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.

Danielle Roberts

Though I didn’t realize it yet, the seeds of my business were planted in one of the darkest moments of my life in 2013, when my mom passed away just nine weeks after her cancer diagnosis. With a $28,000 per year salary and student loan payments, I couldn’t afford to take FMLA while caregiving, so I worked in hospital waiting rooms and throughout hospice, and was back at my desk after just three days of my allotted bereavement leave. Read more>>

Lilliauna Hopkins

Put simply, my business idea wasn’t mine. I know that might sound ridiculous, but just walk with me through this and you’ll understand.

Currently, I’m a creative entrepreneur that uses social media platforms to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world by telling my story and the hardships I’ve grown through since giving my life to Jesus. Something I never thought I, of all people, would be doing as a current PhD candidate who is passionate about social justice, racial equity, and education. Despite the seeming opposition these two roles seem to have, they actually coincide much more than I ever expected them to. Read more>>

Jess Rao, Andy Jimison, Alecia Bishop And Ellie Ellis

Cordella’s was born from a shared love of coffee, community, and the vibrant café culture that Andy Jimison and Jess Rao experienced during their 16 years living in Brooklyn. Living in a place where every corner had a coffee shop that doubled as a gathering place, they saw how a well-crafted space could bring people together, inspire creativity, and foster a sense of belonging. Early pandemic, they moved to Worcester to be closer to family and wanted to bring that same energy to a city with a growing arts and cultural scene but still room for a café that blended high-quality coffee with a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Read more>>

Asor Pena-terron

One summer about 3 years ago, my full time job as a Program Manager began to slow down to the point where I was only working about 12 hours a week. Financially, that was a difficult year. Then one random Wednesday, I decided to comfort myself with some ChocoFlan. I shared them on my social media and my messages were flooded with request to sell them! That’s when I decided to invest $50 in baking supplies and started selling them from my little apartment. As the days went by the orders continued to come in and those $50 were the best idea I could have ever done. Read more>>

Torie Jones

In 2016, I was invited to another music summit, this one in Columbus, GA, as part of the committee. It was there I was introduced to a media company called Hot Talk Radio, led by Trapper John, a well-known DJ and promoter. This was a self-start company to join their online radio platform. I was so excited because I had always wanted to know what it was like to be a radio show producer. I dove right in. I connected with a few friends I knew who would assist me in creating a show. As a promoter from my Atlanta club/event promoter days, I already had a marketing and promotion head start. I curated a cast and crew in one week and went into staging a set in my living room to look like a studio. Read more>>

Ashley Huren-johnson

The idea for my business came from my obsession and love of macarons! As a college graduation gift, I visited France and I fell in love with them there. I was captivated by the delicate nature and colorful assortment – each one with their very own unique look and flavor. You never know what you are going to get when you bite into a pretty crisp-yet chewy meringue shell, with a surprise filling. It felt like edible artistry! Read more>>

T0m Loftus

In 2011, my now wife and I started dating and a big part of our first dates was mini golf. We realized that we both had a deep fondness for the game that went back to our respective childhoods. The two of us wanted to seek out unique and special courses so we naturally went online to search. Prior to this, I had spent a lot of time in the music world running a record label, booking shows, and supporting artists. I knew that with the rise of the internet, you could find deep pockets of information on the history of every genre, sub-genre, and artist in the world of music. I assumed that mini golf was well documented online and we’d be able to directories of courses and find out where we could play the best courses around. Read more>>

Allison Smith

The idea for my business – Allison Hallie Fitness – stemmed from always being passionate about the health and fitness industry along with a burning desire to leave teaching.

I had been a middle school teacher for 9 years and each year I found my stress levels rising and my passion for the job lowering. Read more>>

Bonnie Williams

I’ve always known I would become a nail tech—it wasn’t even a question for me. The moment that solidified it was when I was around 11 or 12 years old. I remember flipping through an old magazine and seeing these incredible 3D nail designs—dice, playing cards, curved nails, money encapsulated in acrylic. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. The creativity, the boldness—I was mesmerized. That was the moment I knew I had found my calling. Read more>>

Harley Johnson

For the last decade I’ve used graphic designing, event coordination and country dancing as a sense of therapy and hobby I loved. Creating, bringing things to life and bring joy to people’s lives in some sort of fashion has always been my thing. Read more>>

Pasquale Caccavella

The idea for Salem Soil Solutions didn’t come from a traditional business plan—it evolved naturally, driven by curiosity, passion, and a deep appreciation for soil as the foundation of all life.

