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.

Zainab Kaffo

The idea for my loan processing company came from my deep love for loan processing itself. As an experienced loan officer, I have always enjoyed the structure, precision, and attention to detail that loan processing requires. There’s something incredibly rewarding about taking a complex loan file, organizing it seamlessly, and ensuring everything aligns perfectly for a smooth closing. Read more>>

Alex Embry

That’s a great question. I’ve had a really crazy life, I was born and raised in a cult, in a world where love was something I had to earn, something external that could be given or taken away. I spent my early life searching for it, desperate to find that feeling of wholeness, of belonging. And then, one day, I found mushrooms. Read more>>

Heather Graybill

Grumpy Dog Club started out of pure frustration – well, frustration and a very grumpy-looking dog. My dog has always been a bit of an oddball in terms of shape (big chest, long legs, and a big head) which made it nearly impossible to find clothes that actually fit him. Every time I found something cute, it would either be too tight in the chest, too short in the legs, or just look completely awkward. I realized I couldn’t be the only one dealing with this problem. Read more>>

Shannon Henne

My career started in spinal cord rehabilitation at Shepherd Center in ATL. When I left inpatient rehab for the private sector, I landed at a studio that was owned by a Physical Therapist and they integrated Pilates. Once I became trained in the practice of Pilates and started treating patients with this Pilates & Physical Therapy combo approach, I was blown away by how quickly patients got better and became stronger than before. In addition, I was able to transition them to a Pilates program where they continued coming to the studio and continued getting stronger. It’s rare in Physical Therapy to get to follow your patients post-discharge, so this is a big win for this model. Read more>>

Kacie Cope

I didn’t follow the traditional path to becoming an interior designer. I went to college for communications, taught 4th grade for a few years in North Carolina, and then worked at a nonprofit for a decade, where I wore many hats.

Growing up, my parents encouraged me to pursue art school since I was always a creative kid, but I chose to take the conventional route instead—opting for a four-year college and following what I thought were the “rules.” But things changed when I bought my first home with my then-husband. I wasn’t feeling particularly fulfilled in my work, so I threw myself into the house project. It became my personal creative outlet, a blank canvas where I could express myself. Read more>>

Ilka Murray

THE SHIFT IS ALREADY IN MOTION. YOU’RE EITHER LEADING IT OR WATCHING IT HAPPEN.
I didn’t wait for permission. I didn’t ask if the world was ready.
I built Worldwide HER because the future of global influence demands a new infrastructure.

Women aren’t just building businesses. They’re shifting markets.
They aren’t just gaining leadership positions. They’re rewriting the blueprint.
They aren’t waiting for opportunities. They’re creating them in real time.

But here’s what’s been missing—synchronization. Read more>>

Kayla Jones

It all began in 2022, a year that was meant for celebration and new beginnings. I had just gotten engaged, and the excitement of planning a wedding filled my days. As I navigated through the whirlwind of floral arrangements, table settings, and guest lists, I found solace in creating my own wedding gifts and decor. Each piece I crafted was infused with love and personal touches, reflecting the joy of my upcoming nuptials. Read more>>

Meliza Fernandez

Killer Bodies NYC wasn’t just some random idea—it came from a real need. I didn’t sit down and think, “What kind of business should I start?” It was born from movement, energy, and a deep frustration with the way the fitness industry made women feel about their bodies. Read more>>

Cristal Meza

I began coaching in pageantry over 10 years ago, and from the very start, I knew it was something I truly enjoyed. Over the years, my coaching blossomed into something much bigger, and I started finding success in the field. But long before pageantry became my passion, there was something I discovered as a child: I loved shiny things. Growing up, I spent a lot of time in my room and during that time I developed a love with rhinestones. I began adding them to everything I owned. I realized how they could transform something ordinary into something extraordinary. Read more>>

