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.

Sunni Myers

Gogh Create was created by a local Jacksonville artist and art teacher, Sunni Myers, who saw a need in the community for people of all ages to create art for art’s sake. She uses her skills as an artist to engage participants and encourage them to create something of their own! All people have the desire and love to create, Gogh Create allows people to enjoy making art and discovering their creative process together. With a customizable approach for all ages, people will be provided with the resources to help them create something and find joy! Read more>>

Edgar Talayko

Back in 2018 during the Carlsen vs. Caruana FIDE World Chess Championship match, it suddenly dawned on me how few chess groups and events there are in the Milwaukee Area, despite its large population. Almost immediately after this realization, I began to conjure up what would end up becoming Milwaukee Chess: a vision of one day running a club hosting in-person chess tournaments. Read more>>

Melinda Frandsen

When my fourth child was born I was desperate to go on adventures with my little family. Camping was all we could afford, so we camped! But there was so much gear involved and no great way to pack it all with four little people. Packing and accounting for everything made me a total stress case. I hated toting multiple bags along with all my babies, so I dreamt of having one bag that could carry all the essentials for me and my four children. When I went searching for our family dream bag, nothing on the market met my needs. So I drew it up and over the course of a couple of years, hired designers and found the best team over seas to help me develop it. Read more>>

RL Sheppard

After retiring from the Military I started a consulting company. Helping business owners get their small business established and developed. I started working with Realtors to help them market their business to generate more business and after doing it for 11 years I decided to get into real estate myself. Read more>>

Deana Stevenson

Prior to June 2013, I was an elementary principal in an urban school setting. My first principal position in this district was a “SURR” school (School Under Registration Review) which basically means it was placed on an accountability list due to poor state test performance. When I met with the Superintendent of that district they shared that I would be placed in that building, handed over the keys, and stated I had three (3) years to turn the school around or I would have to return the keys. I knew that meant if my staff and I did not work with students to improve assessment scores I was going to be fired. Read more>>

Desmond Ross

During the pandemic in 2020, Desmond decided he wanted to leave a legacy behind for his son (2yrs old at the time). He created the brand MACT. to inspire self love and empower everyone to focus on making positive changes in their lives. Read more>>

Bradley Donaldson

The McKinney Tx historic square has hosted many art galleries over the years. The last one standing 8 years ago was called The Last Art Gallery. It got its name from a combination of Louisiana and Street which is where it is located on the square. Originally 3 ladies started the business but after 4 years were tired of working the 5 days a week schedule. Read more>>

Jeanie Eddleman

I love to draw. One day I decided to draw a building/business called Wimpy’s that my dad, who had passed away, would take me to when we would go to Cape Girardeau, MO as a child. My parents and I had many meals at Wimpy’s. It was also a favorite hangout for all the teenagers too. I found a photograph of it in an old yearbook. So, I sat down and drew it. It gave me such a good feeling, a closeness to my dad’s memory. So, I decided to draw some more buildings that had special meanings to me. I did several drawings and decided to show my work. I didn’t know it would be such a hit among people. I never thought that I could ever sell my artwork or that anyone would ever be interested in it. I made prints of the drawings, sold them, and my art just took off. People were buying them and wanting more. Other people had “their” special memories of the buildings and places that I had. So, my business name came from the reaction that people would say when they saw my work….”Remember when we did this or that in that building?” My business became entitle “Remembering When”. People wanted to buy all my building prints, but it was to expensive for them. They ask me if I would do a book with them all in. Then came the books with brief history’s of each building from different areas, Two of my books, “Shadows of Cape Girardeau Yesteryears” and “Images of Bollinger County” are both in the Library of Congress. After that, I started getting commissions from people. I knew God wanted me to go in this direction, so I retired from teaching art in a small rural school and went into my own business. Read more>>

