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.

Ryann Morris

I created Food Brilliance to empower people to take charge of their health through food. As a boutique chef, I develop custom recipes tailored to each client’s unique goals — from supporting digestion and energy to restoring balance in the body. What makes the experience truly special is that I meet clients right in their own kitchens. Read More>>

Yeshua Hannah

The Steward Groupe was born from a deep-seated passion for exceptional customer service and an enthusiasm for leveraging technology to enhance the client experience. Recognizing that many businesses struggle to balance cutting-edge technological solutions with genuine, personalized service, I saw an opportunity to bridge that gap. Read More>>

Scott Shetler

I originally started working as a personal trainer for a YMCA in Ohio and eventually, after moving to Georgia, a fitness center in a Country Club all while finishing my degree in health and physical education. Read More>>

Jeannette Eason-Mayfield

I worked with youths most of my adult life, from counseling troubled teens in youth facilities to preparing high school graduates for college as a Director of Student Finance for more than 15 years. In working with youth, I would always ask them about their career goals. Read More>>

Tara Rasheta

Entering the modeling industry can be daunting for aspiring models and talent. I met my business partner, Cristina Buehrer, at an audition in Beverly Hills, CA in 2009. We had both worked as professional models and tv hosts for a few years and were constantly fielding questions from other people about how to break into the business. Read More>>

Imani Evora

We Are Made began as a podcast in January 2020. At the time, I couldn’t find any shows that reflected the conversations I could see myself in nor the paths to success that felt relatable to my community. Read More>>

Shanna Dowdy

The seed for Simplicity Fair Trade and Missional Boutique was planted in my heart a long time ago. In 2015, I traveled to a dangerous slum in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, with my best friend Miranda to love on people that most others would simply pass by. When I stepped foot there, I should have been terrified. Drugs, murder, poverty, gangs, and filth surrounded us. Read More>>

Sean Finney

The idea for Tano started long before I ever thought about skincare. When I was nine years old, I was playing in the waves on a beach in Brazil when I got slammed into a coral reef. My leg was torn open so badly that my dad was preparing to use a tourniquet. Read More>>

Evrin Williams

It kind of just happened. Around covid I had a friend of mine asked me to take pictures for his clothing brand Brooklyn soul. I didn’t even have a camera so he actually brought a camera that his wife had. It was a Nikon something. It wasn’t the best but I got the job done. After that the rest is history Read More>>

Emily Radforth

While I was studying fashion at university, my original goal was to stay in London and try to find a design job after graduating. Read More>>

Adasia Deshire

Back in 2018 while I was in college I came across a permanent makeup class that immediately caught my attention. The moment I saw it I felt drawn to it. Being a broke college student at the time, the price of $2500 to $4500 made it feel completely out of reach. Read More>>

Terri Wright

I have been involved in all aspects of book production from concept through completion throughout my publishing career. I also understand the importance of nurturing ideas and taking the necessary time and steps to grow a book to its best potential. Read More>>

Bria Knight

My journey of entrepreneurship began with a simple act of love—preparing my grandmother’s hair and makeup for church every Sunday. She was more than just a beloved matriarch; she was a beacon of beauty, talent, strength, expression, elegance, and class. Her influence shaped the person I am today, instilling in me an unbreakable connection with God and inspiring my artistry as a form of ministry. Read More>>

Joe’l Simone

The Multicultural Death & Grief Care Academy was born out of both necessity and conviction. For years, I worked within the funeral service and death care industry, an industry that prides itself on professionalism and compassion, yet often overlooks the deep cultural, spiritual, and ancestral nuances that shape how people grieve and honor their dead. Read More>>

Kat Williams

Konscious Fitness was born out of a deeply personal journey of healing, self-awareness, and a deep love for dance. For as long as I can remember, dance has been my sanctuary — a way to express emotion, release stress, and reconnect with myself. Read More>>

Arno Landry

I’ve always wanted to rent out cars and cut hair or make another source of income and pretty much be a boss for my self, I love cars and I felt like making another source of business will suit me very well because my major was entrepreneurship in college. Read More>>

