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.

Kayla & Maddie Hughes

We both have always been in search of a good deal and loved keeping up with the latest fashions. We both began thrifting our clothes a couple years ago and found that there were many amazing items that we were leaving behind because they weren’t our size or our style. From this Black Cat Thrift was born! Read more>>

Chris Fontanes

The idea really was pretty simple — I wanted to do theatre and at the time no one would hire me to do it (which is fair because no one knew me at the time) so I just did it myself. That’s probably where the DIY ethos of Bottle Alley came from. Read more>>

Krysteah Carroll

The idea for Design Method NC was born out of a passion for creating meaningful and visually stunning brand identities. After years of working in the dental field as well as marketing and design roles, I realized that many small to medium-sized businesses lacked the cohesive branding needed to truly stand out. Read more>>

Taylor Robbins

How I came up with my business was my support system. I was 22 when I started my business and at that time I was working as a makeup assistant to another hair and makeup artist. I was so happy that I was doing makeup and getting paid for it! Read more>>

Angeline Brunk

A little over two years ago, I left a 13-year career in couture formal wear design, feeling it was time to embark on my next journey, though I wasn’t sure what that would be. I took a leap of faith, sold everything I owned, followed my heart, and moved to Italy. Read more>>

Julia Kepler

I want to talk a bit about how Joyful Tantrum(A Toy Store) came about. I am a spiritual person and one morning I was praying and then pondering how I could better serve my community. I went about my day and as clear as I am typing this here a thought came to my mind that we needed to open a toy store. Read more>>

Camille Brady Buckingham Buckingham

My sister and I were born and raised in Hawaii as competitive surfers. As surfers and athletes we always saw a gap in the marketplace for swimwear that actually stayed on while you were performing your sport. We knew if we could start a brand that bridged the gap between fashion and function we would be successful. Read more>>

Bryan Caviness

To be honest both my ideas the music business and my lawncare has been done before growing up on the block of morningside west of i35 in fort Worth Texas After a while I had to give up that street life and put it behind me so I left in 2017 moved out to Waco where my mom’s was staying about 3 months later I’m out there in open fields watching the sun go down then it hit me I grabbed a pen Read more>>

Amanda Moody

I started Manda Bakes in 2018 as a way to create beautiful and delicious cakes for friends and family. I am originally from San Diego, but once I moved up to Santa Clarita and started making friends with other parents at my children’s school, things really picked up. Read more>>

Julio Martinez-Clark

My brother Pedro is a Harvard-trained interventional cardiologist. Pedro was advising several medical device startup with the clinical development of their innovations. That included, helping them with their clinical trials. Pedro was working with investigators in Latin America. Read more>>

Jasmine Joseph

The idea for my business, PetalsOfAWoman, blossomed from a simple yet powerful desire to make women feel beautiful. I started by crafting earrings, each piece a small token of empowerment for women around the world. As I delved deeper into this creative endeavor, I began networking and meeting incredible women, each with her own unique story and journey. Read more>>

Lillian Hewitt

It all began on an ordinary morning, a day that was supposed to be like any other. The words “Black Women’s Heart Health” echoed in my mind as if they had been there all along, waiting for me to notice. This moment felt different, almost like a calling—a spark of inspiration that ignited a fire within me. Read more>>

Alan S Questel

Two things really influenced writing my book, Practice Intentional Acts of Kindness…and Like Yourself More. The first came out of a workshop I was creating about self-image. I began to think that our self-image was a reflection of how much we like ourselves or don’t like ourselves. Read more>>

Molly Cherry

I was a new boudoir photographer (but not new to photography) in 2021 and decided to join a TFP (trade for photos) shoot group in my town so I could get some much needed content and practice for my portfolio. I showed up on a very hot day so clothing was minimal and I had been asked to model. Read more>>

Angela Arevalo Smith

The story of how I came up with the idea for Baan De Sol is deeply personal and rooted in my life experiences, passions, and my multi-ethnic family heritage. After several years in the healthcare industry, where I last held an operations management role, I decided to take a step back to focus on motherhood. Read more>>

Rebecca Coppage

This past winter, one of my best friends, Meredith, was telling me that her daughter Lily wanted to get her ears pierced. Lily is 8 years old. Meredith didn’t want to take her to Claire’s or a store in the mall. She also didn’t really want to take Lily to a piercing parlor. I offered to pierce Lily’s ears. Read more>>

Chef Raquel Oderbert-Hemphill

Chef RockieBree really started as just a thought in my head. I never thought that I’d be in this field of personal chef work due to the fact that before the pandemic, most personal or private chefs were gate keepers. I went to Johnson & Wales University in North Miami and some of the instructors there were private chefs but they would never tell us how to get personal chef jobs because, they felt like we’d take their clients away. Read more>>

Shapree’ Marshall

In 2021, I contracted the COVID-19 virus, leading to a hospitalization where I wasn’t expected to make it past the next five days due to underlying health conditions. As I lay in that hospital bed, I faced an overwhelming sense of doubt and fear. Was I a good person? A good mother? Did my family and friends know I loved them? These questions haunted me as I grappled with the uncertainty of my fate. Read more>>

