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.

Brenda Franco

Growing up, one of my cousins was a photographer and filmmaker, and ever since I was in High School I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I mentioned it to a family member when asked about my plans after graduation and their answer was “that’s not a real job, you are being delusional”. That stuck with me for a long time. I grew up in Brazil and moved to the States at 21. Starting a business from scratch in another country and speaking a different language was terrifying to even think about, so I put that dream in a little box and tucked it away. Everything changed in 2021 when my incredibly supportive boyfriend gifted me my first camera. I dove in headfirst, practicing with friends and rekindling my passion. For the first time, I felt validated. Photography wasn’t just a dream; it was a real, achievable career. My confidence grew, and soon, I knew I was onto something meaningful. Read more>>

Rick Cosgrove

My family, in the early 90’s, and when I was a young man, experienced 4 deaths in a 9 month period that found the family in probate. The last Probate was my fault as I received bad advice from a Mortgage Lender. over a loan I was pressed for by a bank manager when I was a young buck learning the Banking industry as a Bank Teller. Subsequently, I spent the next 27 years in that industry where I would see families with a Trust in place still end up in Probate. I made it my responsibility to assist families with the ownership of their accounts ensuring their assets would properly transfer to their loved ones without probate. A completely avoidable process! Read more>>

Meredith Featherstone

The idea for my business, Enlightened Esthetics, began to take shape during a period of personal transformation. As an Esthetician, I had spent years working in an environment that no longer felt aligned with my values or passions. It became clear that I wasn’t growing or thriving there, and I started feeling a strong pull to create something for myself. Around the same time, I saw friends and family members stepping out and starting their own businesses, which was inspiring. It made me wonder, “What if I could do the same?” I didn’t have a clear picture yet of what my business would look like, but I began writing down my thoughts—ideas about what I loved, what I wanted to offer, and the vision I had for creating a space where people could feel both seen and nurtured. As I continued to feel the shift in my work environment, it became undeniable that I needed to make a change. The atmosphere at my job was deteriorating, and I realized that staying there would only hold me back from what I truly wanted to do. At the same time, I was searching for a new direction and a place where I could share my gifts and build something more meaningful. I began looking for studio spaces that would allow me to bring my vision to life. When I found the right location, it felt like a sign to take the plunge. Even though I wasn’t sure if my clients would follow me, I decided to take the leap and leave my job at the end of 2023. This wasn’t an easy decision—there was a lot of fear and uncertainty, but I knew that the only way to move forward was to trust myself and the process. Making this shift meant confronting my own doubts and working through a lot of mental blocks. I had to break free from limiting beliefs and embrace the idea of stepping into something new and unknown. Read more>>

Joshua Scott

My youngest daughter was obsessed with flamingos around the age of 2. So everyone got her pink flamingo stuff growing up. That turned into people getting me flamingo stuff. When I was deciding to open a studio coming up with the name was probably the hardest thing. I learned along the way that flamingos are different colors depending on their geographic location and that there are black ones due to a mutation. Every shop is always something aggressive with the name black in front of it. Black Bird, Black Anvil, Black Dagger. I was like, I’m going to name this black flamingo, so it’s aggressive but, not. Ya know? There is already one somewhere in Maryland though so I was going to scrap the idea all together when a former colleague of mine brought up noir, which is black in French obviously. The collective part is because it’s a collective of individuals trying to make tattooing better than we found it. There’s a fairly long back story of how I even got to opening my own studio, but nonetheless, Flamingo Noir Collective was born. Read more>>

Nicole Warren

I worked in a corporate setting for 10 years, consulting with small businesses on their product selection, pricing and marketing strategies. It felt to me that big business always had the upper hand over small business owners who almost always want to compete for the consumer, but struggle to market at the same level. It’s so frustrating when you’re watching someone do everything in their power to show up in the best way only to be continually out-priced, out-promoted and out-performed. Fast forward four years and the time comes for me to reenter the workforce after a self-directed break. My experience from years prior rang loudly in my mind and I knew I wanted to offer services to small business owners at fair prices to support their marketing efforts. Right around the same time, I was invited to join my mentor to a client visit. This trip was the catalyst that ignited all the ingredients to meld my business together. A few days after returning home, I officially launched! Read more>>

Ivoryana Davison

As a teenager, I would bake a large batch of cupcakes for each gathering my family would have. I baked my first cake from scratch in 2016, but I’d only do this once every blue moon. In 2020, a mentor of mine gave me an assignment to come up with a business name and plan. At that time Imbali was the name, short and sweet, but it was missing something. I came up with a completely different idea, but I didn’t pursue due to Covid and other hardships. For the Thanksgiving holiday in 2023, I baked a 7-Up pound cake. My family loved the cake and my mother said “Girl you need to sell this!” I laughed it off but the thought was still in the back of my head. I decided to bake a rum pound cake for Christmas, and I got the same reaction once again. Read more>>

