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.
Jazmin Jernigan
I started freelancing during my undergraduate studies at LSUS. I was working multiple jobs while also completing my fine arts coursework. I’d been asked to take photos for a family event, and also create the invitations. After that first project, I received more and more requests. Of the three jobs I worked, the first at a printshop, the second at a tattoo shop, and the third as an admin for a small church; I used my time at the print shop to hone my design skills and learn the pre-press and post-press tricks of the trade. Read more>>
Bonnie Baumgartner
The idea for Mother Moon came to me in a sleep-deprived state of mania. Exhausted and elated from the birth of my third child, my daughter, Lydia, I started to write after a midnight feeding. The book started as a story for new mothers, I was writing about my experience, being so tired, in love, and questioning my abilities to care for this perfect little person. As I continued to write, the story shifted. It became a story about my daughter’s possibilities, of who she could become, and all I hope to share with her. Read more>>
Jay Veal.
So, my original background was in the IT and Tech space working at Microsoft, Verizon, ATT, Baylor Healthcare IT, etc. Then, in 2008, I made a transition to the education space by way of listening to what God told me to do. I literally heard his voice tell me, “You need to be in Education.” Then, He disappeared. From then on, I was confuse and didn’t know how to proceed. So, I quite my healthcare IT job at the time and went into a teacher prep program. Then, started teaching at my alma mater, Townview Science & Engineering Magnet HS. Read more>>
Joshua Borrero
The idea of photography and videography had been on my mind since I was much younger, especially video. I grew up skateboarding, and when one of my friends bought a camera to film with we just couldn’t put it down. It became such a joy to film and put videos together for fun, and it wasn’t until college that I thought back to this moment and decided to get a degree in digital media. I did learn some good skills in school, but I ended up getting some jobs in sales after college to gain some of those skillsets as well. Read more>>
Amanda Shaftel
We had recently moved into our new house in South Austin and we had a decent amount of backyard space, a blank slate. Some friends asked if we were going to get a pool. I kind of laughed and said something like, No way! I don’t want to take care of a pool let alone pay for it. And they suggested, why don’t you get a stock tank pool? Then proceeded to show us photos, and I was immediately blown away and excited by these things. Just that there was another viable pool option that wouldn’t put you in debt and was even kind of cool looking. Read more>>
Jasper Meddock
When I first picked up a camera, I instantly knew I was interacting with something I liked, but I didn’t really know what direction to point it. Although I liked taking travel pictures of landscapes and things I saw along the way, there was never really an “a-ha” moment until I started pointing it at people. Once there became a bit of a feedback loop of clients liking my work and me liking working with clients, it became a narrowing down of who/what/where to shoot to really maximize my skills and abilities. Read more>>
Bob Somsith
Cooking is and has always been a passion for our family. All of our family outings and get togethers are filled with an abundance of amazing food. As early as 10 years old I was next to my mom in the kitchen helping her prep and cook family meals. Being able to observe and taste test allowed my palate to develop at an early age. Read more>>
Paula G Voice
I stood in my office that day and said, “I can’t do this anymore!” At the time I had no idea how I was going to make the transition or even what I was going to do, I just knew I could not spend the rest of my life doing what I was doing at the time. It was the height of transition in my life. I found myself on the other side of a 23-year career as a military spouse. Single and civilian for the first time in my adult life and having to make major changes. Read more>>
Tammy Machmali
Painting has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I was the kid that walked around with papers and colored pencils everywhere. I always knew that I wanted to be an artist. My family was artistic, but they treated it like a hobby. They did not believe that being an artist was a valid profession. My grandmother was an incredible seamstress and would make lavish Persian carpets, clothing, and so much more. Read more>>
Emily Giles
The Lord planted the idea of having a brick and mortar building in my heart about 4 years ago. It would be a coffee & herb shop where we would promote community through the coffee, herbs, and the cafe side all while serving as a ‘hub’ to minister to the community through recovery classes, bible studies, work life classes , etc. In my mind, this was a long term goal but it began to take more and more of my thoughts until I was out checking on buildings and beginning the process. Read more>>
Katie Crist
When I began my ownership/ entrepreneurial career I knew I wanted to serve and capitalize on a good skill set I already possess. As a hospitality manager and clean person, I decided to start a cleaning business. I thought “how hard can it be to clean houses daily?” Growing up though, I always painted with my grandfather, so I incorporated painting into my services. Read more>>
Samantha Tradelius
In 2003 I was 23 and wanted to make a difference in the world. After researching charities and finding that many of them were not super transparent about how they spent their money…i decided to take matters into my own hands, hooking up with the USPS and their “Dear Santa Program” I adopted 2 families and took off running. 12 years later I had 17 families, raised 35k and knew this program was much bigger than me. Forming the Sparkle Foundation in 2015 allowed me to do, more. 2022 marks 6 years as a 501c (3), serving thousands of women’s lives along the way. Read more>>
Sanah Tharadra : Founder Joanna Maczuga: Co-Founder
When I started my instagram foodie journey, I had no idea it would go this far. It has been a huge blessing in my life. I lived in New York for 5 years prior to moving to MiaMi. As many people know New York is the hub of all cuisines and cultures. That’s when I found my passion for food and finding the best eats all over the city. I have been very fortunate to eat at some of the best restaurants. Read more>>
Nicole SEay
When I created my first Creation (bracelet) in August 2020 it was strictly for me. I had no plans on starting a business but God saw different. I realized that I really found joy and contentment when creating. Shortly after creating bracelets for myself and gifting a few to family members is when I decided this would be an awesome opportunity to share with others what I truly enjoy! Read more>>
Philly Cottrell.