Remon & Candace Tuck

Imagine being college sweethearts, bestfriends, parents of three beautiful kids to find yourself looking divorce in the face 10 years into your marriage! This was our story. We knew we were soulmates very shortly after dating each other. We complimented each other so well, in college when you saw one you saw the other. So how did we get to divorce after seventeen years in each others life? After choosing to save our marriage by going to counseling God planted the idea for a book, Somebody Shoulda Told Me, Marriage Do We Really Know What It’s About. Remon didn’t want to write the book because he felt he caused most of the problems and didn’t want to air our dirty laundry to the world. Nevertheless, we wrote the book to help other couples that would take the journey as a married couple. Most people do not know the power of marriage nor what it is going to require of you. As we traveled to local podcasts to promote the book, all the hosts kept suggesting we get our own show. That led to the creation of the award-winning talk show, The Couples Lounge. It gives us a bigger platform to help couples, seriously dating, engaged, and married, win! This was never in the plans. It was like God planted a seed through the book and then blew his magic power on it and created a full ministry that also includes events, workshops, and speaking opportunities. We believe in the marriage union and we are doing our part to make sure couples are educated on how to have a successful marriage. Read more>>

Ebony Beckford

The idea for my business, Fin Lit Kids, was born out of a combination of personal experiences and a strong desire to make a positive impact on the lives of young children. While my daughter, Madison, was the initial inspiration behind the company, it was my own journey that made me realize the critical need for early financial education. Read more>>

Josh Oyler

I always loved hot rods, fast, cool, & crazy cars. I started working on them as soon as I was old enough. I went to a tech college and started working at a general repair shop. I hated it. I had a great boss and it was a great shop, but I hated working on “normal” cars. One day I decided I wanted to start my own shop, a shop that only works on hot rods. I had no idea if it would work, I had no idea if I would get customers. I felt my dream was worth the risk. My main emotion was excitement, wanting to do something different, on my own and see if I could figure it out. Hot rodding is not new, many great people have done it for decades. I wanted to see if I could add my name to the amazing list American hot rod builders. That to me was worth the risk and unknowing. Read more>>

Lesli Anderson and Ilona Cathalan

One day in 2021 Lesli and I were out shopping for clothes (since we’re a mother/daughter team), and she told me that she’d dreamed about having a yarn shop since she was 12 years old. At that time I was trying to figure out how to support myself and my husband without working for a corporation, so I jumped on the idea! We talked for months about what we actually wanted to be. Yarn shop? Makers’ space? Just classes? How are we going to break the mold of yarn shops? Read more>>

Heather Golden Ray

We were raised by an art teacher Mom who grew up in LA by two hard working parents and by a Dad who grew up in Brooklyn, a TRUE self starter. They taught us to always be in charge of our own destiny. Dad didn’t ever want us going up to someone and asking for a raise. He wanted us to do this life thing on our terms, no matter how difficult. Read more>>

Ulyana Horodyskyj Pena

When I was a PhD student at the University of Colorado Boulder, I spent a lot of time outside, in the field, researching melting glaciers in Nepal. Surrounded by the towering snowy peaks of the Himalaya and working at 15,000 feet above sea level, I was deeply moved and inspired to get more people out in the wild, experiencing this and seeing this for themselves. I was keen for people to have truly immersive experiences in the wild. Thus, Science in the Wild, a citizen science initiative, was born. My life’s mission is to bring science to the people, and people to the science. I believe that people going on expedition and experiencing what it is like to be a scientist increases their awareness and understanding of science. The idea behind Science in the Wild was also: why not add to your hiking or climbing experience – get a deeper knowledge of the landscape and the communities where you vacation? Rather than be a tourist, be a traveler. Read more>>

Hannah McCall

I found myself joining a company as an ambassador to promote why cleaner ingredients are so important when it comes to our skin care and personal care products. But almost immediately, I realized that hardly anyone looked like me. And yet, a part of the ‘marketing’ and ‘educating’ focused on the disparities Black women faced in this space. It feels different when the people representing a company that is largely white are saying “Did you know that 75% of personal care products marketed to Black women contain chemical ingredients that are potentially hazardous to their health?”. So I started asking myself “did we know?” The answer was obvious – I didn’t know. So rather than allow that information to be gatekept, I started a blog. A blog to share what it is I was learning and why I thought it wasn’t okay. I immediately got the attention of people doing this work already. There were a lot of Black women owned brands and nonprofits that reached out to me saying “Hey, we love what you’re doing and we are so happy you’re here.” That’s when I saw a lane. And I took it. I could be the educator and the amplifier of those doing the grassroots work. So I turned Clean Beauty for Black Girls into a 501c3 nonprofit. Read more>>

