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.
Anita Carnevale.
Charcuterie has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. When I was younger I remember going to my Nonna’s house to make homemade dried sausage and coppa. Italian music playing in the background, everyone drinking wine, laughing, and creating memories. It was, and still is, a wonderful tradition that we do every year except now the roles have changed and I actually have to do the work instead of just watching everyone else. Homemade dried sausage, coppa, a big chunk of cheese, rustic bread, and homemade wine are the focal point of every Sunday meal and family gathering. Read more>>
Sharon R. Lane.
My writing coach and publisher Sharlrita DeLoatch encouraged me to write about something that will solve a problem for others. So, at the beginning of the announcement of the Covid-19 coronavirus, I took notice as to how the world came to a halt as what had been “normal” was no longer. Everyone had to make adjustments to daily living. The activities that we took for granted such as taking a walk outside, going to the grocery store to get supplies, making a trip to the bank for simple transactions, going to school and work to be amongst our peers now required us to wear a mask. Read more>>
Carolyn Ucciferro
In the spring of 2020, at the height of the pandemic, I started a memory garden to honor two of my late aunts that loved flowers. It was a small cutting garden with four raised beds, pea gravel and a wooden fence sourced from fallen trees on our property. Working with my hands and seeing the beauty of the garden throughout the season was the perfect mix of honoring, healing and honing skills. These lessons in that original cutting garden would soon be needed as I began my farming and floral business the following season. Read more>>
Lisa Poarch
its been a Dream of mine for over 30 years. I drove my family crazy talking about it all time, I would go on and on about the wedding venue and wanting to make peoples dreams come true celebrating happy times. So as the years keep clicking by, thinking I’m not getting any younger, if I’m going to make this dream come true, its time to make a mover.. We were making some life time changes, so we just added this in with our plans. Read more>>
Lisa Williams
I have always been interested in website design and technology in general. As an elementary teacher I was the “tech teacher” who used all the cool tools, incorporated them into our classroom and exposed the kids to various technologies they used to express creativity while learning at the same time. When I worked for an educational technology company for a few years (2010-2013), I learned more and enjoyed exploring ways technology can enhance both classroom learning and business owners. Read more>>
Madeline Davis
In college, where we met, my husband and I went to an intensive, very conservative work-study school that required much of our time and had strict rules about how we could utilize our limited free-time. After we got married, we were one of the few in our friend group that had a home outside campus. This provided a much need reprieve from the pressures of school, while still following the guidelines set in place. Read more>>
Jeni Jarrard-Donck.
My husband, Nicolas, started Crystal Organic Farm in 1993 as a certified organic vegetable and fruit farm. I met Nicolas while buying food from his farm in 2012. A couple of years later while going through some major life transitions, I reached out to him for a part time job in his farm. I was initially drawn to the plants, the soil, and the hard work, but quickly learned that the healing farming offered me would be larger than anything else. Read more>>
Alexandria Garrison-Crews
The idea of Meat N The Middle was birthed out of growing up in a family that loved to cook and throw family dinners it was instilled in me at an early age the center of every gathering was food. In college my friends and I would get together weekly for social hours and I became the main cook, as cooking is therapeutic and fun for me. There was no shortage in the menu, I would cook everything from bbq on the grill to pasta dishes to tacos that became a fan favorite. Read more>>
SB Brown
Since a young kid growing up, I always had a niche for fashion, & I always wanted to have & own my very own clothing brand. In December of 2017, I met the love of my life, that’s now my wife of 2yrs & we’ve been together for 5yrs now. I based my clothing brand name on finding TRUE LOVE. That’s how I came up with TRULOVE CLOTHING BRAND. Read more>>
Marsha Douglas-Sydnor
After being healthy most of my life, I was suddenly diagnosed with a brain tumor and didn’t know what tomorrow would bring. I thought about my 3 children, my dreams, my family, and what my future would look like. Although I didn’t show it, I was scared. My husband insisted that I take a much needed mental break and he generously surprised me with a destination island getaway. With any excuse to go shopping and lift my spirits, of course, I was eager to update my vacation wardrobe and always wanted to have a nude pair of sunglasses to match my beautiful skin tone and to go perfectly with every outfit that I packed. Read more>>
Nita Sweeney
While discussing my next book idea with my editor at Mango Publishing, Brenda Knight, she asked about the short, movement meditation videos I’d begun to post on social media. “What about a book centered around those?” My first book, Depression Hates a Moving Target, had been a running and mental health memoir. I hoped the next book would center on mindfulness meditation. But we didn’t want to lose the “movement’ audience. Hence, Make Every Move a Meditation: Mindful Movement for Mental Health, Well-Being, and Insight was born. Read more>>
Jay Hicks
The idea originated when I was in high school. And the idea was small at first but it came into fruition during the start of Covid/lockdown, and the beginning of the protests- lead by the BLM movement. As a young African American male, I wanted and felt so lead to truly make a difference. And that is when the idea of ShapeYourWorld began. It would be a fashion brand that focuses on positive messaging, with the believe that “You have the power to shape the world around you”. Read more>>
