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.

Aadya Chaudhary, Harshita Chintapudi, & Ayushi Patel

The idea came from what we were seeing every day at school. In our STEM classes, the number of girls was noticeably small and we realized the problem was about encouragement and representation. We believed if we could create a space where girls felt supported, inspired, and connected, they’d feel more confident stepping into career leadership roles. Read more>>

Will Hammond

On every Scrappy Scraper, there’s a line: “Accidentally designed in California.” It’s not just a joke, it’s the real origin story. We didn’t set out to revolutionize BBQ cleaning. The idea was born from a genuine moment. My brother and co-founder, Miles, reached for a grill brush only to see broken bristles and grease-caked metal. Not only is that completely unsafe, it’s gross. Read more>>

Nahtyka Jolly

I’ll tell anyone: I’m a proud product of my local public library. Some of my fondest childhood memories are Saturdays spent at the Columbus Public Library, where my small life was fully immersed in someone else’s imagination while I steadily built my own through the books I read. Library trips morphed into an at-home family book club. Read more>>

Cynthia Garnier

My journey into baking wasn’t a polished origin story. I didn’t sit down with a plan or a perfect concept. People around me simply enjoyed what I made, and over time, I realized I had accidentally started a business. At first, I was making every type of cake and dessert people asked for. But as I grew, I noticed something important. Read more>>

Megan Shane

Becoming a mom immediately changed my trajectory in life. With a masters in art therapy and a background in mental health and behavioral health, I had worked with families, parents and youth for a decade. And then I birthed our first child six weeks due to a medical emergency. Read more>>

Jennie Dinsmore Dinsmore

Hair Priority was conceived from a hair care concept I initiated in 2020 during the pandemic. As a passionate beauty professional fresh out of beauty school, I was determined to offer a distinctive approach to quality hair care services for my clients. Read more>>

Patty Nilsen

Necessity was this single mother’s incentive for Invention When I moved to Boulder, the land of all-star athletes, I didn’t fit the mold of most Boulder teams. I didn’t have the time to participate in mandatory races or show up at every team ride. When I showed up at my first cyclocross race, I realized I was the only one without a team affiliation. Read more>>

Daphnee Floreal

Bijou Lakay is celebrating 20 years and this idea starts with my sister and I during an unstable time in Haiti. It was holiday season and all the parties were canceled because of political issues. Personally I have always been a big fan of non traditional jewelry pieces. Whenever i wear them, people will stop me asking me where to find them. Read more>>

Ndriqim Gashi

I want to start by saying that i come from a country where we have the most coffee shops per capita in the world, we basically run on coffee. And so i grew up around coffee shops, i worked in one when i was in high school and i have always wanted to own one. Read more>>

Shivani Sodawala

As a young adult, whenever someone asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said “a teacher.” I eventually became a rocket engineer instead—but that love for teaching never left me. Read more>>

Jasmine Phinex

My name is Jasmine Phinex. I am an educator, a mother, and an entrepreneur, and Serenity Nail Polish was created in the summer of 2020 during a time when the entire world was forced to pause. As schools shut down and daily routines shifted, I found myself spending more uninterrupted time at home with my daughter, Serenity. Read more>>

LaShonda Hill

The idea for my business didn’t come from one single moment—it grew over time as I grew in my gift. I started doing hair simply because I loved it. I loved the creativity, the transformation, and the confidence it brought out in people. Even in the early years, before I had a brand or a platform, I knew I had something special in my hands. Read more>>

DANIEL BULGATZ

Bulgatz went to the Hope Outdoor Gallery in Austin, TX, and realized that something like this in Las Vegas would benefit our community and our small network of artist friends. He came back from that vacation and told Maloney about it and we quickly formed a business plan and started seeking mentors while we massaged the idea. Read more>>

Aundrea Johnson

The idea for Be Free & Multiply was born the moment I finally stopped surviving and decided to truly heal. For years, I wrestled with a question that never sat right with me: If God created us mind, body, and spirit… why was the church so afraid of mental health? I tried to pray my depression away. I fasted to get rid of my anxiety. Read more>>

Amanda Hale

Stella & Moo started during the early days of the pandemic, when I was home with my baby and craving a creative outlet that didn’t involve a screen. Most of my work and artistic energy had always lived on a computer—designing, editing, creating—but I needed something I could make with my hands. So I started playing with leather scraps and turning them into earrings. Read more>>

Jess Thevenoz

I was in the wine aisle and I needed to pick up a bottle of wine on the way to a friend’s place for dinner. I remember looking at this wall of wines, overwhelmed and intimidated at this huge selection. Read more>>

Michael Toache

I have always been influenced to create and to imagine. From my parents, encouraged to act on what is wrestling to come out. Then through school I was taught a process of design and informative decisions. The two approaches formed a start-to-finish machine for my ideas. I found expression in what I wore and applied my processes. With LXXV, it began rather simple. Read more>>

