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.

Bryan Lee Weaver.

I’ve moved around a lot in my life, but the majority of my formative years were spent in Texas and Colorado. I wound up in Portland, Oregon…and while the food scene there is incredible I just could find some of the food I grew up with…mostly hatch chiles and anything related to them. Nobody really knew what I was talking about. I thought about opening a food cart there, but I wasn’t really ready professionally or financially. I then moved to Los Angeles and it felt kind of silly to want to open a taco shop there. Read more>>

Cheval Formerly Known By Another Name

I am not sure how much background context you might need for this panel discussion, so here is a quick overview: I was formerly known as a wedding dress designer and by my birth name. After 9 years of working under what I would consider a very one-sided employment contract, my former employer sued me in federal court and gained control of what I believed were always my personal social media accounts. Under the current preliminary injunction, Read more>>

Dr. Maria Banks

I started The Health Mamas in 2021 right after giving birth to my baby boy; so I guess you can say I birthed two babies that year. I have never been the person to think I would start a business, however a major shift happened after becoming pregnant. As an Occupational Therapist for over 11 years, I am extremely knowledgeable about health and wellness, but I have always been a bit hesitant about putting myself out there. However, after becoming pregnant and realizing how important it is for moms to take care of their health during such a special time, I knew that I had to go for it! Read more>>

Recha Bullock

YOLO Health and Wellness, LLC was originally created to promote my health coaching and yoga teaching business. However, in 2021, during the global pandemic, I, like so many of us had trouble finding cleaning products, liquid soap, and other essentials to stay safe during the pandemic. The frustration of having to resort to using what was left on grocery shelves, resulted in having to purchase products that had too many toxic chemicals. I experienced a bad reaction from a generic so-called multi-purpose cleaner and had to toss it in the trash. Read more>>

Darius Gaynor

During the pandemic, I wanted to help others make more active income and to think about the possibility of starting their own agency business. I bought the domain DollarPassion.com right before the pandemic began in the United States. I launched DollarPassion as an agency training and consulting business alongside my latest agency called SumoGrowth. The idea was SumoGrowth is done for you services for Agency, SAAS, and Consultants while DollarPassion is the education and coaching. Read more>>

Erin Jones

I have always been drawn to the creative side of things, like painting and sculpture but it was in high school that I gravitated towards a passion in photography. I took a photography course twice and created my own darkroom at home. I fell in love with the developing process. I never considered photography as a career, because I didn’t think I could live off my art, so I went to college and completed a Degree in Business Marketing. I was still obsessed with photography, but it was more of a hobby. Read more>>

Evan Patterson

It’s 2015 and my wife and I just got our first place together. We both had furniture but it was a combination of childhood furniture and hand-me-downs, which was great! But it was exactly the look we were going for when it came to our home. We both really liked a more modern/clean look and I found an end table for the living room that we both liked and it was nearly $400, each! At the time there was no way we could responsibly afford a pair of those end tables. Read more>>

Shantel Necole

As a young child I would spend my time doing my doll babies hair. I turned the hallway in my apartment building into a doll baby hair salon. When I was 10 my mother passed away and my grandmother became my guardian and that’s when I got introduced to wigs. My grandmother always wore wigs and would change up her wigs almost monthly . Every time she came home with a new wig I would get so excited just to witness the transformation and the quick boost to my grandmother’s confidence the wigs gave her. As I became an adult my love for hair continued to grow. Read more>>

Chelsea Black

When I created Chapter 28, I wanted it to be a home for all of my plus-size ladies. That looks just like me and you what I mean by that is different body types, relatable issues and real bodies. I wanted it to be a safe plus for us plus-size ladies. Always remember you’re not you when you’re not CONFIDENT! Read more>>

Wyatt Youngblood

The idea to restore homes has been a dream of mine for years, so I took it upon myself to learn as much as possible through client work and delved into the history of restoration. There are so many beautiful houses here in Detroit that people don’t take a second look at. Yes, a lot are saved but some seem too far gone to people. We wanted to give life back to homes even if it takes a lot of hard work and looking at it from a different perspective. Unique, forgotten, and charming historic details inside these homes hold history and this history deserves to be preserved and respected. Read more>>

