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.

Cara Brookins

Out of all the impossible ideas I’ve decided to go after, the one I found most difficult to execute isn’t the one you’d expect. Fifteen years ago, I had the idea to build a house from the ground up with my four young children, learning every step of the way solely from YouTube videos. Read more>>

Nguyen Tran

I started Le Réussi in 2020 during the Covid pandemic. At that time, like many people, I was concerned about the shortage of face masks and started sewing masks for my family, neighbors, and friends. I received many compliments about my masks and even had people asking me to make clothes for them. Read more>>

Vanessa Marin

From idea to execution, the journey of bringing innovation to life is where I thrive. As an incredibly innovative individual, I constantly seek out ways to make my brand stand out from the competition. However, what truly sets me apart is not just my knack for generating groundbreaking ideas, but also my unwavering commitment to consistency and dedication. Read more>>

Travis Shull

I have been passionate about hair, particularly the art barbering. My grandfather was obsessed with his hair and kept it cut every week, I believe this is where my obsession began. I wasn’t sure on how to become a barber, and most of the barbers growing up had multiple side hustles, second jobs, etc. Read more>>

Alison Chang

Let me take you back to the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey. After realizing my passion for event planning and wanting to create a company that could bring joy to others, I knew I had to take the leap and turn my idea into a reality. Read more>>

Polow Mob Tv

Mob Tv Kinda Just Fell In My Lap To Be Honest. I Been Cool With Lots Of Artist Prior To Picking Up A Camera. My Old Buissness Partner Came With The Name Mob Tv He Brought The Idea To Me & I Reached Out To All My Industry Friends & They Was WIth It. Relationships Are Worth More Then Money I Always Say. My 9 To 5 Job Paid For Every Thing All The Trips The Equipment The Logos The GFX Every Thing. Read more>>

Linda Karp

I have always loved creating and working with wood. My dad taught me at a young age how to be a wood worker. Starting with a scroll saw, I would create various items to give as gifts to friends and family. Everyone would tell me, “sell your items they are amazing and unique”. I knew my work was good, but always thought others was better and there would not be a market for my creations. Read more>>

Andrea Van Landingham

The idea for Hollywood Horrors had always been in the back of my mind, but had never occurred to me as something I could materialize on my own. And, in a way, that turned out to be true. I’ve always loved Old Hollywood and its scandalous stories, but it wasn’t until I went back to school for Media Studies that I realized I wanted to enter the space myself as a storyteller. Read more>>

Rebel Eves

We had planned a writing retreat in the summer of 2022 for the three of us to get together, write some songs, and dream about what we saw for the future. We met at Jliian’s grandparents lakehouse house for a few days in July, and we spent the entire first day sleeping because we all came there so exhausted. We decided to keep it low key to keep the pressure off of producing anything, and instead decided to focus on resting and dreaming without limitations. Read more>>

Lashondra White

Starting a lash business, or any business, is hard. I have had failed businesses before and I had to remember my lessons from them. One thing that I had to do a lot of was writing my plans down on paper. This helped me to know what direction I wanted to go in and what type of clients I would be servicing. I would write all my ideas down in spiral notebooks so I could visualize a path to where I needed to go. Read more>>

Tracy Cole

I feel that I have always been a connector – I love to connect people with what they are looking for to fulfill a need. I have never been one to read reviews for products because I wanted to form my own opinion, but when I did, I loved sharing it with my friends and family. Read more>>

DTC Production

It all started when Denisha, Tanysha and Catina were working together on a film project. We each had different roles on the project, but we quickly realized we shared the same passion for storytelling and creating captivating content such as our first project “Collective Trust❌” a crime-comedy series. Read more>>

Ashley Robles

Man, thinking back to when this was all just an idea is kind of surreal now! So it was a few years ago, and I was laying in the bed complaining to my husband about the ‘good ol days’ when I was more involved with music in college. It’s one of those things I could just never really get over; going from a music business epi center to a 9-5 business center. Read more>>

Claudia Aceves

For most people, the dreaming is the fun part. Not for me. I always find my best creative moments in the building and creating phase. I have this almost urgency to go from dreaming to inception. Im a dreamer who becomes a doer when the planning stage is done. My process is simple. I have a dream or idea that id like to turn into something tangible. With my current studio, I wrote down what I would like it to do for me. I would write down diligently what I needed in a space, the amount of restrooms, what each space required. Read more>>

