One of the challenges we’ve seen to true equality of opportunity is that schools and books often can’t (or choose not) offer access to one of the most equalizing resources – first hand stories of how successful entrepreneurs made their ideas a reality. If you grew up in a family or community that had many successful entrepreneurs you may have been lucky to hear many conversations and stories about starting and executing on an idea, but there are millions of people across the country who haven’t had the same advantage and so our hope here is to create a space where those stories can be told in a more public forum for the benefit of any and every aspiring entrepreneur.

Scott Roseboro

Coming from the city of brotherly love Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where my parents spent most of their lives we had a spirit of drive and innovation that not many had at the time. My parents decided to take on being business owners which has now spanned to 27 years. From this choice they picked up and moved to New Jersey to further me and one of my sisters of 6, education and build a foundation for us. Read more>>

Illie Alvarez

I was able to transition to a 2nd career at the age of 35 by having a very strong tribe surrounding my family. I had just had my first baby and her existence completely changed my life. I knew I had to pursue my passion for Interiors in order to be the best provider and guide I could be for her. Grandparents, friends, and my husband rallied around me while transitioning from a full-time job to a part-time job and began an Interior Design Certification. Read more>>

Darynn

I came up with the idea for my business during my freshman year at South Carolina State University. Originally, the idea was to start my own brand of lip balms or chapsticks. I figured that, that wouldn’t be enough. So, I thought about what i could add to it to expand the idea. I thought about my own personal experiences with my skin and decided to make it a full out skin care brand. I then began to research didn’t types of products and natural regimens for the skin. Read more>>

Marques Miles

CREATASPARK Apparel launched July 2021. www.creataspark.com The process of going from the idea to execution started first with not allowing fear of the unknown hold me back or stifle my ability to move forward. Of course, we always want to have every detail figured out prior, but we all know that is not always practical. You’ll never move forward with things if you always have that mindset. Sometimes you just have to step out there with the things you do know and learn and grow as you go. Read more>>

Samantha Estrada

Where to even begin? Well i always took an interest in creating things. wether it be handmade bows, party planning, tutu making or even hand painted wine glasses. I believe creativity runs deep in my family we all are very creative in our own ways. I always took a interest in face painting at a early age. I remember i use to visit kiddie park with my kids and i would be fascinated with the face painter. Fast forward to my early twenties i was a stay at home mom with little ones. I purchased a small Walmart kit to face paint at my kids birthday party. Read more>>

Tori Brown

The idea I had was to one day open a restaurant. I did not want to dive all the way in financially opening a brick-and-mortar, so I implemented this co-op shared kitchen space idea from when I used to live in Philadelphia and visit the Terminal Market. It was a space for vendors and small businesses housed under one space to sell their products. I had no formal culinary training, but I grew up and inherited my late Grandmother’s teachings and love for southern cooking, so I did my research, submitted my LLC registration, Read more>>

Ashley K. Stoyanov Ojeda

I started my current brand as the “business hada madrina” aka the business fairygodmother as a result of becoming a resource for small business owners and startup founders in the Latina community during COVID-19. The weekly calls I would have with this small group of changemakers inspired me to write and publish my first book, Jefa in Training, which is a step by step guide to launching and growing your business in Spanglish. Read more>>

Jackie Goodrum

How I actually started was from hanging out with a friend who is a well known singer in Tampa. She had the idea of me going to different events with her just to hang around and support her. But I noticed that I would help her out with wardrobe, run errands and whatever she needed I was right there. So we talked about me becoming an assistant for her, to get the feeling of working behind the scenes for an artist and also to network with other artists/ entrepreneurs to build my clientele. With running a business there is no one right way to do it. Everyone has a different timing. Read more>>

Ellie Raine

My book series started with a single drawing in high school. It was a character I had named Xavier, a necromancer and reaper-in-training with the ability to manipulate souls of the dead. There wasn’t a real story attached to him at the time, but as I drew more characters along with him, I started creating an entire world with magic and knights and warrior princesses, and a story shaped itself the more I drew. Read more>>