Charles Biset, Cory Miranda, Maricruz Carrillo

It was August 2021 Maricruz had just finished yet another Zoom call when Charles asked her to help get a knot on his back using his massage gun. But not just any massage gun… You see, Charles had converted his jig saw to a massage gun by gluing a lacrosse ball to the end of a saw blade. It was loud enough to want earplugs while using and it was super heavy thanks to the extra large size battery. Read more>>

Maria Leggett

I love telling this story because it still gives me goosebumps to this day. About 7 years ago my oldest daughter convinced me to step outside of my regular line of thinking and introduced me to essential oils. I loved them so much I became a Certified Aromatherapist and then my best friend convinced me step even more outside of my comfort zone to become a Reiki Master. Read more>>

Trina Perryman

Picture it, Redford, 20………I kid, I kid, LOL…kinda. ReeceWorld of Michigan came about out of frustration. As a mother of a special needs child, I struggled finding programs and professionals that understood the life of special needs parents/caregivers. I was looking for therapists, life insurance agents, real estate agents, contractors, life coaches, that would be able to relate on a different level. I saw a piece of wall art that said “Create the things you wish existed” so here we are. Read more>>

Blaine LaFrance

My wife and I lived in a studio apartment with two 100 pound dogs when our daughter was born. Our budget was tight so I used the few tools I had to build us as much storage as possible. When we moved out to more land in the middle of the woods our daughter started walking, exploring and climbing. With the budget still pretty tight I starting using scrap wood to build her some indoor and outdoor climbers. Read more>>

Anna McCraney

I have been a designer and a pattern maker for 20+ years, having graduated with a degree in Apparel Design in 2000 from the Rhode Island School of Design. I spent many years designing and selling my first like, Annabelle NYC, as well as working as a head designer for companies like Dolce Vita and Amanda Uprichard. Patternmaking was a crucial skill for me to have, because the cost of outsourcing that service was high for me as an independent designer, so over the years i really honed my skills. Read more>>

Andrew Boddicker

In the summer of 2015, I walked the Camino de Santiago, walking 500 miles in 28 days. Midway through that walk I envisioned (with a possessed-like quality) a place in North America where people would gather, walk, and re-sync their hectic lives with nature and fellow walkers. It came at a time in my life where my world had been turned upside down and my only option was to retreat or embrace the change. The Camino gave me many lessons but most important was that life is a journey and the low spots can make the high ones even higher if we can see beyond the weeds and embrace change. Read more>>

Rahman McWilliams

The concept of Cut Lab comes from the medical field I wanted to bring a twist to the barber shop world. The colors of Cut Lab is not the typical colors. We have counter tops instead of barber stations we carry briefcase instead of barber bags.. we wear Lab jackets instead of barber smocks and we give out complimentary water to our customers daily Read more>>

Ke’Mari Brown.

I came up with Queen of Emotions due to me growing up loving accessories. I love the different styles and brands of handbags and other accessories. I knew it had to be other queens out there that have the same passion in fashion accessories as I do. Read more>>

Josseline Daluz

I came up with Kalon by solving a problem I was experiencing which was stubborn acne blemishes. Cystic acne left me with scars and blemishes that just never went away. I tried everything and nothing worked, not even the “natural” stuff. I knew that if I was experiencing this issue, so were others. Read more>>

Jewels Bright

7 years ago, I was laid off of my job in a corporate bank office. While dismally searching Craigslist for jobs, I came across a fairly random wanted ad for a local business seeking a fine art painter. I showed it to my husband, who told me to just take a chance and apply. I had no expectations on actually getting the job, but to my surprise, they hired me! Read more>>

Christopher And Courtney Rhodes

FLAVNT (pronounced “flaunt”) was born at Austin Pride in 2013 — Chris and Courtney both made shirts for the parade and Chris’ was a white cutoff with the phrase “pretty boy” on it. At the event dozens and dozens of people came up and asked Chris where he got the shirt — and the people the design resonated with were from across the entire spectrum of the LGBTQIA+ community. Read more>>

