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.

Marsha Flemmings

I had not thought or desired to operate my own business. I never saw myself as the type of person that was built for entrepreneurship. What i did have, since the age of 8 was a desire to become an author. Read more>>

Faith Bavier

I’ve had some sort of camera in my hand since I was twelve years old. I grew up running barefoot in the country, photographing everything from landscapes to wildlife. It was a passion of mine to capture “ordinary” things, and make them EXTRAordinary. Read more>>

Sharon Davis

Owning a bookstore has been a dream of mine for many years. I am a retired English teacher, so I think most of us have had this dream. When my daughters were growing up, we fantasized about the store arrangement, the cafe we wanted to include, and the number of books we would have. Read more>>

Cherie Lui

I got into this business when I was in Shanghai, helping my cousin pick out her wedding dress. Going to wedding expos got me hooked on the events scene. Even though I didn’t know much about baking at first, I got really into making perfect macarons at home. Read more>>

Charles Mayfield

It took nearly three years form idea to execution. Much of that time was spent on product R&D and tinkering with recipes and sampling our products to many hundreds of people. We decided to try and launch the company on Kickstart in July 2021. Our goal was to raise the money needed to build out the brand, packaging, design and website. Read more>>

Sarah Peavler

In 2021, I was working at a dining establishment, as a bartender and server as I had for twelve years. It was a job, but I knew I was meant for better things. (I have known since I was eight years old.) Anyway, I started serving a group of businesspeople, realtors, and real estate investors. Read more>>

Rikki McBride

As a single mom of three navigating the aftermath of a divorce, the realization hit me: I couldn’t be a stay-at-home mom any longer. It was time for a change. That’s when I decided to become a licensed Allied Health Instructor and began teaching at a local post-secondary college. Read more>>

Lakia “LB” Brandenburg

I never thought that I would launch a business as an event host/MC. But after hosting a super successful, high-energy and engaging 3-day enrollment event for my coach/friend in 2021, it became clear that magic happens when I’m on stage with a mic in my hand. Read more>>

Kristin Brunk

Embarking on the journey from idea to execution in launching my virtual executive assistant business was an exhilarating and transformative experience. With over 8 years of expertise in the virtual assistance realm, I initially served as a contractor for a highly sought-after virtual assistant company, dedicating six years to honing my skills across diverse professional backgrounds. Read more>>

Ryan Sather

The idea started when the homebrewing hobby we picked up turned into an obsession. My best friend and I got into homebrewing around the same time, and quickly turned the hobby into a full time passion. We joined a homebrew club, started entering competitions, and left our jobs for entry level positions at local breweries. Read more>>

Jonois Fox

I received the vision to open up a home healthcare agency in a dream. After receiving the vision, I began to research what it took and immediately went to action. Starting with a home care agency. I along with a counterpart began writing policies & procedures while learning what we wanted our business model and structure to look like. Read more>>

Kalvin Weathersby

Embarking on my journey in the construction industry at the age of 20, I quickly became adept in the field with guidance from my father. While mastering the intricacies of construction, my curiosity expanded to the business side of the industry. Read more>>

Asia Rivera

I realize I wanted to make a business out of what I had a passion for early until my career. I started off by just modeling, but then I realized I wanted to also have a role in what happens behind the scenes as well as being able to help other people execute their mental visions. Read more>>

Aria Jolie Davis

My story starts in December of 2020. Like everyone else, my family was dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic as best as we could. That meant keeping myself busy and finding small ways to stay connected with those I love. Read more>>

Alana Godoy

Starting my event and wedding planning business, Godoy Events, wasn’t an idea that suddenly came to me. It felt like a seed that was planted many years ago and was cultivated by chance encounters over a span of 6 years until it grew into a feasible concept. Read more>>

Vitória Ressineti

Here’s the thing, starting something can be the easiest and hardest thing simultaneously. For a long time, I was happy being an actress, but it was scary when I decided I wanted more. Acting was all I knew. My luck was that I had incredible creative friends who needed the help I wanted to provide as a producer, but I had no idea what I was doing at first. Read more>>

Frau Sakra

I’m a fine artist now, focusing on oil paintings and ink drawings, but it took me years of evolving to get to here! I was an editor in my first life. Among the published works I edited were art books, textbooks for grades K-12, medical journals, and articles and other info for Web sites. Read more>>

Cali Goode

I ventured into the cannabis world through my modeling business. The love for the plant’s medicinal properties fueled my initial passion. However, as a cannabis model, I observed a stark absence of faces like mine in ownership roles within the industry. Read more>>

Joy Dushey

About 10 years ago I experienced an awakening just as I began meditating with TM; transcendental meditation. At this time in my life,I felt a sudden strong sense of purpose and clarity. One night I woke in the middle of the night with an idea ;A DIY on line holistic and spiritual coaching platform. Read more>>

Leilani Lealaimatafao

The idea to execution process happened within months and is still in the process! As far as social media, I often took breaks because I felt it wasn’t growing but I was always comparing myself to the next person. When I stayed consistent in my passions, whatever I was praying and working for always happened! Read more>>

Elizabeth Smith

I constantly say that I do not have a “green thumb”, and there’s a good reason for it. In 2020, I was lucky enough to purchase my first home amidst an intense and difficult market. It started with improving the spaces in my front and back yard. Read more>>