Kreskin Torres
My mission was to experience America and I wanted to spend time learning about the cultures and communities around the country. One night I sat in my car at BWI Airport staring at the dashboard and said to myself, I can use Uber/ Lyft to journey across the country and that’s how my niche began. I thought that is would be a great way to spend time with locals in my vehicle and I would also receive the best recommendations for food and history while interacting with each person. The creative part would be maintaining a steady income while traveling. Read more>>
Denesha Cuneo
Back in 2018-19, I was working as a registered dialysis nurse. Getting up at 3-4 o clock in the morning to be at work by 5 am. More times than not we were short staffed and Each day was usually 10-14 hour work days. I had a work event in Denver Colorado and was roommates with my now business partner. She explained the business but I brushed her off, thinking I’m well enough off as a nurse I don’t need another source of income. Boy, was I wrong! Read more>>
Lori Griffin
In March of 2020, when the world came crashing down and I lost my job, not only was I unemployed, but I was also in a health crisis. I had gained 60 pounds in the matter of 2 years, putting my own physical and mental health on the backburner and I made ONE decision that changed everything. I took a supplement and wrote a food plan that kickstarted this whole journey. The catalyst was a nightshirt….I ordered it, it was monogrammed, I couldn’t button it and I couldn’t return it! Read more>>
Latia Parker.
My dad was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in June of 2020 and transitioned on November 22, 2020. During this time I had the privilege in becoming one of his caregivers. My dad was a diligent worker, and had the desire to help many people. During this journey as a caregiver, it became apparent to me how difficult it can be to go through the process (Pancreatic Cancer). I saw firsthand, the pain my dad went through physically and mentally. Read more>>
Blake Wright
I grew up in Taylors Falls, Minnesota which is a town of about 1,000 people. Throughout my teenage years, the church was my safe place. I was the kid who would never miss youth group on Wednesday nights. I would even rollerblade or bike on Wednesday nights if my parents weren’t available to give me a ride! Growing up I struggled academically, so when graduation time came I knew that I didn’t want to go the traditional route of attending college right away. Read more>>
Darrius Newton
When the world shut down for Covid, I wanted my immune system to be as strong as I could get it. Sea moss was apart of my routine, but since I was working from home and my routine switched I needed a new way to incorporate sea moss into my diet. I got the genius idea to put sea moss into my coffee and it was disgusting. I tried different ways to make it, but I couldn’t get it right. Read more>>
Heather Stanley
Like so many small business owners, I really stumbled into the business world on accident! I’m a very creative person, and I have always enjoyed baking, so when I took a cookie decorating class, something just clicked. I knew immediately that this was something I enjoyed and I was also naturally adept at, and I wanted to pursue it further. I began experimenting with different recipes and techniques in my kitchen, and sometimes posted photos of what I was making to my social media pages. After a few weeks I got my first order, and the rest is history. Read more>>
Treasure Crocker.
I’m an animal nurse turned entrepreneur, I’ve always had a passion for animals and wanting to make sure that they have the best quality of life. The business idea to start Pawstries came after my dog, Chase, became severely sick after suffering from an allergic reaction to eating store-bought treats. Not knowing or even being able to pronounce all of the ingredients on the back of the labels on treats at the store, I wanted to be able to not only provide my dogs with healthy treats that included all-natural and gluten-free ingredients but also to other fur babies who deserve to have a healthy snack that’s not loaded with artificial preservatives and other ingredients that aren’t the best for them, and thus became the start of Pawstries. Read more>>
Gwen Monique Billings
I started working for a manufacture in the professional beauty industry in 1990 and have been in ever since. I worked my way up from a Customer Service Representative, to management positions for haircare, skincare and cosmetics companies. After reviewing various cosmetic companies and seeing the limited products available, I knew that there was a missing link to people of color. I planned a dinner with close girlfriends (one being a makeup artist/blogger and the other, owning her own successful haircare brand) to talk about my issues of being a Latina with limited products out there that are geared for medium to darker skin types. Read more>>
Althea Hanson
, Althea Hanson, was born in Jamaica on January 20, 1978 and I moved to Columbia, MD in 1990. I was raised in Howard County and I graduated from Wilde Lake Highschool in 1996. Following my highschool education, I attended Howard Community College and later pursued a career in commercial real estate. I was successful in my role as an acquisition manager, and throughout my life I have always been driven by my dreams. Read more>>
Gibran Sponchiado
Nashville has an immense amount of musicians, songwriters, producers, recording engineers, and studios like no other city in the world. After graduating in the MFA of Recording Arts and Technologies at Middle Tennessee State University, diving into the local recording industry was the natural path for me. With previous experience operating a recording studio in Brazil, opening one in Nashville was a dream. Read more>>
Meagan Miller.
