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.

Yanitza & Carlos

Next Stop Adventures LLC was created back in 2018 by Yanitza, just two years after moving to Florida from sunny Puerto Rico. At first, it was a personal blog as an outlet to share the things I loved about Florida. Fast forward to now, it has evolved into an outdoor travel blog where Carlos and I share tips and travel experiences to inspire others to explore the beauty around us in a responsible manner. Read more>>

Dean Stockton

In 2007, I was in Nashville, TN songwriting. Nobody wears a cowboy hat in the country music capital of the world. Which is odd to me… I was standing alone in the Tinroof off of Demonbreun St watching a band play. Nobody was even standing around me. The closest people were 30 feet away by the band. A complete stranger comes walking up to me and says, “Hey man, cowboy’s where the original hippie. They just went from place to place to place.” I laughed and said, “Man I guess you’re right I never really thought about it.” Then the guy walks away… Read more>>

Kolby Simpson

Edwin and I both have always wanted to start our own business so the next step was to figure out what, when, where, and how? My background is in consulting and business while Edwin has a lot of experience with food and restaurants. His Bachelor’s degree is in Culinary Arts, and his Master’s degree is in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Read more>>

Nikki Jay

I am British and my husband is a Kiwi (New Zealander.) Together we decided to visit New Zealand in 1990, and ended up staying there for almost 15 yeas! It truly is an exceptional country. Read more>>

Arianna Salinas

For decades, the $57B energy drink category has been a stubborn duopoly (mainly Red Bull and Monster) forcing consumers to trade their mental and physical health in exchange for energy. And though, in the moment, these drinks may give you the energy you need, they often leave you feeling jittery, bloated and guilty. Read more>>

Veatrice Conley

As a bride planning my wedding back in 2018, I was blown away by my wedding gown shopping experience and “all eyes on me” attention I received during my own appointment. I always wanted to be a boutique owner but after that experience I knew I wanted to bring a bridal studio to my area with all the same appointment luxuries. Read more>>

Allison Odhner

I went to Gettysburg College for Psychology and Spanish and had no idea that event planning was in my future! A couple of years after college, I began working for a nonprofit in Newark, NJ. I worked very closely with the Director of Development and helped to plan the annual fundraising events. Read more>>

Becca Russell

Here is my story: My dad had passed away, and my mom has been suffering from a disease known as multiple sclerosis. This has put her permanently in a wheelchair for the past 18 years. My mom is unable to physically take care of herself ,and also is not able to raise her remaining children living at home. My grandma was the one taking care of my family. Read more>>

Elvira Zamora

I was inspired from a very young age by my father who was a tailor for over 50 years. He would have clients always coming for not only alterations but for orders with specific instructions for handmade suits, dresses, etc. It was so cool to see fabric take a new form, shape and life. It was just as cool to see an outfit transformed and altered in a way that it was the only of it’s kind. Read more>>

Monica Pittenger

I would love to tell you how we started or newest company, Wash Yo Self. I have 3 very active teenage boys who play all the sports, and they smell like they play all the sports. If you have ever picked a group of teenagers up after a practice or a game, you know exactly what I am talking about. Read more>>

Cole Forrest

New Wing Order is actually the product of two ideas. Initially, I started it as a competition cooking team as a way to stay connected with friends, while also cooking the foods we love – hot wings in particular. We would compete in different cities and have a team that hailed from all over the U.S. – including my long time friend, Jesse McDonald. Read more>>

Tyler Browning

I have worked in healthcare marketing for 16 years now, and use stationery for client and physician correspondence. The market is completely saturated with option after option for women, but very limited selections for men. Read more>>

Leah Ryan

What’s crazy is that the idea for my Denver Housewives group and events wasn’t really even my idea. It was a combination of years of events, connecting people, and hosting and attending networking events. I started throwing a type of vendor event, networking event, and craft fair in 2007 before vendor events and networking groups were really a thing. Read more>>

Beth and Maureen Pocalyko and Bruneau

Owning our own men’s clothing store was never the plan. My mom and I were shopping local on our Main Street for holiday gifts and we realized we checked off everyone on our list but the guys! You see our cute and cozy downtown vibe was filled with women’s stores that offered quality clothing, with great customer service. Read more>>

Fonda Sloan

Moodbysloane was created on February 9, 2019. A few camouflage jackets were gifted to me by a friend and I decided to customize one for myself and Moodbysloane was born. The customization of the camouflage was admired by several people throughout the community, when I noticed the response I decided to make a few and when I saw the face of the customers once they received their customized jackets. Priceless. Read more>>

Mary Hinton

Idea originally came from my mother. After losing my job I was trying to figure out what was next. My mother said let’s do a cupcake food truck. I didn’t know much about food trucks so I thought maybe we would sell cupcakes in the mall. Read more>>

Simone Ilic

I went for one year to a holistic school as a health-and life coach as well as a rawvegan chef. After this time I used to help my teacher at several vegan fairs. One day at one of this fairs I just got the idea of making vegan and sugar free ice cream. So I started immediately this journey and worked on it. Read more>>

Aaron Veverka

We are the Bible over Brews podcast; We are an interfaith show that endeavors to create cross cultural viewpoints from differing faith perspectives. We have Catholics, evangelicals, agnostics and a Muslim that are either recurring co-hosts or guests that help create bridges to understanding between various people. Read more>>

