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.

Brittany Wilson

I decided to start a small business with the goal of trying to create a better life for my little family, on my own terms. That being said, I live for the simple, comfy & practical as I’m running around 24/7 being a new mom to 2 under 2. I wanted to bring that to life in a shop for everyone who is trying their very best & killing it, but who also wants to do it with comfort & style, just like me. Read more>>

Sierra Upshaw

Living authentically has really transformed my life, so I’m excited to share this process with you all. After experiencing intense transformation I felt lost. I was disconnecting from my power so I intentionally followed these guidelines to get back to myself. My journey led me to know the power in being me. I want us to all know our authentic gifts. Read more>>

Jessica DeFeo Brittany Wilson

We are both obsessed with travel even though we have very different experiences with it growing up and into adulthood. Brittany has visited over 10 countries and has solo adventured many times, and Jess has just begun her adventures with international travel this year. We have both experienced such beautiful and incredible moments through travel, however, that we wanted to create a space and community for women to travel the world and would cater to what they wanted their personal experiences to be. Read more>>

Tina Acedo

When I was an LPN working in a Dermatology office my mentor and owner of the practice was Dr. Ilizaliturri who is the reason why I fell in love with skin and teaching people about their skin. While I was there I was also going to school to get my RN, BSN and was soaking up everything she taught me. I worked there for 5 years and learned so much but after I received my RN I was overqualified for the position. Read more>>

Jordan Yasgoor

My name is Jordan Yasgoor, the founder of Bud & Rose Shop. I wanted to bring my own passion for art and decorative objects to the cannabis space, and wanted to conceive of a unique offering to marry the two. So, in 2021, Bud & Rose was born. Read more>>

Karen Odden

I began writing my debut novel A Lady in the Smoke (pub. 2016) for selfish reasons; I felt like my brain was turning mushy. In 2001, I had finished my PhD at NYU, writing on the Victorian medical, legal, and popular literature about railway disasters and their injuries, and how those texts provide the theoretical framework for Freud’s theories of hysteria, WWI “shell shock,” and what we call PTSD. Read more>>

Laura Morales

I’m Laura, and I’ve dedicated over 20 years of my life to being a make-up artist. Throughout my career, I attended various institutions to refine my skills in beauty, character, special effects, and theater make-up. With each passing year, my love for the art of transformation with makeup grew stronger, and I developed a deep understanding of what it takes to create truly exceptional looks. Read more>>

Lindsey Marcelli

Girls Gone Rx started with the idea of getting women together to benefit a great cause. I wanted to do something that showcased women’s strengths and weaknesses, because those are the two most important parts of battling something like cancer. You have to learn to be strong even when you’re feeling weak, but sometimes you also have to be willing to be weak and allow your team to support you. Read more>>

Jennifer McNeal

I never knew my mother Denise Marie Turner. I am the youngest and last of her children and I was a preachers kid as she and my dad were pastor and co pastor of Liberty Temple Full Gospel Church. Growing up I heard many stories about her from my church family and my siblings who sometimes recalled how she was as a mom. My siblings would often tell me I resembled her in the way she was in her character and so I turned my pain into purpose when I came up with the name of Denise’s Home. Read more>>

Vanessa Duran

From an early age, I was captivated by the enchanting world of fashion. Even as a mere five-year-old, I found immense joy in transforming ordinary socks into dazzling works of art, and crafting off-shoulder dresses fit for my beloved Barbie dolls. This creative pursuit ignited a passion within me that would shape my path for years to come. Read more>>

Matt Greene

My child hood best friend and I had an outdoor fishing/hunting apparel company that we didn’t really love. It was just something to do and we started a podcast for it because we did have some passion there to record our conversations and put them out there for friends and family to hear. One day, we had this idea to do a segment of the podcast where we talked about deer season and “reviewed” a whiskey that we liked. Read more>>

Niketa Bush LaTrina McDonald

We wanted to start a business doing something we enjoy by providing services and products that people would always need. We have both worked in different fields by choice and as well as because of life demands. Working in those fields has help us to see this dream continually develop and hopefully be around for several generations. Read more>>

