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.

Lauren And Hannah Reed

We had our vision. We knew we wanted to provide natural herbals, ethically sourced, to our community and to others around the country through an online store. We decided the best way to carry out our vision was to build a website that represented our brand and feature our favorite herbals that we were seeing terrific results from ourselves. The actual execution of our plan took many months, but we learned a lot along the way. We ordered product packaging and spent hours designing labels. We were introduced to bulk packaging stores as we meticulously chose the bottles, jars and boxes that would best fit our needs. I spent hours crafting our website, as I knew we wanted to start off with our own custom domain and not use rented online real estate like Etsy. Starting a business bank account, understanding Square, and setting up a tent at our first open air market were all part of the process. Read more>>

Jo-anne Brewin

As a 2nd generation musician/performer (father) and artist/crafter (mother), I was a Canadian behavior therapist and performer who fell in love with a U.S. fellow performer during a Legends In Concert contract in Myrtle Beach, SC in 2011. Although he lived in NJ, before we knew it, we were married and settled down in Myrtle Beach. It was a weekend long DIY wedding with events around town, followed by a wedding and reception at the state park and ocean beach. Since our friends were coming from NJ, Canada and the cast & staff of the local theater, I created all the decor and had cut 20 or so wine bottles for our collective friends to together, create lanterns to hang in the trees for the reception. Decorating these bottles and the reception area was our way of ensuring all guests had an opportunity to meet each other before the wedding/reception. Read more>>

Kayla Tew

When I was young, my grandmother who was a giant part of my life, carried a camera everywhere. It started with the ginormous video camera that was on your shoulder then as times progressed the first digital cameras, and loved protecting memories for our family. I loved the idea of being able to go back to a time that I may not remember as sharply and see the people I love most in that space. I knew from a small child that I wanted to be a photographer however I did not know what that would entail or what I wanted to focus on most. Around 11 or 12 I thought I wanted to be a forensic photographer, let’s just say me and blood don’t do well together so that was crossed out within about a year. Then as I got closer to high school I decided to do yearbook and that just blossomed my creativity and drive to become what I always had envisioned. I decided to join a private college to obtain my bachelors in fine art photography. Read more>>

Alejandra Trevino

Investing in my professional photography degree was the best decision of my life. I remember people constantly saying, “Photography? That’s not a professional career.” Still, I knew deep down that this was what I wanted, and I felt confident in choosing my profession. I never doubted my decision; on the contrary, I was excited every day to keep learning and enjoying the wealth of information that grew daily. I feel fortunate to have turned my hobbie into my job. The COVID-19 pandemic presented an opportunity for me to start my business. I launched a philosophy called “You Ship your product, I Shoot.” I began doing product photography from home, managing the entire creative process with clients online via Zoom, and conducting the photo shoots without their presence due to contact restrictions. Gradually, I experimented, gained clients, and expanded my skills. By the time the pandemic ended, I had built a solid client portfolio and started incorporating various branches of commercial photography, such as architecture, portrait, editorial, and food photography, while also overseeing the creative direction of my projects. Fortunately, things started going really well, and I began to grow my team, for which I am very grateful. Eventually, I moved into a photography studio where I can express my creativity freely while doing my work. Read more>>

Nia Rose

Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to be in front of a camera. I knew I wanted to make an impact, especially for other young girls around the world. Growing up with older sisters was a huge influence for me, and I realized early on that not everyone has that kind of support. I wanted to be a big sister figure to others, sharing the lessons I’ve learned along the way. This journey really began last year, sparked by a conversation on a bus with my friend, GeGe. We were both determined to build better lives for ourselves and passionate about creating content. That bus ride quickly led to us hopping on Zoom, where we brainstormed and mapped out every idea, vision, and goal we wanted to bring to life. After lots of hard work, GIRLSGIRLSNYC was born. Read more>>

Joelle Sabater

Reconnect & Befriend began as a life coaching business called Reconnected to Care. After experiencing burnout in the nonprofit sector, I felt unfulfilled. After working with a few life coaches, I was inspired by their freedom to have agency in their work and help people in the way they want to. I thought, “Maybe I can be a life coach too.” I wanted to coach individuals, particularly nonprofit professionals like myself, through self-care. However, after investing over $6,000 in a coaching program, I found the coaching industry challenging to navigate, and my passion for it faded. The workplace traumas I endured were also still too raw, making it feel unfair to coach others while I was still healing. Then I asked myself, “What am I already good at that I could teach over and over again? That I’m passionate about?” The answer was journaling. With piles of journals, countless saved videos on journaling, and questions from friends on how to start journaling, it became clear that this would be the heart of my business. My background in facilitating self-empowerment for youth in nonprofits inspired me to create journaling workshops and develop a guided journal. Read more>>

