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.

Franklin Farmer

As a child, bringing visions to reality always sparked an interest with me. While in school, I took Computer Aided Drafting and Design classes. It was then I knew I found my calling. Applying my knowledge and talent, I brought home 2nd place in the Tennessee Agricultural CADD Contest. After High School, I went on to college to pursue a career in Architecture. Then my big break came. I worked for one of the largest Architecture firms in the Southeast. It was there that they put my talents and knowledge to the test supporting all Architects, Engineers, and Project managers. Then it clicked. Read more>>

Marci Lynn Jackson

The idea to start a candle boutique was birth from my need to transform. In 2017 I found myself in a low space and no tool that I had ever learned or taught was available to me. I realized that I was a slow drift from shore and I had to find my way back to myself. I have always been an entrepreneur but I had never offered a product. I had to be intentional with my growth so I made it my business to find something that I loved and use that to make my way back. Read more>>

Vanessa Dubois

I have always been interested in photography. My dad had a very nice camera and I always said that I would have a camera like dad one day. In college I bought my first camera to take photos during my last year’s internship. I worked in an aquarium and we would do outings to observe dolphins. I just then started taking my camera with me everywhere and would shoot any occasion. People started noticing my photos and telling mebthat I had an eye for it. Totally didn’t believe them until a photographer developed some of my photos and really emphasized on how the composition of my photos was very interesting. That was the beginning of my photo career. Capturing moments, beauty and making people feel when they look at my photos. Read more>>

Markidra Williams-Tucker

Well I started braiding at 14, I have 5 sisters and my sisters and my mom would let me practice on them. I started taking clients my 9th grade year of highschool and had a decent clientele at 15. I wanted to go into Cosmetology and open a beauty bar with a restaurant like my favorite my B.A.P.s. The high school that I went to offered cosmetology and I planned to renter my sophomore year of highschool, but life happened. Read more>>

Katie Cole

So, one day I was sitting at home in my isolation after going through a really tough time. I had been making my oils for at least 6 years prior to deciding to start a business and selling my oils to others. When I started making them it was initially because my daughter had a different texture of hair than mine and I couldn’t find any products that worked to keep her hair moisturized and growing healthy. It never actually crossed my mind to do so until I had a friend come over to visit me and she asked me “Why aren’t you selling these?” Read more>>

Bridget Heddens

In 2016 I moved to Colorado from Iowa after graduating from college in Dance and Therapeutic Recreation. While in school, I focused on modern dance and ballet techniques. I performed often and was a part of the traveling company at my school. In my senior year, I watched a few performances of physically integrated dance companies, and I was immediately captivated. Growing up dancing as an able-bodied white individual, I had a limited understanding of how big the dance world was and while college opened my eyes, moving to Colorado was an even bigger step. With my double major, I was very interested in how dance could be used as a therapeutic tool for individuals with disabilities. Read more>>

CeeCee Evans

How I came up with an idea for my business. For me I had the insight to see the disparities of Entrepreneurship as it relates to minorities back in 2016, long before Covid and George Floyd made it obvious for the rest of the world in 2020. So realizing the disparities I decided that I needed to figure out a way to help minorities overcome the many obstacles they would have to endure in order to pursue their entrepreneurial dream Read more>>

James Patrick

The opening of The Hive Studios, in Phoenix, Arizona started as an idea to create a collaborative working environment for various creatives and artists such as photographers, videographers, podcasters. That synergistic approach is the reason the business is called The Hive. We did not want this to be a group of individuals, but instead a well connected and supportive community of creative professionals working together. Read more>>

Veronica Barragan

I traveled throughout the world studying different healing modalities and spiritual traditions searching for my own personal body, mind, and Spirit healing, an addiction to alcohol, high levels of anxiety, and existential depression perpetrated by my inner child programming and a turbulent life were it all looked successful from the outside. On my personal quest for healing, I traveled to the Amazon Jungle in Peru to work with Plant Medicines for 17 days which was a big tipping point in my healing journey where I experienced a deeper connection with my ancestors, lineage, and the healing journey. Read more>>

Lisa Francois-Lovanice

About 15 years ago, while on lunch break, I saw a lady in a mobile truck parked outside the hospital selling unisex medical uniforms aka scrubs and shoes. After purchasing from her I inquired how I could one day do the same thing? Unfortunately, she didn’t provide much information. This only fueled my desire to be an entrepreneur and open up my own medical scrubs store/mobile truck & have a more flexible schedule to be with my family. Read more>>