Stevo’n McGill

I am a newly published author. In January of this year, I completed & published my first children’s book Evander Adventures. A colorful story that offers a positive message and help young readers to develop an “ I CAN” mindset.
I was inspired to write this soon-to-be series in honor of the obstacles I surpassed throughout my childhood, in hopes to inspire the youth to believe in themselves and to overcome to uncertain obstacles of life. Read more>>

Ebony Tillery

Currently, I am the owner of Skin Glam Esthetics where I provide makeup, as well as facials and waxing services as a student esthetician. I previously was under the name of Ebony Beauty Beats, but more recently, I have rebranded to have all beauty services under one umbrella. I ultimately wanted to incorporate a new name and seamless aesthetic for my brand. I have invested a lot of time and money into my craft by also conducting my own market research, reaching out to other artists, taking marketing classes, and improving my social media presence. Read more>>

Ianasia Wainwright

I’m a very creative person. From creating my own hustle at 18, to using my social media platform to build my upcoming empire. I feel like I my ideas are dreams I’ll never stop chasing. I had an idea of selling selling lashes it was the hottest thing on the market. Although I was inspired I had to realize how can I be different. I conversed with my dad, god bless his soul. He always gave me the encouragement to go hard and follow my dreams. I hand made my lashes from the packaging to strips. I was determined to be divergent with my brand. Read more>>

Lena May

Inspire Me Latin America, a fair-trade company dedicated to creating economic access and changing the lives of women & indigenous families in Latin American countries started as an idea between two friends who shard a love for travel, culture, community and business empowerment. Michelle Elkin, a St. Louis, MO native, took a leap of faith, leaving her corporate job behind at Edward Jones of almost nine years to start a new adventure abroad. Read more>>

Tequoia Urbina

I remember sitting on my couch and absorbed in the news like millions of others around the country, devastated. Children were being ripped from their mother’s arms and locked in cages with nothing more than the clothes on their backs and a tin foil sheet for covering. How could I process what I was watching? After all, I have family who has passed through that same border. I have children the same age as those separated from their mothers. I could not sit and watch as families were being torn apart and do nothing. Read more>>

G Wade

JUST START. Those are the two words that have resonated with me from the first I heard them. To date, those two words are the best advice that I have ever received in my lifetime. Don’t get me wrong, there have been a multitude of different kinds of advice I received but if I’m listing them in ranking order “Just Start” tops my list. In Washington, DC in the mid-eighties and nineties, there was a very popular clothing brand that was worn by urban youth throughout the city and one day I just happened upon the clothing outlet’s brick and mortar. Read more>>

Irvin Pena

I’m often asked why I decided to help people with credit, funding, business strategies & why I’m so passionate about financial literacy. My answer… I know what it’s like to have bad credit, struggle in business & have a lack of money. I decided enough was enough. So I started researching how to clean personal credit, build business credit & implement methods to fund my business ideas which would result in producing a higher income. I started to post on social media frameworks & helpful steps that worked for me personally. Read more>>

Mara B.

From idea to execution. I would say my journey was destine, as a child I was extremely glamours, I would try different styles and looks even contributed to cheer leading, dance and music classes . While in high school I studied cosmetology and enjoyed hanging out with friends. As I went to college at Harris Stowe State University located in St. Louis Mo. which is my home city. I figured out my passions what I stand for, my reasons behind who I am as a growing model, entrepreneur & beautician. Read more>>

Somya Agarwal

Although I had the idea of starting my own business since I was in college, it came into execution when I knew I was expecting; I wanted to spend more time with my baby and excel in my career. I was doing that 9-5 job where I saw I could not utilize all my potential. I always wanted to be my boss. I wanted to work in a fashion where I am flexible and work the way I want. Also, I wanted to see my baby grow and not miss any moment in his life. But, I knew that my 9-5 job would never bring me that work-life balance I was looking for. Read more>>

Savenah Libertiny

SavvyJack Wear was truly just that, an idea. I never truly intended to have my own “brand”. I was on maternity leave after having my daughter. I thought it would be great to sew clothing for her. I kept going to Big Box stores, spending obscene about of money only for her to look like everyone else’s babies. I already had the basic skills for sewing, so making the clothing was very easy. After being asked about my daughters clothes by friends and family, they mentioned me starting selling then on Etsy Marketplace. I honestly had no idea on how and when I would have time to complete orders, or just down right list them for sale. Once I posted a few items- one order turned into five orders to over 10 orders within a few months. Time didn’t phase me as my real job helped me build my skillset in time management. Read more>>