Zena Carves

When I started Zena Carves, it all began with a simple observation: everyone loves stickers. I had been a printmaker for some time, and in the spirit of the DIY nature of printmaking, I thought, “Why not make my own stickers?” I was excited to get hands-on and started experimenting with ways to create them myself. However, after a lot of trial and error, I realized it was actually more efficient and reliable to have custom stickers made professionally. That experience taught me about balancing DIY creativity with practicality, a lesson that would guide me as my business took shape. Read more>>

Kirsten Regalado

I grew up in the inspiring town of La Castellana, surrounded by nature that sparks creativity. I remember watching my mom hang clothes on a line between trees, the fabrics billowing in the breeze. Inspired, I gathered my friends, wrapped them in blankets, and had them march across the bed in our own makeshift fashion show—I was the director of my very first pageant. I believed then, and still do, that everyone deserves their moment in the spotlight. Read more>>

Angie Ipsen

The idea for Holaimpact was born from a deep-seated belief in the power of language to connect people. As a native Spanish speaker in Colombia, I spent years studying English in school and university, even investing in private courses to improve my skills, yet I struggled to reach a conversational level. Eventually, I left everything behind and moved to Ireland, hoping immersion would be the final step to fluency. The most significant progress came as I traveled across Europe, Asia, and the United States, where I was exposed to different accents and cultures. This experience made me realize that language education alone—whether in Colombia or abroad—has limitations. What truly makes a difference is immersion: practicing in real-life situations with both peers and native speakers. Read more>>

Chunxuan（kelvin） Yu

Starting my career as an in-house designer gave me firsthand experience in understanding how design can deeply impact both users and the business. Working at GE, for example, allowed me to see the direct influence of thoughtful design on customer experience and brand perception. This inspired me to go further, not just creating visually appealing designs but truly shaping products that met real needs. The idea began with research and conversations—understanding what clients needed from an in-house designer’s perspective. I identified gaps in how design teams could deliver solutions that were functional, user-centered, and aligned with company goals. From there, I took steps to establish a unique design approach that prioritized both user experience and strategic problem-solving. Read more>>

Isabelle Eribo

Creating The Career Compass Coalition began as a simple idea sparked during my junior year. The college application process felt overwhelming, even with supportive resources at my school and guidance from watching my older brothers navigate it. I started thinking about how much more difficult it must be for students who don’t have similar support, and that realization led me to create a TikTok account to promote an educational mentorship program, but with little initial traction, I set it aside. Read more>>

Dluxe Vegan

One morning in April 2021 as I was preparing breakfast, I noticed I started to feel nauseated with a slight headache. It’s as if the aroma from the food made me feel sick and weirdly, it also made me angry for some reason. As I could not explain what I was feeling, I did not eat that day because my body simply didn’t want anything. Later that day, I googled, “why do I feel sick from smelling food”, knowing that I wasn’t pregnant at the time. I came across an article stating that I may have become food intolerant, and that my body can naturally change its course in dieting. My body was telling me that it wanted fresh fruit, veggies, and water only. No animal products and all of the other junk that I was consuming. Also, within that day, I came across Mrs. Tabitha Brown’s YouTube channel. Her videos are heaven sent because she informed me and so many others on how to become vegan and that veganism could have been the reason why my body was neglecting everything that I had been eating my entire life. So, I started trying different recipes and mimicking the foods that I had been enjoying my whole life. Being that my dishes turned out to be incredibly delicious, I had to share them with the rest of the world which in fact started my business. Read more>>

Shari Scarpelli

I actually started my business during COVID. I live in a beautiful southwestern city in Sarnia Ontario, Canada. I had been following a business on the west coast of California who was creating beautiful luxury picnics, and thought I could do that here! We have beautiful beaches, parks and most importantly people. So after a bit of research (probably 3 months) … I started collecting the items I was missing to start. We were still in lockdown… so after connecting with other local small businesses, and lots of planning, I launched during the Spring of 2021. Spring was early (April 17, 2021) as the cherry blossoms were blooming… this was my introduction to my community. Social distancing was still a BIG thing here but you were “allowed” your bubble of 10, or you could be outdoors. Read more>>