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.

Anastasiia Melnychenko

My path from idea to execution began long before I ever thought of running an agency. I’ve always been the person who naturally organizes chaos — on set, in logistics, in problem-solving. Producing wasn’t just a job for me, it was the way my brain worked. Read More>>

Ashley Kelley

I’m in remission!’ After spending 3 years fighting cancer and many complications, I was finally in remission and feeling like myself again! It was time to get back to work, but this time it would be for me. I wanted to make every one that supported me through the hardest time of my life proud of me. Read More>>

Tina Marie Fowler

The journey of Thrift Stories Boutique is a testament to the power of faith and perseverance. As a nonprofit leader, I’ve always been passionate about helping others, but I had a deep desire for something of my own. I prayed for something that would allow me to continue serving others while also building a business that would support my nonprofit work. Read More>>

Adriel Joy Thurston

Like many things in life, it started out of both circumstance and opportunity. I had been doing creative and marketing work on the side for years, helping small businesses, consulting, and building brands simply because I loved it. When the company I worked for went through a merger and laid off half the staff, I suddenly found myself at a crossroads. Read More>>

Dylan Demery

Emily and I had the idea and I started looking into what it would take to register an LLC with the state. It was inexpensive so I went ahead and did it. Then I started looking into getting the domain we wanted. The one we wanted was taken but it freed up in a couple of months so we got that. Read More>>

Lin Hu

When I consider how a project moves from idea to execution in architecture, I see a multi-layered process that is very different from, say, product design or art. Architecture engages not only with aesthetics and forms but also with human-centred experience, materiality, site context, zoning and code compliance, community resilience, and many other layers. Read More>>

Ginger Lundell

When my partner and I first took over the venue; 7F Lodge & Events, it was very much the “wild west” of weddings—every couple was completely on their own. They brought in every vendor, every detail, every piece of the puzzle themselves. Read More>>

Geronima Vega Fernandez

I started my photography business back in 2021, and honestly, I had no idea what I was doing — just a camera, a dream, and a gut feeling that I needed to start somewhere. From the beginning, I was drawn to maternity photography. There’s something so powerful about that season of life — the glow, the anticipation, the quiet strength of motherhood. Read More>>

El Grande PapiRatzi: Visual Fashion Artist

I started out with the Walgreens ‘free film for life’ pocket cameras. Taking pics of my children growing up. From there I bought a small digital camera and started doing nature shots. Birds, bees, flowers and trees. Flowers would go on to be a part of my style signature. I had always been into fashion. Buying fashion magazines from all over the world. Read More>>

Nancy Domenichelli

TarTubes was an idea conceived about three bong hits into our regular morning smoke sesh. Diana is a tobacco smoker and reached for a cigarette after toking. I reached for a joint (had to be polite and not let her smoke alone). Diana uses disposable tobacco filters with her cigarettes. Read More>>

Jamila Hogan

After years of working in cannabis spaces where education was treated like an afterthought, I realized in 2016 the industry needed something different — a bridge between knowledge, culture, and access. I started sketching what that bridge could look like. I spent nights studying compliance laws, learning branding basics, and mapping out how my background in cultivation and community organizing could merge. Read More>>

Maizy Burk

Creativity has always been at the heart of who I am. From taking photos on my first iPod to getting my first real camera, I’ve always been drawn to capturing the beauty in everyday moments. Read More>>

Daphne Marie

Hmmm… going from idea to execution has always been somewhat of a challenge for me. At times, I can be very indecisive, I tend to get bored easily, I’m a creative so I’m constantly having new ideas, and I’m somewhat of a perfectionist. All of these tend to get in the way of my execution at times. So this time, I’m doing things differently. Read More>>

Ja’Rian Liggens

Going from idea to execution is a very critical part of the process for Mr. Liggens. For him, starting consists of defining the overall vision and all objectives & tasks to be completed, for the idea to even become tangible. Next Step is planning; Being sure to always maintain ethical considerations & strategic moves. Read More>>

Jessica McIntee

There are several ways to starting a business. Insp iring entrepreneurs need more than money in order to be successful. With each of my businesses, before operations, I submerged myself in ideation. I also completed rounds of trial and error projects. After reviewing each result, I was able to execute many of my goals. For instance, I created different proposals and designs for my business marketing. Read More>>

Byron Cordero

How did you actually start? It all starts with listening. Listening to the world around you. You will start to find a pattern in peoples’ complaints. The more you listen, the more you develop an ear for what’s needed. If you have the solution to that problem, then you know that that is your calling. Read More>>

Samantha Morris

Jing Shao Nian (京少年) began as a conversation between friends who missed something from our childhoods. Many of us grew up sitting next to our grandparents, watching Cantonese opera on TV or in theaters, and we realized that almost no one our age was learning the art anymore. So we started small. Read More>>

Ebonie Farlow-Edwards

My journey to launching Compassion Design began at the intersection of creativity and compassion. I’ve always had an artistic eye — I attended an art instructional school early in my journey — but my professional path eventually led me into nonprofit administration and later into managing HUD housing for residents diagnosed with mental health disorders. Read More>>