Dr. Samantha Fitts

When I was in my mid-thirties, I began to self-reflect and I asked myself the following questions: Am I living the life I envisioned? I also reflected on the following childhood questions: What do I want to be when I grow up? What are my goals in life? By the time I was 35 years old, I had already checked off many of my answers: Earn a college degree? Check. Become a teacher? Check. Live in a big city? Check. Drive a nice car? Check. Live in a two-story house? Check. Marriage? Well, not yet. Have children? Okay, there was definitely no check for this question. It’s funny, but I guess you can say I wanted the fairy tale, the one in which everything falls into place at exactly the right time. Read more>>

Abriana Johnson

One of my favorite things is helping people go from simply ‘knowing’ to actively ‘doing’. I started my podcast in 2019 as a passion project, well ahead of the great civil unrest of Summer 2020. During the summer of 2020, the horse industry (especially equestrian brands) realized their antiquated ways of monochrome marketing were not going to suffice going forward. I was asked to speak on many panels, write for equestrian media sites and consult on DEI efforts across the industry. This activity allowed me to really get in tune with my podcast audience (then called Young Black Equestrians), but I started to get a bit of feedback… Read more>>

QSHEBRA TAYLOR

Being a person that comes from an environment of Poverty, Prostitution and Power-less opportunities-I decided to take an idea of hope which later revealed as vision led me on the journey of Execution. The beginning part was figuring out how to turn my fear of success into implementing a vision of hope, happiness and hope for the future. Most of the time, I felt guilty if I decided to move past the restrictions set to stop me from overcoming the fear of starting a business and implementing a vision to help me and my family escape the psychological state of poverty. Read more>>

EmCee’ Jazz’ Thomas-Jones

Platinum Media Network (PMN) started from the idea of “disrupting” main stream broadcast media by sharing true life experiences, community engagement, news, local events, and information via the internet in 2000 – at the beginning of online streaming “Podcast” and “Internet Radio.” Read more>>

Bill Stephens

I initially started a clothing company that did fairly well. I started to post videos about vehicle related things because i also buy/sell/ and fix vehicles. I went viral for a video i didn’t think anything of. I ran out of gas at Home Depot, posted the solution and it went super viral. After i went viral and got monetized i decided to use the social media money to give away cheap vehicles to people in need. So far i have given away 2 completely free vehicles and I’m only getting started. Read more>>

Quin Brewington

During the span of the 30 years that elapsed between me graduating from college and enrolling in grad school, the internet went from not even being a thing to a whole entire “internet of things,” with social media, smart phones, apps, wearables and a whole host of other innovations that completely changed the way we communicate and relate to one another as human beings. Read more>>

Aarynn Marshall

JUST GO FOR IT! I had procrastinated for YEARS, making the most outrageous excuses for why I had not or just could not start my business. One day shortly after I gave birth to my 3rd child I realized that I NEEDED to get out of my comfort zone and just go for it. I had friends and family encouraging me and honestly I was scared. Scared of failing. Scared of what people might think. Then, I remembered: I HAVE THE TALENT, I HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE, & I HAVE THE PASSION. My first business that I started in 2018 was Heavenscent By Aarynn where I curate all natural candles & bath and body products. Read more>>

Chenille Rose

I had absolutely no idea that being a coach was in my horizons. I was in the process of building my hair company and really just felt like I needed to be around other business women to boost my motivation & keep me focused. So I had an open invitation for brunch. These women came and shocked the hell out of me. They had questions for ME about staying consistent, creating content, marketing, among other things. It was at that moment that I knew I had something to give to people. I had first hand knowledge that others didn’t. From that point on I asserted myself as their “coach”. Read more>>

Matthew Santana

At an early age, I developed a strong passion for the arts. Especially literature! I became passionate about reading as many books as I could and found enjoyment in connecting with characters, plots, and different styles of narratives. By high school, I found my first job at the local library, the perfect environment to relish in my favorite past-time. As I grew into an adult, my hobby turned into a passion for storytelling and took a life of its own. Read more>>

