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.

Kin Yoba.

Ok so it all started in the early 2000’s in Ghana, West Africa, a city called Kumasi. When my aunty , who was in the UK got me a kodak camera as a christmas gift. I carried it everywhere i went to.. school, church, everywhere. Even though i didnt know the use, all i knew was to put the battery and hit the shutter for it to ‘flash’ lol. So fast forward , 2015 I was then a teacher(Special needs, sign language) and an actor (i still am) , i decided to get a camera so i could film my auditions, rehearsals and also film my students while teaching them.. Read more>>

Samantha George

I’ve always had a vision of owning my own spa. My job at the time , before I took a leap of faith and quit were only offering one type of service. As estheticians we are talented in different avenues when it comes to esthetics. I wanted my clients to have an overall experience when it comes to self care. I wanted a safe place for clients to wine down, open up and be themselves without being self conscious about their image. To be honest opening up a business I really had to do my research. Read more>>

Dakoda & Shiloh Riddle

the Air Force in 2009, he found his calling and started as a K9 handler. He served for 11 years, and throughout that time he worked with dual-purpose dogs, meaning they are trained in both detection and patrol. My heart dog Callie was actually the 2019 Dog of the Year for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! One evening we were at the park training our dogs and noticed people watching us. A couple of people asked if we trained dogs professionally and were interested in getting help with their personal dogs. Read more>>

LaShae Angela

For Christmas in 2019, I asked my fiancee for a Canon Powershot camera so that I could take photos of our son. Our son has autism and doesn’t like to stand still for photos, so I thought I’d try my hand at a motion camera. Once I began taking photographs of my son, I realized I had a really good eye for photography. After about a year of taking photographs of my son, family and friends began asking me to take photographs of them. This fueled me to learn more than I already had out of fear of messing up. Read more>>

Porsha Scruggs

From Porsha With Love is an empowerment blog that focuses on self-love, and the importance of mental health. I have a friend that was attended a blogger conference here in Nashville. She asked me if I would liek to attend with her. I wasn’t a blogger at the time. i was going to support my friend and her newfound passion. I had been contemplating for years about starting a blog, but i never got started. I lost a child due to congenital heart failure. while my daughter was in the hospital there was an organization of mothers that had experienced what i was going through. Read more>>

Frederick Reeves III.

suggested that I create a rap song for their school. She was well aware of my love and passion for music and my performances as a dancer. She also knew how involved and influential I was in my sons’ lives and the influence I could have on countless other kid’s, especially at the elementary level. I personally know the challenges that kids face and how powerful music is in shaping how we think and feel. Read more>>

Charmaine Moss.

Tell us the story of how you came up with the idea for your business? Paint the picture for us so we really understand the context, circumstances, the emotions etc. Walk us through how you knew this was a worthwhile endeavor – talk to us about the logic of why you felt this would work? Read more>>

Juwan Clarke

As a child, I always knew I was a creative and that I wanted to have a career doing something I love. With a passion for working with technology and computers, I began to find joy for small art projects as a small child for family on Microsoft Word Art and Paint on the classic, heavy white computers. It wasn’t until my sophomore year at Cass Technical High School under a Graphic Arts curriculum that I learned the basics of Adobe software. Back in 2010, Read more>>

Giuseppina Frigolino.

Since I was a little girl I always had a love for writing, it’s just something I would turn too, especially during difficult times in my life. Back in 2018, I was going through something really difficult in my life, something that was really affecting me, physically, mentally & emotionally. I came to realize that my only escape from reality was through my writing & photography. I started to notice that the content I was sharing with my audience was not only helping me heal, but it was also helping others. Read more>>

Brittany Murdock.

Shortly after moving to Utah my family and I took a drive up American Fork canyon to enjoy the fall leaves. A couple of miles up we stopped to throw rocks in the river, not anticipating the crossroads ahead. We tossed little pebbles, then bigger rocks and then my husband, Michael, wanting to show the kids a big splash, planted his feet firmly and sent a large rock tumbling down into the water. Seconds later we realized that Michael’s foot had landed square in the middle of a large wasp’s nest. Read more>>

Frankie and Brittany Durochia

Decadance started with one goal in mind, to provide a service that would take the taboo away from the sex work industry. The sex work industry has been plagued by bias and stereotypes that are simply not true, and it was important to us that we created something that would show the true side of the industry while empowering these strong, intelligent, business women in a world where most of them are drug down night after night by a false taboo. We wanted photos that each individual would be proud of and want to boast about once they say them and be able to say “That’s me!” Read more>>

Alexander Denning

My business is ATG TV LLC, and what it stands for is Alexander the Great TV. How my company came to be and what it represents really comes from who I am as a person and what I have built over the past 5 years. Working hard to brand myself, as well as my company at the same time provided for myself something to showcase my work and dedicate to its image. While building my brand, I have searched out the many avenues I could provide most useful to those that walk in the shoes that I once has… Read more>>

