Starting a business or creative project is scary for many reasons, but one that is often overlooked is the anxiety related to whether this is really “the one.” To some, this isn’t a valid consideration while to others this is the only consideration. Some argue that what you work on, along with who you work with are the two most pivotal decisions you’ll make and so we’ve asked folks to tell us about how they came up with their ideas and how they knew this idea was the one.
Maria Fossler
When I started my photography business back in 2012, I had named it Photography by MF. I got lots of raised eyebrows from it, and it helped me determine who “fit” my ideal client because if they didn’t laugh, I knew that we wouldn’t have fun together. When I explained to people that the MF was for my initials, Maria Fossler, their reaction let me know if we’d hit it off or not. Read more>>
Nathaly Rosa
That’s actually a funny story, I kept trying to come up with a name for my business and I had about a hundred name ideas written down and I kept asking my loved ones “what do you think about this?” and “is this better than this one?” and everyone had different opinions and ideas which only confused me more so in the end I just chose one randomly to try it out for a while and everyone gave me compliments on it so I kept it. After a while, I thought about changing it but everyone told me to keep the name I chose which is Photos Of Nat, so that’s the story of how the name came to be. And ever since I never changed it. Read more>>
Kristin Borns
Nothing particularly obscure here. I utilized my name. However, the decision to center Borns was extremely mindful. The integrity with which I operate, the commitment to the work, and how people think of me when they hear my name, are critical. Solutions, again, clear and to the point. My work is designed to provide solutions to issues clients are tackling. And AZ provides a double-meaning. I can and want to tackle issues for clients from start to finish – A to Z. Also, my unique public policy expertise is deeply embedded in Arizona – AZ. So Borns Solutions AZ was crafted with meaningful consideration more than a decade ago. Read more>>
Don Niemyer
I’ve always been interested in simplicity. I grew up in a context where we didn’t have a lot (although we had plenty, we just didn’t have an abundance) but I watched my family emphasize that life wasn’t about “stuff”. It was about relationships and experiences, and you can fill your life with those things for free usually. Then I married a girl who felt the same way and we made the idea of chasing simplicity a foundation of our life. Well, all this simplicity chasing eventually led us to move in to a 99 square foot RV with our two daughters where we lived for about 4 years. Read more>>
Jean Marie Clarke
Pax Philomena was born out of my desire to honour two mothers – my own mother Philomena, and Mother Teresa of Calcutta. I wanted to find a way to give back to the poorest of the poor using my passion for textiles and fashion as the instrument to do so. As I was born in Calcutta, India I had grown up hearing about Mother Teresa from my parents and my aunt who was also a Loreto nun in Calcutta and had known Mother Teresa. India is a very colourful place, people dress in bright colours and I noticed that in America we lack colour in our clothing. Read more>>
Scott Pryor
I’m drawn to powerful storytelling and the effect films can have on people’s lives. When I was a kid, my dad and I would watch war movies together. We watched Full Metal Jacket and seeing the intensity of the Marine Corps portrayed in that film, I decided to join the Marines and I did so at seventeen. In addition, I went to my buddy’s house, and we watched Rocky IV, four times in a row back-to-back while singing and shadow boxing with Ivan Drago, right in his living room. I read about Sylvester Stallone writing Rocky and insisting that he play the character. Read more>>
Valerie Halfon
In March of 2010 my cousin told me about her plan to surprise her best friend for her birthday. After a recent weight gain, she seemed to fall into a slump that wasn’t just affecting her style, but her confidence. She wanted to treat her to a personal shopper for the day, along with some money to put towards clothing. What an incredible gift, I thought to myself. Who wouldn’t love that? Unfortunately, after doing some research she quickly learned there were no “affordable” personal shoppers in NYC, the fashion capital of the world! Read more>>
Vanessa Rogers
First, I started out as my own client. I was a college athlete and could not figure out how to fuel my body properly — which continued after I stopped playing sports. I relied on convenience foods mostly, and I was curious about a better way, so I started experimenting. At the time, I was studying Behavioral Science at UCSD and leaned into mindset, cognition, and change/growth in my courses. Read more>>
Melanie Isaacs
I was getting a certificate in zoo and aquarium management and working at an aquarium in Chicago when my life changed. Leaving work on the El, a family approached me after noticing the aquarium logo on my shirt. It was a father and a son. As the dad and I chatted about sharks, his son was getting more and more excited. At first he was rocking back and forth, then jumping a bit and eventually flapping his hands. Read more>>
Jennifer Counter
I started Jennifer Counter Consulting, because I wanted to help other entrepreneurs create, launch, and grow their businesses. I also own a Tutoring Center in Katy, Texas – Counter’s Tutoring Connection. I built this business from the ground up, so I understand the unique challenges that entrepreneurs face. I acquired a really strong sense of perseverance and business acumen, through my own entrepreneurial journey; so I felt strongly that I could support and inspire other entrepreneurs through business coaching and strategizing too. Read more>>