Robbie Lambert

The first barrels that my Father and I worked on were a labor of love—furniture from my own wedding. I looked everywhere for barrels and could not find them anywhere. Finally a few months before my wedding one of my friends sent me a link to a social post from a brewery saying they had some for sale. I quickly contacted them and bought all 6 of them. They were in rough shape; bands rusted, heavy beer stains, stinky, and dark aged wood. I removed the rust, sanded the wood down smoothly, and applied a finish coat. I could not believe how fresh and new they looked. The dark and light tones of the white oak were really eye-catching and I was excited to use them for my wedding. Fast forward a couple of months after my wedding, I listed the barrels for sale on Craigslist and they sold immediately. I was impressed by how much attention they got so I decided to continue looking for more barrels. I found more, then sold them as quickly as the first batch. A couple of weeks later my grandparent’s empty garage had barrels filled to the brim and I was selling them as fast as I found them. I had seen a picture online of some barrel furniture and thought to myself, my Father and I could definitely make that, and if the barrels were selling well maybe some barrel furniture would as well. Read more>>

Giselle Aguayo

Since i could remember i never had even a clue of what i wanted to grow up to be. i never knew what career would fit me or what i truly cared to do for the rest of my life. i never did the school thing so i didn’t go to college & study for “a real job” like most of my class. I spent a few years working odd jobs & searching for something that i would be passionate doing for the rest of my life. see cause i didn’t just wanna settle for something that made me a lot of money, i wanted a career i could wake up excited for everyday. I always seemed to gravitate to retail jobs the most especially when it came to clothing stores. Over time i started to accumulate a lot of clothes , besides working for clothing stores i had been thrifting since i was 13 years old so i definitely acquired a huge closet of options. it was roughly 2014-2015 when i decided i should start selling stuff from my closet since i had so much stuff that didn’t fit or just wasn’t my style at the moment. It started out as just pieces from my closet & it evolved into me just sourcing for items to sell. Prior to me selling i was always working on my sewing ability, once i added the reselling aspect to it the picture became clearer to me. My business has evolved with time , it’s still primarily me reselling Vintage pieces but i’ve also added more handmade unique pieces & im going back to school to be a certified Tailor. Read more>>

Khaira Summer

I came up with the idea for my business from my love of astrology & self care. I came to the realization that both can co-exist. This was the birth of StzrSauce, and I built this brand identity from that concept. Read more>>

Brandon Angulo

The birth of Brxndoo Clothing came from ideas I had in High School coming to life after I had released my first project. I always had the idea of having my own clothing line from when I was a Freshman in High School. I loved creating my own designs and having them match color ways and stick out to what’s in at the moment. My unique idea was to match what’s going on with the music onto the clothes. It was a way to beat recreate my music projects onto pieces of clothing. Read more>>

Jessica Gardner

I co-founded Dreamer & Co in 2018 after virtually meeting my co-founder in 2014. We were working for the same non-profit but from different cities in the U.S. Read more>>

Halima Garrett

I began heavily thrifting when I moved to Brooklyn after college. I was finding the pieces that I adored on Etsy in real life. I was learning and understanding that “vintage” was the category I was dressing myself in and that the one of a kind pieces I gained from my grandmother were of the same style and eras. One day I went into a thrift shop in Brooklyn and grabbed a bunch of pieces to try on, one of which was a pink and purple Leslie Faye dress, it was $8. Certain pieces I just won’t forget how much they were. So yes 9 years later I still remember the price tag. I tried the dress on and it was cuter on the hanger so I left it. About a week later I was browsing Etsy and saw this exact dress listed for $55. I assumed it was the same dress because the seller was from Brooklyn! That was the moment Threads of Habit was born, I decided I’d flip vintage too. I loved to thrift, had easy access to it, and the margins were high. Read more>>