The initial thought started with my 3 brothers in 2006-07. We wanted to a create an organization that could protect and help its community. Originally it was Hit Em Hard as time evolved, we evolved to Helping Encourage Hope. After going through life, I acquired partners from businesses and networking, which helped mold the organization. I didn’t end up revamping the organization until 2016 and it still was unstable. Read more>>
TONI HORN
I’m a mother of 4 beautiful boys, and we all have natural hair. Being a product junkie, I consistently bought different products I thought would work well with our natural hair. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any products that promote healthy, moisturized hair without all the artificial junk added to it. I decided to cultivate something all natural that we could use on our hair. I researched and made us guinea pigs to find the best natural product we could all benefit from. Read more>>
Michelle Santagate
The launch was soft. I didn’t even know it was happening. I had started to record tarot card readings for my YouTube channel that I’d had for years but had never done anything with. They didn’t get many views but made me happy. I was working corporate at the time and felt so stuck and unhappy. So the readings made my lunch breaks something to look forward to. I was laid off two weeks later. And two weeks after that I found out I needed surgery on my neck. It was a whirlwind. Read more>>
Amy Chandler
In May 2011 I received a strong impression that I was not to delay starting the non-profit I had planned in my undergraduate class. I had 4 young children at home, health issues, and a million reasons why the timing was not right. But I had one very strong reason to move forward despite the seemingly crazy timing: faith. I will be the first to tell you that God directs my life, including the organization and running of My Story Matters. With my husband’s support, I moved forward with the idea. Read more>>
Keyandrea Paige
So, Gracefully Touched By Key creating designs literally started off of me playing around making different flyers, and needing to create me a website for my business. I didn’t start my business off designing nor did I even have the name that I have now. I didn’t go for the designing business ; it literally came to me. God literally set this journey in my lap, and brung my clientele with it. I’m a firm believer in “ WHAT GOD HAS FOR YOU IS FOR YOU!” Read more>>
Erin Davis.
One day as I was walking down historic King St, I was stopped by a young woman who liked my make up. I was encouraged to apply with her company. Shortly after, I began working at Sephora as a cashier with only the knowledge of doing my own personal makeup. At the time, I honestly had no desire of learning how to do other people’s makeup. Throughout my tenure, women that looked like me, would come in and request that I do their makeup and different services. Read more>>
Heidi Luerra.
My company, RAW Artists was forced to rethink everything after the pandemic hit in March 2020. We were poised to celebrate our 11th anniversary with a champagne soiree at our headquarters in downtown Los Angeles on March 12, 2020, when instead we sent everyone home for what we thought would be a short couple of weeks. We all know what happened next. Read more>>
Stephen Calsbeek
Since 2004, we’ve been a small company focused on dogs. Our business decisions have always grown from what’s best for our animal companions. Their health and happiness is tied to our own. We started our first small business in the dog care industry, owning and operating a large dog boarding and daycare facility in Atlanta. We began offering a curated selection of foods, treats and accessories for our customers based on our own personal research of what we would want for our own pack and they loved it! Read more>>
Luke Watson
As with any idea, some are better than others. But the ideas that you can’t stop thinking about, the recurring ones that inspire you–those are the ones to follow, explore, and develop. Some of these ideas start as passion projects and some as business ventures. Third Coast Comedy Club didn’t start from scratch as a comedy club. Back in 2013 I had been in Nashville for a year (moving from Atlanta in 2012). Read more>>
Brendan Michaelsen
The idea for Our Wave was born in late 2018, when my friend and colleague Kyle Linton approached me about building a scalable way to empower survivors of sexual violence. We both had loved ones that had been impacted by traumatic events and were determined to make an impact with technology. We sat down with a notebook and a laptop and hashed out a rough plan at that first meeting – we would need a dedicated group of specialists in design, advocacy, and outreach to build a scalable platform and community. Read more>>
