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.

Shernita Brown

The story began in 2015, when the 24 year-old me was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Immediately following the birth of my daughter, I had began experiencing some stomach pains. I also started to experience other symptoms such as nausea/vomiting, extreme fatigue and unexplained weight loss. I literally saw my body go from 205Ibs to 150Ibs in a matter of weeks! I was terrified, confused, and in more pain than I had every experienced before. I sought medical attention to get to the bottom of these unexplainable changes, I was led to the belief that I now would have to life with these symptoms for the rest of my life. Read more>>

Sha-Lai Williams

I consider myself a serial entrepreneur. I’ve written devotional journals, started a Christian t-shirt line, hosted conferences for women and girls, spoken at women’s and academic conferences, and am always looking for new and exciting ways to share whatever I feel the Lord has given me. At one time, I was managing multiple social media pages and it just became too much. As I was reflecting over the smartest and most effective way to navigate all the great things I was being blessed to do, I decided that I needed to consolidate everything under one name, in one location. Read more>>

Satang Danso

I will begin by saying, as a woman growing up, I read a lot of fashion magazines and often raided my sister’s closet to create different outfits. From a tender age in high school, I started creating clothes that I eventually wore myself and my classmates wanted me to get them the same outfit. At this point in time, I knew I wanted to make a career of it. Read more>>

Natasha LaGrande

I’ve had a love for fashion since a young age. I began drawing clothing designs in college but being a full-time collegiate athlete left me with little time to pursue my clothing passion. Fast forward years later to 2017. I sat back and analyzed how people were following trends, reaching for images of themselves that weren’t natural, and chasing dreams that did not belong to them to simply “appear” a certain way to others. It was sad to think about because everyone is amazing in their own right. At this moment, La Grande Empire was born. Read more>>

Andrews Frimpong

It all started in 2015 few months before my service in the military ended. I shot a short film for a Buddys film festival at his school and we took first place. From there, I bought my first camera, started taking pictures of co-workers, family and friends and gradually entered in the photography field. I took my first gig as a solo wedding photographer somewhere in 2016/2017. It was a great experience for me because I didn’t think with the little knowledge I have someone could pay me to actually photograph them. Read more>>

Vanessa Perez

My mom passed away recently and her final months, everything took a backseat. Husband, kids, work, the home, friends, everything. It hadn’t sunk in when I was taking care of her in those months, that those were her final days here. Now 8 months later, I am so appreciative to had had the time to be with her. After her passing, I knew I wanted different for my life as far as how I spent my time. I still have certain responsibilities, one of those being brining income in to the house, but now I wanted to change that. Read more>>

Erika Sheppard

okay so picture this, it is May 2020 and the world is shut down! I am living in DC waiting to move to my new place. The property manager said they need more time for updates. I said okay, put my things in storage and load down my car and hit the road to visit my Momma and Sister in San Antonio, TX. I arrived May 17, 2020 and didn’t get a call until November, 2020 that my place was ready. I had already decided to stay and live here. Read more>>

Christella Taylor

How did Stella Bella came to be, well it was simply not ever finding the right ingredients for my skin type and the lifestyle I wanted to live. I’ve always struggled with acne and dark spots and tried every company out there but nothing ever seems to work permanently. So I started making face mask for myself because I workout a lot so I would be breaking out all over my face. Then I went natural and my hair was very dry even after using multiple products everyday. So then that began my journey of hair oil. Read more>>

Andy Atkins

Imagine this, The year is 2020 and the entire world comes to a halt. Everyone is sitting at home rethinking their life decisions and pursuing new hobbies while in quarantine. Well, at least that’s my story. I worked in the music industry for years. When covid hit and everything stopped, I was left with a lot of time on my hands. After knocking out every DIY home improvement i could possibly do and afford, I got a flattop griddle and started playing with burgers. Little did i know that at the same time my buddy, Cody, was amidst his own burger journey. Read more>>

Rana Kamal

My brother Khalid and I grew up in an entrepreneurial household. Our baba (father) immigrated from Jerusalem in the mid-70’s and opened up one of the first Middle Eastern restaurants in Minnesota in 1979, The Mediterranean Cruise Cafe. It was in this small cafe where he introduced hummus, baba ganoush, tabouli, falafel and other middle eastern staples to a predominately white community. Read more>>

Kiah Arnold

My business focuses on helping small businesses and startups (primarily owned by minorities or service minorities) clarify their brand to lead to more visibility and ultimately more revenue or opportunities. After seeing multiple start ups (particularly those owned by Black women) lack a clear brand story and professional marketing materials, I restructured EKMC to be a “brand-in-a-bag” solution. Read more>>

Felicia Jarrell.