Val Souza

The idea for Feels Familiar was born during a moment of immense uncertainty and anxiety, much like what many of us experienced in 2020 during the lockdown. As the world seemed to slow down, I found solace in the simple act of lighting a candle. Each time I struck that match and watched the flame dance, something magical happened – I felt an instant connection with myself and the present moment. Read more>>

Don Cribb

We first got the idea of making kettle corn after stumbling upon a specialty popcorn shop in one of Florida’s tourist towns. Ryan, a popcorn connoisseur, asked if he could make and sell his own popcorn one day. Angelia (Ryan’s mom) and I looked at each other in the perfect “aha” moment and felt an overwhelming desire to help Ryan have a chance to succeed. So, in January 2022, Ryan’s Bee Sweet Kettle Corn was born; inspired by our founder Ryan Cribb, who is a 25 year old entrepreneur with Down’s syndrome. We had so much fun researching how to make authentic kettle corn (not just flavored popcorn), writing a business plan, creating the business name, and dreaming about the possibilities for Ryan and his new adventure. Read more>>

Ashley Moore

Lastwaveco first began around three years ago at the beginning of Covid. I had lost my job and after a few weeks of sitting around I knew there had to be some way that I could keep myself busy as well as embrace the entrepreneurial and creative spirit I’ve always felt throughout my life. I’d just taken on a new lease with some friends in Hawaii and I wanted to furnish the house on a budget, yet have a “Hawaii Surf Culture Chic” vibe. Read more>>

Molly Greenberg

I have always loved going to artist markets, and living in New Orleans there’s never a shortage. My love for these markets really grew when my friend Rachel moved to New Orleans early 2020. We would go to so many different markets in the city, felt like we were going to multiple every weekend at one point. During this time I really learned to love and appreciate handmade creations. Read more>>

Diane Boyer

I cannot take credit for the idea of Skea, as My parents, Georges and Jocelyn Boyer were the founders. They began Skea, by being the first importers of chic one-piece ski suits from Paris. My father, Georges, was born in Paris and my mother was born in Montreal. They met in the U.S. but frequently visited France. As avid skiers who had an exceptional eye for style, Jocelyn and Georges were captivated by the one-piece ski suits French women donned to traverse the moguls of Val d’Isere in the early 1970s. Jocelyn, of course, was the first to bring the ski suit look to her home mountain in Stratton, VT in 1972. From that moment, my parents knew they had a business venture, and enlisted me to join, while I was still in college at Dartmouth! Read more>>

Anna Dzhilavyan & Ksenia Zaytseva

We are childhood friends who used to share a school desk, both deeply passionate about healthy life choices from what we eat to what we put on our bodies. Unfortunately, we had some bad experiences with cosmetics claiming to be clean, which led us to join forces to create something meaningful. Our goal is to educate people about conscious self-care and develop a product that truly delivers on its promises while being safe for everyone to use. Read more>>

Eric Lewis

I retired in 2014 from the Navy after 20 years of honorable service, during my time in the military I played drums for various bands, as well moonlighted (2nd job) at a Music retail company. I met so many amazing people during my time in the Navy as well as being in the music industry. I maintained many of those relationships throughout the years. When I retired, I got anxiety really bad because I was use to being around Veterans and now everything I knew for 20 years was gone. It is weird to have a structured life for so long and then it was gone in a flash. One day while traveling to the NAMM show in Anaheim (NAMM stands for the National Association of Music Merchants), an idea just popped in my head. “Why don’t I use my connections with vendors in the music industry to help out Veterans suffering from PTSD” Read more>>