Danielle Bertrand

Girl, It’s Go Time was started because I had hit a wall. The thing that I once loved doing now was a main source of frustration. Not that the job had changed but I was growing. I needed to be doing more. I picked up my pen again and started to finish my book “Girl, It’s Go Time”. I honestly felt like I shouldn’t be writing a book like this because I wasn’t going anywhere. My life was routine and simple. I would live for the weekend and function during the week. Once I finished the book, everything changed. Read more>>

Sharon Mayberry

When I decided to become a certified aromatherapist, I really just wanted to expand my knowledge to best help myself and my family, I had no plans to open a business; however, part of my school requirements were to submit case studies for volunteers, and that is when I changed my mind. When I realized that, even as a student, I had the ability to help others in a natural, safe, and holistic way, I just knew I wanted to continue helping in any way possible. Read more>>

Josh Stephen

For me, I’ve known how to rap since I was about 10 years old. I never really showcased it though, unless it was in front of friends. I really used to think being a rapper was corny. I knew I could do it but I had no interest in making music at the time. It was all about sports and partying for me growing up. Coming from where I’m from, that’s all there really was to do. But when all that came to an end in college, I was like “Bruh, what am I gonna do?”. Read more>>

Ryan Allen

How did you come up with the idea? Being an independent jeweler, I learned the struggle of trying to survive and grow a business in the jewelry industry. The majority of jewelers buy and make inventory, hoping to find someone interested in what they are selling. I was one of those jewelers. I had been in business for a few years, and quickly learned that starting from scratch is rough! You have to take every dollar you make and reinvest it back into the company to get more inventory to increase the likeliness of finding someone who likes something that you have to offer. After a few years of doing this, I had a bit of inventory but no liquid cash. Read more>>

Vania Morris

My small business ShopMOSS began in 2018. Prior to that, I had been going through the darkest period of my life, so through part of the healing process, I decided to get back to the raw love I had always had for art and creating. I began painting again and just making art for the love of it, with no pressure. This is when I also envisioned a collection of 4 earrings that I just felt compelled to bring to life. After posting my new creations on my personal social media, It all catapulted into this beautiful 4 year journey. Read more>>

Deacon Hayes

When my wife and I got married, we combined our finances and realized we had $52,000 of debt out side of mortgage debt. We were just starting off in life and felt like we were starting out behind and weighed down by debt. We decided we wanted to figure out how to pay it off in a short period of time so that we could have less stress and more peace of mind. After a lot of hard work and sacrifice we were able to pay off all $52,000 of debt in only 18 months. Read more>>

Eric Anthony Bush

After being in the hospitality industry and running multi-million dollar restaurants for over 10 years, I decided to go out on my own and use my work ethic to make a better life for my family. My family and close friends believed in the idea, and helped me create everything that I do. Nothing gets done without their approval. I knew it would be successful due to the way we treat people. Our team really cares about your experience. If you’re having a bad day, make sure you come by and we’ll change that. Read more>>

Zeeshan Shah

Well, I have shared my personal story in past features here on Voyage Houston so briefly, it was my own medical condition of an autoimmune disease that got me into healthy living. I did coaching for a while and then covid happened. I found that people needed content that would inspire them and help them live healthier and so alongside coaching, I got serious about my Youtube channel and very recently about posting recipes to my blog. I am learning a lot and the feedback I am getting from subscribers across all my platforms keeps me going. I started out on this journey to inspire and educate people and I feel blessed that I am able to do that and enjoy myself doing it. Read more>>

Suzy Paiz

I get this question often and it always makes me think about how I want to answer. Pink Shell officially launched as an “Instagram Boutique” in 2019. However, I had already had experience with “pop up events” from back in 2011 before pop-ups were even called pop-ups. Back in 2011, during my first semesters in college, I needed a way to earn and save money faster to be able to purchase my own car. Read more>>

Lizette Galdames

In April of 2019, my husband had a left brain Ischemic stroke, and could no longer work. Right then and there I decided that my family would not be eating anything out of a box or a can. Preservatives, chemicals, and excessive salt would not be in our diet. I started researching how to do home canning and food preservation. Our shelves began to fill up with organically, homegrown veggies, canned by me. My mom asked me if I would make her orange marmalade as it was her favorite. Read more>>

Sarah Gallaher

Being in healthcare for 15 years taught me two things: there are many things that take place in the healthcare world that others have no idea and also that living in the moment and doing what you love, no matter what it is, is the most important thing in life. I was always very content in my career as an Administrative Assistant for a local Community Hospital. Overtime, my job duties changed along with the customers I was serving, and soon I was planning and hosting many corporate events. Read more>>

