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.

Arlene Blake

Becoming an entrepreneur was never my initial ambition. My journey didn’t start with a business plan or market research; it began with a deeply personal tragedy and a community that stood by me when I needed it the most. The loss of both my parents to cancer was a turning point in my life, leaving me to navigate through the darkest moments alone. Yet, it was during this time that I discovered the true power of community. Read more>>

Katie Gilliland

I started working when I was 15 years old and worked until I was 28 years old when my husband and I moved to Michigan and I decided that I wanted to stay at home with my kids. For six years I did just that. At 32, I re-entered the work force as a barista at a Barnes & Noble cafe and immediately found my new love and family. I threw myself fully into being the best possible employee I could be. Read more>>

Angel Li

When I started a family, I wanted my children to be able to share in my culture by learning Chinese. I vividly remember the frustration I felt as I searched for a Chinese class that could truly engage children. Most programs were rigid and uninviting, leaving kids bored and uninterested. It was disheartening, but rather than giving up, I felt a spark of determination. If the kind of class I wanted didn’t exist, then I would create it myself. Read more>>

G Da Barber

If you’ve ever ventured into the world of entrepreneurship, you might recall that one task you assumed would be a breeze but turned out to be surprisingly challenging: naming your business. It’s akin to the monumental task every parent faces when naming their child. While some turn to family members for inspiration, I found my perfect business name through a serendipitous moment of faith. Read more>>

Haleh Shoa

The idea for Picturli came to me from a deeply personal experience rooted in my family’s history. My parents left Iran during the revolution, unable to bring anything with them except for our family photos. These photos were our most cherished possessions, representing our heritage and memories from a life left behind. As I grew older, I realized that while taking photos had become easier in the digital age, organizing and preserving them had not. Read more>>

Allen Penn

Framework started with a pair of milestones in my personal life — turning 40 and bringing home my first child. These two roughly concurrent events shifted my perspective on my health and drove me to create a brand and a business that met my needs and those of others looking for attainable and enjoyable ways to improve and optimize their health. Read more>>

Meg Overland

Littles In Training was created in response to soft parenting. Children today are often time seen as incapable, weak, dependent, and whiny by generations who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s. I am deeply passionate about empowering the next generation to become strong, capable, and independent. Read more>>

Danica Zolofra

The Heart Space was created out of a visible need. I have always been a part of the disability community and for almost equally as long have been a student and advocate of wellness practices. I knew how much movement and meditation was medicine for me. It helped me heal and find contentment and joy, peace and self love. It awakened a depth of consciousness within and has helped me see the world in a more expansion , multi-dimensional way. Read more>>

morgan doetsch

The creation of Nourished & Spiced, my company that offers individualized health and wellness services, came during a pretty vulnerable moment in my life. In 2018, my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and was undergoing treatment at an integrative health center. Although I had planned to move back to Austin, after my moms diagnosis, priorities shifted and I stayed in Chicago while she underwent her chemotherapy and treatment. Read more>>

Darnica Gordon

I’m here to share about my journal Worth Far More Than Rubies but let’s start at the beginning. I started a business called Christ It Up which is designed to spread the Gospel in a Fresh Way. In doing that God gave me the idea to create a workbook geared toward women to reevaluate their worth and see themselves as God sees them. Read more>>

R’Chelle Mullins

After starting my entrepreneurial journey in 2014 I lost myself in the business. Every free moment was dedicated to self-improvement and growing my business and that was reflected in the books I read. I walked away from my business in 2022 and realized I had no hobbies or interests that didn’t revolve around personal and professional advancement. So, I decided to read fiction. I knew my creative imagination needed to be sharpened and I wanted to feel like a kid again, reading a magical book for the first time. Read more>>

Maria Grillo

I have always been an entrepreneurial thinker. Much of that, I think, comes from being the daughter of an Italian immigrant. My dad and his family came to the United States without knowing any English and built a life here from scratch after his dad died from Tuberculosis. Read more>>

Patrice Lightner

Actually, in my childhood, I stumbled across tools that my great grandmother had on her back porch. During her era, my family’s history came from farming. My grandmother, Susan her daughter had already shared many lessons with me and my sisters such as cooking, baking, gardening, sewing, and more. Read more>>

Mr. Drex

Actually… It wasn’t me who came up with the idea of becoming a tattoo artist. As a matter of fact, I never thought about becoming a tattoo artist in my life! Becoming from a Latino family I was raised to go to school have a degree and work for a big company, and that’s what I did, I got my degree in business and I worked for big companies back in Colombia, but I since I was a kid I wanted to have tattoos, I got my first one as soon as I turned 18 and after that one, many more came, but of course, they had to be on hidden parts because of my work. Read more>>

Cole Mueller

Maniball Peanut Butter Tequila, the World’s FIRST Peanut Butter Tequila was started on the basis of myself being allergic my whole life to Peanuts and then growing out of the allergy two years ago, and now really loving peanuts and peanut butter. Already having a Tequila company named Octavio, my friend had a good idea to make a fun, flavored Tequila that seemed to have a new want or niche for it in the market. Americans love peanut butter, and they love Tequila! Read more>>

