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.

Carolina Jones

Both my partner and I have worked in community healthcare centers and at free clinics all of our nurse practitioner careers with a focus on the Hispanic community where we provided healthcare to both the insured and uninsured. Read more>>

Robert Burn

In 2014 I was working as a producer engineer, using various studios across London. Rates were expensive, and at the affordable end; the studios weren’t properly soundproofed, badly acoustically treated, and almost always lacked vibe. Read more>>

Alexis Carpenter

The moment that sparked the idea for my business was a culmination of my career’s highs and lows and a sudden, unexpected pivot. Read more>>

Jasnine Ruff

I previously had a side job of doing event decorating; I would often say that I wanted my own event space. Often we would rent out the library or rec centers but a lot of their interiors would clash with the decor or we needed to do more decor to cover and execute a design. Read more>>

Asia Mathews

Ever since I was a child, designing and drawing was a passion of mine. When I was younger I was obsessed with “That’s so Raven”. I wasted to be a fashion designer just like Raven. Read more>>

Jazmine Logan

I grew up watching and helping my mon do hair. When I came to college, I had no interest in doing hair. I actually wanted to work, what I thought to be, a “normal” job. Read more>>

Macee Binns

Amidst the daily hustle of my full-time role as a Casting Director and Writer, I’ve authored several female-driven screenplays which garnered awards at various film festivals throughout the years. Read more>>

Christopher Rapley

When I decided to start a media company I was thinking about people with dreams and limited budgets. That led to the name RAPCO, Rising Above Poverty Conquer Oppression. Read more>>

Hannah York

I stumbled into this idea in 2019. I had been searching for ways to help myself heal, and in 2019 one of the practitioners I was seeing suggested a modality that relies on muscle testing to get answers from the subconscious mind. Read more>>

Amanda Strine

Sensibly Sorted was a dream that began 8 years before actually launching the business. I was a new mom and actually already running a successful business as an event planner. Read more>>

Lovisa Lightning

The Lightning Method is a method designed to grow instrumentalists and vocalists to help them reach new heights at a lightning speed while having fun during the process. Read more>>

Debrianna Obara

I came up with the idea of my novel, BLOK 42, when I was working at an advertising agency and one of our clients was the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC. Read more>>

Monique Joe

Symonious Fusion was birthed during quarantine August 2021. A period of time that was very stressful for adults and children alike. Lives were turned upside down and people had to adjust to situations they have never been faced with. Read more>>

Sherele Myles

It all started because I loved wearing slide sandals. I got tired of buying name-brand slides that everyone else had as well. I wanted to be able to create a pair that was truly made for myself. Read more>>

Amy Engelhart

My father-in-law bought a historic building as an investment property. He asked me what I would do with it if it were mine. I instantly said I would open a boutique! He told me that I should do it then. Read more>>

Jennifer Ouellette

I grew up in my mother’s vintage clothing boutique. She taught me about style and how to appreciate the design elements in each piece of vintage fashion. Read more>>

Carissa Di Scipio

I first started off my business as a Virtual Assistant and I almost accidentally fell into it. I was on maternity leave in the dead of winter, honestly feeling depressed. Read more>>

Tyler Sowards

Me and my brother came across people living ‘Vanlife’ on YouTube in 2018. We thought it was really cool and followed a few people building their vans DIY and loved the building and creative process. Read more>>

Carmen Lorenzana

I decided to start my business, because, like many, I grew up hating my period and everything related to it. It was irregular, messy, painful, and totally inconvenient. Read more>>

Briana Falgiano

I first created the concept of The Dramatic SLP LLC when I was approached by my clinical supervisor in my internship program. Read more>>

Porsha Hendrix

When I found out I was pregnant with my son, Porter Lee, I began sewing various baby-related items like cloth diapers, burp rags, and bibs. Read more>>

Kim Channey

Holistic Interior Design is more than just the popular images people scroll through in their social media feeds. Our environments are a direct reflection of our internal feelings and the decision to bring in an interior designer is an intimate one that should be taken with reverence. Read more>>

