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.

Shavonda Andrews

My very first fashion memory was back in middle school. It was picture day, and I wanted my shirt to match my earrings. I wanted my hair a certain way and I even practiced my pose before the big day. That was the very first time that I was able to create my own lane and control the narrative. From that day moving forward, I began drawing sketches and putting looks together every day for school. Fashion was my go to for problem solving. Read more>>

Azundra Perrot

For about two years I had been procrastinating on starting my event planning company. I was planning events for liquor companies but it wasn’t for my brand, it was about making someone else’s brand bigger. I’d just turned 30 and realized that I was tired of working for others, I decided I wanted to be my own boss. I believed it was time for me to venture out and take a risk on myself. Shortly after that I applied for my LLC and began to put everything in place for the launch of AZ Events. I started working on my logo, my website, and the integrity of my brand. Read more>>

Jennifer Jackson

Growing up, I always knew that I would have my own business. I remember the days when I was sitting in my room envisioning having my studio and how much excitement it brought me. I had a plan but did not know how to execute it fully. When I was in college, I began blogging about makeup along with combining my love of photography by taking my photos of myself and staging products. While blogging, I was teaching myself different techniques on makeup application and people started taking notice of my work and wanted to book me for makeup. Granted, I knew how to apply makeup, but I did not consider myself a professional makeup artist. Read more>>

Courtney Cay Thomas

My first line of work in the industry was modeling for a t-shirt company that specialized in comfortability and simplicity. I had an idea that was similar to theirs, but I wanted to expand on it and rebel against the message it sent. Understanding the market was the first most important concept I needed to have in order to expand upon my idea. I understood that the market has always and potentially will always thrive on hyper-sexuality and outer beauty. I wanted to push something different. So after realizing what some of my core values were, I checked in with the company that I was working with to make sure there were no conflicts of interest. Read more>>

Mirjam Lippuner

I had the original idea for my business shortly after I left my corporate PR position and started consulting with brands in the home and design space. I was talking to a friend of mine who is an interior designer, and she said to me: “Mirjam, there is a real need for affordable PR for designers. What can you do about that?” She really planted the seed that led to my DIY PR coaching platform. I played around with different packages to streamline my services but the pricetag was still relatively high for a small business owner. Most design businesses still wouldn’t be able to afford it.  Read more>>

Joey Wallace

My name is Joey and I’m the lead wedding photographer and creative director at Joey Wallace Photography. With over 10 years of experience and more than 200 weddings, my team and I can provide our Atlanta brides and grooms with timelines high quality documentary photography coverage for all of their wedding events and throughout their wedding days, utilizing a wide selection of top-notch equipment that was specially acquired to accommodate the different wedding situations that we have experienced over the years. Read more>>

Michael Taylor

Brad had just moved to the League City area, I had lived in Clear Lake nearly all my life and played in bands around town. A local bar where my current band was playing introduced us to Brad in 2008. Brad was doing some solo acoustic stuff at the time and Joel (the bar owner) thought he would be a great addition to the band. Brad and I hit it off pretty quick and where fast friends, he ended up joining the band as our new singer. We were a 5 piece rock band and loved to play loud! During this time we tried to do a two piece acoustic act, around 2010, doing covers, but we never really got any traction despite trying. Read more>>

Kelli Raisler

When I was in art school I learned a lot about making sculptures, using different materials, and different ways to design products. I had been attending music festivals for a few years, and was always inspired by the elaborate outfits worn by performers and attendees. One year I decided I wanted to make my own art inspired outfit as well as a matching one for my boyfriend. While we were there so many people were excited to see me and tell me how much they loved it. A lot of people asked if I was selling the pieces which led me to explore the idea of selling some items on Etsy. I started with hats because I felt they like were more approachable to a lot of people. Read more>>

Yolanda McGowan

After tasting my first cup of warm ginger tea, I was in love. Soon after, I became curious about all the good benefits the tea could possibly have for my body. So, I began researching the benefits of ginger. As I researched, other related information came up such as other roots, herbs, flowers, berries, etc. I remember reading about the hibiscus flower, its benefits and how the dried flower could be used in a tea. I then thought, “ hibiscus is anti-inflammatory and aids in increasing circulation. If I can pair that with the ginger, imagine the amazing benefits that it could produce!” After diving deeper into the benefits of both ginger and hibiscus and wondering if the two would pair well, I thought about the taste. Read more>>

Anna Weber and Becki Spellman

We first had the idea to start a running camp together in 2016. Since we are both running coaches and had both wanted to start a camp prior to meeting each other, it just made sense that we do it together. Between 2016 and 2018 we casually talked about our plans, and then, at the end of 2018 we had the realization that it was now or never. We had a short phone call and talked about what we wanted in the camp and our non-negotiables. We wanted BAnna Camp to be easily accessible, have safe running routes, and be affordable. Within 24 hours of our phone call, Becki had filed for our LLC and Anna started a BAnna Camp social media account. Read more>>

Jeffrey Brockman

I retired from a career in the U.S. Air Force in 2013 and started working for a local government organization in Tampa, Florida. In the summer of 2020 someone asked me what type of veteran I was. This question caught me off guard – no one had ever asked me this particular question. I replied, “well, I guess I’m somewhat of a hippie veteran.” The idea stuck with me and I decided to have a custom patch made to place on a shoulder bag I carry. Read more>>

