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.
Jodi Violette
In 2013, I was interning at the Boys & Girls Club of Duluth, MN. My mentee loved princesses, so I wanted to get a princess costume for that Halloween season. While searching for the wig, dress, and accessories – I discovered that there were professional princess performers across the U.S. I immediately reached out to casts across the nation to find out how they ran their businesses and what I needed to do to start one. Luckily, I had many great mentors. Read more>>
Becky Tamez
When my husband, Pete, and I had our first daughter we started researching what healthy living was and how we could instill that in our children. We were appalled at how our food system was run and decided that we wanted to grow our food so we could control what was in it. We started gardening for ourselves and got quite good at it. We were no longer buying any vegetables at the store. One day Pete sent me a video of a guy who was farming people’s backyards in a city in Canada and I was like “Why aren’t we doing that?” The guy was offering courses at the time on how he was doing this and we hopped right in! We followed his course to the Tee. We started growing microgreens. We transformed one of our bedrooms into a microgreens room with a water hose and everything. We then transformed the layout of our garden into one that would allow more production. Once we were set up at our home site, we then went looking for other people’s yards to farm. The first person we came to actually had 2 acres we could farm. We stopped looking for other people’s yards because we had all we needed. Read more>>
Stephanie Graham
So much of the work I make starts from conversations. I dont shy away from talking to anyone about anything at any time. I am a naturally curious person, so whatever someone wants to tell me I am all ears to hear. Read more>>
Mallory Halverson
Once the idea popped in my head, I hit the ground running. My brain was on fire. I researching everything from top to bottom of the industry. I watched hour long YouTube videos. I spent a ridiculous amount of time on TikTok listening to other women share how they did it (did you know you can learn practically anything on TikTok? fun fact!) Within 60 days I launched my online store. Sounds simple. Let me break it down… Read more>>
David Rosado
When i decided to open up my floral business in 2008, Statistic showed that in order to open up a business as a florist you would need a minimum of a ten-thousand-dollar investment, this would have covered supplies, refrigeration, minimal marketing and retail space. Even though today those numbers are not ideal or accurate, when i decided to start my business, I didn’t have that kind of financial luxury. Like all teenage dreamers in America college and life’s basic essentials consumed much if not all of my financial resources. I had a home, a garage and the floral design skills. My solution was to market myself as a florist and hope I would have booked enough weddings and gathered enough deposits to come up with the money needed in order to meet the minimum financial requirements for my investment, and so it begins. Read more>>
Tiara Sanders
While working towards my Masters in Public Relations from Southern New Hampshire University, I took on an internship at a PR agency which I thoroughly enjoyed. While working under the guidance of my mentors at the agency, I had more of an urge to start my own PR agency known as Alpha Stride PR which caters to businesses within the music, fashion/beauty, and mental health industries in need of overall brand enhancement, social presence, and media coverage. It was just until recently I extended my services to businesses in other industries as they may need immediate PR assistance in certain areas depending on their urgency. Read more>>
Colten Griffin
I think getting an idea is the easy part, I mean, everyone has ideas. We all throughout our lives are constantly creating in our minds because as humans, I believe it’s inherent to us. Actually executing is daunting, and after speaking with so many other creatives, especially upcoming filmmakers, I understand the fear. Read more>>
Grace Phiri
It all started as just dressing well and loving sneakers, then from a habit to a whole career/ hobby. Content creation was a by the way thing that is actually a big deal for and to me now.Blogging has become a huge part of my life, I create videos and connect with different people around the world. From just a single picture in 2021 after covid started to get suppressed to more and more, and two years later I have a family ( my community) who make it worth the while. Figuring it out has been beautiful, because my friends and family supported me and still support me so as I put content out I do it with confidence. Read more>>
Danielle Linn
Coming from a girl with lots of ideas, I always felt they would stay that way, just ideas. But as my experience with dogs grew, my passion did as well, and next thing you know I’m holding myself as one of the best canine caretakers in the greater Austin area. Read more>>
Neil Griffiths
Having ideas is easy I think. Making them stick and having other people pick up your idea and run with it is the hard thing. After a year or so of discussion with my co-founder, with young people, teachers and people in the arts and academia I was confident we had a great idea – a mentoring project taking place within an alternative to old boy networks – and we had enough interest to start planning a pilot. Read more>>