Shawn And Tina Pasquini

I was laid off from a job that I had for 20 years when the covid pandemic hit. At 48 years old, I decided it was time for me to control my own destiny. I was always interested in owning my own business and had tried several business endeavors in the past, but never had the passion for those businesses. So when covid hit, I knew it was time to dig deep, find a passion, and go all out. I originally first partnered with my former martial arts teacher because I had been in the martial arts on and off for most of my life, and enjoyed it very much. However, after a couple years, I found the schedule was taking away from time with my family. There has to be a good work/life balance for one to be sincerely happy, so I decided to begin looking for a business that could meet all the criteria I was looking for. Read more>>

Ashli Owens

I came up with the idea of Ashli Unframed when I was about 18 and in college. At the time, I just needed a digital place to serve as my portfolio. The name Unframed came to me came because I had this desire to tell stories that I felt were unique or stories of people who felt “othered”. I guess because growing up, a lot of times thats how I thought I felt and I was like, well certainly other people have to feel this way too. So yeah, I moved forward under the guise of Ashli Unframed. I put a lot of pressure on myself to create these stories and photographs that were ground breaking *lol, but it never was hitting and it also didn’t feel authentic to the art I wanted to create. Read more>>

Jonniqua Jackson-hargrove

After seeing the effects that COVID 19 had on the nation, watching countless Americans, including myself, suffer with health issues, and/or loosing loved ones due to illnesses and diseases, the rise in HOME funding, climate change, and inflation I thought to myself how can I start a business that will bring awareness to these things but more importantly, help people! Read more>>

Gafar Sanyaolu

I started my event planning business with 2 close friends. We were known for attending a lot of events in Chicago, a lot of people knew us. I decided one day after speaking with my now business partners, we needed to become event curators instead of event consumers, as we were spending so much money attending a lot of these events. We wanted to know what it took to put an event together. But truly, the main reason for coming up with this idea is mostly due to the fact that a lot of minorities didn’t have the opportunity to host events at some of these big venues for a lot of reasons. We wanted to change that narrative by opening doors for us and others to walk through. Read more>>

Toni Jackson

We’ve been a family band for over 24 years now, and I was a single mom with 5 children. It was pretty easy to pack up, travel and perform all over the world (something like the Partridge Family, only we didn’t have a bus!). Sometimes we’d be out on the road for 3-4 months at a time, performing up to 350 shows a year. And when the children were young, they loved going new places, sleeping in hotels (so they didn’t have to clean their rooms), and always eating out. As they grew up, they started longing for a more normal lifestyle where they’d be home to date, go to prom, hang out with their friends, etc. While touring, we made a point to visit any “chuck wagon dinner shows” we learned about, and took notes – what we liked and what we didn’t care for. It became our dream to open our own someday. Read more>>

Brie Zoller

The idea for my sustainable interior decorating business, Re.Living Co., took root during a personal project—remodeling our bathroom. Sustainability has always been a core value in my life, so when it came time to update our space, I was determined to do it in a way that aligned with my environmental ethics. Read more>>

Vincenzo Porcu

When it was Finally my time to open a restaurant, I’m italian, so I opened an Italian restaurant! A regional restaurant from Sardinia, to be exact. I did a lot of research here in LA and we have so many Italian restaurants. most of the dishes are so similar to one another. This is why I decided to open a Sardinia restaurant. We are still Italian, but with different dishes that other restaurants don’t have. I just decided to bring something new to the table. Read more>>

Mirjana Vidic

Photography has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. As a child, I was always drawn to capturing the world around me—whether it was the way the light hit the trees or the expressions on people’s faces during family gatherings. There was something magical about freezing a moment in time, turning fleeting seconds into lasting memories. Read more>>

Jamila Choyce

Jamila Jay is a fashion brand dedicated to celebrating and empowering plus-size women. We address a significant gap in the market: the lack of high-quality, high-fashion clothing and shoes designed specifically for women sizes 8 to 28. For too long, plus-size women have been relegated to limited and often less stylish options, forced to compromise on fashion and fit. Jamila Jay changes that. Read more>>