Laura Mercado-Wright

I studied classical singing in college at the University of North Texas, and even though I loved singing opera, I was also intrigued and inspired by the world-renowned jazz program just down the hall. When I was a sophomore, I auditioned for a vocal jazz Christmas caroling group, and fell in love with the skillful singers, the intricate harmonies and the sultry vocal style. I spent several years singing with them, and I was amazed by how much the audiences engaged with our performances, sought us out year after year, hired us for their holiday parties, and made reservations at the restaurants where we performed for their family Christmas dinners. It was obvious that we were making the holidays special for everyone who heard us, because we offered a special musical experience. I knew I wanted to build something like that someday. Read more>>

Cameron Swann

Dead Battery started off as a poem I wrote my freshman year dedicated to my mental health and the loss of my late Aunt Shun. My Aunt Shun was the reason I am where I am today with success, being a college graduate, and defeating the odds of being an African-American male in America. After it was a poem, I wanted to incorporate Dead Battery into a YouTube series highlighting different issues many college students usually go through. The YouTube series was a success and many students at my university were tuned in. One day, a good friend of mines name Bella suggested I create merchandise for the YouTube series to get the name out more for it. Read more>>

Cortnee’ Smith

During my sophomore year in college, I downloaded the app postmark. I wanted to make some extra cash, and this was going well. After that, I joined Etsy, and I opened a shop. My first start-up business was a shop I called pgb. I decided to buy some inventory. The next thing I did was create an Instagram account for the boutique. After a year I felt like this was not it. In 2018 while I was, I was watching the Netflix series Girlboss and I felt inspired to keep going with my business, I decided to buy a Cricut and make monogrammed items, and graphic t-shirts. Read more>>

Ed Gazvoda

In 2008, after reading an article on a green cremation process, I immediately knew this was my death calling. Seriously, who doesn’t read a newspaper article about the negative health consequences of survivors emanating from the smokestack emissions of burning bodies. Having launched a company to tackle the problem with acid rain from burning fossil fuel, which is still publicly traded, I had prior experience commercializing a chemical means to make breathing safer. The article referenced a company in Scotland with the technology to end fire cremations. Read more>>

Kristi Smith

It was May of 2021 and I just graduated from Belmont University at the end of April. My friend, Zoe, and I went to New Orleans for a post-graduation trip and the idea flourished while I was there. I didn’t have any job offers when I graduated that I wanted in the music industry (to at least put my foot in the door) so I decided I was going to do it myself. I’ve always had a passion for writing and I have been gravitated towards A&R (artists and repertoire) and finding talent ever since I was around 13 or 14. So, I just decided to create my own music blog and went full force with it. It was something that was mine and it’s flourished. Read more>>

Jenn Neal

My business was really born from going on my own self-healing and shadow work journey and finding several gaps I found in the teachings and support that was available. I spent thousands of dollars, and took all the classes, experimented with all the modalities, and tried to consider all the “rules”. But, there still seemed to be missing links and missing pieces. I still wasn’t really feeling better. At least not in a long-lasting way. Read more>>

Justin Fry

When my wife and I came to Charlotte we visited all the bakeries, patisseries, dessert stops, chocolate shops that the city had to offer. Working with some really talented chefs at my previous job prior to moving to Charlotte it allowed me to learn and practice modern design, flavors, and techniques when it came to chocolate. Seeing that this city didn’t really have that, we (my wife and I) decided this needed to be the place we open our shop. Originally it was my dream and my wife came on board to help me see it out and execute the idea. Read more>>

Hillary Haymond

I’ve always been someone with an eye for detail and for setting up a space. With many people encouraging me or recruiting me to help them with their own personal homes, I decided I’d make a small business out. It brings me so much joy when I get to see a completed result with my personal touch. Read more>>

Jill Simms & Sondra Lagasse

The idea for ‘Woodlands Style House’ came from a shared love of accessible design and the desire to build something that was all our own. When we first met, we quickly realized how much we had in common. We were both moms to 2 young girls, had recently moved to The Woodlands, and loved all things DIY & decorating. We had both moved so many times, we had gotten really good at decorating our homes on a budget, and doing it in a practical way that suited the needs of our young families. Read more>>

Amy Vance

I was in college working for a pipeline company and needed extra money to pay for college, study abroad and pay for living expenses, so I started my concierge company on the side and then went full-time with it when I went to grad school. We offer professional organizing and personal assistant services to businesses and individuals for 17 years. At the time the professional organizing and concierge industry was not nearly what it is today. Everyday and project is different which makes it exciting and fun. Read more>>

Stacy Trinh

I was introduced to the French macaron when I was in college. One of my friends took me to one of the only macaron shops in the area and told me I had to try it. We walked in, I looked through the glass fridge, and all I saw were rows of pretty, round, colorful cookies and I was so intrigued. They were pretty pricey for a broke college kid so I got one. My first macaron ever was a soft pink, raspberry macaron. I looked at it, smiled, and took my first bite. And I hated it. It was the sweetest thing I had ever tasted. I felt like the sugar was burning my tongue. I was so sad I had wasted my hard earned money on something I didn’t like but I guess now I know. Read more>>