Sylvia McDonald

After spending a lot of time planning, discerning, and praying, we knew it was time to take the big leap and begin this small business adventure. We wanted to live on the same property as the venue, so first thing was putting our house on the market and finding the perfect property where we could build our small events venue. We found our little piece of property that instantly felt like home. Read more>>

Ashish Bajoria

Ashish Bajoria (Co founder): I went on to run my family engineering business successfully, which gave me the opportunity to travel the world and open my vision to world art and design. Suman Kanodia (sister and Co Founder): I have been a dreamer and an interior designer for more than two decades and planned homes and commercial spaces all over the country. Read more>>

Yesenia Carrasquillo

I was going thru a very difficult time in my life; I had recently lost some very important people in my life so I was down down.. Me and my current partner Jean were talking and I told him that I was thinking about starting to braid and that I wanted to take clients and open a social media page on Instagram. He said let’s do it and he opened my page, we changed the name about three times within a week, it was Braids By Jessy first and then we changed it a couple of times and finally decided on Braided By Jessy. Read more>>

Makayla Casey

I grew up mainly in front of the camera. I was very involved in acting and modeling at the time. But back in 2014, my family hosted an exchange student for the summer. She brought her amateur camera to take pictures of her travels, and little did I know that it would introduce me to a new passion and now full-time career of mine. After that summer, you wouldn’t see me without a camera! Read more>>

Ryan Malcolm-Campbell

THE FIRST DATE GAME recently had its one-year anniversary since its launch in May of 2022. What started out as an idea to improve dating intentionality in my own life, has evolved into a dating/conversational tool used by people around the world. Read more>>

Tae Michelle & Chevaun Camill

Near the end of 2020, Chevaun was looking for a wine she had had years before with her cousin. She had ben ablet o find it on Google but no one local appeared to sell it. In search of this, at that time, elusive red wine, she stumbled upon the Vivino wine app and was able to find various sellers in her region that could ship it to her. Excited and knowing her sister, Taé Michelle, a former bartender with a love for wine, would appreciate the site, she called and told her about her wonderful discovery. Read more>>

Roxanna Carrasco

I started taking photos in 2012, as a sophomore in high school in a small town in Southern New Mexico. I didn’t have many resources so it was lots working with what I got. In a town where a career in fashion photography sounded unfathomable, I was constantly exposing myself to different kinds of media so that I could stay inspired. Read more>>

Tim Tolka

I started writing as a side gig more than 10 years ago. The start-up costs for advertising was tiny, but the costs of education and training was substantial in terms of time and money. I had to learn the craft of story first, which I did moonlighting as a ghostwriter and journalist for 7 years, until in 2019, when I decided to become a screenwriter. Read more>>

Aiden Faherty

My name is Aiden Faherty, and I’m a 23-year-old New York-based digital artist and owner of the social media brand @coolacloy. My journey began with my passion for science and technology and my love for philosophy and universal consciousness. It all started with creating TikToks by outsourcing clips, cutting them up, and creating different stories, which I would then post on TikTok. Read more>>

Gina Damato

As I reflect on the journey from the inception of my idea to the launch of Lucid Events, it’s remarkable to see how it all unfolded. Armed with prior marketing experience and a deep understanding of the event industry, I had a sense of where to begin. However, the road to execution was paved with countless hours of hard work, self-funding, and resourcefulness. Read more>>

Catherine Melotik

Embarking on the journey of creating POSIE was just the beginning of a long and challenging road that brought us to where we are today. We knew the type of services we wanted to offer, but we needed guidance and support to bring our vision to life. Read more>>

Dion & Rachel Laws

Dion attended college at UMKC majoring in video production. There he learned the art of video production and video editing. Rachel also attended UMKC with a major in Communications and then received her MBA from Avila. We have always had a passion for owning our own business but life demands put a pause on this desire. Dion joined the US Army several years ago and was later deployed to Cuba in 2022. Read more>>

Stella Ezenwaka

Classic Estelle is an African-owned fashion brand located in Nigeria, precisely, Port Harcourt city. The brand started off as an idea the first time I saw my mum wearing cooperates to work. Truth is, I’ve always admired people when they are all closed up in their dress but at the same time looking classy and bossy. Read more>>