Diana Cortese

After working in the public school system, I recognized a significant gap in social development support for children who fell somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. These students didn’t require intensive individualized intervention, yet struggled to thrive in standard social environments. I witnessed firsthand how schools lacked the time, resources, and prioritization necessary to nurture these children’s social growth. This realization inspired me to create South Bay Kids Connection (SBKC), a specialized social play skills program that provides a smaller, more intimate group setting. Read more>>

Joli Summers

I started Howdy Hanny because I saw a gap in the market for cowgirls who wanted stylish, high-quality, and functional clothing at an affordable price. Many Western brands offered either fashionable pieces that lacked practicality or rugged workwear that wasn’t flattering—but rarely both. I wanted to create a brand that blends classic Western charm with everyday functionality, ensuring that cowgirls can look great while working hard. By focusing on quality craftsmanship, thoughtful design, and accessible pricing, Howdy Hanny brings a fresh take on Western fashion, making sure women don’t have to choose between style and practicality. Read more>>

Clementine Koplan

For as long as I can remember, finding a bra that truly fit—without sacrificing comfort, elegance, or affordability—felt impossible. Like most women, I was stuck in the cycle of buying bras that were almost right but never perfect. The band was too tight, the cups gaped, the straps slipped, or the design lacked the sophistication I wanted. No matter how many styles I tried, nothing ever felt like it was made for me. And I kept wondering: Why is something so essential so difficult to get right? Read more>>

Haley Westfall

Before becoming an entrepreneur, I spent about 20 years in the corporate leadership space. After an unexpected layoff, I found myself reflecting on my skill set, interests and desired lifestyle to come up with businesses that checked all of those boxes while staying on my own terms. With a Masters in Leadership and a background of leading teams of all sizes one thing was glaringly clear from this reflection – what I loved above all else was people. Coupling that love with my super power of bringing incredible humans together, both The Table™️ and Collab Culture™️ were born. Read more>>

Cara Stull

EmpowerHer Ventures has been a vision of mine since college. I have always wanted to help women build their own businesses and provide the support they need to succeed. While I wasn’t sure exactly what form it would take at the time, I knew I wanted it to be a collective—a network of experts I could refer clients to for specialized guidance. Read more>>

Melany Swinwood

The journey to creating Miss Mell’s Magick Mixes was a deeply personal and transformative experience, rooted in my ancestors long-standing tradition of natural healing.

Since childhood, I have felt an innate, profound sense that this journey was destined for me, as if it had chosen me instead of the other way around. I always found ways to incorporate my natural surroundings into my home, whether it was picking flowers to adorn the mantel or collecting bones and feathers I discovered along the way. Each item I collected carried a unique story and a connection to the earth, offering both grounding and inspiration. These simple acts of inviting nature indoors were not merely for decoration; they represented my deep respect for the natural world and the healing it provides.  Read more>>

Attia Taylor

I’m Attia Taylor—a musician, content producer, and health advocate. In 2017, I founded Womanly with a simple but urgent mission: to provide free, accessible health prevention resources and art to women and non-binary people, particularly in underserved communities. We create campaigns, health materials, and workshops that educate, empower, and uplift those who are often left out of traditional health conversations. Read more>>

Jasmine Mcilvenny

I really wanted to get into photography after I got my engagement photos done because I really liked how looking at the images invoked so much emotion in me. I just knew when I looked at the images I was glad I invested in my photographer and I wanted to be able to do that for other people and even more capture my growing family on my own time. I love learning how to edit, photograph from different angles, and utilize different lighting situations to help me embody the client’s vision and bring it to life. It’s been a fun thing to learn, but at the end of the day, I really want my clients to feel excited, beautiful, empowered, and confident when they look at their images and be happy that they booked with me. Read more>>

Jenny Bienemann

I had been dandling the idea of taking a photo, writing a haiku, and posting it on social media between my metaphorical fingers for a long time. I remember the day I chose to do it: pulling into the garage with a trunk full of groceries on a Sunday afternoon.

