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.
Rae McDaniel
As a gender and s*x therapist running a group therapy practice, I had always dreamed of taking my work with transgender/non-binary folks to a broader audience but wasn’t sure what that looked like. It had always been a dream to write and publish a book but it felt impossible given that I wasn’t internet famous. Read more>>
Miranda Webster
My urge to abandon mediocrity and establish financial freedom emerged when the pandemic hit, and I was left without a job while still in undergrad. As a result of unemployment, I became inspired to chase purpose since I had a lot of free time on my hands that allowed my thoughts to run wild. Since I had more time to reflect, I questioned if I had chosen the right field to study after realizing I would eventually hit an income cap within working in that industry. Read more>>
Brady Lowe
Taste Network was born out of pairing handcrafted wines with artisan cheeses. The goal was to educate consumers and culinary leaders on the benefits of supporting small family-owned businesses that took pride in creating safe and honest food. For the first eight years, I hosted culinary experiences for thousands of guests, each looking to understand the benefits of eating locally sourced and ethically produced food and beverage. Naturally, Read more>>
Rachel Norton
The story behind Zenith Nadir is one that is continuously developing. What started out as a creative outlet to bring my sister and I together has grown into an empowering brand that aligns not only with community building but also aligns with mental health awareness. It’s ironic to see where we’ve come from with Zenith Nadir. From the very beginning of developing the concept of Zenith Nadir to watching it grow into what it is today, it’s been amazing to see it develop into something with a much larger meaning than ever imagined. Read more>>
Rochelle aka Queen Aberash Hodge
I retired in 2018 from a fun filled professional hair stylist of over 25+ years. I decided one day in June of 2015 to not do hair for a day, with an ideal of going out for a day and feed my fellow coworkers barbers and hair stylists, some loaded potatoes topping which included chicken, bacon, sour cream, green onions, and jalapenos. Read more>>
Leslie Cikr
Velvet Yucca was born out of my desire for more art and creative expression in my life. We were coming out of covid and I had found a renewed love for style and getting dressed to go out. I was bored shopping at malls and it didn’t ever really feel in alignment for me with how I wanted to live to help the earth in the small ways I can. I grew up going to auctions and flea markets with my family and started thrifting with friends more throughout college. Read more>>
Demont Pope
Initially, I was pursuing a career as a recording artist due to my passion for music. I’ve always wanted to make a positive impact on the world by spreading good news, so the music I created was gospel hip-hop. I then grew in the church community and held positions as Youth Minister, Community Outreach Coordinator, Assistant Youth Pastor and even Youth Pastor. However, I kept noticing the youth outside of church falling victim to bullying, incarceration, gang violence, suicide, trafficking, etc. Read more>>
Jakia Muhammad
I remember being in middle school and we were given a task to write down four goals on popsicle sticks. While I can’t recall each goal that was written, I do remember writing a goal of being my own boss! Even at that young age, I recognized that I was meant to carve out my own path. So, I would have to say that was the starting point of this journey. Fast forward to college and post-graduation, I forgot about that goal and started working because I had bills and student loans to pay. Read more>>
Agatha Marshall
My name is Agatha Marshall, and I am a mother of three. I would like to point out that I have been managing people for the past 17 years. Some may argue that managing children is not considered management, but I disagree. As a parent, I have overseen my children’s education, ensuring that their homework is complete and even assisting with creating projects. Managing a family is like managing a small organization. Read more>>
Weiwei Fellman
When I first heard about CBD, it was right after the Federal government passed the Farm Bill in 2018. I suffered severe panic attacks after my son Patrick was born in 2016. Because of Patrick’s heart condition when he was born, we stayed at NICU of Masonic Children Hospital for 4 weeks. That’s how I developed panic attacks syndromes. I have been looking for remedy here and there and didn’t want to take pharmaceutical drugs. Read more>>
Gia Holden-!Love
My 11 year old special needs daughter Saniyah passed away unexpectedly on July 31,2020 just short of her 12th birthday Aug 31st. At home from a Gran Mal seizure. She was born with a rare disease called Microcephaly which resulted in what Dr’s call the perfect storm- Epilepsy, Cerebral Palsy and autism. Even though she was also non verbal she loved snacks!! One day I had a bag of cotton candy and she grabbed it, stuffed it in her mouth.! Read more>>
Ashley Irene Dufresne
Growing up as a plus size girl in rural Vermont, I didn’t have any stores that carried cute and fashionable styles in my size. I remember being a teenager and flipping through fashion magazines trying to find anyone that looked like me. Sadly, I never saw anyone represented in the magazines, the media or movies I could relate to. As a result, I started to hide my body out of shame instead of embracing my unique beauty. Read more>>
Luke Lintott
During the most challenging time of my life, I lost a 9-year relationship and my job, and left medical school. My unhappiness with my life, myself, and my decisions led me to heavy drinking, toxic relationships, and anxiety, depression, and insomnia. I felt hopeless. Read more>>
Tracy Strandness
My three children and I are domestic violence survivors. In our case, when I left my marriage and sought help, there was none. In the family court system in the county where we lived at that time, their stance was that an abusive parent is better than no parent, and my children were forced on unsupervised visits with our abuser. Read more>>
Cherilynn Castleman
#1MillionWomenBy2030 Challenge Accepted – A million women? Sounds like a lot, right? Well, I’ve always been a “dare” kind of gal when it comes to a game of truth or dare. And when someone dares me to do something, I don’t stop until it’s done. It turns out you’re never too old to play. Read more>>
Jordan & Henry Schultz