Marie Denson
The Pushed Back not Held Back Project was an idea that surfaced into a mentoring and counseling project for those who have had trouble with bouncing back from set backs. As a single mother, I experienced many upsets and setbacks and I didn’t always have the support and help to redirect me. The logic behind this project is to mentor others in areas that they are having hard times with and help them gain focus, tap into their creative mind, and Push past the obstacles. Read more>>
Vicki Nichols Goldstein
When I moved to Colorado over 12 years ago, I was looking for an organization to join that addressed ocean health. I was certain that there would be one someplace. I was wrong. After searching for over a year and not finding what I was looking for, I decided it was time to start my own organization that engaged inland people with ocean conservation opportunities. I knew that the ocean was important to everyone, not just coastal folks, and I felt that with our ocean in trouble, it should be all hands on deck. Read more>>
Joel Moody
I came up with the idea of Revolution Bike Shop with my late Father who had a bucket list dream to own a bike shop. This was a total flyer. Complete leap of faith moment. We knew with our customer service background we could provide something for the community that was all-inclusive. But we also wanted to reach further and make it a truly family owned worldwide bike store. Read more>>
Michelle Lara
My business really started off from desperately needing to make a shift so my work and personal life could be more balanced. I never dreamed of being an entrepreneur, in fact growing up I didn’t personally know any. It wasn’t until I was married with two children and was working at a job that didn’t fulfill me creatively that I started to think outside of the box. Read more>>
Veronica Pesantes
I want to talk about how and why I came up with the idea to pivot my business from apparel to home goods. My best friend and I cofounded The Onikas in 2015. Our sustainable fashion collection’s bohemian ethos drew on our combined 30 years in the arts from studio work to museum positions. Collaborating with artisans worldwide, cultural preservation and sustainable production have always been at the forefront of our practice. My goal is to bring that same level of commitment to home textiles. Read more>>
Afi Maita
Styling in luxury retail for 10+ years & I created the Name Afi Like Taffy as no one could pronounce my name Afi so i rhymed it with Taffy! So when the pandemic hit the world I was furloughed for 3 months. I knew I didn’t want to go back to retail as i’d learnt so much, I was scared to go out on my own, comfortable & had risen as far as I could title wise being a Contemporary brand Specialist but knew i could do this myself. Read more>>
Jean-Louis and Yvette Ledent
My wife Yvette and I were born in Belgium. I am a trained Chef. We own and operate restaurants since 1982. After selling our last restaurant in Illinois, we decided to move to the South. We visited some friends here in Columbia, fell in love with the city and decided to stay here and start a food truck. It was in 2014. We bought our used truck in Durham NC and brought it to a company there where they were supposed to build it to find out that the owner of the company was a “crook” who used our deposit money to do other things than building our truck! Read more>>
Sima Khondekar
I wanted to serve from my heart. True Beauty exists within the authenticity of each person. I wanted to connect with my clients in a genuine way & thats how Naturally Sima Salon was created Read more>>
Jorge Leiva
My wife and I had our second daughter and she had quit her job to become a stay at home mom. she’s not the one that likes to stay home and is always looking for things to do. so we were exploring business ideas. We had tried bookeeping in the past but it didn’t work. We also thought about a day care but at that time was an elementary teacher and I didn’t want to have to deal with more kids after my school journey. So we came up with the cleaning idea. We thought why not? everybody needs to clean their home and there is always someone willing to pay to have it done. Read more>>
Savannah Jo
Previous to dabbling in graphic design, I already used my business as a means of creating custom art pieces for friends and small clients. However, my sister knew I had an iPad and a passion for creating graphics in my spare time. She trusted and commissioned me to create a logo for her bakery, and the concept of designing a logo for a dream a person has cultivated for years was quite the under-taking. Read more>>
Adam Snyder
After I retired from playing Offensive Line in the NFL for 10 years, I found myself needing to find something to get the competitiveness back into my life. I coached High School football at Perry High School with a great staff of coaches who taught me a lot and a great group of young men who were really listening to the fundamentals and techniques I was bringing into the meeting room and onto the football field. I coached there for 3 1/2 years and as my own kids grew older I couldn’t commit the time that was needed to be a high school coach the way I wanted to. Read more>>
Neicy Geis
