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.

Jamez Ingram

The journey of creating JzFit and Whole Lyph Wellness started with a deeply personal realization: health and well-being aren’t just physical—they’re holistic. The idea came during a moment of reflection, realizing how many people, myself included, were struggling to find balance in life. I wanted to create a space and a movement that empowered people to transform not just their bodies, but their entire lives. Read more>>

Rama Ginde

cooking has been our love language in our family for decades. When my mom and I decided to come up with a consumer package, good products we knew we wanted to do some thing that was beautiful, delicious and full of good! We knew we wanted to share our family traditions, recipes, and love language through food. after thinking about the easiest way to get into the modern every day, we knew spice blends would be easy and effective. With spices, you don’t need to think about how to use them too much. A lot of the times you can just sprinkle them on your everyday foods and they make a big difference. Read more>>

Carli Terreault

I remember constantly scrolling Pinterest just looking at random topics not even looking for a business idea and I happen to come across a horse trailer converted into a mobile bar and I thought it was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. And then I kept seeing more of them so they just kind of lingered around my mind. Finally I just thought to myself I want one of those! I’m creative. I can definitely build that. I love to build things. I love working with my hands and doing physical labor and since I typically sit at a desk all day for my job, I really needed a hobby that could get me outside and moving around while also being able to stay home with my kids and spend time with them, instead of in the gym. Read more>>

Kayla Coleman

When graduating high school it was always a known thing in my family that I was going to college and so because I’m an only child I did not wanna let my parents down so I ended up enrolling in Ivy Tech Indianapolis for dentistry I did about six months in school and got a job at a dental office and I hated my life every single day lol! I started thinking about what my next steps were because I was out on my own and had bills to pay, but knew that I wanted to do something that I actually enjoyed. I’ve always had a passion for the beauty industry so I ended up using my last $600 to invest in a lash course. I started out just taking clients for about $20-$30 per set. As I got better I got more clients in the door and was able to update my prices. With hard work, dedication, consistency, and resilience. I was able to get into my very own suite rather than working out of my apartment. I also was able to enroll into aesthetician school to further my knowledge in the beauty industry. I now am the owner of the glow spot, Indy where we are a full service beauty coworker space for beauty entrepreneurs. I still take regular clients. Read more>>

Prakash Mana

The journey from idea to execution for Cloudbrink began with a simple realization: the traditional networking frameworks were ill-equipped to handle the demands of a modern, distributed workforce. We saw the need for a solution that could seamlessly integrate security, speed, and simplicity into enterprise networking, enabling employees to work efficiently from anywhere. Having been in the secure access market for several years, we knew the market very well and had spoken to hundreds of customers. Our team immersed themselves in analyzing the existing solutions and identifying their shortcomings. It was clear that the market lacked a truly dynamic, software-based approach that could offer unparalleled flexibility and security without the cumbersome hardware dependencies. Read more>>

Adrina Nelson

When I first thought about relaunching Adrina Fanore after COVID, it felt like going back to square one—but in a way that was genuinely exciting. Originally, the plan was to launch in 2020, but the pandemic shifted everything. That time gave me a fresh perspective on what I wanted this brand to stand for and who it was really for. To start, I revisited the basics: the brand’s mission, its story, and the kind of experience I wanted to offer. I wanted Adrina Fanore to be more than a clothing brand—it needed to capture a lifestyle where wellness and style intersect. I began asking questions like, What colors and fonts would represent this concept authentically? and What should the website, the logo, and even the smallest design details say about the brand? Read more>>

Leena Chitnis

1. Got a dog late in life 2. She was like my daughter, I took her everywhere, plus she had terrible separation anxiety for the first few months of her life with me 3. I hated carrying all of her stuff piecemeal every time we went anywhere together, especially on road trips, vacations, or even overnights with friends 4. I thought to myself, “I need an all-in-one bed-bag-sleep system that I can pack in a jif and roll up like a duffel bag” – and I searched high and low on Amazon and Google for such a thing. I was able to find, separately, a dog travel bag, a travel bed, and sleeping bag, a bolster, but nothing that was all-in-one Read more>>

Helena Oseguera

The idea for Plantéa started with a desire to help my mom find a natural alternative to soothe her rosacea. Growing up on a ranch in Mexico, I was always surrounded by nature, and that connection sparked my curiosity. When the idea of using cactus as a key ingredient first came to mind, I wasn’t sure if it would actually work. But once I had the concept, I dove into research, reaching out to chemists and dermatologists who could help me explore the potential of cactus for skincare. From there, it was all about consistency—taking one step after another. It wasn’t easy. There were plenty of calls, a lot of rejection, and many doors slammed in my face. But I kept going, because the right people will always believe in your vision, even when others don’t. Read more>>

Erica Santiago

Shakti Moves Dance Company started back in 2014, although I didn’t know it when I started. It was actually me and one other dancer who had come to me as a massage/yoga client. We worked on using movement and mindful attention to take care of her pain, and through discussions realized that we were also refining our understandings around movement concepts for modern dance. She invited me into the studio for feedback on a project she was working on, and before I knew it, I was choreographing for her and we were attending small festivals and performing work together. Simultaneously, I was organizing a non-profit organization that was first geared towards school aged kids. I had the support of a group of 7 board members and together we aimed to take what I was learning was a powerful combination of yoga/mindfulness and creative expression for healing and social/emotional regulation. We became official in 2016. Read more>>