Kathleen Ferrufino

Dyslexia can be a curse and a blessing at the same time. Most individuals see it as a cures. Growing up I viewed it as a curse and felt like I was on an island by myself. Only a few individuals I knew had dyslexia and they were all adults who only talked about it affecting them when they where in school. Growing up all I wanted was to fit in and school to be easy like it was for everyone else. Not realizing that I was born to stand out and make a difference. Read more>>

Rosa Barber

I’m an Epidemiologist by Day.. but my passion, just as my ancestors is Fashion and making the oddest clothes look fashionable and comfortable. During the pandemic I battled with depression and claustrophobia. So, to get out of my funk I started going to consignment shops and hobby lobby, gathering fabric and other items. That’s when I created my first pair of custom and unique Crocs. I wore them out to o think Target and a young lady saw them and she wanted some, she like how I had jewels and bangles hanging from them and thought they were unlike anything shed seen. Read more>>

Nicole Cardone

Once I realized there was a need in the sorbet category, I found a partner who brought culinary skills to the partnership to complement my finance and business organizational skills. From there we made some small batches of sorbet and brought them to a local farmers market to get a read from real consumers. It was an immediate hit! From there we rented space out in a commercial kitchen and took over the red-eye shift at a local creamery to ramp up production. We then began to sell into small local specialty stores, delivering on dry ice out of our car, and opened up 3 more farmers markets. Read more>>

Christine Williams

Custom decorated cookies are a pretty well known thing now but I first stumbled upon the art form in 2016. My family happened to be living in Guadalajara Mexico at the time (thus the origin of my business name) and a good friend of mine gave me some meringue powder. Never having used it I found out I could make royal icing with it. Once I started playing around with the medium…..I fell in love with making unique, custom cookies. After about a year of practicing and making cookies for friends I started getting actual, paid orders. Read more>>

Kelly Cain

I have always loved food and photography. As a certified health coach, and website designer, with a stint in food blogging, I have always loved the idea of creating community around food. Having made charcuterie boards for holidays for family and friends and receiving great feedback – I had the idea to start teaching charcuterie classes. There were only a handful in the area. At the beginning, though, as most of us do when we start something new – and the learning curve is so high, I felt “not good enough.” Read more>>

Eneesha Maynor

Covid-19 made me realize that one source of income was not going to cut it. Although I worked full time during the pandemic, I needed to have residual income or something that was low risk, high reward. I’m not crafty, so anything that required a Cricut was out of the question. I considered purchasing an AirBnb unit, but travel was low so that was another dead end. I wanted to do something that no one in my network was doing at the time. I had come across several Facebook ads for 360 photobooths so I clicked one and reached out to the company. Read more>>

Phala Pesano

Taking a dream to reality in the business world requires a vision and detailed planning. It was clear to us that the “who, what, where, and how questions” are essential to laying out the plan. The dream is not enough without hard work and dedication the to the time and effort needed to reach the reality. Seventh Avenue Apothecary was born around the kitchen table when Phala and Jessica and others were brainstorming ways to create income doing something we loved. We committed to each other and ourselves that failure was not an option! Read more>>

Molly Wilcox

Like many aspiring authors, I have dreamt of writing a book for as long as I can remember. I vividly remember meeting authors at local book signings as a kid and idolizing the life they had. I had a clear vision for my future that involved writing books. As I grew up, got an English degree, and realized that making a career out of writing is a lot more difficult than it appears the sense of discouragement settled in. As a lifelong dreamer, I still had the audacity to believe that if I continued taking baby steps toward this idyllic vision that it could happen. As a Christian, I believed it didn’t depend on luck but a combination of hard work and a move of God. Read more>>

Konstantin Dolgan

How LA New Product Development Team was born. LA NPDT is a company that turns ideas into products. We develop our own products and do that for our customers. This year LA NPDT turned 7. Here is the story of how it started. I was a graduate student at Louisiana Tech University, working towards my Ph.D. in Materials and Infrastructure Systems engineering. By the fourth year of my education, I took all the required classes and was primarily focusing on my research. Read more>>

