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.

Brian Cole

They say where there is a will there’s a way. The idea was to make the unobtainable, obtainable. Or at least come as close as I could. Architectural/Interior Photography is the most important marketing tool for various industries, i.e. Interior Design, Architects, Home Builders, Real Estate Agents, etc. As important as it is, it’s also very exclusive. Many in the industry are priced out and have no option but to use real estate photography (which is no friend to their brand). The idea was, what if I can help local businesses by providing what they need at a price that works for their business? This led me down a path I’m still on and will probably always be on. 8 years ago I started developing a system of both shooting and editing that would enable me to provide the high-end photography people need, but in a fraction of the time, which allows me to offer more reasonable pricing. It was quite the process of figuring out how to accomplish something in 5 minutes that traditionally takes an hour. There were a lot of tests both on location and in post-processing, and both are still evolving. Read more>>

Cindy Birne

I have spent the majority of my professional career as a publicist in the sports, entertainment and publishing industries. I’ve always been self-motivated and driven to achieve and produce results. In addition, as the only individual in my position wherever I have worked meant taking on a great deal of responsibility. Having learned so much through years of served to increase my level confidence. As such, I felt it was time to launch Cindy Birne Public Relations doing what I’ve always done my entire career but on my own. Yes, it was a scary feeling but with the support of colleagues, clients, and friends who believed in me I found the courage to trust and believe in myself that I could do it. Thankfully, I was fortunate enough to have two clients ready to go the second I officially launched my company. Ten years later I’m still standing doing what I love. Always learning something new through every new project and welcoming each challenge. Read more>>

Jennifer Cramer-miller

Thank you! I’m delighted to share how my career as an author, writer, and speaker has unfolded. First, my “why” stems from a powerful motivation—I want to connect us to the beauty and bummers of being human. How do we juggle hardships, hopes, and happiness? How do we keep it together when we’re falling apart? Through various forms of storytelling, I shape idiosyncratic experiences into universal stories of hope. The route was circuitous because my education and background are in business. I earned an M.B.A. and worked for decades in a family custom home firm, where, besides client work, I was the designated office writer. (Ad copy, brochures, client communications.) Ten years ago, a new owner stepped in, and although I’m still involved as a consultant, I took a leap into building my book and essay writing career. But an idea (I’m going to become an author and writer now) requires execution—the wings that lift it into flight. That’s how the magic soars.  Read more>>

Jared Klickstein

I was a homeless drug addict that went through a nightmarish decade, and after sobering up I decided to write a book. From actually writing the manuscript to getting an agent to getting a publisher to successfully marketing the book, it was a step-by-step process that took absolute precision. I knew nothing about the publishing world, and through non-traditional means set everything up around the book so it would be easily marketable. I did this by getting the right people to write blurbs for the back cover, hybridizing the manuscript into a half-memoir half-public policy book, and enacting a guerilla marketing campaign. It was a whirlwind of learning the business while deep in the trenches of executing what I was learning in real time. Read more>>