Tia Frost

In 2010, I was discovered at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood Airport to join a plus size model troupe. In my journey as a model, John would watch me rehearse for hours. In 2011, I won Ms. Florida Plus America Elite Queen with Autism Awareness as my platform. John was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3 and was non-verbal until the age of 7, At the age of 10, he expressed that he wanted to model like mommy. Read more>>

ZEN OASIS

be someone who got hired to travel and teach pole dancing. My pole coach was always traveling to teach and I wanted to do that as well. I asked her one day “How do I get hired to teach? What do I need to do/ who do I need to talk to.” Her response was “I’m not sure… I never actually had to ask.” Read more>>

Brittany Marcus

I love being the connector. I love bringing people together and I adore a good time. My business thrives on Education, Innovation and Collaboration. I launched my first networking event March 28th, 2017 on my Fashionversary ( My fashion anniversary) . This event only brought in 7 people and I was devastated but I did not give up. I began to do more research , network, and think of innovative ways to bring people together. Fast forward to January of 2021.. Read more>>

Karolina Pora

Thank you for the opportunity to showcase my work. The idea for my business came to me when my first son was born. I had my little baby who I was crazy about, and I couldn’t imagine leaving him and going to work every day. I thought why can’t I try to do something that would allow me to be a stay at home mom and at the same time make money. Read more>>

Jack Ridenour

It was 2020 and the pandemic had just hit and I had no games to broadcast. As a sports broadcaster, the pandemic was very challenging since sports were canceled, so I needed something to fill that void, and that’s where podcasting came into the picture. Read more>>

Jae Moon

@ducksaucejax was established in 2014 and inspired by my late Father Kevin Moon Jr. #LONGLIVEK who has been cooking way before I was born and he was the one who gave me my nickname “Ducksauce” which has stuck for years. Thanks to my Dad I named my 1st Business “DUCKSAUCE of Jax” as I was born and raised in Jacksonville, Fl. Read more>>

Lauren Baughman

When I was laid off from my full-time job in 2020, I knew I needed to get creative. I had a few freelance social media clients who had made it known that they would be happy to refer me to other business owners that they knew also needed social media help. Read more>>

Raymundo Suero

it came up with the idea of Vizalchemy at a really young age, i’ve always been a design person, always designing things that i wanted as a child. that keep me thinking of way to show people how i visualize the world around me and the thing, i want to create. Read more>>

Hannah Mico

Paige Gabert and Hannah Mico, co-owners of Midwest Movement Collective (MMC) met through pole dancing a number of years ago. Hannah and Paige, amongst dozens of others at their previous studio, were discontent with the cultural norms and expectations in their studio and the dance and movement landscape in general. Read more>>

Joani DiCampli

I was laid off from a corporate job in 2010 and needless to say I was devastated, as a middle age woman, was not sure where I would end up. I live in a beach town so there is not a lot of corporate to choose from here and mostly boutiques, tourist shops, restaurants, etc. I was lucky to find a part time job in a boutique that I loved! Read more>>

Justin Dupont-Price

EDGE/BEAUTY came to me at a time when I think I needed it the most. I had just lost my mom and I really wanted to feel like I had something of my own that was uniquely mine to fill the void that was left in my life. I had to drop from art school at the time because I couldn’t afford. I got the idea for this brand and I spent months thinking about it so I knew after thinking about it for 3-4 months I had to do it. It just felt right and I wasn’t worried about how much work it was going to be because I knew it was worth all in the end. Read more>>

Kara Branch

I (Kara Branch) hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering, and I have always been the only black woman in all my roles. As a mother of 3 daughters, my oldest daughter inspired this program. When my oldest daughter was 9, she came to me and said she wanted to be a “Software Engineer”. Read more>>

Alexandra Villalba

When I first moved to Austin in 2014, I had no idea it was such a cultural and artistic phenomenon. I always loved writing and explaining my experiences in the written word, but something about the beautiful weirdness of the city just filled me with endless inspiration. Everywhere I explored there was something interesting to do, see, hear, eat, and experience! Read more>>

Chandler Williams Cartozzo

I began my small business 16 years ago after taking a jewelry making class. I really enjoyed making jewelry – specifically wire wrapping – and I was giving it away to my family and friends as I made it. My friends loved it and encouraged me to start selling it. Read more>>

Keely Buchanan

When my oldest son was 2 years old and I began researching public and private Preschool options, I was exceptionally overwhelmed. Our first Preschool was not the right fit, and we transferred to a second. There, we found a wonderfully supportive environment for my early reader who also refused to nap. Along the way Read more>>

Everette Ligon

I always knew that I had to own my own business as a main source of income some day. I just was very unsure on how. My mother started her own staffing and drug testing company back in 1999. I watched her growing up seeing her as a business woman. Read more>>

Elmo Jones Jr

Xecellence Services LLC was created so I can share my voice with my community. I am here to educate and entertain. I always strive to be the best at what I love to do. My mission is to be that super hero who educates the indie community. The content I provide is unique and organically created. I am working to become a master of my craft and with your support I know we will get there. Read more>>

Noria Jones

Hi! I go by Noria Jones I was brought up in Lubbock, Texas. I’m the proprietor of the Malaissa Fashionz Online Boutique Store. The adoration for style and cosmetics began with my mother. I would watch her sew her own garments and apply Mary K cosmetics. Holding onto a longing for design I kept assembling a hint of accomplices to bring more splendid beliefs that could start a precedent. Read more>>