I started Goldmine and Coco in 2017, two months after I had given birth to my daughter. At the time I was working at the bank and realized I didn’t want to be there anymore. I wanted to be able to be home with my daughter just like I’d done after having my son. As a new mom of a little girl, it was important to me for her to grow up in a world that thinks of her primarily, and not as an afterthought. I had a girlfriend who I’d talked about this with before and one day she just asked me “Why don’t you do what you love to do?” Read more>>

Kourtnie Robin

Life. It certainly has a way of lifting you up, and it undoubtedly knows how to knock you back down. In 2007, this perspective resonated with me as I began to intentionally navigate my career path, romantic relationships, family dynamics, and friendships. Along the way, I found that although I’d created a lifetime of heartfelt memories that could forever etch a smile on my face, failure and disappointment just lingered in the worst way. Read more>>

Jeralyn Victoria

My artwork historically has been about trauma and resilience. As the imagery morphed into fabric patterns, wearable art and interiors, it only made sense to me to start to also illustrate the body systems anatomically as well. Whether I mirror image the vagus nerve system to illustrate the importance of co-regulation or layer chakra toned water color under a spinal diagram to connect physical pain with spiritual and emotional landscapes, I’m suggesting these are all somatic and interconnected results of environment and generational patterns. Read more>>

Nihija Collins

I had always said I wanted to start a hair business back in 2019. I would say it so much but I was scared to just jump out there and go for it, you know.. even though I kind of had it mapped out. I was worried about the support mainly and me being such an introverted person it was way out my comfort zone. I never really told anyone what I was planning, so when I took the idea and ran with it I had no clue what I was doing fully just a vision. A year later, I decided to start my hair business in 2020. Read more>>

Josh Schipkowski

I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to help a couple of friends build their business – a food marketing agency – into a great success over the course of nearly 14 years. The scrappy startup lifestyle grew on me. It was tough, hours were long, but there was never a dull moment! Over time, my position evolved from hands-on creative to leading teams to a business strategy position where I spent a fair amount of time in new business development. The agency had grown, and the budgets of smaller brands were difficult to accommodate, yet we received a lot of leads from small and startup companies. We often had to turn them away. Read more>>

Catherine Jaxon

Our oldest daughter is allergic to most tree nuts after we followed the old guidelines to avoid them. Food allergies are a huge public health problem that affects 1 in 13 kids (two per classroom) – yet the latest research shows that many food allergies can be prevented. Dr. Gideon Lack’s groundbreaking LEAP Study (2015) found that starting peanut foods in infancy reduced the rate of peanut allergies by up to 86%, overturning old feeding guidelines that had recommended avoiding allergens, in favor of introducing them early and often. Read more>>

Naomy Jones.

I originally came up with the idea of a press on nail business in 2017 or 2018. I was thinking about how many people didn’t sell press on nails yet at the time. I wasn’t very serious about starting the project as I am now. I was more focused on being a music artist. When the pandemic hit I realized that I should start the idea because it made sense to do it at this time. I really took a liking to creating art. Read more>>

Taylor Kiley

I’m a full time anesthetist here in Savannah, GA, I love my job but it certainly comes with its fair share of stress taking care of patients when they are their most vulnerable. What helps that alleviate that stress are my family, friends, and coworkers, To put it in perspective, my coworkers are not just my friends, they’re a second family for me. We’re all close and we have a penchant for reality tv, especially The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, I started hosting “Bachelor Mondays” and I would make a charcuterie board each week. Read more>>

Dena Williams

During the time I was in college I worked at a makeup studio as a makeup artist and eyelash tech. After not landing a job in my field and being unhappy at my current job at the time. I decided to become a entrepreneur. In 2010 I started my business, LuvaLash: Make-up and Eyelash Styling. Through this new business I created marketing materials for my brand. My clients would ask, who created your marketing materials. I would tell them I did. I thought it was a win win, I can service my clients to beautify them and help them to brand their business. Read more>>

Kai Andes

I started KraftedByKai in the Fall of 2019. I was the President of the Alpha Omicron Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority INC. at the time and I was in the middle of bringing in the Fall 2019 neophytes. I had the idea to create my own staff for the probate and to gift each neophyte with a custom gift that they could cherish forever. I gifted each young girl a Pearl mirror with their individual line number on it. That’s how it all started, wanting to do something nice to welcome those young ladies to our chapter. Read more>>

Jeremy Swick

To answer this, I need to take us a back a little bit. It was 2017 and I had finished grad school at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, earning my Masters in Public History. I had the opportunity to do an amazing internship at the H.H. Bennett Studio, a historic photography studio and museum, in the Wisconsin Dells, WI. Eventually that internship ended, and I moved back in with my folks in the Milwaukee area. I needed work and I needed it fast. I ended up working second shift cleaning schools. Actually, I was supposed to be managing cleaners but with a job with such a high turnover rate, I ended up cleaning most nights. Read more>>

