A dad can’t find a bakery to make a birthday cake that can accommodate his daughter’s allergy-related needs. Two freelancers realize they need a way to organize all of their client contracts and can’t find software that adequately handles their use case. Necessity is often hailed as the mother of innovation – but not all ideas come from necessity. Unfortunately, in our experience, often media coverage of the ideas that powered amazing businesses and projects often stops at a very superficial level. The founders noticed a need and boom – idea. Often the ideation process has a much longer, more complex story and so we’ve asked some entrepreneurs and creatives we admire to go into detail about their ideation stories.

Jennifer Duncan

At the time, I had a two- and three-year-old, and we were just emerging from the pandemic. As a stay-at-home mom, finding local places where my kids could safely and happily participate was often an anxiety-driven process. I realized how helpful it would be to have a resource that highlighted local play spaces and family-friendly activities. Creating CedarParkMomVlog became a way to lower that stress—not just for me but for other families as well. It’s been such a joy to showcase these wonderful local businesses while giving parents confidence about whether an activity or location is the right fit for their children. Read more>>

Olga Shatrova

The idea for our business emerged very naturally; it wasn’t something I initially planned. From childhood, I enjoyed creative activities, whether it was crafting or designing. Later, when I pursued formal education in jewelry technology and engineering, I was simply immersed in the joy of learning and creating. At that time, I never thought I would become a jeweler or designer, let alone build a brand. I just loved the process of making jewelry and experimenting with designs. Read more>>

Vika Nikitina Chala

When I was in my early 20s, I was trying to figure out what to do with my life. I wanted to pursue a Master’s in Psychology or Art Therapy, but my family encouraged me toward a more “prestigious and lucrative” path. I applied and was accepted to Villanova Business School where I pursued an MBA in Strategic Business Management. While I genuinely enjoyed the program, I often felt like I was performing a role—amplifying certain traits to fit in. As an introvert, I had to constantly project extroversion; as a collaborator, I had to lean into a more alpha energy. Read more>>

Mariel Katafias

I came up with my brand Kriyana as an embodiment of my divine feminine and the goddess within. I had been an Environmental Graphic Designer and Art Director at a design agency for many years and the daily life and stress load was not the ideal environment for me to embody my best self. I considered the start of my career my business bootcamp, where I was exposed to the full process of design and fabrication. I learned and created many tools that were transferable to my own design services business which gave me the confidence to take the leap. I decided I was ready to invest in myself and choose more peace, creating a life that allowed me to fully shine.  Read more>>

Ali Duncan

Urban Sanctuary is an all-inclusive yoga studio that was created in 2016 when founder Ali Duncan saw the BIPOC community being pushed out of healing spaces in Denver, especially in neighborhoods experiencing rapid gentrification. Read more>>

808s & Cold Takes

At first, it was a podcast we started in 2021. We talked about music- specifically hiphop. After a few years of doing audio exclusive content, we decided to change our show and go for the more informative route with an emphasis on the local music and Art scene here in Arizona. So we started going to local events and shows and linking up with local artists in the area to see if they were down to do interviews. Things continued to grow from there! We’ve just wrapped up interviews for 2024, and we’re looking forward to talking to a lot of other artists in the new year! Read more>>

Evan Levitt

The idea for Alexios Security Solutions began with a simple yet impactful cigar sit-down conversation between Antonio Guadagni and me. Picture this: two seasoned professionals in the security industry, enjoying a quiet moment, reflecting on years spent working in environments where we witnessed the same recurring challenges. We discussed our frustrations with the status quo—inconsistent guard services, a lack of focus on proactive training, and companies prioritizing quantity over quality. Read more>>

Yosef Mirakov Cohen

The idea for C’est Lä Vé was born out of my lifelong passion for ethical living and a desire to bridge the gap between sustainability and convenience. It started with a personal challenge: finding plant-based snacks that were both nutritious and aligned with my values. I vividly remember scouring stores, feeling frustrated by the lack of options that didn’t compromise on taste, health, or environmental impact. This wasn’t just a gap—it was an opportunity to offer something truly meaningful. Read more>>

Oshri Hakak

Years ago, I made a decision to commit my focus to my creative capacities. Within a year or two, I got disillusioned with what seemed like the “art world,” after hustling a lot in the gallery space. It wasn’t my thing- not only did I not feel good at it, but I did not feel motivated to become good at navigating this space. An agent once told me that my art is, “too happy for the art world,” around this time. Read more>>