Courtney Chaney

Sprinkle of Glam was originated because of my past. When I say my past, I mean my lack of confidence, the low self esteem etc. when I came up with this idea I knew that this could be something more then just making money. It was all about empowering other people to bring out the beauty, boldness and confidence, that was buried deep within covered with a bunch of negativity that needed to be removed and thrown away. Read more>>

Robin Hughes

As a 20 year old I came across a yoga class in my college course catalog, after learning it would count for some of the credits I needed for becoming an elementary school teacher, I quickly signed up. Not knowing what to expect, but having heard that yoga has countless health benefits, including stress relief and mindfulness, I was hopeful and excited. That class rocked my world! It was just what I needed and started me on my lifelong path of yoga practice. Fast forward about 15 years, I became a wife, mother, elementary school teacher, and was on the fast track to burnout. So what does any smart woman do? Read more>>

Bonny Motsoane

How i came up with the idea to startup my magazine is that growing up i wanted to be in the entertainment industry and do everything from television,fashion,radio and modeling.My mother went as far as signing me up to an agency for television and modeling classes on the weekends to help push me into the right direction. I would go months on end without receiving a call from my agency and when I finally did get a call to go to an audition they would tell me my personality is what they were looking for but my body was too big for the role if only I had been smaller in size I would have booked the role. Read more>>

KeAndre’ Jordan

After being laid off 6 times from my engineering career, I realized that I needed to own my own business and needed to give back to the black community. Created from pain and career embarrassment, My SOUTHERN Brand was born. In the midst of it all, I felt that there was few black representation in the food industry, as far as black food marketing. Read more>>

 

Jack Ventura

The Idea for Faro Board Bags was created while on the road traveling, surfing, and looking for a new creative project to sink my teeth into. I was spending a lot of time traveling after college and knew I wanted to start a business. I explored other options outside of the surf industry and nothing seemed to have enough soul. Other business options I explored seemed to only have money and profit driving them, and I knew I wanted to start something with more depth than that. Read more>>

 

Jennifer Brown

The concept for BoldnRarity started because I always liked to dress over the top for my office job every day. My formal manager would often tease me for sometimes doing the most. What can I say? My love for fashion runs deep. I recall being a kid and just being fascinated by all the beautiful prints and colors the celebrities would wear on the cover of the magazines. I was born extra and felt that I needed a creative outlet to showcase my love for all things fashion and travel. So, spring of 2019, I launched BoldnRarity, a lifestyle platform that focuses on aspirational lifestyle content and body positivity. This idea has allowed me to work with so many brands. Read more>>

Ralph DiMeo

I decided to try to make Hardcore Luxury (r) Woolen Outerwear. … Woolens that are soft and comfortable and beautiful enough to be chosen for work and leisure in the city, AND tough, weather-resistant and versatile enough to be chosen by people facing very difficult outdoor situations. Read more>>

Muriel Olivares

About 8 years ago Muriel was farming on a small residential plot of land in North Miami under the name Little River Market Garden. Tiffany had just moved back to her hometown of Miami from Berlin and was getting into plants and sustainability and ended up joining Muriel on that plot of land but she was more focused on selling plants & seedlings to people, and helping them learn how to garden. Fun fact: we were actually friends in high school! Read more>>

Lizzy Broughton

I started cutting hair when I was 16 years-old and have always been drawn to the connection you get with the person sitting in your chair. I believe there will always been a reason for a salon to exist because there are only a handful of places you can go to have that kind of human to human experience. Haircutting is my vehicle for connecting with people and after half my life cutting and connecting, today I crave those two things as much as I did when I was just starting out. Read more>>

Rachel Olson

It was just after the holidays in 2016 and my husband had lost his job that had relocated us to Texas. We had just closed on our home and I knew we needed to bring in some sort of income. Even if it was just a couple hundred dollars a month until he could find a new job. I had baked banana bread for some neighbors and posted it for sale on the HOA Facebook Page. To my surprise people ordered… a lot of banana bread! Read more>>

Bridget & Jim

The idea for Postcard Foods came from the balance of Bridget’s gastronomic ski bum dreams and Jim’s strategic pragmatism. Bridget knew she wanted to start a food business catering to environmentally minded lovers of the mountains. Once Jim jumped on board, he redirected some of those lofty (read: pricey) aspirations for a brick-and-mortar prepared foods market and decided to build out a food trailer instead. Read more>>