Being a young woman who loves Christ and does her best to live for him on a daily it is not easy to “fit in” with those around me. So I decided to create a safe space for women of faith to come together and not be judged for who they area and the struggles they face. I see the same thing on social media, women doing anything for attention, exploiting their bodies and idolizing this idea of being perfect. I want people to know that none of us are perfect but we serve a perfect God. Read more>>
Valeria Simms.
When I was in high school, I remember being super excited about planning for college, especially meeting with my guidance counselor. I wanted help with applying to colleges, getting scholarships, selecting college, visiting colleges. That meeting lasted 15 minutes and I was disappointed. What I later realized is my counselor was overwhelmed and did not have the time to dedicate to me. Fast forward many years later, I realize my own children would face similar circumstances. Read more>>
Ingrid Ginn
I believe God gave everybody a gift. Since I have memory, I always been a craft person. I remember that I used to make some craft things and I used to sell them at my school. On September 23rd, 2020 I open my business, because I started making earrings with polymer clay for me or to give as a gift to my friends, but my husband and my girls told me that they were really pretty and I must sell them. Read more>>
Amanda Thayer .
The idea of my business started as a coping mechanism to deal with a serious illness i was experiencing. In 2015 i pretty dramatically injured my knee doing one of those mud run obstacle courses and ended up needing 3 surgeries over the next several years to address the issue. So when in 2020 i was diagnosed with Adenomyosis, a condition in which endometrial tissue exists within and grows into the uterine wall. Read more>>
Morgan Holmes & Natalie Davis Styled & Organized Systems
Morgan and Natalie, friends since elementary school, both grew up developing organizational habits. Instead of playing dolls, we were organizing and decorating the doll houses and later in life, continuing into our friends and family’s closets, kitchens and storage spaces. While we both went on to pursue other avenues after college, we continued to use our creative gifts and in 2019, came together with the idea that this could be a unique and profitable venture. Read more>>
Laura Williams
Vinyl Lollipops was established in 2011 as a side project from my photography business. It was ladies, which I called my “Lollipops” posing with records “Vinyl.” Lollipop was my nickname when I was a child. All of the vinyls I received from a family member. Jumping forward to 2018 I interviewed my first band. This came about because a radio DJ kept putting off the interview of a local band. I had my Facebook page still posted from the photography era and decided to post the interview there. Read more>>
Mariah Perryman
I came up with the idea for Faven Essentials because the natural hair care industry is in need of more salon quality product selections. As a licensed cosmetologist, I have noticed that there are not enough high end products marketed toward black women with natural hair. It leaves consumers and stylists choosing between limited options that may not fully address certain hair concerns. That is why I decided to partner with black and women own laboratories to formulate products with healthy ingredients that yield desired results. Read more>>
Jennifer Hihn
Ive always had a love and passion for plants and creating things. One day I was sitting at home and started hand painting pottery and hand stamping words on the pots. I tried selling them on FB market place. They took off much quicker than I anticipated. I lost my job during covid shutdown and started doing it full time. Over that first summer I was doing 4-5 local pop ups. Read more>>
Roe Wallace.
Rosie’s Vending was created in the pandemic. I saw an opportunity to make passive income and also thought of an idea of creating a youth entrepreneurial program. I purchased vending books from THE VENDING BIZZ and Elite Global and after reading I was more inclined to start the business. I applied for a free 10 week business accelerator class upon completion, I finished the class with a business plan created and pitch deck. Read more>>
Malaysia Brooks.