Romance Anastasa

I always tell people that being an Entrepreneur was always in my blood because my great-grandmother owned taverns in the neighborhood. Growing up watching a woman that I admired and respected quickly made me realize that she was the type of woman that I wanted to be when I grew up. The idea to open a lingerie store came about while working my way through college at Macy’s. I was promoted to Lingerie Specialist (partially due to my name) and it was there that I fell in love with lingerie and intimate apparel fashion. Read more>>

Nicole Mallari

Though I had been a wine drinker for over twenty years, I was unaware that people who looked like me were making wine until 2018. Black owned wine brands make up less than 1 percent of the business. I wanted to create an opportunity for wine lovers to experience the enjoyment of wine while supporting Black winemakers, negociants and merchants. Read more>>

Krissy & Wes Reynolds

Sun & Spruce Soaps is a Roanoke, Virginia based small batch soap company established in 2020 by husband & wife team Krissy & Wes Reynolds. The dream began with Wes’ love of handmade soap & became a reality after deciding to start the company while hiking among the spruce trees in West Virginia. Read more>>

Kristina Eisenhower

I’m a multipassionate, so I have a strong aversion to the concept of one. I’ve never been able to land on one singular focus that I want to throw all my energy into. I need variety, and crave diversity, so I experiment with lots of different things. Read more>>

Nicole Lewis

Before devoting my work full-time to The Original Rainbow Crayon®, I drew inspiration for my specialty, Original Rainbow Crayons® from my previous 15+ years of expertise in the arts, with 10 of those years as an Elementary Art teacher. The thought process behind Art 2 the Extreme® and The Original Rainbow Crayon® comes from a mix of practical/education use that I would have liked to have access to as a teacher (Crayon Stix® that won’t roll off a table and have a grip groove for little hands, skin tone colors that blend well, etc.) and a parent (personalized options for those with unique names). Read more>>

Yeranoui ‘Noui’ Dzhigneyan

Opening up my gym, Body & Soul, felt like the right path. The biggest trend I see over and over again in the fitness industry is the idea that health can be a quick fix. The truth is health isn’t made in an intense training program, a macro diet plan, or cutting out carbs for eight weeks. The problem that comes from that mindset is that you will always see health in a negative light if you are concentrated on the two extremes. Read more>>

Shiny Abbott

As a designer, I simultaneously navigate the world of visual communication design while also crafting products with original designs under my own name. This entire journey began with a single word: exploration. Read more>>

Ayan Osman

My name is Ayan Osman, and I am the youngest of nine siblings. As an immigrant to this country, I faced various challenges. Raised by a single mother who was working tirelessly to make ends meet without any support, I found my motivation to become an independent young woman. Witnessing my mother’s strength as a single parent in our humble village in Uganda, I nurtured a dream to create a better life for myself. Read more>> 

Marisa Ikpoh

I would love to say that I came up with the concept of Marisa Moments, but the truth is, the notion found me. I began this journey under the impression that I would share random yet comedic moments in my life as a means of humor and entertainment. Little did I know that in a short time period, I would not only be awakened to the knowledge that I have gifts, but I would be sharing them to help others. Read more>>

Jake Latvala

Woodworking for me started as a hobby and after awhile I bought a sawmill to reduce lumber costs. I then started a social media page and created a following. From there I had many of leads to the point that I was losing money working at my regular job and that’s when I decided to quit my daily 9-5 and started a business Read more>>

E’moni Tool-Lammie

I came from a family of cooks but my mom was my biggest inspiration. When I started working as a cook at the Waffle House in Atlanta I loved making people smile when I served them fast forward I just started getting into a lot of cooking shows trying to learn new recipes and techniques. In 2018/2019 I started to get more serious then 2019 Nikki Soulful Eats was born. Read more>>