Rebeca Dues
Since I can remember, I have loved music. In the 80s, even as a very young child, I had an affinity for musical instruments and tirelessly used a Casio keyboard (which, by the way, I was super proud to see the same model at the Beastie Boys exhibition in Los Angeles). I was already experimenting with beats and some chords without even understanding what the notes meant. Read more>>
Natalie Hartman
I have always wanted to be my own boss. Prior to starting my business I worked in the medical field for 13 years, educating and selling procedures for plastic surgeons. I have to give credit to my mother-in- law for helping me come up with the idea to start the business. We were enjoying a family dinner and I brought up wanting to start my own business, but I did not know where to begin or what type of business to start. She suggested that I would be a great home stager/designer. I knew what a designer was, but had no idea what a career as a home stager involved. That was the start of how Morphe Home Staging & Design came to fruition. Read more>>
Kevan Sharperson
“Kev’s Small Business Tour Show” started as a way to relate to fellow small business owners/creators. Being a Black Small Business Owner, I can attest to the struggles of marketing and branding, while still maintaining the flow of creativity for your business. Read more>>
Debra Orr
I drew my idea on a little piece of paper and found a product engineer to help me turn my drawing into a CAD file which is a digital file of an object. I used the CAD file to start rapid prototyping my invention using a 3D printer. After I felt my prototype was ready for manufacturing, I found a manufacturing partner and they worked with me to engineer tooling to manufacture the parts. To help protect my intellectual property, I utilized a registered patent agent to help me file a design patent. Read more>>
Craig Drilling
The idea of Kids at Play Atlanta began during Covid in November of 2020 when social options were limited and the public schools were offering virtual classes only. Many students did not have any opportunity for exercise and socialization. The initial thought of Kids at Play Atlanta was organizing portable PE Classes where participants could socialize in a safe environment, stay active, build confidence, and use these classes as a springboard to more competitive sports. Read more>>
John Wroblewski
I always had an interest in sports, comic cons and other such pop culture events. I attended many events for years and started a blog highlighting my celebrity encounters and special moments. Still it was all just a hobby. I’m 2004, Global Traveler magazine debuted and I joined as an online writer, as well as filling other roles. Armed with a bigger platform, I started approaching event organizers about media passes and additional access. Read more>>
Latoya Scott
I started my business in 2002 because I was denied during a casting call in Philadelphia. The casting director was very blunt and told me, I was too black and fat for the audition. (I was a size 4 at the time) But in all fairness I was not what they were casting for either. I turned to him, thanked him for his time and said I will create my own company that will help people who look like me (Not as tall or fit the average look casting directors look for). I was 18 at the time and haven’t stopped since that day. This experience motivated me to try harder, research, learn more about the industry and what they actually look for and why. This helped me to actually land roles which lead me to helping others. Read more>>
Olivia Lomax
The birth of Loops and Lashes® was a labor of love and determination for me. Balancing my roles as a full-time patent engineer, wife, and mother, I embarked on an amazing journey in late 2019 to turn my business idea into a reality. Read more>>
Shelby Kiser
Thanks for having me, I am so excited to share my journey! this is the best story of how this all blossomed, eeek! Let me first just say, as a multifaceted entrepreneur, I have had thousands of ideas and opportunities that have arisen or later blossomed, but nothing ever really lit me up and unfolded so authentically as this did. In the past, I felt as though I couldn’t fit into any box, or label myself one thing because it was so much more than the one name I slapped on it. What do you say to someone when they ask you what you do for work but you do everything from being a personal assistant to social media management. Planning events/hosting events, to business consulting. Content creation to nannying. Basically, for any job that entails helping someone in some capacity, I’m all over it. I have always had a passion for authentic relationships and bringing people together. Rewind about a year and a half ago, i had been working on a few projects with one of my best friends and mentors in the content creation space. I had been hired to handle the behind-the-scenes work behind brand deals and partnerships so she could focus on creating exquisite content. I loved everything about it. From the deadlines to keeping everything organized, and collaborating with some of the world’s biggest brands! One day we were chatting over our favorite voice memo app and I mentioned to her that I was thoroughly enjoying connecting with all of