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.

Morgan Saoirse

Myself and the other Co-Founder, Corey Matayabas, are both musicians with a combined total of 19 years of experience. We saw other booking companies putting on shows for us and our friends that were paying them completely disproportionate payouts compared to what was being made. Read more>>

Taylor Logue

I was working full time in mental healthcare, and just wanted to make extra money, so I started doing social media management for businesses that were already in my circle of people. Read more>>

Megan Moon

In some ways, I have been building Reclamation Psychotherapy piece by piece my whole life. I grew up in rural Texas as a poor queer undiagnosed nuerodivergent kid. Read more>>

Fatima Mohemedhen Louly

My name is Fatima. I was born and raised in Mauritania, a country located in West North Africa. I had a happy childhood surrounded by a culturally rich environment. Read more>>

Ta’naya Miller

The Shari Foundation was founded by Amire, Ta’naya and Craig Miller in honor of our mother Shari Miller who passed away from cervical cancer at the age of 28 in 2014. Read more>>

Llewelyn THomas

The idea for Buddha Beauty Skincare was born from a fusion of personal passion, a deep appreciation for natural wellness, and a desire to offer something unique in the beauty industry. Back in 2011 there were not many fully vegan professional skincare brands. Read more>>

Stacie Shifflett

Tell us the story of how you came up with the idea for your business? Paint the picture for us so we really understand the context, circumstances, the emotions etc. Read more>>

Parker Johnson

I like to search Instagram for what other creatives are making and how I can replicate it. Watching videos also helps me. I’m a big fan of music so anytime I’m shooting or editing, I’m always listening to some sort of music. Looking at my past work is also helpful for me to know what I have and haven’t shot. Read more>>

Shana Romia

After taking a long break from my engineering career to raise my kids and enjoy their childhood, I found myself longing to return to work. However, the idea of going back to a traditional job with limited creativity and freedom did not appeal to me. Read more>>

Kaquana M. Ware

My name is Kaquana Ware and I am the CEO and Founder of Beauty by K and Phenomenal Girl Inc!!! In December 2011 I became visually impaired (Legally blind) I was depressed, scared and uncertain about my future. Read more>>

Severine Rigaud

I am an artist with a lifelong passion for drawing, painting, and creating. Despite managing two other businesses, I always find time to escape into my art, often late at night or on rainy days. Read more>>

Talyn Fiore

Ideas belong to the world. If you don’t act upon an idea, the universe will give it to someone else, until someone makes it manifest. I recently published a book called Waking Up: An Ode to Alchemy. Read more>>

Lydia Jean

The idea for Lydia Jean & Co started when I was planning my wedding earlier in 2023. I had decided on a small, intimate celebration with our closest family and friends. Read more>>

Nina Sodji

By being in the cooking business for over 20 years, I have tried a different approach to solving the need of my community for an African restaurant. Read more>>

Traneycia

Honestly, I wasn’t anticipating starting an online business when I got the idea. I was more so planning for the future. I have wanted to share my baking with people since I was about 10 years old. Read more>>

Acetra Russell

The idea for Moving Mountain Ministries came to me during one of the darkest periods of my life. The catalyst for this journey was the devastating loss of my daughter. Read more>>

Mark Talley

The idea for Agents For Advocacy was born out of one of the darkest moments of my life. On May 14, 2022, my mother was tragically taken from me in a horrific act of racial violence at a Tops grocery store in Buffalo, New York. Read more>>

Stone Abdullah

Well, first off, I appreciate you guys inviting me to this interview. It means a lot. Second, I had no idea whether or not my idea to create a business purely based on science fiction alien romance novels would work. Read more>>

Shauntelle Harding

My heart has always been for people. After going through much struggle and heartache as a child/teenager it made me all the more determined to help others feel safe & empowered so this has been my drive. Read more>>

Ryan Seeloff

I had the idea for Destination Brevard for a couple years prior to starting it, while I was a photographer for our local newspaper Florida Today. Read more>>

Karen Fitzgerald

I knew from a young age that I would be an artist. During undergraduate school, I had some wonderful examples around me. Classes were challenging in the best possible way, and many things were gleaned outside of the school setting. Read more>>  

Emma Ezzell

I have always loved doing research on ‘things to do’ and ‘places to eat’ when traveling to find hidden gems and local favorites. I loved to capture the food I would eat, the aesthetics, and the landscape of the places I traveled. Read more>>

Jessica Folmar

As a busy mom juggling work, raising a family, attending sports events, and managing a household, I found myself perpetually drowning in laundry. Read more>>

Jacob Perez

I was working as a sous chef at Yellowstone Club in Montana. The restaurant was open for dinner service only so I’d work afternoon through dinner service. Read more>>

Sophia Cochran

My passion for hair has always been there, growing up I would get my little brother and sit him at my vanity and do his hair and make-up and dress him up, at least as long as he tolerated it. Read more>>