Bullet Valmont

A friend invited me to an event on a tall-ship where a group of people dressed as pirates and sailed about for three hours, watching for whales and drinking. It was fun but I saw a lot of potential to do greater things with it. I had been a film/television actor for several years by then and wanted to do something more creative than just appearing in other people’s projects. i decided to form a pirate-themed performance troupe, a group that looked authentic, could fight with swords, pistols, boarding pikes, and could speak in the jargon of long ago sea-faring men. Most of all, i wanted to avoid the cliches that today’s culture associated with pirates and instead focus on historically accurate elements that were unfamiliar to modern audiences. It was also important that the troupe have live musical accompaniment during the performances, something which could set the mood while spontaneously accentuating the action, comedy and dialogue. I knew that, if done right, such a show could succeed not just aboard a ship but in the mainstream of show business. The world, I felt, had been starving for just such a thing. Read more>>

Jamie Lee

When we first moved to Colorado over 12 years ago we had a toddler and knew no one here. I was lonely as a stay-at-home mom and I lost my village of people. I was in a new city, didn’t know anyone, and didn’t have much to do outside of our home, so I decided to start a blog for family and friends. I figured it would be a good way for everyone to keep up with what we were doing and I could share the adventures my daughter and I took around Denver. Things like visiting the Denver Zoo, going to parks, etc. Read more>>

Stefan Cosma

My wife and I had travelled lots before settling back in Southern Ontario and had picked up lots of different business ideas along the way. We knew we wanted a certain lifestyle that could grant us freedom for parts of the year but also give us a large amount of seasonal income. Read more>>

Krystina Kalapothakos

I have two businesses I own. I am a proud owner of Kouzounas Kitchen (food blog) and I have just launched my own travel business; Travel Mazi Mou. I love both businesses equally but I would love to share how Travel Mazi Mou came about. Read more>>

Alesha Adamson

I was not the child anyone would ever expect to become an author especially since I struggled with reading due to my dyslexia. Thankfully, my family was a huge support helping me learn to read and work with my dyslexia. We would read together as a family and later my sister began reading to me, which cultivated my love of books and reading. Read more>>

Frank Giardino

Many years ago it got to a point where the recycling bin was filling up way too fast. Everything these days can come in single use plastic if we let it. I found a few places near me that had certain items in bulk where you can go and take only what you need in a brown paper bag (others that only offered a plastic bag option were avoided). I still couldn’t find a place to go to refill all the items I wanted to refill (dry goods, toiletries, etc). When I moved to Jersey City in 2020 I hoped for a local option but it didn’t exist. After some research I learned about these refilleries that have been popping up around the country with the goal of helping to reduce waste, lots of refill options, and lots of healthier cleaning products and personal items that were natural, local and contained no toxins or forever chemicals. It was exactly what I was looking for. The only issue was the closest one to me was 40 minutes away. I would go there when I could but it wasn’t sustainable. So when I got laid off from my tech job in November 2022 the idea had already been brewing to start my own refillery. After a few months of research Frank’s Market & Refillery launched our website in April 2023. Read more>>

Sarah Hausdoerffer

I started out as an artist 16 years ago and decided to pursue this passion and turn it into a career. I wanted to focus my first career on high end paint finishes and murals. At first, I was not sure this was going to work, so I ventured to a trade school and went for 2 weeks and learned the basics of faux finishing. Fortunately I was able to develop some very important relationships through the years with contractors and designers. As my career progressed, I was able to do work in NYC, wyoming, oregon and beyond. Eventually, the paint fumes were bothering me, but it took me a long time to figure out what to do next, as I had never worked for anyone but myself! I decided that my love of plants and flowers was strong enough to start looking into a career in that, and realized that flower arranging could actually be a form of art. In my most successful year yet, I took a risk and left for 3 weeks and went to a floral design school in Portland. I had no idea how to do any sort of flower arrangement, and every night after the school I would study each flower and plant and learn the names of each. I think that drive helped me understand and appreciate the art of it all. At the same time, our local flower shop was for sale, and during this whole process I was purchasing the flower shop. This was not easy and was all time consuming. but as soon as I returned from the school, I was thrown into an entire flower shop/plant shop and had no idea what I was doing! Lots of trial and error, late nights, dedication, long hours and support helped me create what is now Bramble and Bloom. Read more>>