Tyler Cadwell

The inspiration for Everything Etched came from my mother. She came to me one day, showing me a picture of this wine cork holder and saying “this is what I want for Christmas”. Of course, because she’s my mother, I did as I was told. I created the item by hand and added a personalized touch by engraving the glass. When I finished it and showed it to her, she LOVED it. She loved it so much, she cried. Read more>>

Erin Seilhan

I’ve always been creative and realized at a young age that I had a passion for drawing. One of my grandfathers was a naturally gifted artist, and there are several people in my family that also inherited this talent. Fast forward to my early 30’s, I had a creative role as a marketing coordinator when microblading became really popular. I was really intrigued with the whole aspect of permanent makeup as I saw an art to it and thought it could be something that I’d love to get into. Read more>>

Rob Godley

My wife, Ann, and I worked as international educators for 25 years in foreign locations. We met in Belgium where we ended up teaching for 4 years. We then got married and moved to Singapore where we spent 10 years at the American school. I ended up being selected as the Middle School principal and Ann experienced different levels of teacher leadership while we were there. We then moved to Mexico for 2 years and then on to Abu Dhabi for 8 years after that. Read more>>

David Cole

I have been a touring musician for a good part of my career, and in early 1996, I formed Band X to perform in a house band situation in a nightclub in Atlanta. We worked as a house band in two different locations over the next several years, and in 2004, we established ourselves as a top of the line party band, touring the country doing celebrity weddings, high profile events and parties. It just kind of happened naturally, and we do enjoy filling in our calendar between private events with playing around town at different establishments, and we’ve developed quite a following. We have the best of both worlds, and we love it! Read more>>

Cristy Pratt

Cloffice, dyslexia…trial and error. But without these challenges and identifying a need for women to have versatility…yada. I could be making pencil skirts and trousers like every other designer. Read more>>

TYS Podcast

Tys Podcast came together by one of our host, Vino. It was originally named Talk Yo Sh!t Radio but to sound a little more professional, we changed the name. But of course it’s always going to be Talk Yo Sh!t. The idea just came to Vino because of his love for listening to podcasts and decided to run with it and create his own. He then asked our other host, YaBoyAnt, if he was interested in being the other host and of course he accepted. After that, all that had to be done was to get the logo made, find a studio to record and get a lineup of special guests to interview. Once all that was done, we were ready to get started. Read more>>

Robin Oloyede

I started Colorfull Plates™ in 2017 when my son told me he wanted to be an astronaut. We searched high and low and found zero astronauts that looked like him. WE FOUND NONE. My quest to make his dreams feel like a reality began, and Colorfull Plates was born. Colorfull Plates™ was created for one reason: to help children see themselves as colorfully as they do in their imaginations. There is a void in the market for children of color, more specifically in the tableware and home goods sector. Consumers shopping for character based products outside of dolls/action figures/ popular cartoon characters lack diversity and inclusivity with limited selections of professions. Read more>>

LaBridgette Levi

To be honest, i was just doing it because it was passion i really had and being creative in my own way just for family or friends. But what turned it into some more was a significant other brought it to my attention and i really didn’t pay no mind at first but once he made me business card and car magnets and flyers and other business stuff to promote it was like wow shocking like you really believe in me like that to make me believe i can do anything. It was ruff at first because i was shy and scared but i grow out of it all just started doing what i love best. Making people happy and smile about they orders. Read more>>

Alejandra Febre

I actually started as a parent in a different School of Rock. In January 2013, I enrolled my three kids then aged 6, 9, and 10, at School of Rock The Woodlands. The program seemed so innovative, music lessons done a different way, where children would not only have a one on one private lesson but they would form part of a band with weekly rehearsals and a show director. My kids simply loved being there all the time. Read more>>

Lauren Gurry

It was the Fall of 2011 and I was studying abroad in London and wanted to have a creative outlet to share my photos and adventures traveling all over Europe. I wanted to provide study abroad tips and ticks and travel guides to female solo travelers. Read more>>

Joey Jennings

In 2003, I had a snowboarding accident and injured my spine and separated my shoulder. The injury created a ripple effect of health problems that continued to get worse over time. I suffered from chronic pain which created stress, and affected my sleep. I used pharmaceutical drugs but they seemed to make matters worse. It felt like I was just “kicking the can down the road”. Then in 2017, while working at Merrill Lynch as a financial advisor, the pain and stress was so bad that I reached a breaking point. I decided to put my health first, so I gave up my career to seek holistic healing. Read more>>

VALERIE VILME

Back In 2010, Imagine being a single mom to a 3 yrs old with no way out and limited income. I turned to and did the first thing I knew I was good at… COOKING, With $194 food stamps and less than $100 in cash at hand I purchased groceries and supplies and started what was known then as VALERIE’S KITCHEN by selling little plates of food to my close friends and family in order to multiply that money to cover my living expenses for my daughter, now established, registered and insured as VAL’S KITCHEN & CATERING LLC The overwhelming emotions came for me when I saw people sitting in my living room for hours waiting on my food as a sign of support when they could’ve gone elsewhere for food. Read more>>