Crystal C-Anthony

The idea for Level Up Your Frequency was born out of a profound personal journey that began over a decade ago. As a multifaceted artist deeply entrenched in the music industry, I experienced a pivotal moment of awakening during a meditative retreat in the mountains of California back in 2008. Read more>>

Kiki (Keeks) SheppardSims

Well I been a wrestling fan since I was a child. My mom was a wrestling fan so she use to watch local indy wrestling show that would come on early Saturday mornings. Read more>>

Blood Draugr

My creative work has always bled out from a simple desire to experience oddly specific media that doesn’t exist. So, I set about to make that media a reality so I can enjoy it myself! Read more>>

Tami Richards

I endured years of painful and weepy eczema. I was embarrassed to wear shorts or tank tops, afraid that people would stare or wonder what was wrong with me. Read more>>

Sapna Raj

So I used to organise fashion exhibitions in India. My last show due to very high temperature turned out really bad. no one showed up so all the exhibitors started fighting with me for refund. Read more>>

Seth Affoumado

The concept of The Skillet Doctor was created while I was recovering from a skateboarding injury! I was immobile thinking about my next business idea when it became evident I loved cooking with cast iron cookware, yet I found it difficult to maintain and use. Read more>>

Delian Petrov Lawrence Stevens

The concept for FridgeGuide Ai originated from a blend of personal experiences and a shared commitment to addressing a common challenge. Read more>>

Shannon Beck

I was laid off a couple months prior to the pandemic starting. Houseplants have always existed in my life. I come from a very long line of women gardeners and my ADHD brain shuts off when I’m tending to plants. Read more>>

Michael Asiedu Okyere

The genesis of my journey into creating a creative services business is a story of passion, opportunity, and a deep belief in the transformative power of music and digital media. Read more>>

Aja Font

Back in 2018, my daughter Joy, who was about five years old at the time got an opportunity to be a children’s clothing brand ambassador. The company requested that she had professional pictures taken of her. Read more>>

Claudia Coenen

I have always lived my life creatively. As a child and teen, I performed folk music with my family and I also danced and made up my own dances to express my feelings. Read more>>

Angie Bailey

The idea for Calming Calligraphy was born out of my own experience working as a nurse, where stress was a constant companion. I remembered learning calligraphy as a child and how it had a calming effect on me. Read more>>

Jessica Walden

My husband, Chris McGuire, and I came up with this idea one morning over coffee – but it really comes from years and years of schooling and environmental activism. Read more>>

Mari Maria

As an artist with a diverse skill set, I’ve always been drawn to creating art and nurturing plants. My deep connection to nature fueled my dream of one day owning a greenhouse. Read more>>

Kristina Telnov

I never planned to be a wedding photographer.  I stumbled into photography back in 2010 while I was studying for my MBA degree, and it lit a fire inside of me that seems to grow every year. Read more>>

Jill Smith

I began my modeling journey during COVID pandemic at almost the age of 50. I had no social media presence or following and was completely unknown in the industry. Read more>>

Jennifer Williams

When I was planning my wedding, I was trying to find the perfect gift for my husband to be. He didn’t need a watch or any other ‘traditional’ type of wedding gift so I was completely stumped on what I could surprise him with. Read more>>

Sarah Jaeger

I’ve always been the girl who bought herself flowers every other week from Costco for my kitchen table. After years of this, I was tired of the same selection, but didn’t want to spend a lot for a high end arrangement for a florist just for myself. Read more>>

LEEANN SANTOS

After spending many years working in the food industry, I came up with the idea for Krazy Cake Lady. My love for baking and creating delicious treats led me to start this business. Read more>>

Abdallah Seoud

Hello Canvas readers, I’m Abdallah Seoud, a Brazilian native from Rio de Janeiro, now living in San Diego, California. Read more>>

Scott Mecredy

I began to believe in the power of music at a very early age. It gave me confidence, it allowed me to express myself in ways hair styles and t-shirts just couldn’t do. Read more>>

Ron Dias Joanne Jansen aka “Aussie”

Our journey started back in 2016 with just a bunch of friends and a shared love for storytelling. We were clueless about filmmaking, to be honest. Read more>>