Trevell Franklin

It all started during a time when music was the only thing that made sense to me. Life wasn’t exactly smooth — I was surrounded by people chasing quick money or temporary fame, and I wanted something real. Music had always been my therapy, but one day it clicked for me that it could be more than that. It could be my business. My brand. Read More>>

Cynthia Smith

As a young 30-something, I have journeyed almost seven different career paths so far. I guess one could call me a “career nomad”! I graduated with a Bachelors and Masters in Social Work and worked in the field for about four years. Read More>>

Kiwanna Lanta

The vision for my work came from my own journey of healing and motherhood. Dear Kiwanna began as a personal outlet of blending herbs, intention, and spirituality into teas, bath kits, and waist beads that helped me reconnect with myself. What started as self-healing turned into a brand rooted in holistic wellness and ritual care. Read More>>

Tim Weed

I was working as a traveling lecturer for National Geographic Expeditions on small-ship cruise through Tierra del Fuego: Ushuaia, Argentina, to Puntarenas, Chile, via Cape Horn, the Beagle Channel, and the Straits of Magellan. There were some interesting fellow-passengers aboard: in particular an astrophysicist who was the director of Hawaii’s Mauna Loa observatory and a young paleo-climatologist from Princeton. Read More>>

Kyerra Crawford

“Letters from a Left Handed Girl” was born out of a healing season in my life — a period where I was trying to understand myself beyond survival, beyond relationships, and beyond what the world expected from me. Writing became my way of breathing through pain and rediscovering purpose. Read More>>

Chris Kelly

The idea for The Cooking Leprechaun came from when I was attending culinary school at Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. I developed a YouTube page called the Cooking Leprechaun to show people what I was doing on a week to week basis for my cooking assignments. Read More>>

Shanea Makinson

The creation of Truth Be Told Apparel was born out of necessity, resilience, and my unwavering love for my daughter. After surviving over 20 years of a domestic violence marriage and an intense battle with aggressive breast cancer the prior 2 years — including chemotherapy, radiation, and a double mastectomy — I found myself standing at a crossroads. Read More>>

Mike Brown

I’ve spent most of my life overseas, in some of the poorest places in the world, and I’ve watched people struggle to survive with very little help. I know people who live in houses made entirely of cardboard and scraps of wood and metal they’ve found along the side of the road. Read More>>

Lexan Fletcher

Ever since I was a little girl, I knew media was going to be the place for me. I’ve always loved being in front of an audience—whether performing in pageants, hosting an event, or speaking on camera. It always felt natural. Read More>>

Michael Newman

The South Jamaica section of Queens New York has a tough and dangerous history plagued with drugs, crime and poverty. Growing up in the 80s I was exposed to living in the midst of ghettos in the height of the well documented crack era, and ‘South Side’ as we still call it today was at the heart of it all. Read More>>

Raquel Castaneda Lopez

I was elected to the Detroit City Council in 2013, becoming the first and only Latina to serve. It was an amazing honor, especially since I was recruited to run and hadn’t initially anticipated it being a part of my life. Read More>>

ivan Ospina

The idea for my custom shinguard business was born on the sidelines of a youth soccer games. I was watching the other team mates play, and I noticed how many kids struggled with uncomfortable, ill-fitting shinguards that either slid around or didn’t reflect their personality at all. As someone who grew up playing the game myself, I remembered how frustrating that could be — Read More>>

Allison Boyd

The idea for my business was born out of a deep sense of longing and a quiet ache that I couldn’t ignore. I had a good job, I loved the work I did, but walking into an office with no windows, after a 45-minute commute, drained me. Read More>>

April Love

My journey into creative services really started from seeing a gap that so many small business owners and entrepreneurs were falling through. With a background in IT and over a decade of experience in business services and marketing, I constantly met people who had incredible ideas but didn’t know where to start — or worse, couldn’t afford to. Read More>>