Marlene Viera

In 2006, my sister had to retire because of the MS. She was young and wanted to stay productive. She learned to design and create costume jewelry. She taught me everything she knew and for many years, it became our hobby. Read more>>

Ryan Copeland

I’ve always had a niche for engagement with my clients that I was working with. My desire to push them and see them succeed was always a passion of mine. That passion drove me to want to groom and counsel artists even beyond production. In talking with my mom she drove the notion of “writing the vision and making it plain.” Read more>>

Jordan Miller

DCEatings as it is now, a boutique personal chef business, was a serendipitous venture. When I first started my food Instagram under the same name in college, the purpose was to hold myself accountable to cook more and improve my skills in the kitchen. Read more>>

Tiffany Bausch Weld

I’ve designed jewelry for large retailers in NYC for over 15 years. I learned valuable lessons about the jewelry industry and how to build a brand. Working with talented designers and creators inspired me to dream bigger and I always knew one day I would launch my own brand. Read more>>

Carla Howard

Gosh… Going from having an idea for a product or service to launching the offering can be so freaking overwhelming! Your question really takes me back to 3 years ago when the idea for the “Get Paid From The STAGE!!!” 6-week program was born… and it wasn’t even my idea! Read more>>

Bailee Ward

I (Bailee) had always dreamed of being a photographer. I started working for a big wedding company out of Denver in 2016 and in 2017, I started my own big wedding photography business. I knew I always wanted to work with couples because I love love and knew that the wedding scene is where I wanted to be. Read more>>

Candice Robin D. Davis

I fell in love with words and art at a young age. I was never really skilled in painting or sculpting, but as a young child with a speech impediment & mental health condition, I wrote it all out. Writing in my diaries became my comfort, my therapy, and my gift! Read more>>

Shannon Bradley

I started writing at age 11. I wrote poems about birds. Writing came natural to me. I didn’t know where it came from or which parents i inherited the talent from. I would think of world wonders, grab a pen and start writing. Then one day, a new sitcom came on TV named, A Different World. Read more>>

Mary Bell Love

In Texas, the state legislature meets biennially. On odd years, over just six months, lawmakers write and amend legislation that govern the nation’s second-largest state, in both population and economy. This makes advocating for meaningful change all the more significant and where Mach 1 really shines. Read more>>

Berlyn & Steven Nikolunauer

Junkyard Witch started as just a name. We (Berlyn and Steven) had met working at a record store, and while that sounds cool (it had its moments) the place was owned by an evil corporation that neither of us could tolerate. We were oozing with creativity and enjoyed sharing our interests with like-minded customers, we weren’t fully able to express ourselves within the confines of this business. Read more>>

Bridget Potterton

It was August 1st, 2007. I had been in real estate for about 4 years. I was actually in the shower. I thought, “What am I waiting for? I’m going to start my own business!.” So the next day I did. I was scared, I didn’t have a lot of money at the time, but I had a masters degree in business entrepreneurship and figured it was time to start using it. Read more>>

Dawn Moore

I have been operating in the branding and marketing consulting arena for over the past 10 years. My passion was always to create ways to highlight individuals through curating an effective brand that will impact the target audience and consumers in which they serve. Read more>>

Cassandra Nickerson

My thought process can be a little messy when thinking of new projects that aren’t asked of me through clients. My first step is looking for inspiration. Sometimes it happens naturally and other times through research. My process is never linear. Read more>>

Brianna Millstein

The idea came to me during my junior year of college at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida. We were tasked with making a line that would be featured at our end of year fashion show for the Fashion Department. From the moment I had to cut my first sample to sew I knew it was going to be a huge part of my life. Read more>>

Phelize Bristol

I wasn’t happy with the direction of my business. I heard about the 12 Week Year and read the book in two days! After reading this book, I decided to initiate a significant shift in my own business. I began with a deep dive into market research. I looked to understand my target audience by talking to them about their goals, challenges, and how my services could address their needs. Read more>>

Melissa Banks

I was one of seven children raised in Mississippi by an amazing single mother. I didn’t dream of owning a business or did I know people who looked like me that own a business. Dreaming to be a business owner was simply not something that was in any of the language that I heard or in any of my thoughts. Read more>>

Paige Hughes

It was a little after college that I first felt a strong desire to give back to the community. I had no idea what my purpose was or that I was gifted in this area until I realized one day, while serving with a friend, that even though I might not have much, I do have enough to help someone else. Read more>>

Anquisha Crurcher

Over a decade ago, the seed of my startup was planted within the pages of a book series “To Grandma’s House I Go” (which is available now on Amazon). Little did I know that those fictional tales would evolve into the reality of the Tanner Doll, an 18-inch wonder with detachable accessories. Read more>>

Kelly Hall

Growing up as a daughter of pastors, I have served in ministry practically my entire life. Even with the support of my parents, I still struggled with low self-esteem, rejection and poverty throughout my adolescence. Read more>>

Stacey Nedrow Ross

I’ve been taking photos since I was a teenager and always knew it was more than a hobby. In college, I studied Art History and while I didn’t pursue a career in it, what I learned filters into my work as a photographer to this day. Elements of fantastic artwork and elements of a great photo are really quite similar. Read more>>