It was 2020 well into the pandemic. I was not working and in the middle of cosmetology school. The only thing I had under my belt was a teaching degree. I had watched so many YouTube videos about ways to make money at home during this unfortunate time, but I did not know what method I resonated with most. I was approached by someone in the beauty industry to work on their Instagram. They had come across my personal Instagram page (@DrowninChocolate) and loved it. Read more>>
Laura Paine
After moving across the county and the addition of twins to our family, I found myself going through anxiety over all the baby gear and boxes. There was a direct correlation between my belongings and my overall feelings daily. Through organizing my own home, I discovered a passion for helping others find peace in their homes as well. My small business was successful for 3 years until my passion shifted. The website I used no longer served the purpose I needed to so I was prompted to figure it out on my own. Read more>>
Bernice Chao
The idea for writing “The Visibility Mindset” was brought to my co-author Jessalin Lam and me in January of 2022 when they approached us to write the first book to solve the career gap for Asian Americans. Victoria Savanh of Wiley reached out to the two of us when they saw that we created a global non-profit, Asians in Advertising that addressed the career struggles for Asians within the marketing and advertising industry. Read more>>
Dr. Shanna Van Ness
As a child, I was always the “talkative one”. Straight “A Student”, but when my parents came to the parent-teacher conferences the report always ended, she talks…”a lot”. I can remember being a child and always having something to say. I always had an opinion and even as a child I would get the side-eye for sharing my opinion even when I wasn’t asked to. So, I would say, I have always been vocal. I can also say that growing up I asked a lot of questions. If something intrigued me or if I wanted to know more, I wasn’t shy about asking questions. Read more>>
Lisa Peterson
I’ve always loved that photography is a study of light and time. An image can freeze time, and really good images can stir emotions. As a kid, I spent many enlightening hours with my grandparents. Their black and white photographs from times gone by strewn on the table before us, I would pick up one of the thin, torn edged blurry images and ask them to tell me the story of the photograph. I wanted all the details- who was in the photograph? What were they doing? Why were they there? What was the day like? Was there a lot of snow that year? Read more>>
Angela Knowlton
Hello! My business is Belle of Hair. I created this business due to my own hair struggles that I couldn’t find a solid solution for. My hair has always been dry and I couldn’t find a hair oil that was suitable to my hair liking. I’m not a product junkie so I would just end up wasting money and moving on to the next product. Essentially, I never found it. I started implementing the hair oil in my everyday hair life such as hydrating my scalp, wash day, and overall sheen. Then I figured that more people would like the product as well! Belle of hair was created! Read more>>
Jennifer Taylor
I’ve always enjoyed entertaining others with my writing. Still, I was not quite sure that I could make a living out of it, so like many, I chose a lucrative career in accounting after college but continued my writing as a hobby. I grew up in a time when letter writing was still prevalent. I went away to college, so I would write short stories and send them home to family and friends. They would look forward to receiving my mail which inspired me to continue writing. Read more>>
Onyx Zechariah-Shah
Tight Media, INC is developing into an independent entertainment company that encompasses a number of companies in the performing arts and production. It contains a theater company, Tight Playhouse, and a public arts school, Tight Academy of Arts. Just a couple honorary mentions. The point is to evolve and ascertain new and higher branches led by remarkable educators with a similar goal: to remodel arts education/emergence. Tight FashionHouse, TightStudios, TightRecords, etc. Read more>>
Luke Keller
My life was forever changed on August 29th, 2010. The pillar of my family, the most talented artist, my mother was taken from us in the blink of an eye. Looking back I would not have said she was my inspiration to become an entrepreneur. In fact, my views of my mother’s career were always that of a stay-at-home mom. Don’t get me wrong, words can never express my gratitude to her for the care and love she showed my family and me daily. And yet, until recently I never would have called my mom an entrepreneur. Read more>>
Tamika Marshall.
I have a love of helping people and I wanted to do it on a larger forum. So we came up with the idea of wanting to give back to others after God spared my life after my small battle with Uterine Cancer. Read more>>
Nicole Tatum
I was on the journey of becoming a barber in 2016-2017. My clients knew me as Cole The Barber! In 2018, I designed my first T-shirt: “Hustle Hard, Stay Humble.” At this moment, I didn’t have a brand name but the launch was successful with the support of friends and family. After that, I decided to kick-start a brand with no blueprint. Read more>>
Nikki Thomas.
A friend of mine told me years ago that I needed to start reading the Bible. She told me that it would be important to me achieving what God has for me to achieve. So, I didn’t listen right away because the unless the Lord opens your eyes to it, the Bible can be intimidating. It can seem boring or difficult to understand, and that’s where I was with it. I was finally led to read it and my eyes were opened. The stories like reality tv shows which were big at the time. Read more>>
Nisey Mckay-Williams
One morning I remember arriving to work and I called my now husband and told him how much I didn’t want to work that job anymore. I told him how cold the building was, how I resented answering calls all day and I was just miserable. I had already been doing hair here and there on the weekends and he told me ” baby you already doing hair that comes natural, just make it full time and really apply yourself”. So I quit ! I went into the building spoke to the manager and told them I’m resigning. Read more>>