Emma Mitchell

I started Rosa Joy Co. because I felt a strong pull to help women find joy and friendships in their lives. I went through my own journey to find happiness and to let go of the judgment and self-loathing, and found it was important to other women as well. I had already been hosting fun events for people to make new friends, but this new endeavor felt like more of a calling to me. I also am a Reiki healer and clairvoyant and decided that I would combine my skills into one purposeful business. This was a unique approach to this kind of work. Read more>>

Alma Alonzo

I began my professional life as an educator in early childhood and public education. As an educator of young children, I chose to emphasize the practices of creativity, observation, and connecting with the natural world as valuable skills that any child needed to be happy and whole, they were, after all, what helped me to feel happy and whole! I still believe this today but in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic forced everyone to teach virtually, my mind and body needed a less stressful life. Read more>>

Irene Orellana

The idea to start my own business began when I helped win a case a year after earning my MA in Forensic Linguistics. A CEO of a company (for privacy reasons, I can’t say which one) was looking for a forensic linguist to help him deal with defamatory and threatening anonymous letters. Someone had been sending emails to his stockholders, accusing him of being a “liar” and a “thief.” My client informed me that there were four potential ex-employees who might be behind the six anonymous letters. Read more>>

El Rodriguez

It started out as a dream: me and my best friend in a house/metaphysical shop/cat café helping baby witches get affordable witchy wares, bringing local bands to play and helping cats get adopted.
Then life got in the way. Years passed. I had a kid, and by then the idea had all but faded from our minds. Read more>>

Nate Wolfe

I’ve been back and forth between construction and hospitality for the entirety of my life, and the skills I learned from both arenas helped shape my specific skill set that I would need as the business owner that I am today. I recognized a need for post-construction job site cleanups, maintenance and exterior care for new construction projects, and exterior cleaning in general for commercial and residential sites as well. Read more>>

Jenece Jones

The Story Behind Significant Beginnings: Turning Passion into Purpose

When my family and I moved from Ohio to Florida in 2016, I had no idea I was about to create something extraordinary. My first job in Florida lasted eight months, with a exhausting hour-and-a half commute each way. Determined to find something closer to home, I landed another job just 45 minutes away but within three weeks, I realized it wasn’t for me. I was working nights, barely making enough, and feeling lost. Read more>>

Hope Dobrzynski Christi Somers

The LaughtHER Collective wasn’t born from some meticulously crafted business plan or a sleek, glossy vision statement. It came out of something a little less corporate and a lot more real—grief. A comedy school born from pain! Because nothing says, “Let’s make a business” like deep existential loss and awkwardly laughing about it! We had both lost our moms, and in the midst of that overwhelming sorrow, we found humor to be incredibly healing. It wasn’t the “everything’s fine, laugh it off” kind of humor—it was the kind of humor that lets you laugh because if you don’t, you might just cry forever. It was in those dark moments that we realized: if humor could help us heal, it could help others heal, too. Read more>>

Gabriel Durand

Hi, I’m Gabriel, the co-inventor of the Neck Sofa® Pillow, and this is the story of how a devastating car accident led to the creation of a product that has helped so many find relief from pain.

It all started when my wife, AJ, was in a head-on car accident that left her with severe whiplash. The pain was constant and debilitating, more than just neck discomfort. She suffered from ringing in her ears, dizziness, nausea, and exhaustion. Watching her struggle through each day was heartbreaking, especially as doctor after doctor provided no guarantees that surgery could help. Some even warned it might make her condition worse. Read more>>

Loella Hsu

The idea for my business, Earthshine Wellness, comes from a deep-rooted passion for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and acupuncture that started when I was a child. Growing up in a culture where TCM was a natural part of life, I saw how acupuncture was widely used in Asia—not just to treat illness, but to promote wellness, prevent disease, and even for beauty and anti-aging. Read more>>

My passion for cars ignited an incredible journey. It all began with a curiosity about how every component worked together, from the pistons to the combustion engine. When my 2002 Trailblazer was damaged in an accident, I refused to give up on it. Instead, I took matters into my own hands, scouring local junkyards for parts to rebuild it. As I successfully replaced the front bumper, pulled out the frame, and installed a new clutch fan and radiator, I realized I had a knack for mechanics. Despite others doubting my abilities, I persevered, using online resources to learn and grow. Read more>>