My workplace had become inhospitable, and I needed to leave a job I loved and served faithfully for many years. The loss of how I made my living, coming on the heels of catastrophic change in the way I made a life — close family members battling illness and addiction, the shuttering of venues that had served as centers for my artistic practice, and the dissolution of decades-long relationships in the wake of these changes – had me reeling. Worse – the ways in which my words and actions had been misconstrued by people I cared about felt grotesque and unfair. Read more>>

Luis Coronel

My food business started just like a weekend entrepreneur idea between my college friends and I ….many of them was international students, they really was missing the homemade food , so I just created the right way to supply that need, offering really good homemade food, totally free at the beginning , and after too many succesful weekends , they pushed me to step out for the next level…..make this as official business , thats was the reason I create KANDELAS FOOD, a caribbean homemade catering concept. Read more>>

Trey Mast

I imagine most small businesses start out as a hobby. Growing started out that way for me. When my family and I were living in Tokyo, I tried (and failed horribly) to grow tomatoes on our small roof in buckets. When we moved to Brooklyn we had a small yard that I tried to grow in (and failed again). When we moved back to Dallas, we had a decent space where I tried growing a few more plants. Then Covid happened. At the time I was a freelance videographer and many of the events I would work were no longer taking place-I had time. Although I did my time baking sourdough, I started really diving deep into gardening. Read more>>

Sabrina Yavil

The idea for Gryme came straight from the chaos of my own home. I’m a mom of three boys. And if you’ve ever lived with boys, you know that getting them to shower, wash their faces, or even acknowledge that they might be a little (or a lot) stinky is a battle. They don’t care. They don’t want to slow down. And honestly, they’ll cut every corner possible when it comes to cleaning up. I was tired of the fights, the reminders, the “Did you actually use soap, or just stand under the water?” interrogations. Read more>>

Robert Ancill

Every business has a story, and for me, founding The Next Idea was as much about passion as it was about necessity. It all started with my unwavering love for restaurants and the food service industry. I’ve always been fascinated by creating environments where people gather, enjoy meals, and savor unforgettable moments. Read more>>

Amanda O’dell

So, I am chronically ill with multiple autoimmune diseases, and I felt stuck (literally – in the house most of the time!). I prayed for purpose and to find the energy and drive to fulfill it. Every time I prayed, I kept getting visions of myself running a tiny boutique with fun clothes, jewelry and handmade treasures by friends. It would be spewing whimsy and joy all over the place. It would be a ministry to serve others and bring love and light. It would be an opportunity to donate more to great causes and pray for new friends. I live in a very rural area so I knew a brick and mortar wouldn’t thrive, so I started my online boutique, The Wandering Homebody. Read more>>

Annette Gomes

I was 2-3 years into my broadcasting career and I knew I didn’t want to continue. Years before I read of a woman featured in the section of a magazine entitled ‘Cool Jobs” She was a voice over artist. I knew this was something I could do – I would apply all that I learned in Journalism school – Diction, tone, writing scripts. I took a class at a studio in Atlanta – If you read the script to the teachers liking – she would make your first demo. I call it the Johnny Carson moment. I would continue to build my business over the last 10 years, naming it Wut a Voice Communications. It was a national transition for someone that was in broadcasting. Read more>>

Jacelin Yiting Jiang

Growing up in Guangzhou, I was always drawn to the interplay of history and subcultures. My fascination with merging contrasting aesthetics—heritage and rebellion, structure and fluidity—became the foundation of my design work.

When conceptualizing my MA collection, Harajuku reverie, I wanted to challenge traditional menswear by integrating the grandeur of 17th-century European court attire with the expressive energy of 90s Harajuku fashion. The biggest challenge was translating this idea into reality—how to balance historical silhouettes with modern materials while maintaining wearability. Read more>>

Kelly Kellett

As a child, I was fortunate to receive classical training in various art mediums from my grandfather, including charcoal and watercolor. I pursued my passion for art and design, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a Concentration in Graphic Design from Monmouth University. After spending years in the corporate world, I realized my heart longed for something more creative. Read more>>