Laura Schulze

I l live in a very small town in Northern Mn, with a population of about 3200. Our town is a big tourist destination in the Summers, as well as certain times in the Winter. I have always been very savy with Social Media, and have always enjoyed taking pictures. I first got the idea of becoming a Social Media Manager after a visit with a close friend over lunch. Read more>>

Kryn Shook

It all started on Instagram. I followed a local baker who made cookies. I was always so impressed and interested in learning how. I ended up taking a class of hers and instantly loved the art of it. I ordered cookie cutters when I got home from class so I could practice. A few YouTube videos later and after lots of Instagram research, I was able to make my first batch of cookies. My original plan was to make custom cookies for people as Christmas gifts but when I started posting photos of my cookies on social media I had friends and family reaching out asking if they could buy them. That’s when Shook Cookie Co. was born. Read more>>

James MItchell.

While working in the food and beverage industry as a bartender , people would always ask me to private functions and birthday parties. So after doing it for a while I decided to make a business and create better experiences for private functions Read more>>

Kausha Wells

I have always been going to different beauty supply stores to purchase their “whipped” shea butter, which comes in several different fragrances. During Covid-19, when we were all shut in, I ran out of the shea butter! So, I decided that I would try to make my own, without any of the names that I couldn’t pronounce, and make it an all-natural product that is universal from the skin to the hair. I had a conversation with my daughter-in-law (at that time, she was the girlfriend) and my son and came up with the name of KBlessd Butters! Read more>>

Jeremy Dennis

My name is Jeremy Dennis and I am an indigenous artist and photographer raised on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation at “Ma’s House” in the eastern end of Long Island, New York. At the moment, I am restoring “Ma’s House” to become my future home, work space, future communal art space and BIPOC artist residency. Read more>>

Derick Roberts

I came up with the ideal to get into photography one day after I watched/paid for a photo shoot for my dog but I never fully pursued it until after I lost my father Nov “21 my head was all over the place at the time i didn’t know what to do and we had a hard time finding the pictures that we needed and wanted of him and that’s when I watered the seed of photography. Read more>>

DJ Luongo.

Growing up in Northern NJ, my Dad used to take my sister and I to one of the many hot dog trucks scattered around the area every once in a while to grab a bite to eat. We didn’t really have much, so this was always so exciting, and a little magical. I’d always get two plain hotdogs and either a Yoo-Hoo or a Chocolate Cow. To this day I have never seen another place that sells Chocolate Cow. Read more>>

Nina Ross.

Every year, my family would have cookie parties around the holidays. It was always my favorite time of the year because friends and family would visit, we’d bake cookies, eat and catch up on the past year. The only rule was to make your favorite cookie and every year, no matter who showed up, there were no duplicates. It was so interesting to see how creative people can get with their favorite dessert. The cookie parties gave me the idea of creating a customizing cookie business when I was about 8 and I was always waiting for the right time to start. Read more>>

Jordan Mckinney

I was walking through TJ Maxx of all places, where sometimes us moms get a brief moment of peace, and I bought a few coffee mugs for some of my girlfriends. I placed them in bright yellow bags and wrote “Sunshine Bag” on the cover and left them on their porch as a surprise. To me, there was nothing more fulfilling than bringing a bright piece of sunshine or a positive moment to someone’s day. It got me thinking what if sunshine could go beyond these tiny little bags on friend’s porches? Read more>>

Taylor, Ellie Donato, McKenzie

Ellie and I (Taylor) went to college at The University of West Alabama together and studied Integrated Marketing Communications. We worked on various creative projects together and eventually became super close friends. It dawned on us that we worked better together than when we were apart. So we decided to form Red Electric Studios. We thought there was a real opportunity for us to help people realize their business goals through the power of a strong brand identity. Read more>>

Candice Zinner

I found Halo Therapy while searching for alternatives with allergies relief. My husband and I starting visiting salt rooms, caves, booths whenever we were out of town and used that as a moment of relaxation and detoxification. Salt therapy was still very new and unheard of so we starting researching and found that is has been being used in Europe for hundreds of years. We thought how cool it would be for someone to come relax, unwind, and get benefits helping their respiratory system while laying in a man made salt cave. We started by researching anything salt. Read more>>

Jerry Justizia

As a Yoga teacher, I have always thought about having a one stop shop where i can find products that empowers my mindful lifestyle. For example find eco- friendly activewear, non toxic candles and crystals for meditation, incense and all the spiritual tools needed for the Yoga life is hard to find at one spot. I wanted to break this gap once I had the opportunity to start my own business. I first started with a random poll in Yoga teacher group on Facebook and everything started there. Read more>>

Sherrise Walters.