Glenda Florez

When I knew I was moving to Aurora, CO and my research for Polynesian Dance Groups to join was not a successful one I decided to venture out and create my own group. From my internet research there were not a lot of groups that offered dances from all of the different islands. Mostly Colorado offered many Hula Schools. I decided to particularly advertise all of the different islands especially Tahiti. Read more>>

Indii Bey

It was about 2 years ago. I was living in Atlanta Georgia and modeling at the time. If you have ever been or lived in Atlanta you will soon realize that it is a city where Entrepreneurs flourish. Honestly Atlanta is fast living compared to where I’m from so the best way I learned the city was visiting tourist attractions such as the Atlanta Belt Line. One day I randomly received an email from a production company to be featured in a film. I instantly thought it was spam so i decided not to reply. Read more>>

Jess Gumkowski

It was 2005; I was a massage therapist at the time and living in Boulder, Colorado, with my husband. I was already a longtime yoga practitioner and had recently become a triathlete. Many of my clients were triathletes, and I often encouraged them to practice yoga to complement their endurance sports endeavors. Some obliged, while others were resistant. Read more>>

Chelsea Kunde

My name is Chelsea Kunde and I am one of the founders of Wigged Out. I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in January 2011. At the time I was 26 and getting married in less than three months. After you hear, “You have cancer”, you go numb. When you come back to what is now your ‘reality’ a million questions start to arise, and with these questions come emotions, one being fear. I was specifically scared of losing my hair. I wanted to look and feel like myself at my wedding. The kind of chemo I was getting was strong and the nurses suggested I shave my head right away. We knew we needed to find a wig and quickly. Read more>>

Sabrina DeMonica

Hippie Beach Boutique began when two Florida Native friends, Emily & Sabrina, combined their talent for art & crafting to create a hippie, beachy boutique. Emily and Sabrina individually ran their own small businesses. Emily with Reel Native, an ocean inspired collection of fishing gear and handmade home decor from items found in the ocean. Sabrina with Sweet Dreams by Sabrina D., a collection of colorful dream catchers’ and henna. Together, Emily and Sabrina would often work at local events and found that their similar styles work well together so they combined their small business to create Hippie Beach Boutique. Read more>>

Betsy Cohen

I have loved desserts for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I cherished the smell of freshly baked challah, melt-in-your-mouth butter cookies, and decadent pies all made from scratch by my mother and grandparents. It is safe to say that I know my ins and outs of making delicious desserts, each created with a dollop of love, a dash of joy, and a ton of happyness, Read more>>

Summer Delagarza

 

I remember being about 18 years old and since I was 15 I got my nails done regularly. Every visit to the nail salon was anywhere from $80-$120 since I loved to be different with my nails. I enjoyed all the designs , bling & 3D art. I loved to stand out however spending the amount I did and always finding something I didn’t like about the nails, it was always the shaping or the quality of the nails and stones that made me super picky or unhappy. I remember specifically this one hot pink hello kitty 3D set I paid about $120. Read more>>

Amie Bennight

One evening, on a cold Colorado night, two girlfriends wandered into a fashion truck at an event. The truck was filled with accessories – jewelry, bags, little gifts and goodies. It was the coolest thing the two shopaholics had ever seen. After some inspiring and encouraging conversation with the trucks owner, the two left with one cohesive thought: We are going to do this. Just a few short weeks later, a sign. The universe presented a 1999 Chevy School Bus to the duo. Without much work at all, a plan seemed to be in motion. Read more>>

Shelia Griffin

I started baking as a teenager. I grew up in the kitchen with my grandmother. She was an entrepreneur who operated a barbecue business. Baking was my favorite hobby and I baked anytime I had the opportunity. I was a full-time employee in Corporate America and I would take my desserts to my job. I started doing some research on opening a bakery with Pound Cakes as my products. In my research, I kept coming across cupcake shops on the East Coast. I’m located in Texas and knew it would be some time in the near future before the cupcake craze made it to the South. Read more>>

Ibette Tovar

The idea came natural to me, since beauty has always been my passion. My biggest fear was the what if… What if someone doesn’t like it. I was so scared of failing I’m my worst critic and would second guess my work and not post it because there was something I found that was not good enough. Until one day I told myself, I’m posting more even if it’s only one person that likes it that’s all that matters. Not everyone is going to like my work and that’s ok. I’m ok with that. I’m doing this because this is my passion, this is something I enjoy doing and I will not give that up. This is always easier said than done. Read more>>