Regina Bauscher

Back in 2011, my husband and I moved back to the country, seeking the lifestyle we had as children. We wanted to live more holistically, obtain nutrient dense foods (including raw milk), and drive our lifestyle back to nature. At the time, I worked for a chemical company who made cosmetic ingredients for major, well-known cosmetic companies. My education in chemistry gave me pause when I looked at the ingredients. Read more>>

Kayla Bass

This crazy idea of starting and running a business out of my home all started by saving money and making my daughters birthday cakes every year. Family and friends would always comment on how my cakes tasted amazing and how I was being better and better each year. They were actually the ones to push me to make this hobby a business. Read more>>

Mariah Piggs

I came up with the idea to start my brand, because I was tired of going into to nail salons and leaving dissatisfied. I knew that I wasn’t the only one who felt this way. Those not so great experiences inspired me to become the change I wanted to see. I went to nail school, got my nail license, and spent almost 10 years in the spa industry. Another thing that really motivated me and push started my decision was the pandemic. Read more>>

Ana Rodney.

When my son was born 3 months premature, weighing 1lb 5oz, my first thought was “I’m a doula, my doula community will help me” but unfortunately at the time, no one was talking about emergency c-sections or elongated NICU stays or anything other than natural births with no interventions. No one in my doula community was equipped or willing to support me through the six months of our NICU stay and my 3 morbidities. Read more>>

Quiana J.

I evolved into this brand. When I was 21, I was not an entrepreneur yet, but I found myself dabbling in graphic design and developing websites. I also constantly found myself speaking with women about their dreams and goals. They would express what they were passionate about and I would talk to them about different ways they could make money. Keep in mind, this was in 2003 when social media was not a huge deal to market on. Read more>>

Chuck Taylor.

“What is a Property Recovery Agent?” I get asked this question all the time. Before February of 2022 I would simply have to explain to the person asking me that I recover properties for banks and owners. They would still have a confused look on their face and I would have to provide more details. Explaining that I work directly with real estate agents and investors that have properties with people living in them that shouldn’t be there. They are called squatters. Read more>>

Catherine Coughennower

In November of 2020, I had the bright idea to make my husband a cake for his 50th birthday, at that time I had NEVER baked a cake or anything else in my life!! I made a 3-layer Chocolate Oreo Cake and it was probably the ugliest cake I’d ever seen but the taste was DELICIOUS!! I thought to myself, “I should keep practicing”. I immersed myself in blogs and videos and taught myself the ins and outs of cake decorating. Read more>>

McKenzie Hamlin

Ever since I was a kid, I remember taking photos with any camera I could find. Whether it was my mom’s phone, a little point and shoot that my family had, or just pretending by using my hands, I was always looking for a way to capture an image. All throughout middle and high school, my friends and I would do little photoshoots on our phones and I was always the one taking the pictures. Junior year of high school I was supposed to go on a Europe trip, so I finally decided to invest in my own Canon DSL camera. Read more>>

Thea and Meredith

We started a candle business about six years ago under a different name. However, we were not selling any candles. We sold twenty three candles in 4 years. We knew that something had to change. Our challenge was that we were attached to the name -Wooly Pod Candles- and did not want to give it up. We didn’t look into why the candles were not selling. We both had full time jobs at the time and looked at the candle making as a hobby and really didn’t care about sales and the business. Read more>>

Elvira Muckelroy.

I never planned on starting a business related to beauty or skincare. However, since college I struggled with oily/acne-problem skin. I tried a variety of products and worked with a dermatologist over the years, only to find myself in my late 30s still dealing with problem skin. When I was expecting my second child, a girl, I realized that I would be serving her as a female role model, including in the area of beauty. I felt an urge to focus on my own skincare issues in the only way i knew, by taking the matter into my own hands and starting researching the topic. Read more>>

Tyrone Carreker

Fragrance has always been a passion of mine, and to be fair, I didn’t know that until I had the ability to start creating it. My father always had a closet full of colognes and we would wear them as we grew up and try different ones with different combinations and so “smelling good” became a part of the way we presented ourselves to the world. Later in life, when I started touring as a musician in the Sam Hunt band, we came across a lot of less than ideal greenrooms and basements. Read more>>

Nicole Crocker.