I enjoy hosting parties and get togethers for my family and friends. Making a charcuterie board was always my preferred thing to curate for these occasions. My friends and family encouraged me very often to sell my boards because they enjoyed them so very much. When Covid reared its head and it became harder to bring our loved ones together, I decided to create Sapphire Lagoon Charcuterie and promote individual items such as Charcuterie cones and jars, in order to help bring people together safely. I realized that our community was suffering just as my family was from a lack of human interaction. Read more>>

Kristen Kukta

So I graduated from Loyola University with a marketing and management degree with a minor in psychology. When I first moved to Nashville I worked for Health Club and Day spa and I ran their marketing and advertising. I worked for a couple different agencies but originally came up with my company name Unblurred Media because I realize that there really is no gray area in marketing. Read more>>

Hope & Jake Germany

The idea of TWEAK came straight out of nostalgia. We’re both 90s babies and wanted to bring that throwback feeling to our city. Our shop is fully immersive and makes you feel like you just stepped into your childhood, allowing you to be creative and wear something that represents exactly who you are or what you want to say. Read more>>

Jaemellah Kemp

“IT TAKES TWO, INC is a God-given vision and I am just walking in it…” It all started when it was time to send my son to kindergarten. I had a decision to make: buy school supplies or food for the week. I was able to do both with the help of family and friends, but challenging financial decisions such as these plague many single parent households on a daily basis. Read more>>

Bindu Dennis

Creating a fashion line has always been a passion of mine, even while pursuing my graduate degree. Bold, beautiful, rich, and vibrant African patterns and fabric have always intrigued me. So I decided to create a fashion line that would showcase my African roots.  In 2014, I started the search to create my African inspired swimwear collection. I have constructed sophisticated and chic swimwear I know men and women will look and feel confident as they embrace and experience the African culture through my designs. Read more>>

Kyla Pendleton

I came up with the idea for my business after my grandmother passed away in 2015. I was battling depression, dropped out of college and quit my job and at that moment I knew that I needed something to help me cope with everything that I had going on. Read more>>

Romel Romero.

About my current app I published in April 2022. Goodday Customer service available on apple ios. A new app has been introduced to the app store to simplify to process of connecting with customers. The new app, GoodDay by GoodDay Communications, is here to help small business owners communicate fast and effectively with their clients or consumers. Read more>>

Robnitia Weekley

I literally eat, sleep and breathe the entrepreneur life! It’s really a passion to connect with other women business owners! Since the beginning, I’ve always loved the freedom of living life on my own terms and being a Boss! My thought process behind starting my own business is my passion and mission. Being able to offer my clients/customers tremendous customer service as well as everything they need to feel and enhance their beauty needs through all the latest beauty trends while also making ladies feel pretty and look their best even with a pretty affordable budget which drove me to taking fashion to another level with a passion for high-end quality products and amazing customer service. Read more>>

Rugieyatu Bhonopha.

Growing up in the Northern SF Bay Area. I frequently visited Napa and began selling wine for a popular winery in St. Helena. During the pandemic while wine and liquor sales were up I decided to reach out to my connections to see how they would be able to support my dream of having my own wine line. This was a very exciting and scary time for me because I was putting all my dreams into this. I wanted to show that an African Woman who grew up in the Bay Area can have her own wine. My approach of offering a good quality Napa wine directly to your door within 7-10 days really helped me reach a new audience. Read more>>

Julie Patel

Almost every South Asian woman I know has stacks of saris sitting in bins or suitcases in their house. Saris are somewhere between 6 to 7 yards of fabric, that is draped a certain way around a woman’s bday, and worn as occasionwear. Similar to a prom dress, a sari is something that is for the most part worn once, and then put aside. They are also given as gifts at weddings and other cultural events and tend to accumulate over time. Seeing western brands come out with dresses, pants, and jackets made from fabrics from India struck a light bulb for me. Read more>>

Kari Mulderink

The pure joy of flowers was the beginning of the rabbit trail that led to starting my flower business, Blackberry Ridge Flower Farm. Flowers have always made me happy…. and while working for an organic vegetable farmer who sells at our local farmer’s markets and has a vegetable CSA (Community Sustained Agriculture) I asked the question, “If I grew flowers do you think anyone would buy them?” With the encouragement of my farmer friend I started small the first trial year… growing just a few rows of flowers and arranging them in recycled tin cans while still working part time at the vegetable farm. Read more>>

Cathy Harkless

Yhtack In Stitches is pronounced Yah tack in Stitches and is derived from the name Cathy which is spelled backwards and the letter K is added to emphasize that in the needle arts world our primary functions are to tack in stitches for crochet and embroidery products for our clients. Our name is indeed unique and Yhtack in Stitches (Cathy in Stitches) also means laughter to the point that your belly is in stitches. Read more>>