Cherry Correa

The kitchen has always been my happy place and this goes back to my childhood. Spending time in the kitchen with my grandmother was truly a pleasure for me. When my grandmother became ill, she would sit at the kitchen table and tell me step by step how to prepare a meal. Food was always a key element in our family and what has always invited us together as a whole. Read more>>

Daryl Bryant

RedFlareMedia started off as a fun way for my girlfriend and I to blog and capture our daily activities. This soon turned into taking more and more pictures and finally started a page out of it. Although it took some time to build the clientele we have, we are grateful for the journey and support. Read more>>

Monea & Jelica Floyd

XposedbyMo is a brand birthed by two female, biracial, idealists who share a passion for global sustainability, fashion innovation, and self-transformation. We are a mother daughter duo whose mission is to educate consumers on hair and skin health benefits and preventives, emphasize the impact that the right hair accessory has on confidence and appearance, and XPOSE the consumer to unique and exclusive collections. Read more>>

Liz Dimmitt

The idea for Fairgrounds St. Pete is the culmination of many years of working on large scale immersive public art projects and wanting to bring something special and permanent to my hometown. When I first got serious about opening an immersive art space in Tampa Bay, I began by networking with a lot of people about the concept to gather feedback and ideas. One person I talked with was John Collins, the then head of the St. Pete Arts Alliance. John suggested that I meet Mikhail Mansion, a St. Pete-based artist and creative technologist. Read more>>

Desmond Jones

When I started maintenance and found out that I actually loved it. I instantly knew that I wanted to soak up as much knowledge from my coworkers as much as possible so that it could allow me the skillset to be able to work for myself in the future. Some of the main steps that allowed me to launch my business was actually being a student of the game in my field. During that journey I acquired my CPO certification (Certified Pool Operator) and my Universal EPA certification which allowed me to work on any AC unit. Read more>>

Hollywood Fizz

During covid, I wasn’t getting any auditions and I was tired of dreaming of award shows while sitting on the couch. So, I got up.. I used the stimulus check money to invest into a Sony A7s II , and I haven’t looked back since. Created a ton of opportunities for my self and others. Read more>>

Kassidy Searles

When I first made the decision to become an interior designer, a lot of my family did not agree. In society a lot of people look at interior designers as these people that retire and have fun creating beautiful decorated spaces. Nobody seem to understand all of the heavy detail and intricate task that went along with the title of interior designer. Read more>>

Dustine Nzoungou

The process of of going from idea to execution was quite simple for me. After one day I was just tired of sitting on my business ideas, so I just decided to take a leap of faith, trust God and went straight for it. Of course the success didn’t come over night, it came with a lot of trial and error. After launching my brand, I thought I was going to gain instant gratification from my business. Well unfortunately I was sadly mistaken lol I had many highs and lows. I had to figure out more about my brand than just posting my content. Read more>>

Kayla Melendez

Photography has always been genuine fun for me, and I started out just by taking photos of my friends and family in my free time. It was never more than a hobby to me until my mom bought me my first ever professional camera. The gift was her way of cheering me up: it was on the day my grandfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer for the second time. That camera allowed me to explore photography further and distract myself from the stress of my grandfather’s illness. By the time my junior year came along, the yearbook teacher at my school had heard from other students that I was a good photographer. Read more>>

Cymphoni Laster & Rubi Martinez

Rubi & Cymphoni came up with the idea for Runi in March 2017. As a fashion stylist and designer respectively, we were displeased with the market options for quality mid-level luxury garments in the Atlanta market. We knew that by combining our skills of design and style, we could create a unique shopping experience for our future clients. We knew we wanted to sell exclusively online to save overhead fees and be able to reach a larger audience. As first generation business owner’s everything was a learning curve. Read more>>

Mandie Foster

The idea behind Native Cocktail Events came to creation from visiting so many craft cocktail bars and never being able to find exactly what I wanted and what I thought craft cocktails should be. I then thought to myself I’m sure that many other people have this same issue and wanted what I wanted when I thought of craft cocktails. From this conclusion, I founded Native on three core fundamentals of fresh ingredients, unique garnishes, and well-balanced in terms of how my company’s craft cocktails would always be executed and enjoyed by guests at our events. Read more>>

Jeremiah Jones

About 7 or 8 Years ago I came up with the idea to write my first book. I always had a passion for writing since grade school. I noticed it was a subject that I was very strong in, once I learned the format of an essay and the rules of writing and literature I continued to grow my writing skills. When I attended Valencia College about 9 or 10 years ago I took a African Humanities course and my teacher at the time had me doing a 5-10 page research paper with a grading rubric attached to it. We had to pick a civil rights leader/advocate to research and write about. I picked to write about the great Malcolm X, Read more>>

Malcolm Banks

The beginning of Fandoms Anonymous is a bit hazy as it was a phoenix rising from the ashes story. I used to belong to a previous organization near the same format as Fandoms Anonymous and due to creative differences I decided to go my own way. I started and hit the ground running by releasing all types of content and it was so amazing in the beginning. It began to evolve over time. I went from just talking about comics and movies to writing articles for online publications, to interviewing major celebrities for a national traveling convention. Read more>>