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.

Ally Stein

When I was growing up I was really unsure of what my gifts and talents were. I felt like I was always okay at everything and nothing really piqued my interest. I remember a specific moment in high school when I started to gain interest in marketing. I went to a very small christian school and we participated in a robotics competition every year and there were two parts of the team, sales/marketing and engineering. Read more>>

Haven Mattingly

I spent my early twenties working in different offices, agonizing over spreadsheets and stressing over work that meant very little to me. I wanted a life that brought me joy, one I was excited to wake up for, and the career path I was on wasn’t doing that. So I went searching for that joy and found that at my happiest, I typically had a camera in my hand. Whether I was taking fun, creative photos of myself, or snapshots of my friends on different adventures, I loved capturing memories. Read more>>

DaChri

This project started out as an idea. Actually it started as an idea for others. I started as a songwriter pitching songs to other artists and for sync projects. I would go to several songwriting sessions in Nashville with various writers every week and create the best thing we could with the time we were given. After a couple months I had a handful of songs. Songs that I really gravitated to and resonated with. These songs would eventually launch my solo project. On the journey throughout I had to learn how to release songs, promote songs, re-learn how to put shows together, create merch, and all the things that build the brand and awareness. Read more>>

Leeanne Antonio

The road that led me to starting Bad Day Box stemmed from heartbreak. I had a couple challenging years in my personal and professional life… the fallout of what I thought was a very long term and committed relationship, and the loss of a job which I thought was my dream job. It was a dark time, but I was fortunate enough to have so many people show up for me. Read more>>

Jenessa Wait

When I first got into hand-lettering 8 years ago- it was definitely a hobby. Never did I imagine I would one day have a thriving 6 figure e-commerce company selling my pieces- in fact I would have laughed at you if you told me that. I didn’t have a lot of great mindsets around business, therefore business scared me. Early in my lettering journey I felt that I was meant to share my process on social media. Read more>>

Anthony Kabiity

I’ve always been a creative at heart, whether it was through painting or expressing my art in photographs. Art has always been my driving force. Friday, May 20th, 2022 I attended a Slayyyter concert with my small point and shoot film camera and was able to capture some really cool pictures of an artist I love, when quickly, they surfaced on Slayyyter’s Instagram the next morning. Read more>>

Andi Smeltzer

I’ve always been good at putting things together that shouldn’t work, but somehow do. This is a theme in my life and my business today — looking at the shop now, you’d probably never guess that we were initially a furniture store. The progression from pop-up to brick and mortar has been a chaotic and winding journey, but frankly, it’s on brand. It shouldn’t have worked, but it somehow has, and I’m more and more thrilled every day to meet the journey of operating this business head on. Read more>>

Emily Billington

Since I graduated from college, I have worked in the world of photography in some way or another…from a studio assistant in the basement of a publishing building, up the elevator to the photo department of a magazine, and everywhere in between. I’ve been both behind the lens and, occasionally and uncomfortably, in front of it. I took a break from the publishing world to start a family, Read more>>

Meredith R. Stoddard

My story is probably similar to a lot of other writer’s stories. The idea for my first novel, The River Maiden, came to me one day, and I just started writing. Before I knew it, I had fifty pages of a book with very little plan about where it was going or what I wanted to do with it.. Then life happened, and that first fifty pages sat in a drawer for twelve years. In that time, I had two kids, and built a whole career as a corporate trainer and instructional designer. Read more>>

Lauren Hamelin

The reason I started Lauren Yvonne Design 6 years ago was clear to me from the beginning: I wanted to move forward with my own business and was dead set on not getting another 9 to 5. I have always been creative and I was looking for an outlet where I could work with people, create, and, most importantly, make my own schedule. Read more>>

Amanda Mullins

I knew I always wanted to be my own boss so I got a job at a professional cleaning company and learned the trade. From there I go my first client by word of mouth. I also started advertising on a free app that a friend told me about. I had to post often at first and at times I felt I wasn’t getting anywhere but little by little things started moving. I was so excited to be making so much money and hour. I felt very proud of myself and felt accomplished. I didn’t want to ever let that feeling go. Read more>>

Teri Kerns

Originally from the Oregon Coast, my husband Micole and I moved to Ramona in 2004 after my naval service, which was followed by a career in business development in the Health Care industry, which I retired from in 2021. We started making wine in 2005, and in 2006 planted our first vineyard, Ramona Ranch Winery has focused on sustainability since it’s inception in 2004 and is San Diego County’s only Certified Sustainable Vineyard and Winery, a distinction we obtained in 2017. Read more>>

April Kelly

Like most modern day moms juggling diapers and dreams, my role as a mom often competes with every other area of my life, including work. As a working mom of four children between the ages of 1 and 12, most of my decision making is centered around my role as a mom. My journey into entrepreneurship is no different. Read more>>