Desmond Nicholson
It all started as a sales man at Tropical Battery company Limited in Jamaica West Indies, they were the leading manufacturer and distribution company in the country I had the privilege of becoming one of their leading sales person, the opportunity of being able to service the market opened my eyes to a lot of things needed, so during sales meeting we were asked to share ideas of what is needed to enhance our market. Read more>>
Jenny Maggio
Going from idea to execution comes up a lot in my position at Dillard’s. Not only do you have the day to day practice of this with shipments and determining how a floor is set up, but you also have floor moves that happen seasonally based on new brands that come in. When setting up a floor with a new shipment I always want the new arrival group to be set up either along the main isle or against a back wall if applicable. Read more>>
Michele Lee Evans
I’ve always had the dream of starting my own radio station. I started my first show, Mileeva Speaks, a mix of Talk and Club music, on another radio station in 2018 to get more knowledge of the business and to “get my feet wet.” I moved my show to yet another radio station is 2021, as well as started two new shows; Planet Rock, Classic Hard Rock and Metal from the 70s-00s, and Smoothed Out Sundays, Jazz and Neo Soul. Read more>>
Nico Escalante
So I attribute a lot of the credit for my going down the entrepreneurial path to my joining an accelerator seminar put on by my university. Specifically, this was the iChallenge and it was there I started fleshing the idea out. This specific seminar was conducted over three days, and the purpose was to demonstrate how start-ups can go from a well-meaning idea to a full-blown pitch deck. It was throughout this seminar that I fine-tuned the idea and was ultimately designated as the ‘CEO’ of our group. Read more>>
Evan Brown
I started my business during the summer going into my senior year of college. I went to school for graphic design and illustration at the University of Kansas so at the time I was really focusing my school efforts on freelance editorial illustration. Thus, I got an internship with a newspaper in Washington D.C. doing spot illustrations, feature spread layouts, and special projects. However, once I started my internship I quickly realized that I did not like the fast pace work speed and limited creativity that the editorial industry requires. Read more>>
Amanda Kist
Salon HALO began as a 7 chair Salon residing in 1300 square feet. We had a small makeup retail area, 2 shampoo bowls, and 4 retail towers of Eufora haircare. The year just turned 2020 and our Team of HALO Angels was quickly expanding beyond our space and means. As the Owner and Stylist who work tirelessly beside the Team, I realized that the possibilities of expansion could and will occur. But how? During our 6.5 years in business, we had very to little business debt, solid cash flow and a bustling book or clients. Read more>>
Nicole Baker.
I always knew on some level that I wanted to be a coach. I grew up with parents who both worked in the personal development industry and, as a result, I have been attending seminars since before I could walk. In my early 20’s, I was in a rut. I was a few years into being a working actor in Chicago, I realized that I was still doing theatre because I felt like I “should” – not because I loved it. So I did what I was taught to do when you feel lost – go to a seminar and immerse yourself in a new environment. Read more>>
Andrea Alvarenga
The idea had been there since I was in school. I dreamed of having my own space, at the time I had my mind set on moving to South Florida so that is where I thought my dream would start. I’m glad that did not happen because I had a great apprenticeship here that built my foundation. At 23 I created my LLC, way before I had the space. That is when I fully started to write my goals and add details little by little whenever I would come across a piece of furniture, colors, fonts, that I liked that is when I would add or erase things out. These things are best done in baby steps if not it can be overwhelming. Read more>>
Emma Crabtree.
In 2011, I decided to enroll in graduate school for counseling. I had been kinda floating, working restaurant jobs and odds and ends as I finished my undergrad in art, and then landed a job at Vanderbilt Medical working in a cancer research lab. My job was to work with the patients participating in our study, and between this work and my own personally loss of my mother at 19, I decided I wanted to be a therapist. Over the next 6 years I completed my graduate degree, post grad supervision and got licensed. Read more>>
Kassandra Hill.