Andrew Martineau

I’ve always been involved in the arts, both as an artist and a supporter. In 2017 I started Art Fort LAuderdale along with my business partner Evan Snow to fill the gap that Broward County had for an Art Fair, after a successful launch we expanded to produce Greater Fort Lauderdale Art Week, which the fair sits at the end of and started meeting a ton of artists all looking for affordable artist space to create. Read more>>

Briana Ali

So we all know how Florida is hot as hell, right? So let me paint a picture for you. Picture me as a little sophomore in College (really, I was little & looked like I was 14) sitting in the blazing hot 90 degree August heat set up at my first pop up market show. In that moment I realized how unprepared I was. There I was drenched in sweat, the only booth without a pop-up tent. I remember my friends sitting with me, one even brought an umbrella to create an inkling of shade. Read more>>

Brittany Bailey

I have always had a passion to make others feel great, but I wanted a way to feel and look great! My goal was to incorporate my everyday life with fashion. I originally started out focusing on hoodies, it wasn’t until a few years later I came to the table and revamped level 8 collection! I decided that loungewear and accessories would be my focus! As a stay at home mom I still wanted to feel beautiful yet comfortable, so this was the perfect idea! I reached out to several people looking for vendors, some were legit and some are not. I stopped and started so many times but my family and close friends were my motivation to keep pushing! Read more>>

Liz Rutledge

I have a business called Sustainable Three, LLC where I teach mindfulness about ourselves, our community and our planet including tips for sustainable living. In 2018, I partnered with Cyrina Bullard (Catch Happiness, LLC) and we started doing wellness workshops that combined our expertise. Cyrina is certified in the science of happiness and resiliency and is also a Life Mastery Consultant. I am a mindful sustainability educator. When we joined forces, we were able to provide people with Mindfulness, Resiliency, Happiness and Visioning wellness tools with sustainability tips sprinkled in there too. Read more>>

Ransford Nyamaah

Icyy Brand is a clothing company that promotes self expression at its highest level. For me fashion has always been such an important outlet to where i can be my authentic self and be as creative as i want to be. With no apologies. That is what Icyy brand is all about. Being unique, moving to the beat of your own drum, never trying to fit into the crowd but standing out of the crowd. Having the confidence to be who you are, regardless of what other people think. Read more>>

Shannon Zappala

I feel like our story is a little different from the traditional way of ‘I thought of the idea first and then ran with it.’ My business partner, Regan, and I didn’t have the idea first but we had the strong desire to start a business. The idea came later. So let me back up just a little… Regan and I met at our then preschoolers pumpkin patch field trip. After a long day with 30+ preschoolers, we started chatting on the school bus on our home and discovered that we were both ‘wine enthusiasts’, aka we like to drink wine. Read more>>

SAM Morrison

My boyfriend and I both had been hosting events for different organizations before we met. He had been called the “Ambassador of Fun”. We both believe that it is very important to live life and not just get by. So many people go to work and home and never get out to do anything fun, and we believe that is not the way life is to be lived. We are looking for FUN people that want to experience life, one event at a time! Read more>>

Elliott Lyons

About 10 years ago, I decided to do an ironman triathlon – I was in a place in my life where I wanted to figure out who I was and what I was capable of, so I picked one of the hardest things I could think of to push myself. I’ve been intentionally visualizing for the last 15 years, so at that point I had already been visualizing for 5 years. But really I had only been doing it sporadically and situationally up until that point. Read more>>

Stephanie Taylor

Quite simply – I love handbags! In particular, I love how a great handbag design can inspire women. I also have a great appreciation for the details that designers incorporate into each handbag, just as an artist does with a particular painting or piece of art. For many years I thought about creating my own design that would marry “fashion with function.” In 2019 I began designing the Cameron – a tote that consists of the highest-quality materials yet is functional for today’s busy woman “on the go! Read more>>

Wayne Miller

The idea actually approached me, if one can say that. For most of my life I had dabbled with woodworking of some sort. From whittling as a young lad, to building entertainment centers for my home, woodworking and I have had a long relationship. At one point, I made the decision to really focus on it, as a subject. Basically, my inner voice was knocking on my forehead saying, “McFly! Hello!”. So I found a school and went to every class I could manage. Before long, I was producing some very nice things. At the time, I was an engineer. Read more>>

Shiloh Caffrey

In August of 2016, my family of 4 packed up and moved to the tiny town of Montone, Italy to escape the rat race of California. Though I knew this experience would forever change us, I could never have imagined how much. After a few short weeks living abroad, two things were immediately apparent. First, the European’s fervor and excitement to live in the moment. And second, the surprising abundance of clean-farmed, boutique champagnes and sparkling wines. After soaking up this “live in the moment” lifestyle and being spoiled with heaps of quality bubbles, I knew there was no going back. Read more>>