these different brands and companies as it was something I had been doing in person for years but this had a different twist because it was all online. Which meant it could be done from anywhere at any time, something I had been looking for for years. it became clear to me this was uncharted territory in the online space and there was clearly a huge need for this type of service. Fast forward to today, I have 7 clients from LA to Nashville, Detroit to Las Vegas. Not nearly enough time in my day, but I’m managing, quite literally haha. long nights of emails, contract reviews, creative direction, and content execution have led me here to this interview here today being a full-time content creator manager while working two other jobs! Building it all from scratch and working out the kinks as we go and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Read more>>
William Whitworth
Once I got the idea in 2019 after getting an opportunity to work in a studio and learning the basics of what photography was, I knew I was going to create WillxWhit Photography. Which mind you has gone through a lot of trial and error for the name of my business. I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit, those who know me would give you a head nod in agreeance. For me, it isn’t about money, just the ability to be creative and start something from the ground up. Launching my photography business then, I wouldn’t have thought that I would be where I am today. I was able to launch and continue to be successful because of 3 big things; connections, experiences, and commitment. Read more>>
Tyrese Hobbs
Well like all things, The Covenant Apparel started as just an idea. I had no clue where to start, what to do, or how to learn. In 2015, I took a deep dive into Google and YouTube University and watched as many videos about entrepreneurship and fashion brands as possible. I was searching high and low for manufacturers, wholesale locations, or even printing companies that could work with me to get started. I was very uneasy, scared, if you will to actually get started because I wanted everything to be perfect. I started to brainstorm names for my brand and kept coming up empty, I was looking for any and every way to create a brand that was different in a very oversaturated market. I began listening to motivation every single morning and would send messages out to family and friends. After receiving such positive feedback I learned the value of motivating other and how good it made me feel. Eventually, I learned about one of the first Covenants God made in the Bible–the symbolization of the rainbow. A light bulb went off and I decided I would create an aspirational clothing brand called The Covenant Apparel. I had to create a foundation for the brand because without a foundation, everything built on it would crumble if one single thing falls out of place. Once I felt I had a solid baseline, I decided to jump right in and stop trying to have everything perfect. In 2020, we introduced our brand to the world for the first time. Read more>>
Megan Marjorie
Ive been chronically Ill the majority of my life and growing up in a small town, I thought I was the ONLY person with a body like mine. But in an attempt to find community, and this strong feeling that I needed to “share my story “ Read more>>
Courtney Rutledge
I’ve always had this knack for selling my various creations to a range of communities. Whether it was through local markets, pop-ups, online platforms, Facebook groups, or my personal website, I have always loved creating relationships with customers and watching them connect with my work. But early this year, something clicked —I realized a need to separate these sales from my personal identity. I wanted to create a brand that stood out, felt approachable, and wasn’t tied to any one individual. That’s when the idea started to take shape. Read more>>
Justin Pointer
I’ve always been a Nike head, near obsession. Everything that touched me had to be Nike. Since I was a kid, all of my athletic gear was Nike. It transitioned into my fitness life. All my workout clothes, socks, accessories, etc was Nike. I used to find hidden gems in Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshalls. I maxed out a Dick’s Sporting Goods credit card (smh lbvs). I used to pride on having items that nobody else had in the gym, the exclusivity of it. Then one day, one phrase, I said to myself, “I want my own exclusives, I want my own brand.” Read more>>
Karish Lane
I always knew I wanted to own my own real estate for my salon. In 2009 when I was 22, I bought my first house. Prices were low during the housing market crash, and I was eligible for the $8000 first time home buyers tax credit. Read more>>
Courtney Roberson
In 2020 I went to Texas Southern University for Marketing- hated it. I was like I could have Googled this. Granted, I lived off campus so that’s probably a big reason why. I told my dad, and he was like ‘Well if you don’t want to be here then just take some time off and go work- no use of wasting more money.” Read more>>
Maria Winters
Hi I started Lumumba Revolution about 10yrs ago, on and off i haven’t worked on the business as hard i m currently working. Between the role of being a home mother of 3 ,homeschooled since 2016 and a wife, i finally decided to give a shot to go back to business and see what’s the future will treat me on this new journey.. Read more>>