It started years ago when I was in college studying Packaging Science at Clemson University. While my coursework focused on engineering and materials science, my personal interests took me in an entirely different direction. During that time, I developed a deep love for exercise and nutrition, which led me to question everything about the food I was eating. Read more>>

Alexandra Agarwal

After living in Europe for 6 years, and getting two design degrees I was searching for my dream job and applying to every design firm in London. During this time Brexit came into action, I lost my immigration status and was forced to move back home to Austin Texas. Out of desperation, I took a job that didn’t align with what I wanted to do. It was a well-compensated design job but super demanding with an emotionally volatile and toxic boss. Not living authentically and tolerating a job I knew wasn’t for me started to take a toll on my mental, I lowkey hated my life :). It was then that I decided I wanted to create a job for myself that afforded everything I wanted in a career and lifestyle. Read more>>

Fernanda Fell

When I first started studying digital marketing, I was piecing things together from different courses, trying to make sense of all the moving parts. It felt like I was collecting puzzle pieces without seeing the full picture. Over time, I realized I was essentially creating a formula—one that helped me navigate my own goals more efficiently. Read more>>

Megan Mendez

Back in 2021, as a teacher, I was severely burnt out and was looking for ways to supplement my income to pay off debt and leave the classroom. I learned of freelancing and used it to make extra money on the side for my family. Throughout that process, I paid off $53,000 worth of debt, and at the end of the school year in 2021, I was able to walk away from my teaching job and fully dive into the world of entrepreneurship. What started as virtual assisting, then turned into social media management for small businesses, quickly turned into helping others on their path to financial freedom as well. I knew this would work because I had done it myself; I am the walking proof. I am passionate about helping others achieve financial freedom to truly live the life they desire. Read more>>

Anna Morgenstern

I was helping friends for years before I got into the dating industry professionally. I was always passionate about my friends dating men who were respectful and treated them well, but so many were dating men who were not! I would constantly set up friends with guys I thought were more appropriate and after a few marriages, I decided to make it into a business. Read more>>

Natalia Cavaliere

Your Journey Yoga is a vision that came to me early on in my personal yoga practice (approximately 7 years ago). I didn’t know the exact form this business would take, but the name resonated with me deeply. It is through embracing my own unique journey and experiences in life, on the mat and off the mat, that I have experienced the most growth, joy, and abundance. As a result, it has also become the heart of my current business: to help others connect with their most authentic selves. Read more>>

Janeil Pierre

It was June 2019, less than 30 days before I retired from the Army. As I sat with my legs folded on the sectional in my living room, reminiscing about the comfortable life I had built for myself, my heart sank into the pit of my stomach.

” What am I going to do now?”
“What can I do to bring in money that wouldn’t aggravate my broken back and torn hip?”
“Being a Soldier is all I know; what am I supposed to do?” Read more>>

Morgan Chapin

At a time in my life when I was constantly searching for gifts—whether for baby showers, weddings, housewarmings, or other special occasions—I grew frustrated with the lack of a single store that offered thoughtfully curated gifts for all of life’s milestones. I wanted to change that. Read more>>

Monique Lore’ Stinson

The idea for The Pandemic Project Documentary emerged during a pivotal moment in March 2020, when I watched firsthand as the work and projects I had dedicated over a decade to suddenly slowed and vanished. Like so many others around the world at that time, the uncertainty was overwhelming—none of us truly understood the full scope of what we were facing. However, I recognized that I had a unique skill set, a deep curiosity, and the resilience to pivot. I set out to create something new—a documentary film concept born from this unprecedented moment. Read more>>

Lorna Murdock

1. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
It all started with a mission to connect with my daughter, who was diagnosed with autism in 1999. After spending countless hours searching for resources that missed the mark, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I started creating learning tools using her interests, which finally broke through to her. That breakthrough was the lightbulb moment. Seeing her engage was all the inspiration I needed to continue. Read more>>