Gabrielle Stahlschmidt

My love for teaching grew naturally out of my passion to encourage and inspire people on a grassroots level; because music is such a uniquely personal gift, through it, I get to encourage and empower strong, independent voices in amazing ways! To me, music has always been the means to get to the heart of what I do; namely encouraging personal confidence, cultivating voices that matter, and celebrating self-expression, through the creative arts.  Read more>>

Steven and Kimberly Durecki

When we first came up with the idea of doing aerial photography/videography for Real Estate there was really no one doing this but a couple of people. I have always been an avid remote-control hobbyist and had been flying remote control airplanes and helicopters for over 20 years when drones made a big impact on the RC world. When I started out, you had to build your own drone. I started from scratch and built a custom DJI 450, which I hard mounted a GoPro camera to it. Drones did not even have gimbals back then. Read more>>

Lorena.

I have always loved to find different things to wear from what everyone else was wearing, and so I found myself at times making things because I couldn’t find it to buy what I had pictured in my head. I would make special pieces for friends inspired by their personality and so they would ask me, when will you start your own business? Read more>>

Dat Gurl Secrete

As a musical artist, my desire to be creative sometimes supersedes my ability to focus on a single endeavor at a time. Once I started into the entertainment field, I began to travel frequently within the US and internationally. On one of my visits to Jamaica, I was visiting New Kingston and I met a cool driver and befriended him. After spending a few weeks with my new driver in New Kingston, I was introduced to a very prestigious family who owned multiple businesses throughout the island. Read more>>

Andrea Magder

I lost my son in 2017. After his death I discovered short stories, song lyrics and the beginning of a novel he had been working on. I struggled to process the realization that his dream of becoming a published writer was cut short. I felt I needed to honor him in some way. I wanted to share his work, but I didn’t know how. Read more>>

Shannon Frisch

Canine Therapy, at this time, is more well known in places like California, Colorado and the Pacific Northwest. When I completed my training, I knew that I wanted to bring this profession to the Charleston area. There are only a few Certified Canine Rehab Therapists or CCRTs, in the entire state of SC. I came up with the idea of a mobile practice to make it convenient and flexible for pet owners. Often, it is difficult for people to get an injured and/or older dog in and out of the car, as well as in and out of the Vet office. Some dogs have anxiety about the noises at busy clinics. Read more>>

Tiarra Adams

Before I decided to make Viva La Vegan a business back in 2018, I really enjoyed creating and cooking different vegan cuisines for my interest. Early on before Viva La Vegan I had a lot of aches, pains, and brain fog. At the time I was going through a very rough relationship and I was having mental brain fog and high anxiety. I was so stressed out to the point I was loosing sight of who I was. Then I came across an article that said a plant based diet would clear brain fog, so I cold turkey stopped all meat, dairy, and process food and ate plant based foods for two weeks straight. Read more>>

Kenessa Surratt

I came up with the idea of Unique Sole Styling Firm during my Freshman year of college. I remember moving into my small college dorm room and having limited space. I have always had a love for shoes since I was a child so I knew I would be purchasing more during the year but, quickly noticed I would not have enough room for them. As I walked the campus people would stop me and complement my shoes, or ask me where I got them. I would happily tell them and say “if we are the same size, you can have them” I have never had a problem with giving someone the shirt off of my back or in this case the shoes off of my feet. Seeing that others gravitated towards my style always made me feel happy and empowered. Read more>>

Mary McWilliam

Believe it or not, I did not go out seeking this as my occupation initially. Let’s just say that my business was revealed to me by divine inspiration! One night while lying in bed I felt an internal nudge to seek out a local metaphysical shop near me. The first place that came up was a little shop called Stone Soup. While looking at their website, I saw they had a weekly class called intuition 101. I felt very drawn to go, so I asked a friend to go with me. The place was full of energy and the people there were very inviting. We met our teacher, a local psychic medium. Read more>>

Kate McDee

Find Your Life Fitness is a virtual “group fitness” studio that began quite organically during 2020 and COVID. The timing of everything came together perfectly! I had started teaching fitness in the Summer of 2019 after transitioning from a 10-year career as an elementary teacher. I knew I wanted to teach independently versus working in a gym setting. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the fitness industry does not pay instructors what they are worth as far as the time, energy and passion we pour into putting together high-quality classes. Read more>>

