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.

Marcela Tapiero

It all began with a decade of dedication to the healthcare industry, where I reached the zenith of my career. Despite the success, a lingering desire for something more gnawed at me. I found myself passionate about improving team dynamics, work-life balance, and fostering a positive employment culture. As a mother, my concerns deepened when I observed a lack of empowerment and mental health awareness in my son’s school environment. Read more>>

Poorna Preethika Buragadda

“Petals and Palms” is a special project for me as a fashion designer, especially coming from a background in knitwear. I always wanted to go beyond the usual, and this collection truly reflects my style. The idea came to me when I started appreciating the culture I grew up in, especially the significance of flowers in Indian rituals. Each flower has its own meaning, and I wanted to bring that into my designs. Read more>>

Madison White

I always thought of becoming a lash technician after graduating high school, but I didn’t execute the idea until a year and half later. I started off selling customized bangles, and began to realized that wasn’t my passion. I knew that I would become an entrepreneur, but I couldn’t figure out what exactly I wanted to do. Read more>>

Kate Medvedeva

When people talk about their success stories in business, they tend to talk about end result. What they need to tell is the story of non-stop research, resilient willpower to stay in the field in spite of any difficulties. When I started my business, I did not know I am going to be my own accountant, sales person, digital marketing specialist, and many other roles I took on. Read more>>

Jessica Bergmann

I moved to the United States from Germany, with a Medical Assistant degree. When I started my new life in America, I had a wide opportunity to actually pursue what I’m passionate about. I was always into video editing and photography so I started pursuing it as a hobby in Miami. Read more>>

Megan Davidson

It all kicked off when I found myself unexpectedly back home from college due to the sudden impact of Covid. With just two months left before my anticipated graduation, I went from being a D1 student athlete with a job lined up to having none of those certainties. It was a bit of an identity crisis, armed only with an economics degree and minors in marketing and psychology. No plans, no defined path to follow. Read more>>

Kate + Jeff Woods

We always knew we’d own our own restaurant. In interviews with prospective restaurant employers, Jeff and I would say our 5 or 10 year plan was to, one day, own our restaurant. Individually, we had long careers in restaurants. Then for a several years, co-managed a restaurant; Jeff in culinary, and myself in hospitality. Read more>>

Tiffany McFarlane

This is a great question as this month marks our 1-year anniversary! The idea of The Connector Club came from a vivid dream I had last November actually. Read more>>

Mark Kuroda

The photography business I was involved in underwent two distinct phases. This story is about the athletic commercial photography stage. About ten years ago, amidst a personal breakup, I found myself reevaluating my life. Raised in a conservative, church-going family, I had always endeavored to make others happy. Read more>>

Destiny Preston

The journey from idea to execution for Rebel has been a transformative experience. It all began with the excitement sparked by a mock video envisioning the interior of Rebel. We engaged in numerous discussions, weighing the pros and cons of starting a business until we collectively embraced the risk and committed to the venture. Read more>>

Mandy Kennedy

It all started during the Covid-19 lockdown. I had a lot of free time on my hands and a 6 month old puppy named Rosie, so one day I brainstormed business ideas that would allow me to combine my love of dogs and my passion for crafting and I ended up with the idea of my shop, Hibiscus Pet & Co. Read more>>

Rachel Kerbs

It all started with my love of storytelling, the curiosity and willingness to try new things…and getting laid off. I’ve been an actor/filmmaker for a long time, but during the lockdown times of the pandemic I fell in love with photography. I would go on long walks and take pictures and then I got curious about different techniques and such. Read more>>

Jaiden Glover

Originally with Not Just Lemonade my little brother and our co-CEO Angelo Jr came up with the idea to sell lemonade. We both had just gotten out of school for the summer and we were kids looking at items online that we wanted to purchase. toys, video games, anything that we saw and took to liking we beg our parents for and they asked us both a simple question. Read more>>

Bri Burks-Johnson

After spending almost, a decade in the demanding field of supply chain management, where I honed my skills in logistics, procurement, and operations, I realized that there was something missing in my life – the opportunity to pursue my true passion: owning my own business and doing what I love. The COVID-19 pandemic gave me a chance to pause, reflect, and reassess my priorities. Read more>>

Michelle Pedersen

My business partner, Saralynne and I really wanted to open a boutique. We were inspired by museum stores and wanted to make a store that featured art and design for everyday life. A lifestyle store with all categories, but a modern, art forward aesthetic. Read more>>

Greg Dorr

The founders of Fulton Yards knew nothing about coffee when we set out to open our coffeehouse. It was October 2020, in the midst of the pandemic and two couples and long-time friends, Greg and Katie Dorr and Gregg and Linda Berry, decided that after watching so many younger entrepreneurs launch new endeavors, it was time for us “fiftysomethings” to join the crew. We knew banking and marketing and teaching and insurance and the airlines….but alas….not a thing about coffee. Read more>>

Johnathon & Tranelle Eskano

We’ve always been in the party event business and loved bringing our original ideas to life. Our journey began in south Louisiana a city named Lafayette 2 hours away from New Orleans. We noticed the impact local party/event businesses were having on the common consumer’s pocket and thought it would be nice if someone offered this service at a more affordable rate. Read more>>

Jeff Shaw

I struggled in my high school English classes. I never expected to need the simple things, like grammar. Then as a police recruit, I realized just how little I knew about writing correctly. I had always been an avid reader, so that helped. Read more>>

TAVi Art Arellano

I started doing our walks in Laguna Beach six years ago gotten on. There is a next modern Picasso. I had a vision of opening up a gallery with a retail shop when I’m at my gallery I’m constantly producing art and products. Read more>>

Arrad Rahgoshay

Creating a film is analogous to starting a business. You need a plan, you need the right team, and you need to find a way to acquire funds for it. Read more>>

Chiquiti Williams

It started when I went to my local nail salons; I’m not bashing anyone’s business, but I knew there was an issue when I was spending more money every other week to get my nails done than I’d ever spent EVER. I was watching other nail technicians videos on YouTube one day and took notes on what products they used, retention, and the do’s and don’ts of nail care. Of course, because I was not a professional at the time, I began on myself. I didn’t imagine I’d be doing nails for this long when I first started a year ago because I had no support other than my partner. Read more>>

Brian Lane

The Century of Social Media with BCreativ Branding Partnerships Taking ideology to executions: Read more>>

Natassia Gyger

The start of my business came slow and steady, but I truly believe it came to be in the perfect amount of time. I started photographing my kids when my daughter was little. It all started as a fun hobby, something to save us money because I was the mom who wanted photos of every milestone for my kids. I remember when my first son was born we were at the photographers every 3 months documenting everything. Read more>>

Chris Oyeku

The spark for MixerCloud ignited within me as I envisioned a mobile application that could seamlessly connect people locally. This vision birthed “Mixer” and “Cloud” – symbolic of the virtual networking experience I aimed to create. My three-phase strategy kicked off with Phase 1: Brand and Community. Here, I laid the foundation for MixerCloud, cultivating a welcoming space for the community to connect under the MixerCloud brand. Read more>>