My husband and I own a successful remodeling company in San Diego that has been in business for 11 years now. When we first started that company, my background was in business-to-business marketing; I had no experience in business-to-consumer. So I reached out to some marketing agencies to supplement my knowledge but was shocked to learn most of them wanted $3k, $5k, or $10k minimums, which we did not have as a start-up. Read more>>

Sara Ponce.

I’m 4’10 so growing up fashion wasn’t fun for me. Instead it made me feel worse about myself. I loved fashion, but I hard time expressing myself through it because I felt bound by the clothes that fit, not clothes I actually wanted to wear. The fashion industry long ignored short women, so I never really saw much petite representation. If models, celebrities, etc were petite, I felt as if this was never highlighted. This made me feel alone and even more insecure about my body. Read more>>

Iris Green.

In May of 2019 my daughter was one and half years old and I had just moved from Los Angeles to Kansas City to be closer to my mom. I’m a single parent and the idea of going back to work was hard for me. I realize that I was fortunate to have the time I did with my daughter as she was growing. A friend of mine owned a coffee shop around the corner from my house and encouraged me to start doing pop-ups with my cupcakes. Read more>>

Chanel Landry.

I’ve always wanted to have my own business. I just wasn’t sure what type because I’m multi-talented. Im good with decorating, caring for others and I love fashion.I prayed about it and God showed me a medical scrubs business. I jumped right on it and started to google business names. The moment I googled a new scrub store popped up not even a minute from me. Most rules for scrub companies are not within 15 mile radius. Read more>>

Trisha Gantt.

In 2012, I was a working mom, carrying two part-time jobs in order to fit around my son’s activities when a virus attacked my heart, causing permanent damage. I was home for a year, and during that time of recovery from an ICD implant, I began to wish for a paraffin-free candle to enjoy on the back porch. That led to the idea of pulling together all of the elements needed to create a wonderfully scented candle! After many months & timeless hours of exploration and testing of fragrance and essential oils, plus finding the perfect wick and wax, the idea conceived on the porch became a small business in 2015. Read more>>

Jasmine Clark

I’ve been wearing hair extensions for over 27 years. I love them. I installed my first set at 14 years old and it was love at first sight! I found that during this time I had tried numerous companies. Many companies claim to deliver great hair extensions, but after installing them, I found that the hair was not of the quality that they claimed. I saw that the industry was lacking ethical companies and great customer service. Read more>>

Alyssa Dennis

I worked at a Bakery my junior year of highschool. I loved working there creating pretty treats for all of the customers. I decided to start my own treat business from then on. My first order was a TikTok themed birthday party. I made dipped strawberries, pretzel rods, and oreos. I started with dipped treats, then I stared making cupcakes, cookies, and mini cakes. I now offer dipped treats, cookies, cupcakes, mini cakes, and cakesicles. Read more>>

Jeddie Carnes.

I have always loved playing with makeup and mixing different products to achieve the certain look that I want. In the makeup business, I have created many looks for women and their main concern is how they would like to achieve a high-end look with little makeup application as possible. I began to research different companies, vendors, pigments, primers, and ingredients to make this vision come to life. After praying one night and talking to a friend about the vision of G.L.A.A.M. Read more>>

India Dinae

I started my business because I was a black woman in a small predominantly white town where I got my BS in communications media and there were absolutely no products for MY hair type. I then moved to southern Illinois and the same story, no products for my hair…that weren’t completely toxic. So, my hair was completely damaged and I fit into the stigma that “black people’s hair doesn’t grow beyond a certain length”. I moved to Atlanta and decided to change what had been the case. I did marketing research on how many young Black women had been in my position and the numbers were absurd. Read more>>

