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.

Nick Sampler

From what I remember, I just woke up one afternoon back in February of 2023 and thought “i want to start a clothing brand.” It was a long and not very thought out process in the beginning. I believe that next couple hours I was talking with my dad about the idea and we started bouncing ideas off of each other because I had mentioned starting one a couple months before but never went through with it. The next couple of days, weeks was getting the business side of everything completed you know names, logos, LLC’s, EIN’s. getting all the legality’s in order. After getting all of that done I went and bought an IPad so I could work on designs for the brand. I had no idea what I was doing but I was doing something. After a few tries I ended up giving up and just opting to find someone who already knew how to design and I started collaborating with them to come up with my first design. Read more>>

Mariam Ramoul

In the name of God, the most Merciful – بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Before I begin, I want to emphasise that I wholly attribute all my successes to God first, then to those who shaped me into the woman I am today. My parents are immigrants from Tunisia who came to America with nothing but their bright minds and an unwavering belief in the opportunities this country offers. It was their intelligence, resilience, and mindset that allowed them to build successful businesses over the years. Growing up, my father taught me the value of entrepreneurship—whether it was selling candy at school or toys at our local mosque—while my mother showed me how to market and scale a business, drawing from the experiences of their own ventures. They instilled in me the belief that America is the land of opportunity, and as a result, I learned to see potential in everything, including my passion for archery. Read more>>

Chuck Brown

I tend to treat each intellectual property (IP) idea as its own separate business. Depending on the finances, I may fully fund an IP myself. The process begins with a brainstorming session where I dump all my ideas into the notes app on my phone. From there, the idea evolves into an outline, with story arcs, character development, themes, etc. Once the outline is fleshed out, I move on to the scripting stage. Once the script(s) are complete, the next step is to create a budget. The budget needs to account for the editor, artist(s), letterer, graphic designer, and promotion. These are the steps I follow if I’m self-publishing a book or using crowdfunding. Even with crowdfunding, I’ll need to come out of pocket to pay for an artist to create some initial comic pages to promote the campaign. Read more>>

Lisa Frahm

Four years ago, I never could have imagined where I’d be today. Back then, when I embarked on an unexpected journey of starting my flower farm, I literally planted seeds, unaware of what would become an intuitive, thriving business. It all began with a small flower farm nestled on our property in the suburbs of Denver. From those humble beginnings, I have literally blossomed and evolved, each step being a reflection of my growth, creativity and passion for everything that I do. What started as a love of gardening soon expanded into a full-service floral studio, crafting bespoke arrangements for clients in Parker and beyond. My natural, effortlessly beautiful florals quickly captured hearts, earning us multiple awards and recognitions. Soon our clients begging for me to offer full-service wedding florals, including on-site installations and tear-downs. Read more>>