Dawn Train

I am a single mom of two with a degree in early childhood and have a love for art. I especially love working with 18 months to two-year old’s in a classroom setting. In March of 2020 I was skiing on the mountain during spring break with my son and suffered a severe concussion on my very first ever ski run. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was skiing with Adaptive Sports as a parent since my son was the participant. After taking a tumble, I sat up and said “I don’t know what just happened, but I’m OK” and I remember looking across the slope and I could see my instructors face was white as a sheet and his mouth just open like oh my gosh what just happened. He seriously thought they were going to have to get ski patrol to help get me off the mountain is how bad it looked to him. Read more>>

Natalia Cornejo

I began experimenting with flower pressing in 2018 after a friend returned from vacation and gifted me a small booklet filled with flowers she had preserved from a hike. Botanical flower pressing dates back to 16th-century Japan, but until that moment, it was entirely new to me. The flowers were so beautiful that I decided to press more and design mini cards. Before long, I was crafting framed florals and gifting them to close friends and family for birthdays and special occasions. What started as a simple creative outlet gradually became a form of self-care—especially after long, intense days in my role as a home visitor. Read more>>

Paola Jurgelewicz

I’ve always found learning English challenging. As someone who excels in math, reaching the top while having English as a second language has been difficult. But here’s a fun fact: before I decided to become a professional linguist, I took a neuroscience test that measured my learning capabilities. The results suggested that my learning ability is “limited”—yet, it works perfectly for me! The test indicated that I learn a new language through an equal balance of 25% reading, 25% listening, 25% speaking, and 25% writing. Read more>>

Sheila Lehman

After years working as a decorative painter, mostly out on jobsites in homes, businesses and churches, the number of projects that were “things” that needed transformation with paint finishes and not “places”, started to increase. Clients had everything from furniture to signs to steel brackets and sound systems and lighting that needed very specialized paint finishes and color matching. Falling back on tons of experience with all kinds of paint, prep and repair materials and techniques helped me tackle all kinds of weird projects. It’s been years of constant learning, experimenting and creating. Constant learning about new materials and relying on my favorite tried and true tools. The more I worked, the more I realized that not many other people were doing this work. Read more>>

Tory Sjovall

I started my spiritual journey in my mid-late 20’s when I was working a corporate retail job in NYC. I was traditionally successful – making 6 figures before 30, a busy social life and had just met the guy that later became my husband, but something always felt just slightly off (or more than slightly depending on the day). I was exhausted, anxious and forgetful. Read more>>

Lyda Michopoulou

It was 2014 when I was first introduced to coaching and what it is. At the time I was working as a soft-skills trainer with companies and non-profit organizations, and during the summers donating my time pro-bono at training summer schools. It was at one of those summer schools where I came in contact with other coaches and got into the world of coaching. Read more>>

Sharon Smith-akinsanya

At the time, I saw corporations struggling to connect with consumers and Professionals of Color. They were leaving money on the table because they didn’t have the right relationships. They weren’t in the right rooms. They weren’t having the right conversations. And I knew I could help fix that. Read more>>

Coni Mackey

The idea for Buy Without Agents (BWAs) came to me after the big lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors, which changed the game for homebuyers. With sellers no longer responsible for paying the buyer’s agent commission, I knew this shift could create a challenge—many buyers wouldn’t want, or be able, to cover that additional cost themselves. Read more>>

Lylelana Bernardez

After realizing that corporate fashion no longer fulfilled me, I turned to health and wellness because I loved it and I know that health is your greatest wealth. I enrolled in a health coaching program to address my chronic fatigue, health issues and hope to do the same for others. This marked the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey. While helping clients with their health, I felt a deep pull to do more to guide them holistically in discovering their life purpose and creating a meaningful life. Read more>>

Crystal Taylor

Before I graduated from North Carolina Central University, I just knew I would gain employment at a established creative agency in the area. Become the new fresh project manager for ads and campaigns around the city and state. But I was sadly mistaken. I applied and got farther and farther everytime I applied, yes I applied to the same company several times and still was never offered the job. I felt defeated and overly frustrated and what did I do, go back to school thinking I needed more education to be appeal to them. While in grad school I saw that my friends and I didn’t have a space to go that we felt safe and secure. Read more>>