Going from idea to execution isn’t easy. Part of the difficulty is that often there is no playbook to follow and while we can’t offer a playbook either, we wanted to create a space where aspiring entrepreneurs could read the stories of how some very smart, very thoughtful entrepreneurs form the community got started.

MARQUIETA LUCKEY

My Sea Moss Journey first started with a friend that I met at the gym that was a personal trainer. He first introduced me into the Green Monster Sea Moss smoothie that he would get from a friend. I was impressed with the smoothie that I wanted to try it again and I wanted to sell the product. Read more>>

Michaele Acary

After graduating from high school I went to massage therapy/wellness school. While in school, I learned my first lesson on how to execute a business idea. The first thing an aspiring entrepreneur does, is make a business plan. At 18, I had zero interest in writing a business plan. Read more>>

Barbara Jones

Hello Everyone, my name is Barbara Jones and I am the CEO of Freeing Returns. Freeing Returns is a Returns Management and Profit Optimization platform that helps Retailers and Merchants identify how they are losing money due to fraud, shrink and operational inefficiencies. Our platform is used by Loss Prevention/Asset Protection teams, e-Commerce Fraud Teams and Organized Retail Crime (ORC) Prevention Teams. Read more>>

McKenzie Hamby

I was always a creative child. Painting, coloring, creative writing, dance, etc were some things I was always interested in – so I always knew that I would end up doing something in the arts field. Originally, I thought I wanted do go down the writing path Read more>>

Essence English

I actually started this business my freshman year of college! I wanted to save money on snacks, and a lot of my friends kept asking me to make them stuff! After the school year, I didn’t take it too seriously for a while, but about a year later I decided to pick back up and start baking again! I’ll let a lot of my friends know what I was doing, and I started to net work with people that I know locally to grow my brand. Read more>>

Karlen Williams

I have always wanted to turn our farm into a wedding venue, the idea was in my mind years and years ago, actually before barn weddings were a thing. I loved weddings, planning my own and hosting events and parties. So it seemed a natural fit. Life, time and money and honestly fear held me back. Read more>>

SHERYL JOHNSON

thoughts, ideas and observation on how to raise a girl. I wanted to be a great mom and have a great relationship with my daughter. I was curious on what challenges these young girls are going through. As I talked to my daughter and other girls, I noticed that one of the biggest issues was lack of self- esteem, which makes a girl vulnerable, timid and aloof. Read more>>

DJ CUFF

Well, music and sound has been apart of my life since I was literally born. Coming from a musically inclined family full of singers, musicians, and DJs it was only natural that I followed suit to the point as a baby I was banging in pots and pans on beat. Read more>>

Haley Gonzalez

Once I drafted a business plan to make sense of the vision, I had plenty of research to do in order to better understand the home decor, wholesale and retail industries. Obvious upfront tasks involved applying for a seller’s permit, forming an LLC, etc. Read more>>

Jessica Whinery

When the idea of starting a school popped up in my head, I was in the middle of several big transitions and wasn’t sure I could pull it off. Our family had just returned from a 7-month journey in Asia, we were living out of our backpacks in our friend’s rental home, and my job contract was up in the air due to the pandemic. Read more>>

Steven Dalton

Since his first cafe mocha at the age of 12, Steven has dreamed of owning and operating a coffee shop “one day.” During high school and college, he worked on and off for a major international coffee brand while continuing to visit local coffee shops whenever possible. He started dreaming of, “If I owned this shop, I would… Read more>>

Mia Frison

Starting my business was honestly the best decision I ever made. I used to work for AT&T in sales and I got complacent. I have always loved the beauty industry but being a single mother, I started thinking about how easy it was at the time with all of the bonuses and money I was making. Read more>>

Lovey The Don

I’ve always created things and wrote music since I was a young kid. I didn’t start writing rap music until I was about 15 years old, which originally started as me just writing poetry in private to express my emotions. I was raised in a religious household where I wasn’t exposed to Rap music outside of the 80s stuff my dad used to like. Read more>>