Giorgos Dimitriou

Arsenios and I haven’t always been as close as we are now, but life’s challenges brought us together. Watching him struggle to build his businesses while I faced my own hardships made us realize how much stronger we could be as a team. Read more>>

Tiffany Catron

Actually, there is a bit of a story here. Where to begin? Well, even though it happened almost a decade ago, I remember it like it was just yesterday. The sting of betrayal, the tears streaming down my face, and the feeling of abandonment when he walked out the door. Never to return. Read more>>

Chandler Archuleta

One day, after a really difficult conversation with a horrible boss, I realized that spending 60 hours a week creating someone else’s dream was making me frustrated and unfulfilled. I decided to take a vacation and do some life coaching to reflect on what I wanted out of life. The security and comfort I had sought for 15 years had led me to a plateau where every effort just went in career circles. The life coaching sessions on my vacation were extremely effective because they were aboard a cruise ship. There were no daily distractions, and the ship was a perfect place to focus on evolving. Read more>>

Michelle Lang

I came up with this idea after a very bad experience with military transition. My husband left the Army in 2019. It was a difficult decision for him to make and not one he planned on making for a few more years. Circumstances made this the best choice for our family we decided, and he began the process of getting out. He ended up getting a job in our home state of rural PA which was great. It would have been the first time we lived near family in 5 years. A few months after he got out his mental health started to decline rapidly. Read more>>

Brian Wysong

My path to my current professional role was unconventional. I started teaching marketing, entrepreneurship and business classes at Liberty High School in Frisco, Texas. I served as a teacher for 10 years. Prior to teaching and coaching, I worked as the Director of Marketing and College Ministries at a large church. I then worked at a Branding and Marketing agency serving businesses, non-profits, churches, speakers and influencers from all across the world. Read more>>

Dan Hine

In the summer of 2017, while running a market company in Loudoun County, VA, we decided to give back to the community by offering free marketing services to a local farmers market co-op in need. Despite meeting with their board and presenting fresh, innovative ideas, our proposal for totally free services was turned down—perhaps they simply preferred that their markets remained more “old-school” and that our ideas were a bit too modern for their organization. Read more>>

Kelly Pfleider

From a young age, I was drawn to the stage. I felt comfortable and confident in front of a crowd, but as I worked to figure out who I was, I often silenced myself. I mistook compliance for courtesy—listening, following, and staying quiet because I thought it was the polite thing to do. Read more>>

Christle & Allie Aguilera

It was the spring of 2020 Christle had been layed off of her preschool teaching job and Allie had transitioned to online school following the Covid Pandemic.

By April we were bored and made candles one day for something to do. It was suggested to us to sell candles online to family and friends through social media, so thats what we did. Read more>>

Chloe Rhea

Since I was very young, I have always helped my dad in the kitchen. Whether he was making dinner or baking a dessert, I was always eager to do my part. As I grew older, I started to bake on my own trying recipes that interested me the most. When I became a teenager, I learned the importance of health and I started integrating it in my everyday life. Experimenting with my baking during the COVID quarantine, I substituted many ingredients for healthier alternatives. Whether it was a gluten-free flour or a low glycemic sugar, I always noticed how good I felt in comparison to when I ate commercial baked goods. Read more>>

Jahqyad Austin

My cookie company Jahqyad’s Twist started with me being a Sous Chef at a bakery in 2022, and feeling frustrated, overworked and ready to answer the burning, gut wrenching, passionate feeling of working for myself…
It started with me figuring out how to leave restaurants and become freelance full time. Read more>>

Tim Haft

The idea for Punk Rope was decades in the making, but it came into sharp relief in 2003 while I was recovering from knee surgery. As my mobility and strength improved, I began testing my limits and quickly realized that I could no longer safely play any of the sports that I enjoyed including basketball, football, and soccer. At 43 I was an old dog and needed some new tricks. Although I had never participated in group fitness classes, I decided I might as well give them a shot. For several months I tried more than a dozen classes at various gyms and community centers around New York City and while some were just fine, none really got me excited. Read more>>