Andrea Sertori

I have always played for myself and together with other musicians in a variety of projects. A few years ago I decided to share my music produced only by myself. I needed to communicate what I had inside of me. Read more>>

Joseph Lopodi Gaza

Pigeon City Productions is a brand I’ve been working on since college. From my first couple of years performing with other artists in Cape Town, South Africa. I wanted to build a brand that could help support artists in the city as a label and agency. Allowing them to have more platforms to perform, whether it is live or on social media platforms. Read more>>

Justyna Wołodkiewicz

I’ve always been creative. The child that most of her time spends at the desk making weird things. Prior to my artistic discovery ( of combining clay and embroidery) I’ve been sculpting in polymer clay for several years. In the meantime I followed some textile artist on social media and really admired their work. The idea came to me instantenously, one day. It was so magical, like one of those eureca moments. Read more>>

Keiry Suero

During the pandemic, I was about to lose my job; the company that I used to work for sent an email to all the staff that it was going to be a huge staff cut. Read more>>

Jen Barcenas

My name is Jen and I’m a hugger. Hugging is important to me because it’s how I transfer my feelings, excitement, comfort, care…to the people I love. I share this because that’s how our story begins, with a “hug.” Read more>>

LaKesha Lorene

I came up with the idea of creating a hub for Black artists and creatives in the theatre industry through talking with colleagues of mine in Indianapolis. We identified a need that was missing and opportunity for more long term work that was not tapped into for Black actors, artists and administrative professionals in Equity Theatre. Once we heard from the community, my co-leader Latrice P. Young and I began programming and forming the structure we need to do this. Read more>>

Anica Barbosa

My business idea was not a new idea. It was a concept that had been around for a while but I knew I could put a unique spin on it to make it different and successful. Read more>>

Cindy Earl

I became a caregiver in 2011, when my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s type Dementia. My responsibilities were mostly part-time, supporting my mother who is the primary caregiver and power of attorney. However, in March 2020 my grandmother’s adult daycare facility shut down due to the COVID-19 closure mandates. Read more>>

Jessica Samaroo

I always had this feeling inside of me of wanting to do more, to do something with a purpose. I did not know what that would be or look like but I knew I wanted to create something truly special and meaningful to help empower women. While growing up having experienced my own personal struggles with self-worth & self-confidence up through my adulthood, brought on this drive to create a space to help uplift and support Latina women just like me. Read more>>

Ethan Penner

I started making videos on TikTok in the summer of 2020, pretty much right as the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing. But it wasn’t until. I was home for winter break in December 2020 when I started to gain engagement with the popular “What’s Inside That Rock?” series that I created. The idea really just came from wanting to go viral and combining a sort of game show theme with my passion for geology. Read more>>

Destiny Frye

I came up for my idea for my business when I lived in the suburbs of New York of Long Island. Where there wasn’t much hip-hop being offered, and I found a niche market to be able to give Families the insight into the culture of hip-hop. Read more>>

Emily Alexandra Guglielmo

Allow me to introduce myself as Emily, a once-known Florida Mermaid who has evolved into The American Mermaid, driven by an unbreakable bond with the ocean. Over the years, my roles as a diver, mermaid, and tireless advocate for ocean conservation have led me to a profound realization. This realization sparked the creation of a cosmetic line that not only enhances skin but also champions the health of our oceans and the preservation of delicate coral reefs. Read more>>

Zazel-Chavah O’Garra

In the face of adversity, I was determined to survive but to thrive, using my experience as a springboard for positive change. Such is the story of the inception of ZCO/DANCEPROJECT, a physically integrated dance company born out of personal triumph, gratitude, and a profound desire to inspire others. Read more>>

Felipe Rangel

Growing up, my 3 siblings and I were raised in Los Angeles by a single mother with cerebral palsy. Our upbringing was definitely unique compared to all the friends I had growing up. Despite the hardships we faced growing up, they helped shape my purpose for life and the outlook I have on life when times get tough. I am beyond grateful for everything our mom was able to provide for us because it has taught me many life and business lessons. Read more>>