I was working part-time for a local flower shop and really fell in love with the aspect of being an integral part of my comminuty, getting to know my neighbors and providing a feel-good service that everyone loved really brought me joy. To see the looks on people’s faces when I delivered an arrangement was like no other, and sometimes entirely changed what may have been a really horrible day for them, if only for a second. I’ve shared, laughter, hugs and many tears with the recipients and there’s really nothing like being a part of someone’s day in that way. Read more>>
Ken Conklin
I got my heart broken one summer, and went through a really tough time period. This particular breakup really messed me up, for I’m pretty certain I got cheated on, and I actually thought she was my “soulmate.” As a matter of fact, I had insomnia for a few months after it. I couldn’t fall asleep at night, no matter how hard I tried. I’d close my eyes, but my mind would continue re-playing certain painful moments over and over again. It was horrible. Read more>>
Jordan Elbaum
Rachel Rose Collective is an idea I’ve had in my back pocket for a really long time. I would always walk into those trendy little shops and say “if I could – I would just create gift boxes for people as my job, with all of these cool things.” I said that here and there for a few years before I decided to take the plunge. I didn’t want it to be your average gift box that is full of candy, weird smelling soap and useless items. Read more>>
Toula Argentis
This dream all started over 20 years ago, when my eldest son was diagnosed with a number of allergies which were causing him physical and emotional problems. Being raised in a Greek household, my mom taught me to bake and cook; I fell in love with baking from a small age. Once I realized that my son needed to be gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, I bought some gluten free baking books and started my journey. Read more>>
Suzanne Simone
My origins… As a young girl I began singing & dancing at age 3 off of the recommendation of others to my mom who saw something unique in me. As the most emotional & humbling of beginnings, I can easily say that music & dance paved a life of divine love & serious devotion to every artistic avenue that I’ve ever been blessed to be a part of! Read more>>
Leng Kar Chang
The SKA Academy of Art and Design was created to provide children K-12 the opportunity to explore their artistic talents, promote the value of art in their development, and appreciate all applications of art. After establishing the SKA Academy of Art and Design in 2006, teaching and volunteering in the community made me realize that our students, volunteers, and staff could positively impact others through service. So. the Together We Can Foundation was established and has started numerous service projects that impact local and global communities. Read more>>
Max Poppel
My business partner, Dan, and I moved to Chattanooga in 2005 with no ambitions of starting businesses. We just moved for the climbing which we eventually saw many others visiting for. Chattanooga’s quality, quantity, and proximity of the climbing to a fun mid-size city rivals any, just there was no basecamp for all the climbers coming to visit. Read more>>
Sana Cotten
When I was four years old, I was trafficked for drugs by my mother and grandmother. I ended up being placed into fostercare until the age of 8 and then adopted . I struggled in this new life mostly because I didn’t feel like I belonged and i held on to so much shame from my abuse. As I became a young adult, I made mistakes as I tried to find love. At found myself in a toxic relationship and eventually ended up pregnant at the age of 18. I began raising my son, still living in the shame of my youth while now adding an additional layer of shame. Read more>>
Graff Kelly
My Wife and I met in 1997 in Key West. We were planning our wedding in 1999 and wanted a fun way to introduce my friends and family from London, England to her family and friends from Chicago. We designed a fun scavenger hunt for everyone not only as a great way for them all to get to know each other but to also see Key West from a whole new and exciting perspective. After our honeymoon, the scavenger hunt was born as a business. We now offer Scavenger Hunts in Key West, South Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Delray Beach and custom hunts in other cities upon request. Read more>>
Jay Jerrier
In 1995 , my wife and I went on our honeymoon to Southern Italy. That was the first time I had ever had authentic Italian wood-fired pizza. I had never tasted anything like that in America. I was blown away by how you could taste each individual component – the yeasty fresh dough, the bright, acidic crushed tomatoes, the creamy fresh mozzarella, the fragrant basil and the fruity olive oil. It was very light, but very satisfying. I was obsessed. When we returned to the states, I built a wood-burning pizza oven in my backyard and set about trying to recreate that experience – often with disastrous results. Read more>>
Morgan Febrey
I’ve been a graphic designer since the 90s. One day I was working on something stupid for some boring-ass client. You know, it paid so… Suddenly the lord slapped me in the face with an idea. He said, “Why you working on this half-baked shtuff for other people when you can be crankin’ out the fully baked goods for yourself?” He was right. I started thinking. Read more>>
Claire L. Fishback
This is the story of how a single phrase became the cornerstone of my dream business. September 2017, my friend and USA Today bestselling author, LS Hawker, and I were at the Colorado Gold Writers Conference hosted by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. Tess Gerritsen was the keynote for banquet night that year. At the end of her amazing speech she said, “You can, too.” I turned to LS and whispered, “You can, TOUCAN!” Read more>>