Caitlin Cash

I fell in love with milk tea while working in Suphanburi, Thailand in 2013. I was teaching English (shout out to my beautiful, lovely students at Sa-Nguan Ying High School), and every day I would grab a milk tea from the 711 or the local boba shop. I loved discovering new flavors and tea types as I traveled around Southeast Asia. When I moved back to Austin, I really missed having milk tea in my daily routine – it’s the best. I realized I had two options – drive to a boba tea shop or make it myself every time I wanted one. Read more>>

Michelle Fiorello

I started from a place of not actually knowing what I wanted, but knew that I wanted something different. My journey began when I was several years deep into my professional engineering career. There was a point where I began waking up every morning with the feeling that something was missing in my life and that I really needed a change – but I was not sure what that was exactly. I kept an open mind and decided to be curious about what other career options were possible. Read more>>

Antoinette Mathis

It was a regular day of me surfing the internet back in 2009. I was a bored and I asked myself, what can I create today? I stumbled across a recipe for a “Cakeball” I thought that looks interesting. It was cake mixed with icing and dipped in chocolate. I thought that’s it let’s try it! Well I quickly found out that it was not as easy as I thought. At that time I new nothing about melting or dipping anything in chocolate. But as time went on I got the hang of it. I continued to experiment and I had so many, I gave some to my sister to take to work to share with her co-workers. Read more>>

Jiel Combs

How I turned a candle business idea into machine thats shipping around the country? honestly, GOD!! Before i had the idea, I was in a very depressed state in my life. Just graduated from college to seeking a full time employment job with no success in the area. In private i had a conversation with God. I told him.. If you’re really real like everyone says you are….. Show me because times are tough. I went into bath and body works with my pastor Daniel Blackshear of Word & Deed Ministries. Read more>>

Cheryl German

Gullah Jewelry Fashion and Design, LLC started in 1993 from visions of designs that I have sketched and now have 500+ original designs. I had no prior training or knowledge about jewelry making but became skillful through trial and error. My family came from humble beginnings, and after I later divorced and became a single parent of my two children. God blessed me with these designs and the mindset to develop my designs and created a business to handmade jewelry and other craft items. The uniqueness of my business is that I create designs to compliment your physical feature and your outfit to show each customer’s unique qualities. Read more>>

Sloane Coe

I discovered cosmetic tattooing and I instantly knew I had a love for it. Once I decided to change career paths, I did not waste any time. In less than six months, I quit my job, started a new career, moved to a new city, and opened my own business. I felt like I finally found what I was meant to do in life. A lot of work was put into getting to where I am now. I had a lot of sleepless nights and moments where I doubted myself. It is so scary to take risks in life. I knew even if I took a risk and failed, it would not necessarily set me back in life. That is because during that time I was not content in life at all. I wanted so much more for myself. Then, I also had the thought, “but what if? What if I am successful?” And that is what kept me going. Read more>>

Ken Schneider

When my daughter was on a recruiting trip to New Orleans my wife and I were taken by a friend to an automated self-serve wine bar called Wino.(wine institute of New Orleans). We had never seem anything like it. You can get wine by the ounce, 3 ounce or 5 ounce pours. This let us sample wines without making any real commitments to a glass or a full bottle, and we could sample very high end wines because we could pour ourselves a 1 ounce sample. We thought would a wonderful idea and how wonderful it would be if we had one here in our hometown of Charleston SC. That is how the idea was born. Read more>>

Darell Dansby

The year was 2017, I was working at a local gym. I was a trainer there and things were going well, but I knew I wanted to have my own place, my rules, my standards and work for myself. It got to the point where I got tired of bending over backwards to benefit their facility and I wasn’t seeing the same benefit. It came to the point where the owner and I didn’t see the same vision, so we parted ways. After that I knew I still wanted to train and teach people how to properly workout, so I started a fitness boot camp in the Leander parks, and I named it Strength From Within! Read more>>

B J.

God gave me the idea of my business when I was young and in church. I heard the story of the mustard seed and I wanted to see how big it was and how much faith I needed. When I saw how small it was, I knew then that would be the name of my brand and what I will represent. I finished college but couldn’t get a job so one day I decided to finally start the ideas that God had given me all these years. I started with pocket tees and made clothes for myself. I used instagram to promote and show my creations. Read more>>