Dimitrios Fragiskatos

I had no savings and no credit. I worked retail at a comic store for 12 years, and even as a manager did not have a wage that can let me both afford a studio apartment and put something to the side. I had a support system, in terms of emotional support and a home, in the worst case scenario through my family and my partner, but no inheritance or grants. But I had an idea of what I wanted my business to be, and I looked at money as a resource, and not a goal. Read more>>

Timothy Lebo

When I was a kid I was so attracted to being in a rock band. I spent my early years falling in love with learning how to play the guitar, writing music, and touring the country in different bands. As I got older, I learned that it was the freedom that all of these rock bands seemed to have that attracted me. They were living life on their terms. I craved that. I dreamed of having a life where I could dictate my path and decide my destiny, and spent my entire life up to this point trying to figure that out. Read more>>

Chatsoni Brooks

From bookkeeper to website strategist: Growing up with two entrepreneurial parents, I always knew I wanted to run my own business and be my own boss. So, shortly after graduating high school, I studied marketing and entrepreneurship and earned my degree in Accounting & Business. I also enrolled in an online course to start my own virtual bookkeeping business during this time. (It seemed like a no-brainer since I had a degree in accounting.) Read more>>

Katie Bullerman

I started by taking photos of my kids on my iPhone. After my youngest was born, I became more interested in photography and I started taking my own kids out to take pictures. I started having friends ask if I’d be willing to take their photos and at the time I would have loved that but I was not about to start taking other peoples photos on my iPhone. I ended up convincing my husband that it was a good idea to spend a good chunk of money on a DSLR camera and lens so that I could have a creative side business. Read more>>

Shundra Richardson

Going from idea to execution is not always an easy task. The most important step is to have done research in a thorough manner and prepare for all outcomes. When you take the time to do your research your able to hypothesize various outcomes that could possibly be beneficial to your business. In my business of body care accessories it’s extremely important for me to probe and investigate plentiful options to ensure that I am obtaining the best quality for my clients. Read more>>

Amanda Irish

My cousin encouraged me to take an injector course with and some of her friends. We are all registered nurses working various units within hospitals. I really ended up loving the course and decided to do some shadowing and further training classes. I started injecting my family and friends and when I felt I was ready I decided to rent an office space start marketing to more clients. It took me about a year before I was comfortable enough injecting by myself before I opened my office doors. Read more>>

Traci S. Campbell

The idea of BeSpire TV is actually inspired by the work we’ve done for the last 8 years with our BIBO Foundation and awards program. BIBO is a 501c3 non-profit organization which we started back in 2013. We started as an award show going from city to city to honor amazing women who give back to their communities but don’t get the recognition that they deserve. We did that for 5 years in a row between Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. We then developed programs to serve disadvantaged young women to give them a better starting foundation in their lives and careers. Read more>>

SweeTee Licious

This idea of being an entrepreneur started when I was in high school. I learned I liked the idea of having a product that was in high demand for consumers, from selling snacks during my junior and senior years. I also would get a lot of good feedback on my appearance, hygiene, skin, fashion, and hairstyles all throughout my senior year. Once I graduated in May of 2018, I told my mom I want to start my own business. Read more>>

Zaria Rendon

It’s funny because normally being fired is a negative thing but honestly it was the turning point in my life and pushed me to level up. Once upon a time, it was just a dream of mine to be a business owner. It wasn’t until I had no where else to go, but up, that I really decided it was execution time. The week after I got fired I found myself on a plane to Hawaii with my family, because if I’m going to cry, best believe it’s going to be on a pretty beach with a Mai tai in hand. Read more>>

Andrea Van Wambeke

While I do feel like Sweeney Barn one of my own children, I’m not actually the owner. I’m privileged to work for Noel and Alannah Sweeney, who had the idea to renovate an abandoned 1939 dairy barn in the middle of Manassas, Virginia and turn it into a premier wedding and event venue. They invited me out to the site in 2017, when it was just a husk of a building. We walked around with flashlights imagining what the barn could look like on a wedding day and discussing all the incredible details they dreamed of furnishing the space with. Read more>>

Blair Minor

I find that the scariest part of doing anything is STARTING. Everything seems so large, intimidating, and intangible. The advice I always try to give myself is to break that large scary mountain into smaller hills that are easier to climb and start to build the muscles needed for the harder climbs down the road. Those first steps included building a website, registering my company, designing the product and packaging, product photography, etc. Read more>>

Cherelle Austin

I started my business simply by needing t-shirts and merchandise from a previous business that I owned, which was selling cosmetics. I needed the items so much, creating them myself became a thought. I sat and analyzed the situation and realized that I can just create the merchandise myself. I invested in the materials and tools to be able to execute my thoughts. Read more>>

Aly Romero

My culinary journey happened very organically, starting about the time I got married and wanted to feed our family delicious and creative dinners. My dad would come to visit my husband and I from New Zealand and would always stay for a few months. We had the best time cooking together over a glass of wine, he taught me so much about cooking and food. Read more>>