I launched Rubie Designs Web Consulting Agency at the height of the pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests. As I’m sure it was for so many others, it was a complicated, emotionally charged time for me. Launching a business only added to that storm of feelings, but I’m so grateful that I did. In many ways, creating RDG was my way of helping myself and my community break generational curses. Read more>>
Candice Ellis
Being an entrepreneur can be exhilarating. There’s so much to look forward to…time freedom, limitless or even multiple streams of income, and the endless possibilities of opportunities and creativity. While being an entrepreneur or business owner for many people is a dream, to turn that dream into a profitable reality, you must be intentional about the execution. Not just live in the dream. There are principles I live by and steps I take to remain committed to my dream and make it a profitable reality. Read more>>
Markeist Warthen
I was working for a roofing and restoration company where I’d learned to inspect roofs for storm damage and the art of getting leads, handling insurance claims, and managing customer relations from phase 1 through completion. It wasn’t long before I had began to speak my own lingo while performing certain tasks. Social media was the place I would share my thoughts and update viewers of my jobs. Visually reflecting on a day’s work and the content behind there in brought me to the realization that I got my own little thing happening. Read more>>
Samantha Sloan
After a long two years of over working and undervaluing myself as a creative, I had a soul searching moment and asked myself what I loved photographing the most… and the answer was WOMEN! I absolutely love getting to help women look and feel beautiful and be able to show them a side of themselves they aren’t used to seeing day to day. Once I figured this out, I then had to make a roadmap to actually make it happen. People have great ideas every single day, but turning those ideas into reality is something few people do. Read more>>
Jordan Martin
This business started as a hobby inside my one bedroom college apartment. I’ve always loved candles and decided to try making my own in 2019. I chose beeswax and only used essential oils at first because of the health benefits. At the time, I didn’t know much about quality control so the oils I started using were definitely not the best but they sure did smell good! I hate throwing away glass jars once I use them so I started making these candles in the re-used jars. I made them in any and every type of glass jar, which is not a good idea. Read more>>
Jennifer Miller-Joseph.
As an author, I find inspiration from the things and people I encounter and/or my personal feelings and experiences. Close observation and introspection are my starting points when creating my next book, poem, or blog. The idea for my first children’s book, “I Can”, came from observing my children when they were younger, trying to figure out how to do new things or learn new concepts. Read more>>
Michelle Bethea
I actually started by following a picnic company on TikTok.. I was unaware of the term “Luxury Picnics” until I inquired with that picnic company’s owner. She informed me of some key items to purchase and I purchased those items and more. I would make some suggestions on social media that I had something brewing but kept quiet about what it was. See at that point, I already had an audience due to a current fashion boutique. Read more>>
Andrew Stewart.
In 2014 we were introduced to quality craft beer from the Northeast and, since we couldn’t find anything like it where we lived, decided to brew and reproduce it ourselves. We knew very little about brewing but we read a lot and bought some equipment. So began 8 years of homebrewing 40 to 50 batches/year with the goal of fine tuning and perfecting the 10-16 recipes/styles we liked. Read more>>
Orion Brown
How did I start BlackTravelBox? Well it’s actually a story of ongoing frustration. I’ve been to nearly 20 countries and every time I travel I have the same issue of how I’m gonna keep my regular beauty routine in check while I’m on the road. The time that I actually considered creating a branding a business around it was a trip to Japan. I planned everything down to a T and having naturally curly hair I had a very clear roadmap for how my Wash N Go would take me through the 12 day journey. Read more>>
Bearta Alchacar
I started organizing fundraisers for UNICEF at first by bringing dance instructors together to have fun and teach a master dance class at different restaurants. Space was always an issue. I eventually bought my own venue and started hosting weddings and various cultural events. I eventually started organizing outdoor festivals because I felt cultural events should be available to all classes not just for those who can afford tickets. In June of 2022 – we were able to bring over 30,000 people to downtown Raleigh to share cultural experiences including performances, food, beer and wine on City Plaza. Read more>>
Diane and Charles Woodford.
Launching a Podcast Although I knew nothing about podcasting, for about 5 years the thoughts of launching a podcast played over and over in my mind. My husband Charles and I researched what was needed to get started and decided to attend a few workshops and purchase a couple of books on starting a podcast. However, we still felt ill-equipped to do so and continued to wait for the right time. Actually, we were just procrastinating because starting a podcast seemed pretty overwhelming. Read more>>
Sara Collins
The journey of starting my small business was quite random, yet meant to be. When the pandemic first began in 2020, I turned my days of boredom in quarantine into productivity, learning a new skill and putting my creative mind to use. I’ve always been an artsy person, from painting on canvases with friends to crotchet projects, including bracelets. I used to make bracelets for all my friends in whatever colors they wanted, and that simple gesture of seeing people I love wear something I made them made my heart so happy; Read more>>
Guy Whitehead
Starting a distillery is mostly about paperwork. Whether the vision is large or small, the amount of paperwork required by state and federal authorities is a bit daunting. There are what appear to be “Catch-22” moments, when you need A to apply for B, but in order to get A, you need to have B. Legal work, from trademarks to LLCs, to applications and legislation, add up quickly. I first drew the logo for the distillery on a bar napkin sometime in 2015 (sadly, I don’t have the napkin) and it wasn’t until 2017 when I began the trademark and logo work. Read more>>
Kerye Maull.
KARE by Kerye Mone skincare line is a subset behind THE KARE BRAND, which is an umbrella LLC. I started with a skincare line because I wanted to start with something intimate to introduce to the world. I’m a true fan of self-care & self-love and I could not think of a better way to induct future clientele into The KARE world then by providing you with something that nourishes the biggest organ on our bodies… our skin ! Read more>>