Heidi Tarrillion

At a very young age, I observed my father work long hours building his medical supply business out of our tiny duplex that eventually grew into something pretty spectacular. My father spent a lot of time in the field…because this was in the 70’s, before the internet… securing accounts with restaurants, hotels, and corporate offices. I was only four years old, but my father’s determination and drive were prominent. I wanted to be just like him. Read more>>

Keosha Thomas

Tallgirlsmatter was started in November 2017 when Keosha attended a Dove Awards event. She birthed Tallgirlsmatter that night while talking among a table of tall women about their challenges faced growing up TALL, where to shop for clothing and shoes, bullying, heels and dating tall. Read more>>

SHERNAE JOHNSON

More Than A Mannequin started out as a wardrobe styling firm. We were made up of a few editorial and personal stylists executing projects with fashion publications, elite model agencies, ad campaigns, celebrity collaborations, and so much more. Once the events of 2020 unfolded, things took a drastic holt. I am very passionate about fashion and creating so to be in such an uncertain state and not sure when in-person sessions would be possible again, I did what needed to be done and that was to pivot. Read more>>

Patryce Ford .

Free Youth Outreach actually started out in the early 2000 as an informal meeting with a bunch of teenagers voluntarily meeting up in a living room doing bible study, being accountability partners, somewhat of a safe space. I’m from a very small town (Goldsboro, NC) where there aren’t many outlets for young people. You hear more about murders, robberies, and missing youth than positive. I was a troubled teen. Read more>>

Lady M

I have been unknowingly doing the work which would also help support myself in feeling better about life since the age of 13. Although music and dancing were my 1st love, I have used my own life experiences to assist others in becoming their best selves with various holistic methods. For years while working in corporate America, I started creating a curriculum and ideas that would allow me to connect with youth. It was so fun and innovative in my mind. By 2013, I started volunteering with a non-profit using music to connect with youth. Read more>>

Aqeel Hasan

In my sophomore year of undergraduate at Georgia Southern University, I worked on a chemistry project that involved magnets, superconductors, & liquid nitrogen. The experiment was designed to visually show how the repulsion energy you feel when you attempt to hold two magnet’s identically charged sides (i.e. + to +, or – to -) close together that it is a real source of energy by floating one magnet on top of the other. Read more>>

Ashley Blair

Sweet Momma Blair started when my second child was born in 2016. Previously, I was an early childhood educator and then decided home with my children is where I wanted to be. Like most stay-at-home Moms I was looking for a side hustle and a way to channel my creative energy. Sweet Momma Blair actually started as door hangers for birth announcements and has since evolved. I dabbled in personalized gifts with vinyl, then apparel using htv, and finally took the plunge to do sublimation thanks to my husband who purchased one for me as a Christmas present. 2020 is when Sweet Momma Blair really took off. Read more>>

Jared Campbell.

I used to live in a ski town. Every year we would host a Thanksgiving dinner, all my chef friends and I would bring something to the party. We would invite people who had just moved to town and didn’t have friends and family nearby, it was a great way for everyone to meet and a chance for all the chefs to cook together. This became so popular that guests who came to town would ask people how they get into the brown house dinner for Thanksgiving. Read more>>

Sarah Washington

Yes, I created Sarah Around SA as a way to highlight local businesses in my community, combining my love for food and culture in San Antonio. However, I was initially inspired by my Aunt Sonja, who is also a foodie blogger in San Antonio, @breaking.bread.in.SA. She and I used to run around the city taking pictures and eating new foods. So I started my own account to document our adventures together! Read more>>

Phoebe Cross.

In order to explain how we came up with the idea for our business, I think you need to know a little bit about my husband and I. Our first date in March of 2020 was a kayaking trip down The Rogue River in forty degree weather, and it was the same day that Michigan implemented the first Covid shutdown. Since then, we’ve climbed mountains, camped in freezing temperatures, adopted five animals, learned how to cultivate gourmet mushrooms, traveled across the country, volunteered at wild animal rehabilitation centers, and started a business. Read more>>