Ashley Winston

For fifteen years, I was an independent contractor working in various organizations. My skill set at that time predominately landed me opportunities in education, so I spent many days traveling to multiple schools across the Chicago land area, providing what would be considered today as arts education services. I was a teaching artist. Read more>>

Kinjal Nayar

I wondered what it would be like to do something in design and fashion during my 20’s. I just kept thinking about it though…fear and my own inner voices held me back. It was never practical enough, would never earn enough money, there would be too much competition. Who would buy my stuff anyway? etc. etc. Pragmatic me kept holding creatively inclined me back through and through. Read more>>

Kiyanni Bryan

In 2016 I began to feel the feeling of there was something more. By this time I played around with the idea of owning a business, but hadn’t launched out because of fear. I had so many ideas I didn’t know where to start and I began to feel burdened with the deep feeling that there was ‘MORE” to life than what I was living. When I look back at it now, I believe it was God aligning and positioning me for greater and for me to better understand my purpose. Read more>>

Matt Butler

Prior to Covid-19 I was a fly fishing guide based in Wanaka, New Zealand. This meant I spent at least 150 days in summer on the river and in the mountains, putting all the gear I had to the test. Whilst on these trips I found a glaring gap in one category that made life as a guide cumbersome; gear and accessories that ensured I was prepared for whatever the wild had to offer. Read more>>

Sebastian Mazur-Cohen

I began my drag career by incorperating my background with dance. It all started in 2009 when RuPauls Drag Race first started. I was working at Tracks Night Club when I was introduced by the team to Nina Flowers. They were explaining to me how this new Rupaul show is coming out and that they wanted Nina to start a monthly produced drag show. Read more>>

Stevi McNeil

The journey of creating the Mudhaus began with a vision to transform the garage into a cozy and aesthetic studio space. Despite seeking out contractors for years, none understood the vision. However, after booking a tangible example of a small detached studio surrounded by lush vegetation, my vision was solidified. Read more>>

Alex Love

1. I was already interested in alkaline water because of research and college. 2. I started drinking it regularly 3. I started to bottle my own 4. Created a logo 5. Website 6. Manufacturing 7. Private distribution 8. E- commerce sales Read more>>

Hailey Coffey

I have always loved trying new things! Since becoming a Mom I have learned so many things, and I love taking on new adventures with my boys! We love trying all kinds of different food, exploring new parks and finding cute shops and boutiques that offer something for boys too! With encouragement from my friends and family I decided to start blogging to share these findings with everyone! Read more>>

Tyler Flowers

When it comes to modeling, getting started can be difficult. There are so many ways that people can get started and nobody’s journey will look the same. Often times you hear of these ideal stories that someone was out in the mall, got scouted by a modeling scout with an agency, and then BOOM they became a model. Though these stories are ideal, it will not be the case for everyone who wants to start modeling. Read more>>

Yasmine Creese-Brown

Grlpire™ is an inclusive publishing company inspired by the many hues of us. We offer a wide range of inclusive stationery, comic books, and merch. We started our journey in 2019, as an online community that highlighted the beauty in diversity by sharing stories of inspiring women with complementary headshot art portraits. Read more>>

Hillary Gadsby

When I launched the Secrets of Successful Women Entrepreneurs speaker series in 2014, I had no idea where it would take me. I was driven by a desire to bring women together in Los Angeles and provide them with opportunities to connect and learn from successful women in business. But as the first event approached, I started to feel nervous. Would anyone show up? Would the speakers be able to engage the audience? Read more>>

Nadine Jolson

I started in the business doing graphic design while attending the Academy of Art College in San Francisco. I soon landed a great position and became a creative art director at a small ad agency specializing in retail fashion accounts. I was in my very early 20s and in over my head; after losing that job, I teamed up with the fashion photographer I worked with most and launched our boutique business. We had the talent of the big agency, with great pricing and more ability to work one-to-one with our clientele. That has been my mantra throughout my business career, now 30 years in. Read more>>

Allison Emm

For my business, Wisconsin Music Ventures, it started first as a patron-supported concert series, in 2019. I began by polling friends and family members about what they might like to experience in an outdoor pop-up concert. From there, I continued to invite those people and others I met along the way into the planning process, and many turned into patrons. I had to build some promotional platforms, a fanbase, develop venue partners and determine which musicians were going to work with me, and how – much less how to pay them. From there I would execute events. Read more>>

Joanna Pinkney

It was Christmas of 2008, my tenth grade year in high school, when I received my very first camera. It was a small dslr camera from Walmart, that came in a plastic casing, that didn’t require any assistance to purchase. Talk about humble beginnings. At the time the only photography influence I had was from my mother. Growing up she constantly had her 35mm point-and-shoot film camera loaded and ready for action. Read more>>

Joanna Pinkney

It was Christmas of 2008, my tenth grade year in high school, when I received my very first camera. It was a small dslr camera from Walmart, that came in a plastic casing, that didn’t require any assistance to purchase. Talk about humble beginnings. At the time the only photography influence I had was from my mother. Read more>>