serve a community further away from home in Boston. Read more>>

Nikki Huebner

After “ENDURING” the loss of my second child, my daughter Chyler, at only 18 months old, I finally picked myself up to try and face the world again. I wanted to feel pretty on the outside even though my anxiety and PTSD were truly wrecking me on the inside. Read more>>

Josue Rivas

I found myself launching a hot sauce business during the 2020 pandemic. I was working in IT as an engineer at the time, but had previously have been a chef in earlier years. Read more>>

Alyssa Chamberlin

My educational background is in Psychology and Professional Counseling, and for most of my career throughout my 20s, I was a full time event planner. Fast forward to early 2020… Read more>>

Jennifer Atkison

I am a childhood bone cancer survivor, a mom and wife. I suffer from chronic pain due to many surgeries and long term side effects of chemo. I am on disability, but wanted to do something to help with finances, so I started doing home parties and DS sales. Read more>>

Tiffany Phillips

I truly believe The Lord gives us gifts and calls us to use them to help others. Each of us have unique talents, and the power to serve others with them. The road to Simply Tiff’s has been just that; it is a culmination of education and family needs, and now we have the distinct honor of providing our customers with products to naturally heal and maintain their health. Read more>>

Ebony Baker

In the year of 2014, our friendship developed in college over an intense game of hide and seek. As complete strangers we realized that to be triumphant our odds were better together. Read more>>

Cache Harris

In the heart of my journey towards entrepreneurship lies a sincere desire to celebrate and enhance the inherent beauty within every woman. Caches, the embodiment of this passion, was born from a vision where women not only look good but also feel a profound sense of confidence and self-love, irrespective of their attire. Read more>>

Remy Zurita

I have a background in hospitality. I worked as a concierge in luxury hotels in Paris until I moved to California in 2014. When I first moved to California, I worked in restaurants. Read more>>

Lauren Price

Like any other kid, I loved to have fun. I enjoyed swimming, riding my bike, playing games on my home computer, and taking pictures with a polaroid camera. In 2002 my grandfather passed away when I was 10 years old. Read more>>

Randy McDonald

Honestly, this was not even on my radar. This started as an idea for my best friend who at the time was my hair stylist. He needed to find a new profession or have hand surgery. I always remarked to him that he should go into fashion and style people. Read more>>

Maya Sol Dansie

In my own lived experience as a 1st generation, Spanish-speaking Mujer in Boulder County, I experienced a huge gap in services, visibility, and experiences that were relevant to my identity. Read more>>

Courtney Pittman

In 2015 I moved from Austin to San Francisco and started getting homesick. I missed Texas so much – specifically the hill country and West Texas. From the music to the smokey smells – Texas was on my mind constantly. Read more>>

AFUGA COFFEE- Alin & Roee Erenshteyn

The idea for our business started from a combination of passion, courage and our love for coffee and people. Afuga Coffee is a local Austin Coffee Shop, serving high quality coffee and combining community-building and hospitality. Read more>>

Cathy Harkless

Yhtack in Stitches was launched to capture memories by providing distinctively branded crochet and embroidery. In the needle arts world our team, creates vibrantly textured, distinctive products for each client. Read more>>

Ashley Parris

Creativity is something that continues to invade my world, my senses, my environment and my inspiration. I am constantly surrounded by opportunities to allow my creativity to flourish so inevitably, a few years ago, another opportunity was presented to me to create. Read more>>

Kristin Johnston

A profoundly spiritual, life altering experience with plant medicine in 2012 was the catalyst for what eventually grew into a mission for helping people expand their mind, reclaim their power, and transform their lives. Read more>>

Sarah Colomé

I’ve spent nearly fifteen years working for social change as a survivor advocate, capacity builder, trainer, researcher, and educator that centers the needs and experiences of marginalized populations while empowering healthy communities. Read more>>

Jeremy & Rashika Craft

It all started while Rashika, with her at-home bakery Sweetie Sweets, and I, Jeremy, working in the corporate world as a Civil Engineer, were riding in the car, and a radio advertisement came on highlighting a Black Owned Business during Black Restaurant Week. Read more>>

Jason P. Rothberg

I arrived in Ireland on a dark, rainy-day in Feb 2018… Los Angeles had become a hostile and at times scary place to be. Unlike the LA I was born in, the division between hate and love, have and have not was deep and continuing to divide. Read more>>

Karlie Waldrip

I was born deaf, my parents found out that I hearing loss at 10 months old. I received my first pair of hearing aids at a year old. Growing up took a village, I have wonderful parents and a younger sister who played a huge role in where I am today. Read more>>

Christian Cabney

I have been a strong craft beer lover for years. There is something different with a high-quality brew crafted locally that tells a different story. Over time, I’ve learned what each beer type should taste like, how is it brewed, and what to expect. Read more>>

Tiffany Galchutt

In Dallas there are a lot of tribute bands and I’ve always admired them and wanted to start my own tribute band. But I wanted to do something different. There are a lot of bands that tribute to the same artists. Read more>>

D’Angelo Walker

Hello my name is D’Angelo “Coach D’Lo” Walker and I am the CEO of Motivative Fitness 49 LLC. I came up with the idea to become a personal trainer after hiring one myself and realizing the importance of having a positive coach in your corner during your fitness journey. Read more>>