Brittany Singleton

July 2020, during the peak of the pandemic, was the birth of B’s Passion Flavors, LLC. Who knew selling wings out of my small apartment just to pay rent for the next month to get by, would turn into a small business? My vision started to come to reality. Cooking was always a hobby for me. During the pandemic, I enjoyed cooking new dishes and creating different wing flavors. Creating those dishes gave me the vision to start my small business and to share my dishes with the Charleston community. Read more>>

Tanvi Dave

I was first exposed to Zumba at a local gym in Austin, and I knew right away this was something I would love to teach someday – it was a perfect combination of Dance and Group Fitness! I started training and got my Zumba Instructor Licenses, AFAA (Athletics & Fitness Association of America) Group Fitness Certification and BollyX (Bollywood Fitness) Instructor Certifications for kids and adults. Read more>>

Dr. Kim Barnes

Kreeative Doses was founded during the pandemic. Pharmacy school became virtual, my job had furloughed me, and I had a lot of free time at home. I tapped into my creative side and started crafting things in my living room. I bought a Cricut machine and began making t-shirts. My family and friends loved my designs and suggested that I turn my hobby into a business. I saw there was a need for custom t-shirts for the clubs at my school, so I decided to offer my services to my peers and received my first order as a business. I also had a lot of family and friends asking me a ton of questions about Covid-19, such as what vitamins and supplements to take or if something they heard in the media was true. Read more>>

Andreina Pradas

Since I was 11 years old, I started studying happiness. I have an aunt who introduced me to self development, happiness, and spirituality. After that, I continue studying until today. I always wanted to find the science behind happiness. And it was in 2018, when I had an encountered with depression and started applying what I know called “Live in Happiness”, a program with 7 steps that got me out of my depression. Read more>>

Lateka Starnes-Council

As a licensed esthetician in a small city, I had to think of a way to stand out and offer something no one else around me was doing. I sat and thought of a way to infuse my hemp business and passion into my passion for skincare. Boom! I came up with The Hempsthetician and made my spa hemp-based, meaning every product I sell or use has hemp seed oil inside. Then I thought of a way to stand out and be more visible, everyone offered Vsteams, waxing, and facials, so I based my spa around body sculpting. Within that time frame, I became a certified phlebotomy tech and can now offer lab work, DNA and drug testing, and moving toward offering IV hydration. That’s how I came up with the idea for Herbal Euphoria Skyn & Body and InvostiX, allowing my passions ti infuse into one. Read more>>

Kamaria McMillian

The start of Moonly Organics is not credited to one specific moment in my life. My first period experience was amazing compared to so many of the horror stories that I have heard over the years from other women. Before I started my first menstrual cycle, I was fully prepared by my Grandmother, who was a women’s Health Nurse for 25+ years, my Aunt and my mother. My grandmother sat me down months prior to me starting my cycle, and she spoke with me for hours about my feminine parts and what to expect as I am going through puberty. Read more>>

Shafawn Morrison

Hello working at the hospital became very depressing during covid. I loved fashion and I worked in the medical field so I figured I can make scrubs that we’re fashionable. I wanted to put a new twist to uniforms in the medical industry. Read more>>

Kelsie Kenney

The Little Palm Boutique was purely an idea that came completely from my head when I saw the building for the first time. I thought “why is no one doing something really cool with that unique building?” When I first toured the place I knew instantly that I was going to open my first business and do something that no one has ever really done before in the area. I was going to open a boutique AND a coffee shop in the same building. There really isn’t any coffee shops or boutiques around that area unless you go downtown. Read more>>

Ayana Turner.

One day I was having a conversation with my four children about ownership in our African-American communities, generational wealth, and the concept of it. I began to tell them how they won’t be able to pass a job down to their children, but they can pass down a business to them. Entrepreneurship isn’t easy, but when you have built it from the ground up, it holds a profound significance to you. Read more>>

Erica Hoese

I lost my identity when becoming a mom, not right away, but slowly over the years. It was during my third pregnancy that I got to a point that I didn’t even recognize the woman staring back at me. I was very negative toward myself and it was one of the lowest points of my life. I remember standing in front of the mirror about a month after my third child was born… and saying horrible things about myself and not truly loving me for me. Read more>>

Walter Eastbrook

Arte Agave began in NYC 10 years ago, when I saw the writing on the wall about the Tequila/Mezcal category exploding into the United States. I was bartending in New York City and people started to ask more and more questions about expressions of tequila and we were starting to hear whispers of this mysterious Mezcal character. Personally, I loved Agave Spirits and wanted to make myself a vessel for other folks to fall in love with it too. It started as some bartenders wanting to create meaningful NYC events. There are all kinds of festivals out there, but I knew we could create something unique by moving forward with heart. Read more>>