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. 

Ifeyinwa Anako

The Learning Hamlet began as a very personal journey that started when I was looking for a school for my son. I wanted to find a place that honored curiosity, play, and a deep sense of community, while offering a rich early childhood experience that nurtured mathematical thinking from the start. Read more >>>

Federico Kunzendorf

The idea of building these kinds of cars is simply the expression — the materialization — of a passion. Because this idea was born from something I truly love, it gave me the opportunity to put into practice some life principles that, for many years, had remained mostly theoretical. Doing something where profit isn’t the goal brought me a deep sense of peace. Read more >>>

Tobin Poppenberg

I got invited to Burning Man — this wild, creative festival of art, music, and radical humanity in the Nevada desert. And as excited as I was… I also felt that familiar thrill of fear. I knew there’d be so much opportunity for connection, but I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to make it happen. Read more >>>

Laura Coblentz

When I was working as the VP of Marketing and Ecommerce at Pharmaca, an innovative retailer in natural health and beauty, I started to notice something. Friends—mostly women in their 50s and 60s—kept coming to me with the same question: What skincare products should I actually be using? Read more >>>

Charlie Sprinkman

I came up with the idea for Everywhere Is Queer in mid 2021 after spending years traveling and constantly searching for queer-owned spaces wherever I went. I was always looking for queer-owned coffee shops, gyms, clothing stores, you name it. As a queer person, I wanted to support my community and also feel safe and seen in the places I spent my time and money. Read more >>>

Sean Lord

My wife and I had been praying and seeking about an opportunity to partner with a local nonprofit to meet veterans where they were at, regardless of their struggles, and partner with them as veterans to help lead them to a better place. We had been struggling and could not seem to find anyone. Read more >>>

Pranay Rishi Nalem

I still remember what it felt like to be a student who wanted to learn, but didn’t know how to navigate the overwhelming sea of online resources. There was no roadmap — just scattered information, endless distractions, and no clear path forward. I saw incredibly talented classmates lose their spark because they couldn’t find the right structure or community to support their goals. Read more >>>

george goodwin

As a fourth-generation grocer, I’ve spent my entire life around food — watching trends rise and fall, hearing customer feedback firsthand, and seeing what actually sells versus what just looks good on a shelf. I grew up sweeping floors and stocking shelves in our family’s small organic grocery store, Goodwin’s Organics, which my dad opened in 2008 — before “organic” was mainstream. Read more >>>

Kristen Eliza Brock

As an actress and producer based in New York City, my journey has always been rooted in a deep love for theatre — not just performing, but the entire creative ecosystem that brings stories to life. Read more >>>

Paul Hogan

The idea of being an owner of a Jiu-Jitsu gym never was something I planned to do. I have been wrestling or practicing Jiu-Jitsu for 29 years. During 2020 all of the gyms were forced to shut down. I began training a group of my students in my driveway and garage in Paris, KY. Read more >>>

Megan Norton-Newbanks

The story behind Belonging Beyond Borders began with my own lived experience. By the time I was 18, I had lived in six different countries. As a Third Culture Kid (TCK), I often felt like an outsider—especially when I returned to my passport country, the United States. Read more >>>

Jonathan Ginsberg

I always struggled with my weight as a child and young man. When I had my son, I found I had gained 60 lbs during the pregnancy and needed to change my life for the better t0 be a good example to my son. Read more >>>

AUSTIN BARTZ

We first started snow sculptures when we had a snow day & had no school. Staying inside was no option for us, as we loved being outside. We had caught a puffer fish in Florida a few weeks before so we thought, lets try to build a puffer fish out of snow…. & the rest was history! Read more >>>

Jessica Rae Levin

Since I was young, people just seemed to open up to me and tell me their stories. I didn’t expect it or ask for it, but I loved it. It often felt as if the universe had chosen me to hold space for people’s stories, pain, and healing and eventually, I became curious about how to turn that instinct into a profession. Read more >>>

Kathleen Berry

My business is unconventional. First, some background on me. I’d once belonged to a fear-based church that put the Most Divine in a small box. It never spoke to my heart or matched the intense love that had unexpectedly rained upon me during childhood. Read more >>>

Jenna Eissmann

My cofounder, Madeleine, and I met each other in our senior project class in Cal Poly’s Biomedical Engineering department. In this class, we were given a list of several project options to choose from and we had to rank our top 3 most wanted ones. I had ranked every women’s/children’s health project within my top 3. Madeleine had done the same. Read more >>>

Anthony Collincini

Writing has always been an outlet of mine. The best way I knew to express myself during certain periods throughout my life was putting pen to paper. Read more >>>

Joeun Jang

I’ve always been the kind of kid who wanted to do many things. Sports, studying, art, I can honestly say I’ve tried almost everything. One day during class in middle school, my teacher played a movie, and I suddenly thought, I want to learn filmmaking. It was a very simple thought. I don’t like to overthink things because that only brings stress. Read more >>>

Janice Nissen

After retiring from a long career in the life science industry, I had more time to invest in my hobby of playing golf. I admit that I am a high handicap golfer, translation, I take a lot of strokes and lose a lot of golf balls while playing! Read more >>>