Roberto Murphy
When I bought my first semi-professional camera it came with a device to make timelapses. It was a beautiful afternoon during monsoon season in Arizona and decided to try it out. After I got home, processed the footage and saw my first timelapse, I was hooked. I realized that every frame that I had taken was different. I also noticed it allowed me to see the passing of the storm like I had never seen it. At this moment I stumbled upon the understanding that timelapses were not only a way to show the beauty of nature but that they are a type of life hack. Read more>>
Jamila Anderson
My entire life I have dreamed of making beauty products. As a little girl, I used to mix random ingredients to make hair products. In high school, I decided to obtain my cosmetology license and pursue my dream of becoming a hairstylist. While attending Prairie View A&M University where I received my degree in Mechanical Engineering, I operated a Salon Suite and became my boss. During this period, I began making hair growth products for my clients who suffered from hair loss. I dove into learning about ingredients and processes that contributed to causes of hair loss. Read more>>
JD Guerrer
How I came up with Only The Strong Fitness & Athletics…. As a native of Arizona with a few stints in California I grew up most of my adolescent and teenage life in Az, After my parents divorced we turned sports as a way to stay active and busy. Our mother was left to work and provide for us and did not have the means necessary for my brothers and I to participate in sports outside of school. I never had the opportunity for any extra training to better my skills in sports and I never attended professional sporting events growing up. Now as a father myself, I wanted to change that in my family. I decided that I wanted to make a difference in my children and teach them at an early age about sports and fitness, being active, and giving back to the community. Read more>>
Troy Hurley
Originally, my business name is my middle and last name, Alexander Hurley. However, I wanted to create a deeper meaning that allows a space for the community and myself to explore together. So, the meaning to Alexander means, “One who assists men.” And therefore, I aspire to assist men and create essential footwear for their journey. We all have underlying similarities as human beings, including enduring challenges that bring us together, and so Alexander Hurley strives to create products through curiosity and empathy. Read more>>
Cathleen Daly
The name of my blog-turned-business, Discovering Daly, came by way of me wanting to identify a word that I didn’t feel would put me into a box. When I started my blog, I always knew that it was going to grow into something beyond just a blog; I just didn’t know WHAT that was yet. I wanted to be able to have a free space to write about whatever I wanted to whether it was fashion, travel, food, or just overall life experiences. Through that process, I landed on the word “discovering” and I knew that was the word as it perfectly described how I felt about my life. Read more>>
Jasmine Parks
It’s actually so typical of us and why we work so well together. One day we were making candles together and we decided to launch a candle business together. Just like that. A couple of family members came up with some very clever names; I recall there were a lot of puns, and as much as we love a good pun, we both felt like our vision needed a simple and powerful name. Chelsea called me to chat names and we both blurted out, “how about AURA?” Our vision (and minds) were in sync from the beginning. Read more>>
Brennah Rosenthal
Why ‘Great Escape’? Brennah named her business after a forever climbing project in Clear Creek Canyon “The Great Escape.” For years she went out to complete this climb, trying every move countless times, and still hasn’t completed it. She’s always had the drive to go out and try it over and over again, because she loves the style and extraordinary view from the climb. It’s challenging, rewarding, scary, frustrating which are all very similar qualities to starting and maintaining a business. She wanted Great Escape Media to be a “forever project” just like this climb, continuing to grow and evolve even with challenges along the way. Read more>>
Jen Enck
My company started off as a home craft party. My concept began from having monthly watercolor classes in my home. We would have some cocktails and paint under the direction of a watercolor artist. It turns out painting is pretty stressful for those that do not think they are artistic but crafting was much more enjoyable for them. Thus the home craft party was born and Drinks and Crafts became my official company name. Read more>>
Susana Jaruczyk
Probably the most asked question our family answers on the regular is: How do you say you last name? So a few years ago we started answering with Jaruczyk -like Jurassic you know? and people go ohhhh, that makes sense! So our home became Jaruczyk Park! We love it, is fun, we have a great time with it! When I started my business and was looking for a business name, our then 4 year old girl was playing with her dinosaurs next to me, (oblivious my internal dilema about the craziness of starting a business while homeschooling 4 kids and how I knew nothing about running a business! and all that jazz) Read more>>
DC Banks
Life is an intriguing process and such a beautiful journey! I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing unparalleled bliss and the misfortune of menacing adversity. Innumerable times I counted myself out, but my faith always prevailed which led me to persevere. I entered a stormy season in my life about 7 years ago which had me talking to the creator. I asked what my purpose was being here because we all have one. The message I received was inspire and make an impact on every person I place in your path. Read more>>