Daisy Campos

I started my photography on June 1st, 2016. I did not have a job at the time and wanted to keep busy while getting my creative side going. My brother, was into photography at the time and he use to practice on me. I saw how excited he got when he got the shots he envisioned so thought I would give it a try. I started taking portraits of my friends, family and eventually strangers. In 2018, I had a photographer friend reach about to me about modeling for him for a boudoir shoot. I have always been self-conscious about myself but decided to go for it. Read more>>

Tamera Foreman

Hi Guys and Gals, I am Tamera Foreman, COO of Klassic Kare Co. I am in partnership with my 17 year old daughter Brandalynn Wofford (CEO) who is currently a senior graduating from Lancaster High school June 2022. We created Klassic Kare in June 2020 due to her very sensitive skin, every type of lotion or skin care product she would use would cause her to break out or cause her to have tremendously dry skin. We begin to research all natural products and the ingredients that would not only moisturize but hydrate the skin as well. Read more>>

Bre Natale

I came up with these idea to make soap years before starting Green Theory as a business. It came about as I was trying to switch to more natural alternatives for skincare and household products. I also took an interest in buying more sustainably from fair trade companies. Sometimes it means spending more on products that were produced in better working conditions, no child labor, etc. I started by making homemade toners, serums and eventually soap! At first, I was intimidated because making it from scratch, also known as cold process soap, involves quite a bit that I was unfamiliar with. However, I knew it involved math and science which are two subjects I enjoy. I learned how to make it by doing extensive reading and research on the topic. Read more>>

Natalia Vásquez

Through a long-term practice of concentration that has at moments led to meditative states, I have been able to see with clarity what I feel and know is my purpose. This has been a decades-long process that has required effort and tweaking because my offerings are not necessarily straightforward in terms of what previously established society would have considered “profitable business products or services.” Creating a thriving practice takes time and profit has never been my primary focus. Humanity, connection, healing, introspection, creativity, trauma recovery, deep rest, and soul nourishment have been the inspiration. Read more>>

Tammuz Dubnov

Coming up with an idea for a business is not a trivial task and there are lots of ways to get there and lots of changes along the way. I am involved in multiple startups and coming up with the idea is always challenging. I have a creative background – I’m a dancer, a choreographer, a circus aerialist, and a visual artist – but I also have a very technical foundation. My undergraduate degree is from UC Berkeley in theoretical mathematics, computer science, and dance, and my master’s degree is in artificial intelligence (AI) from UC San Diego. Through many different projects, I built up expertise in different AI domains – machine vision, audio signal processing, natural language processing (NLP), and time series analysis. Read more>>

Krista Shiner

Shiner Studios evolved from experience working with other artists creating commissioned decorative art such as murals and decorative finishes for home and business owners. In a sense I stumbled into this line of work as an artist while I was in college earning a BFA with a painting emphasis. At the time I was working for a stock photography agency in downtown Denver which felt fitting to work for a business in the creative sector. After they closed the Denver location I was exploring job opportunities and really wanted to find another business in the arts to work with. Read more>>

Dr. Cristy Lopez

I have had a long successful career as a psychologist and high-performance coach. I work with a lot of entrepreneurs to help them thrive without the high cost of their physical or mental health, or relationships. My husband is a dinosaur paleontologist and shared that he had always thought about starting a dinosaur business. I encouraged him to do so. At that time, museums were closing for an extended period of time because of Covid. Since people were no longer able to physically go to the museum to see and learn about dinosaurs and other prehistoric life, we then decided to “bring the museum” home by selling museum-quality casts of dinosaur teeth, claws, skulls, and more to the public! Read more>>

Collin Beasley

I came up with the idea about starting my own label after signing my music away to multiple over the last year and not seeing much turn around or support. I figured I could learn their process and attempt to execute it better. I took the nessary steps to obtain my LCC and started the label Lee’s Charms shortly after, Read more>>

Bobby Jackson

I started getting into learning about distilled spirits many years ago, I really wanted to know as much as possible about spirits. I am also a culinary instructor, which lead to my teaching a distilling course at the distillery where I am General Manager. I found that I enjoyed telling people about the spirits they were drinking. My wife also began to get involved in the spirits side of my work. We both found a passion for making spirits, making cocktails and teaching others about them. We began with an idea for a craft spirits tasting room that would focus on spirits made mostly in Colorado, but including spirits from other states as well. We really wanted to show people that good spirits didn’t only come from giant, mass-production distilleries and that “craft” doesn’t automatically mean anything negative. Read more>>