Kalisha Harris

I first entered the world of jewelry making through my cousin’s aunt, who worked with the jewelry company Barse. Supporting her with order completion allowed me to explore the craft, and ultimately sparked my interest in jewelry design. Read more>>

Niece Anderson

I created Channel Apex because I saw two big problems: businesses struggled to tell their brand story in a cinematic way, and filmmakers didn’t have clear guidance on how to actually make their films. While building my own project, Parallels, I realized how much people needed practical support — not theory, but real steps. Read more>>

Jennifer Pepin

I was in the corporate world for 12 years living with bipolar disorder. The environment created many challenges trying to maintain a good mental health and at that time, there was great misunderstanding of what mental health conditions meant and how they needed to be taken care of. Read more>>

James Reidinger

I am often asked how I named my business, Gringoface Designs. Long story short – I have a long-lasting career in Call Center operations. While managing a call center in Costa Rica, a taxi driver called me Gringoface. From that day on, I used that name to identify myself and it naturally was the chosen name when I started my business. Read more>>

Mona Daiban

The idea for my business grew from a lifelong connection to my Yemeni heritage, even though I was born and raised far from Yemen (in Hawaii). Growing up, Yemeni food was the thread that tied me to my culture. It was the way my family kept our traditions alive, the way stories were passed down, and the way I learned who I was. Read more>>

Jesse Nelson

After almost nine years of living in LA, I found myself (relatively suddenly) living in Portland, OR. While I initially landed in Los Angeles to pursue music, I found life aligning me towards working as a professional Astrologer & Tarot card reader. While I love this work, depending on it in a full-time capacity has not yet been easy. Read more>>

Andrea Andrews

The way I came up with the idea for Chef Mom Virtually is a great story. Before I tell you how it came about, I will walk you through where I was at the time. It is 2019, and I am a Personal Banker for a well-known bank. Read more>>

Brian Lane

This past spring I separated from my employer and for the first time I realized I was not the one who decided whether or not if I should be entitled to an income. This feeling fueled something new within me to try to spin up a start up using my software engineer background. Read more>>

Erin Dragoo

I helped my mother-in-law, Judy, with her boutique in the Sun Lakes area for years; and even though I graduated with a degree in Journalism, I decided that I loved the small business boutique life, and I wanted to open my own instead of perusing a career in PR. Read more>>

Nika Esono

I started this business because I lived this struggle myself. Coming to the U.S. as an international student, fighting to stabilize my life and earn the right to work legally was overwhelming. I saw the same pain in my African and Hispanic communities—people full of dreams but held back simply because they didn’t have legal status. My purpose is to change that. Read more>>

Terry Carney Sr.

The concept for my documentary, titled ‘Put the Guns Down: A World Epidemic,’ emerged from a deep concern for the alarming number of young lives being lost in South Central Los Angeles. Witnessing the devastating impact of gun violence on our community, I felt compelled to create a film that would encourage young people to pause and reflect before resorting to violence. Read more>>

Maegan Griffin

Chris and I were new parents to our daughter, Kirin. She was about 6 months old and kept producing small hives all over her body during bath time. We would try every type of bath product meant for sensitive skin, babies only, etc. Read more>>

Sha’ Springfield

The idea for my photography business didn’t appear in one single moment — it grew with me. I’ve always been someone who pays attention to the small details: the way someone’s eyes soften when they look at their partner, the quiet confidence in a maternity glow, the intimacy of a moment that can’t be recreated. Read more>>

Raja Keys

Denver Black Girls Run Club began as a response to something I felt was missing in the Denver fitness community. Running has always been grounding for me, yet I rarely saw women who looked like me on the trails or at organized runs. I wanted a space where Black women could show up fully, feel supported, and build community through wellness. Read more>>

Reyna Olea

Present Moment Living was born from a deep inner realization: that each moment carries its own unique depth, and within it lies the potential to springboard us in any direction we choose. For many of us, the belief systems we inherit—whether from childhood or society—teach us to live on the surface of time, moving to the rhythm of “doing,” checking off the never-ending to-do list. Read more>>

Linnea Knisely

The idea for my business began long before I realized it. I grew up watching my dad battle multiple health issues and my mom devoted her life to caring for him, my grandmother, the elderly in our church, and anyone else who needed support. Caregiving was simply woven into our family’s daily life. Read more>>

Angelique Ramirez

When I first started my business I was just a mom and DIY kits for my kids birthdays! I had no idea how to build arches or make my own creations but I started and kept on learning more and more! Family and friends started liking my decorations and creations and would book my services! Read more>>

Etty Berkowitz & Chaya Kibel

We came up with The Shoppe Miami after each starting our own small businesses and then deciding to merge into one larger store. Chaya had started a women’s boutique in 2014 and Etty began with a small children’s boutique. We were introduced by a mutual friend and decided to run our separate boutiques from a joint office space. Read more>>