Ben Bradbury

It was June 2023, and myself and my best friend + housemate Tom were facing a problem… we were socializing a bunch, but not reading enough! So we sat down one day and thought: What if we combined the social energy of the city with the mindful energy of introspective reading that we were craving? We figured out a format that gives people a nice mix of time to connect and time to themselves, invited 10 friends to a “Reading Party” on our rooftop, and went from there. Read more>>

Aisha Bryant

I’m the owner and founder of Evolv Marketing Management. My journey into marketing began with my previous venture, Glorious Gold Collection. Originally, I started with a clothing brand focused on classy, fashionable women’s wear from 2018 to 2021. During that time, I wore many hats—I modeled, handled marketing, designed the website, and directed creative aspects for GGC. Read more>>

Tomme Arthur

The idea for The Lost Abbey Brewing Company was not mine. I was made aware of the name from my original partners who relayed the “Thought” of building a brewery called The Lost Abbey. It would feature Belgian style beers made in the United States in the Abbey Monastic Brewing Tradition. From the first moment I heard the name, I knew it had great bones and could convey a sense or mystic aura for our brand. Read more>>

Shawn Lopez

It started during the pandemic. There was so much fear and uncertainty and what seemed like a lack of happiness and joy in the world at the time. If I can, I always try to bring a little humor in what I’m doing or teaching. I wanted to bring some joy to the people around me so I created The Smile and Move Challenge. Read more>>

Anastasia Jackson

The idea for WENITE Inc. was born out of a deeply personal experience. As a first-generation student, I moved from California to Washington, D.C., with high hopes for my education at Howard University. However, my first day on campus was a rude awakening – I faced a lack of resources, no class schedule, and nowhere to stay. I felt lost and unsupported in what was supposed to be a transformative journey. Read more>>

Rachael Galperin

There are always two types of kids who grow up loving film: one who carries around a camera trying to film everything, and the other who sits in front of the TV trying to consume as much as they can. I was the one sitting in front of the TV, trying to consume as much as I could. What I was doing was obviously trying to be entertained, but I was also self-inducing a form of cinema therapy. This means I was trying to find a sense of belonging and a community. Read more>>

James Fleischman

As a lifelong gear head, my initial reaction to electric vehicles was mostly negative. I viewed Tesla as a gimmick and electric cars would never catch on. I would also happily repeat the negative stereotypes of electric cars that they would not go very far, would take forever to charge, and would spontaneously combust given the chance. Read more>>

Demyla Williams

I came up with the idea of a tv network because I watched a lot of tv and social media platforms and I see a lot of good tv a lot of platforms want give you a opportunity to because of your popularity. I also myself was looking for a network for my show and it was hard when you don’t know the right people so I decided to create something for everyone to be able to so the fans and followers Read more>>

Christina Villegas

The idea for Flying Curves Dance Studio was born from a deeply personal journey of self-discovery and empowerment. For years, I struggled with feelings of insecurity and a lack of confidence in my own body. Like many women, I was constantly bombarded with societal standards and expectations about how I should look and behave. This pressure was overwhelming, and it often left me feeling disconnected from my true self. Read more>>

Vera Djackova

I’ve always loved photography, a passion sparked in childhood by making pictures with my father and looking at old photos in museums and magazines. I was fascinated by how a picture can stop the flow of time. My dad gave me my first camera when he left for a different country, and what started as a gateway into a creative world eventually became my career. Read more>>

Natasha Walstra

During my time at Forbes Books, I had a profound realization: no matter how exceptional a book may be, if you don’t have an engaged audience or community, no one will know about it! A book is often just one piece of a bigger mission, message, or movement—beyond its publication. This insight drove me to find ways to better support these leaders-turned-authors. Read more>>

Karissa Burkee

I always wanted to be a hairdresser, so I went to a Paul Mitchell cosmetology school right after graduating high school. After working in a full service salon for a while, I fell in love with doing wedding hair and working with brides. I saw the need for brides and their bridal parties having the luxury of convenience and having onsite glam, so they could relax and enjoy the day, without the stress of traveling to a salon to have their hair done. Read more>>

Olga Ferrara

The idea for my creative services business was born out of a blend of passion, necessity, and a bit of serendipity. I’ve always been drawn to the world of fashion and lifestyle, and my journey as an influencer in New York City opened my eyes to the immense potential of digital content creation. However, it wasn’t until a particular moment of inspiration that I decided to turn my passion into a business. Read more>>

Alison Smith

I have loved to bake and create in the kitchen for as long as I can remember. For most events in my life, and many casual non-events (sleepovers, days at school, etc.) I had a homemade baked good in hand to share. For years, I had relatives, friends, coworkers, all telling me that I should sell my creations and open a bakery. So in a major way, the idea came from those around me. But, it took a world shattering pandemic to give me the extra inspiration I needed to officially start Cakes + Co. Yep, this was a COVID passion project, similar to the stories of many other business owners. Read more>>

Michele Beattie

I’ve always been entrepreneurial. I am very connected to nature specifically healing from what’s in our backyards. I started dabbling as a “kitchen witch“ 30+ years ago when my children were small have always used alternative medication when applicable. Was a nurse and saw both sides of the spectrum from pharmaceuticals to homeopathic remedies and really wanted to pursue the natural side, especially after seeing positive results from using plant and mushroom extracts and materials that I have foraged. Read more>>