A couple of years ago, we purchased our first home and loved the idea of creating our own furniture. We had just finished building our dining room table in preparation to host our first Thanksgiving dinner, and loved the process of building something with our own hands. The idea of adding epoxy to wood was not a new idea but it was new to us and we were up to the challenge of creating our own entryway table. Read more>>
April Buchanan
In my former life, as I now refer to it, I had the honor of being a law enforcement officer. Yes, you read that right. My career prior to opening The Perky Lady, an expert bra fitting and lingerie boutique that is thriving and uplifting beautiful humans on the daily . . . was a cop. I set out with very altruistic goals. I wanted to help, to better my community, and be a force of positive change. I wanted to be there to stand up and protect when someone else couldn’t. However, the job is hard. Read more>>
Rashida Irvin
My husband and I was having a general conversation about his day. He has been a barber for over 30 years and has worked in various a barbershops. Needless to say he stands on his feet all day and normally complains about his discomfort after a long day of work. For years I’ve been telling him that he needs to get a pedicure but he refused to go, because he didn’t want to be in a salon with a bunch of women getting their nails polished. This particular day after listening to him, Read more>>
Ann Akins
I’m the founder of Fashion Junkie Club. My love affair with fashion began years ago and led me down the path of entrepreneurship. But life has a way of throwing curveballs, and November 2020, I found myself suddenly hospitalized and fighting for my life. It was a wake-up call, and I realized I wanted to do more with my time on this planet. Read more>>
Erwin Franklin
After I graduated from college I spent over a decade in the restaurant industry around Birmingham, AL. While the creative part of cooking was fulfilling for a time, I was always beholden to someone else’s vision in some way, and that always left me feeling like something was missing. Read more>>
Pamela Miller
My dream of a career in social services was cultivated from watching social workers in the 1970s and 1980s in sitcoms such as Good Times, The Jeffersons, and Different Strokes, as well as the movie Annie. In one of the episodes of “Good Times,” Mrs. Dobbs, a case manager, was responsible for processing the adoption paperwork and a home evaluation for Penny, played by a young Janet Jackson. Read more>>
Alexandria Hampton-Hollis
Indigo was something that was planted in my heart at a young age. I have vivid memories of doing things like going to my room to make an assortment of crafts and then setting up a “pop-up shop” in the living room where my unsuspecting parents were at. They encouraged me by buying my creations with pocket change, and I think experiences like that definitely left an impact on me. As I grew older, around age 12, Read more>>
Taryn Pascal
In 2019, I had an idea to create a CrossFit/Olympic weightlifting seminar specifically meant for people of color. At the time, the only thing I had built out was a new Instagram handle, Diversity & Barbells. As a biracial Black woman, I was used to being the only Black person and sometimes the only person of color in the gyms I worked out in. I came out with my first t-shirt that read, “Representation matters” and sold 13. Read more>>
Loren Greiff
Some moments stand still like this one did for me. Monday, December 16th, at exactly 10:26 AM. Pre-holiday cheer, at 56, handing my resignation without a plan, but with a knowing I was never going back, After more than +30 years in corporate, the youngest VP ever at J. Walter Thompson and top executive recruiter, I couldn’t unsee what I saw with the age-old broken hiring system. Read more>>
Brittane Rowe
We created this game to inspire meaningful conversations for people like us, we’re on a mission to help people connect across culture. The concept of Hella Awkward was developed during NYC quarantine 2020. It was a solitary time where almost daily FaceTime sessions with my brother Brandon and his new girlfriend Jane were keeping me sane. As time went on, we started diving into deeper topics of all sorts and knew we had to find a way to share this bonding experience with others. Read more>>
Chele Archer
I came up with the idea at the beginning of 2016 when I felt there was a need for unique home goods. Not the run of the mill, all-white modern farmhouse style that inundated the home goods market. At the time I was part of a specific demographic and community that was known to be very sleek and clean, while I am edgy and have a warp sometimes dark sense of humor. I knew there were many more that were like me, Read more>>
Noreen Juarez-Alexander
After leaving my last job, retiring, I felt I had to do something outside of the home. I needed and wanted to be able to talk with people and offer something I felt was lacking for me in the valley. What I felt was lacking was spices that were fresh, organically grown and certified, that was respectful of the farmers and the land. I regularly would go to Denver and purchase my spices. I enjoy the travel but felt that I needed something here in the valley. Read more>>
Lael Warr
It all started during quarantine, I think we all can agree that this was a significant time of self discovery. Not many outside influences or distractions, well for me at least. I always been a purpose driven person, but I had a moment when I asked myself , am I truly living out my purpose and or making strides to becoming more and greater then who I am now. Read more>>
Taofik Olatunji
Im Taofik O, owner of Designer Christian Apparel. I came up with the idea to make customer T-shirts for profit back in 2004. My original idea was to sell T-shirts that had quotes from popular hip-hop songs, but I eventually changed and decided that was not an option. In 2012 I made my first batch of T-shirts for the Obama election but they did not say very well. Read more>>
Melissa and Avery Taylor
Well my mom and I have always loved fashion and staying current with style trends. With that being said we both have that desire to find pieces that represent us individually. One day my mom just said “lets do this!” don’t wait and let’s not second guess. If we think too hard, we will never do it. Some risks are just meant to take. Read more>>
ARKIA ALLEN
After my crowning ceremony in Santaria, it was told to me in my Ita that I was designed to work this religion and that at some point in my life I would sell the stones for the process in which a person crowns their head Orisha. The beautiful ceremony we call Ocha. And everything you need to perform this ceremony and other is sold in his store. Read more>>