Molly Canu

I had successfully been running my own personal training business in NYC for about four years when my husband and I decided to partner and open a brick-and-mortar location. Up until then, my training business took place in my client’s apartments, their building gyms, or rented studios. I was commuting all over NYC from 5AM until 8:30-9:30pm most weekdays. Read more >>>

Mary Vail

My compassion for others guided me into the field of public relations. I believed that everyone (and every organization) has a unique story and deserve to have it told. I wanted to use my skills to share their stories with the public and media. My empathy for others also imparted me with a “mission-driven” mindset. Read more >>>

LaShawn Johnson

I grew up loving to cook and enjoying the savory things of life. Baking was never an avenue that I thought id venture into. During a storm in my life, I began baking as a coping skill and pecan pie cheesecakes were my start. It gave me time to pray and manage my stress and anxiety. My sister motivated me to begin selling them. Read more >>>

Kristen Felicia Mirabal Velilla

Our story began long before Divine Design Photography ever had a name. Back in 2019, my husband Juan and I started collaborating on creative projects — he was a photographer at the time, and I was modeling. That shared artistic passion brought us together, and eventually, we fell in love. Read more >>>

Meghan Lilly Jones

As a child, I was both an avid animal lover and had a heart for entrepreneurship. I still remember when iPads first came out — I wanted one more than anything. I went to my parents, pleading for a big screen. “It can do anything and everything,” I told them. Read more >>>

iana velez

I began this journey in 2015 creating a local print magazine, celebrating the New York wellness community, since nothing like this existed. I was excited to combine my love for art and design with my love for my hometown of NYC, and yoga all in one place! Read more >>>

Becca Ferguson

First of all, I love this question because it’s so important to ask! People on the outside often assume businesses have their brand together from day one and nothing ever changes. The name, ‘The Therapy Office’, was actually my husband’s idea, which still irritates me because it is just so clever! Read more >>>

Dr. Brandi Scott

I had a successful fifteen year career as a higher education administrator. I supported students, supervised large and small teams, and had the gift of mentoring many professionals. As a first-generation high school graduate myself, who was raised in poverty, college was my awakening to possibility. The window to what could be, to who I could be. Read more >>>

Kenyon Gatlin

Honestly, I never imagined I’d be doing what I do today. My original dream — and one I still plan to pursue — was to become a registered nurse. I’ve always been passionate about the medical field; science lights me up, and caring for people has always felt like my calling. Read more >>>

Morgan McKenzie

My journey started long before I ever thought about owning a business. As a dancer at just eight years old, I discovered my love for being in front of the camera. By eleven , I picked up my first camera and launched a YouTube channel. I was creative, curious, and completely in love with storytelling through visuals. Read more >>>

Stephanie K.

The idea for my business came from several sources. The first was when I was a single mom in my early 20s, trying to find a way to make money that would give me more time with my young daughter, rather than leaving her in daycare for most of the day and week. Read more >>>

Miranda Cram

Firstly, I am a wife and mother to my two beautiful children. The intense rebirth I personally experienced after becoming a mother was life changing. I always knew birth work would be in my future. After becoming a certified birth doula, I dove deep and pondered for years where my role would be as a birth worker & how I could best serve my community. Read more >>>

Nicholas Lewis

I had been flirting with the idea of publishing a book for sometime due to the fact that I had a growing collection of poems. However, a fear of releasing such personal works prevented me from doing so. Read more >>>

Tayler Durant

I understand how important it is to have a clean, peaceful home — especially when life gets busy. That’s one of the main reasons I started my business, A Tailor’D Experience: to offer dependable, family-friendly cleaning services to families and individuals who need that extra support in keeping their spaces fresh and welcoming. Cleaning has always been my passion. Read more >>>

Carrie Lupoli

For decades, I was the woman who “did it all.” I had a successful career, a beautiful family, and checked every box of what it meant to be accomplished, yet I was silently at war with my body. That battle began long before motherhood. Read more >>>

Robin Austin

I was inspired by faith in Christ. His still small voice revealed to me multiple times to evangelize within a healing ministry, combining Bible study with what I call SEA – Self Expressed Art through Bible journaling. It wasn’t just one moment, but a gentle, persistent calling that kept coming back to me. Read more >>>

Katelyn Cornelious

I actually came up with the idea for iSpy Boutique while sitting at my job in a water office one day — honestly, I was bored. My mind kept drifting toward the idea of creating something of my own. I’ve always had this drive to work for myself and build something that reflects my creativity and independence. Read more >>>

Michael Molsbee

I have been doing heating and air for 15 years. I had always dreamed of owning my own company. When my wife and I discussed the possibility of starting our own company, we talked about how we would be different from other companies that offer the same service. Read more >>>

Samantha Brooks

Growing up in Los Angeles, I witnessed firsthand how modern systems can strain the human spirit and create disconnect, especially in areas with limited access to fresh food and resources. This longing for a more nourishing, connected way of life led me to travel extensively through South and Central America, Europe, and Australia. Read more >>>

Christine Coen

I owe my inspiration and my business name to my mother. Sometime during my teenage years, she began calling me, ‘Buttercup.’ For as long as I can remember, my mother has mailed handwritten notes (or ‘paper hugs’ as she calls them). Notes of encouragement, birthday wishes, thank you notes, condolences, etc. Read more >>>