Tracie Morris

My Question is- Customer Success Story: Can you share a customer success story – a time when you helped your client or customer achieve a really great result or solved a difficult problem for them? Read more>>

Rebecca Jordan

My journey started from me going to Empire Beauty School and everything seemed to align when the time was right. While in hair school I never thought that I would be running a successful hair company called The Mane Topic Collection. Read more>>

Lawson Pombert

As with anything, a plan for execution is a must. When I first discovered the Hydrographic process I was very interested in all the possibilities, with seemingly a million directions to go. For the first few months it was truly just trying the process out on different items and getting familiar with it. Read more>>

Danielle Woody

My dream to open a bridal boutique began in 2017, when I was planning my own wedding. I had such an amazing experience at the boutique where I found my dress, that I knew I wanted to be a part of this special day for every bride! I started out in wedding planning and coordination and have been coordinating weddings part-time as a “second job” ever since. Read more>>

Lexus Valentine

Since we last spoke , I launched a new business in the midst of battling a chronic illness, ( A candle and home goods business) as a woman with reproductive issues, being a mother, and operating a business was never easy but my mental health begin to take a toll on me due to my physical health not being at par, Read more>>

Haregu Alem

I never really liked carrying purses especially running long errands or i have a night out with the girls. Once I moved to Los Angeles from Houston Texas, i did a lot more hiking walking and going to the beach. It was very difficult walking around and have a sweet little dog like me. The temperature in LA can get up to a 100 plus degrees so the last thing I wanted to do is carry a purse or bag pack. Read more>>

Talik Pickering

Once I figured out the name of my brand and what I wanted it to be about, ideas of what to create started flowing to me. I originally thought that I would pay a graphic designers to create designs for me but I then realized that I would need to develop this skill on my own Read more>>

C. Michelle Harrison

I started my charity organization in my mind first. It went from an Idea to Execution. It started through many years of being a volunteer at various other nonprofit organizations. I’m the type of person that loves to volunteer my time, talent and treasure. Read more>>

Tasha Mayes

While working full time as a staffing supervisor for Kelly Educational Staffing I began coming up with names for my business. I kept note of the names in my notes app on my iPhone until the one day I came of the name that really grasped me “Rich Rags” It was catchy and resembled exactly what I envisioned. Read more>>

Jason Heisler

I’ve always been a Maker at heart. Growing up, I never had the confidence to act on it. I always assumed that making things was complicated or above my skill level. One day in 2014, I was at work and just randomly decided that I was going to make some paracord braided keychains and survival bracelets for myself and my wife. Read more>>

Terrence Robinson

For me, I always had a knack for music and technology. I always found myself tinkering with music and started making beats. As early on in my teen years, I would spend my free time making beats, listening to music, and creating remixes. On the flip side growing up, I was also interested in computers and technology. Read more>>

Jessica Kedzior & Sara DiGioia

Idea to Execution – Sara & I had a gym before Covid. We loved teaching in person and really had no idea what was about to happen. It was a Sunday Night when they shut down Ohio gyms. We honestly did not know what we were going to do – we wanted to provide our members with an amazing workouts. We opened that gym in 2018 & SO many people relied on us to keep them motivated and consistent. We did not want any of our members personal progress to slow down even for what we thought could be a few days. Read more>>

Queen LaLa

The idea was birthed during the tumultuous year of 2020. Political unrest, social justice protests, and a worldwide pandemic, left me feeling highly anxious and stressed. I was unable to access the one place I used to go to seek rejuvenation, the spa. I was also unable to gather with friends, which were the two things that kept me balanced, relaxed, and rejuvenated. Read more>>

Adrian O’Hare

I come from a family of entrepreneurs, my mother was in business for herself as a licensed counselor so I was able to see the many extraordinary benefits to owning and operating a business. Read more>>