Kirsten Holmstedt
I actually came up with the name of my company before I even thought about starting a business! The name “Treasure in the Detail” was developed from the nickname “Treasure Bucket,” a name my dad coined for me when I was born. He still calls me Treasure Bucket to this day and has named my daughter, Treasure Bucket #2! What is even more special to me is my dad joined my company a few years ago and has been instrumental is making it more efficient in so many positive ways. Read more>>
Charlotte Shaff
When deciding on a name for my PR business back in 2005, I didn’t think using my name would be smart because 1. What if I got married and I changed my last name? 2. No one really knows me…yet! And 3. I felt it was important to use a term that explains what I do, so I started to think about words with action that made sense regarding what I would do for them. I didn’t want the word “PR” or public relations because I wanted to be more general about my services in the industry. The Media Push made so much sense. And to this day people say things like “I needed a media push…” and it perfectly explains what I do. I give your business a push in the media (social media now too.) Read more>>
Tammy Rodgers
As I started this business venture I thought to myself, “How can I fuse together the love for my family and my passion for pets?” So I decided to incorporate my son’s acting career, my daughters modeling career, and the love for my pets. And I came up with the name Puparazzi instead of Paparazzi! For me this truly is a blend of everything I love and care about wrapped up in a dream and vision that I look forward to sharing with you! Read more>>
Hilda Morales
I used to work for a color line company years ago that had the name Kraze on one of their fantasy hair products. They were very bright and beautiful colorful colors that I loved using on my clients, so that name got stuck in my head. When I had the opportunity of opening my first hair salon I did a little more research on the name and realized that Craze in part is defined as to become wildly excited or insane about something and that’s exactly how I felt about opening my first hair salon. So decided to go with that, I did change the C to a K to make it more attractive and added Colour to make it more fancy and Voilà you get Colour Kraze Hair Studio. Read more>>
Whit Rigali
Trials and tribulations not only make great bar stories but are how we grow and mature as humans. Obstacles were thrown in our path early on in our business. How we got under, around or through them made us who we are. Originally we wanted to make whiskey and put it in reused wine bottles. We spent 2 years learning the trade and developing recipes. When we went to raise outside funds we had a reality check. Read more>>
Lilian Santini
When I started my branding company, it was very important to me to choose a name that would embody who I am and where I came from. After many considerations, The Copper Portico was born. The supportive structure that leads to a door represents a new world of possibilities. This is often referred to as a portico and is symbolic of the supportive creative process we guide our clients through. The Copper Portico’s mission is to become collaborators with our clients and stay equally invested in their vision. Read more>>
Jonathan Kaplan
Back in 2017, a close friend & I discussed starting a mobile bartending business as a way to earn extra money, make great cocktails & have fun with people. This was in response to working with non-profit groups at arena & concert venues around Phoenix as bartenders. I knew I wanted a name that was somewhat original, fun, and something you could say out loud (or shout). Read more>>
Queen Silvy
I came up with the name of my business because It represents the authentic, kind, loving and giving person that I am. The Queen Silvy Show provides worldwide live entertainment, talents and topics from genuine & authentic people Read more>>
Andy and Roger Sweis
The name of our business is Cedar Room – it is an upscale cigar lounge in North Scottsdale, focused on providing a top notch selection of cigars, beer and wines, an excellent experience with our venue and our staff, and constantly connecting with our guests to adjust and cater to their excellent experience. Read more>>
Laura Bruns
In 2015, my brother and I opened a small neighborhood craft brewery in Denver. Almost immediately the prototype concept for Craft Beer Uncovered was born. I noticed that I had several customers who were very curious about craft beer but seemed intimidated by all of it. They were hesitant to ask questions and hesitant to order something they weren’t knowledgeable about and more often than not, I noticed they didn’t fit the stereotype of who the craft beer world typically markets toward. Read more>>
Denise Fleck
Each of my dogs has helped me create another branch of my business, but my yellow Labrador retriever, Sunny, was the inspiration for my company, “Sunny-dog Ink!” My beautiful fur kid suffered a back injury, and although I nursed her back to good health, I never wanted to be faced with the uncertainty of not knowing how to handle an injury with one of my dogs. Research and fate led me to discovering Pet First Aid when it was in its infancy, so I jumped on the bandwagon, trained with a dozen organizations in pet health care, volunteered helping rescue animals, practiced and developed my own proprietary program. Read more>>