Cathy Campo

The idea for The Hollywood Assistant emerged from a deep-seated frustration with the entertainment industry’s lack of accessibility. Having navigated this challenging landscape, I witnessed firsthand the countless individuals struggling to break in. Hundreds of aspiring professionals reached out for guidance, and I tried my best to speak with each one—but ultimately, Read more>>

Nylah Blanks

Unknownbeautycare came from me not having friends and always being alone. Also from me doing hair but people didn’t know I did hair nor new me. I made the name up while I was doing lipgloss, lipstick, lip oils but never use the name. So I use it for my hair business now!! Read more>>

Al-Rahim Burke

My first clothing brand Pro Sé Apparel was established in May of 2021. I started out with hats, t-Shirts and hoodies. Over the next year I managed to find manufacturers in Pakistan to produce my designs. In early 2022 I asked my contact in Pakistan could he make me some boxing gloves to workout with. Read more>>

Sammi Rivera

I can remember as far back as being 20 years old and living in Salt Lake City. I had always wanted to start my own coffee shop. When I had moved to Georgia about an hour south of Atlanta, I had purchased my first home and it was a very secluded area and the only option for coffee was Dunkin’ Donuts. Read more>>

Hayley Bookhammer

My entire life, I have thrived on creativity and independence. After having a baby two years ago, I found that with being a stay at home I had a lot of free time, but no true outlet. I had a dream one night that I was a National Geographic photographer and I woke up the next morning and bought my first camera. Read more>>

Zach Brophy

It all started when my athletic career got dismantled by a severe head injury. my athletic career was looking very good I was a varsity wrestler and football player by sophomore year. by the end of the year I was among the best in the state at both, making a huge name for my self. Read more>>

Wanda La Russa

Although I enjoyed my time teaching elementary school, I quickly realized I had an entrepreneurial spirit. This led me to retire from teaching and venture into the direct sales industry. As an independent consultant, I achieved significant success, leading nationwide teams, securing top sales, and earning numerous awards for my team-building skills. Read more>>

Ashley Johnson

I came up with the idea to open an online boutique because I truly love fashion. It’s something I’ve always been into. I love beauty, makeup, dressing! I use to sell shoes a while ago and stopped because me and my husband open a food truck. I just felt like something was missing with me although our food truck business is very successful! Read more>>

Y. Michelle Wilson -Merriwether

The inspiration for the birth of my latest venture, Mogul Mindset’s immersion into the world of extended reality technology in 2023, was a profound and deeply personal journey fueled by loss and propelled by a thirst for innovation and connection. Read more>>

Ben Morgan

The idea of Tanto Vodka was originally brought to us as a whiskey brand. Kris “Tanto” Paronto and I discussed doing a whiskey, but felt there were already several Veteran-owned whiskeys out there, and we didn’t want to do the same thing as everyone else. Read more>>

KC Clark

The idea for my agency, Legacy Creative, came one afternoon while I was driving with my oldest daughter, Caitlin. It was less of an idea and more of an invitation—as a person of faith, I pay attention to these moments—the invitation was clear,” I want you to start a company, call it Legacy Creative, and I want you to make space for your kids.” Read more>>

Panav Mhatre

I created this app because I was passionate about educating young people and the world in general about not just the human impact in the United States but around the world. Most people don’t think about the impact that climate change has on local people and people living around the world. Read more>>

Sarah Besse

Shela Sinelien and I met in 2016, while in graduate school for Early Childhood Education at Wheelock College. As educators in the public schools, we noticed that our preschool children felt most alive when engaging with the natural world and their local community. So we wanted to expand opportunities for nature-based education. Read more>>

Jackie Gilbert

Driving around my local area in the North Georgia Mountains, I often saw dogs chained out without adequate shelter or space. As a dog lover, I hated seeing that but had no idea how to help. It absolutely broke my heart. One day I was watching an online show called “Returning the Favor” hosted by Mike Rowe. This episode was about a non-profit in Oregon called Fences for Fido. Read more>>

Ellie Masis

Truly my nail obsession began pretty early in my teens. My mom had these press on nails she would usually grab at the local drug store and that’s where it really all began. I remember being 13 and begging her to please let me wear some press on nails. Eventually press ons turned into actual nail appointments at the salon. Although, I never was truly happy with my nails or the service I was receiving. Read more>>

Manira Camara

I moved to the USA in 2011 from France. I really missed a good French pastry, 2017 my husband and I opened our first French bakery in Reynoldsburg Ohio, we were the most loved business on yelp in 2023. I was going through a difficult time in every aspect of my life, I then decided to move to Dallas Texas in order to start a new life. Baking is my passion, I want to pursue my dreams by opening a new shop in Dallas Texas. Read more>>

Letitia Oxner

So, this business for me actually came full circle during Covid. Back when I was 19, I started workingin the restaurant business. I would always watch the bartenders and were just amazed at the technique, the hussle and bustle of being behind the bar, literally everything about it. But of course, because I was underage, I wasn’t allowed to be back there. Read more>>