Roger Schmitz

I learned the core of our technology at my previous job as a medical device engineer. Unfortunately, the business failed and my previous job was eliminated so I found myself without a job. I came up with a way to make the technology dramatically smaller, lower cost, and more accurate than anything anyone was doing in this space so I decided to pursue the idea on my own. My first instinct was to pursue medical applications because that was the space that I was coming from. I ended up having a meeting with a cardiologist with the University of Minnesota. We discussed the idea of using the technology to help patients with heart failure. The cardiologist was very enthusiastic. He said we could use it to adjust the patients’ medications and fine tune their pacemakers and identify when they were becoming decompensated. But they he said, “..but you will never get to market”. He told me that I was just one guys and it takes a huge amount of money to get through the FDA and it’s a difficult product to fund because it’s non-invasive. He said we should just make a device to help athletes train more effectively. Then we wouldn’t need to mess with the FDA He said athletes would love it. Also, it could be used for research (but not clinical applications) in heart failure patients too. So that was a big pivot about 12 years ago. Now, as I write this, several papers have been published using our device in heart failure research and I’m in Hawaii preparing to watch the Ironman World Championships tomorrow. Most likely several of the athletes on the podium also use our product. Just like the cardiologist predicted. Read more>>

Alex Murray

The idea for my business, W.O.W Ice, was born out of one of the most heartbreaking and life-changing moments of my life. On June 12, 2016, I lost my younger sister, Akyra Murray, during the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando. Akyra wasn’t just my sister—she was my best friend, my light, and my constant source of joy. Her laughter and her favorite word, “Wow,” stuck with me. In the aftermath of such a devastating tragedy, I felt an overwhelming need to honor her life and carry her legacy forward in a meaningful way. W.O.W Ice started as a dream, literally. I had a vivid dream of Akyra smiling and enjoying a frozen treat with “Wow” written on it. That moment planted the seed, and the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Growing up in Philadelphia, I always loved frozen treats, but I noticed there wasn’t anything on the market that really spoke to me as a healthier, plant-based, and flavor-forward option. I knew I wanted to create something special—not just ice cream or sorbet, but experiences that would bring smiles, connection, and joy, just like Akyra did. Read more>>

Megan Donovan

SHIFT Work + Play was born out of my experience as a busy mom and professional: It was Fall of 2021 and my children’s school was closed for an in-service day but my partner and I both had busy work days ahead. We were discussing our schedules and how we would cover childcare for the day. It was a typical conversation: You take these hours, I’ll take those hours, the kids can have a little more screen time than usual to get us through the other hours. I knew there had to be a better way. As someone who worked from home most days, I had been interested in the idea of coworking for a while. Suddenly it came to me: What if I could access a coworking space with a playroom? Like the local YMCA or gym but with professional workspace instead of workout space. My kids could have fun instead of using screens while I was on Zoom. I could have a more professional background for my conference calls, and I could meet other working parents in the same position. Not everyone needs or can afford full-time childcare, but every parent needs time to get things done. And those of us juggling professional careers with parenting need spaces where we can turn up and be our full selves: parents, professionals, and regular people trying to do our best in a society that isn’t setup to support working parents. Read more>>

Erica Bonelli

In February of 2024 I was working as an executive at a tech company (where I have been for the last 6+ years,) and was feeling like I needed a creative refresh so I decided to host a party at my apartment for some friends and go all out on the decor, the theme, hand-made & hand-written invites, all of it. That month, I was seeing this bright orange color everywhere, and it sparked something in me. I decided to lean into that color as inspiration. I researched the meaning of the color orange and found that it evokes optimism, confidence, warmth and joy. It also conveys a strong sense of individuality, self-expression, and eccentricity. Orange energy inspires artistic endeavors, innovation, and embracing our unique creativity. Read more>>

Daisy Tamberino

The Journey to Earth Angel Crystal was one that took place over the course of what felt like a lifetime. Rewind to the autumn of 2018…At that point, I had just welcomed my 2nd child and I knew that my life would somehow be changing in a big, never going back, kind of way. Although I was basking in the blessings of being a mommy to my 4 year old son and newborn baby girl, there was this growing hollow feeling that often lead me to feel the “Sunday Scaries”, that dreadful feeling of going “back” to my 9-5 for the week. I was “Over it”. The office politics, the coworkers that secretly wanted me to “fail” as I continued to “climb up” the ladder at work. I mean, at that point, I had had been working as an Architect/Building Manager for 17 years and me getting promoted again, was what was on everyone’s radar. The autumn turned to winter and increasingly, all I wanted to do was hibernate and focus on being a mom. I felt a deep calling to “help people”, I guess that’s why I thought way back when, that helping people build buildings and structures, aka “architecture” was what I needed to be doing. But the truth was, although I had “everything” on paper, The house, husband, kids…I felt empty and hollow inside. I didn’t care about working as an Architect, or being in charge of buildings… I wanted to be “Me”, I wanted to “lead”, I wanted to “help”..but with what? how?  Read more>>

Burçin Aktükün

I took my first steps in music at the age of six, guided by my mother, who was a music teacher, and started with the soprano flute. I then trained on several other instruments, including trumpet, classical guitar, and violin. By the early ’90s, I was performing on stage with my guitar. However, I soon realized that being in the spotlight wasn’t as appealing to me as working behind the scenes, shaping the music from within. This led me to shift my focus to music technology. While working as a faculty member at the Sakarya University State Conservatory, I established the Music Technology Department and authored a book titled Using Computers in Music. In 2015, I left the university and joined Turkey’s largest public broadcaster, TRT, as a Tonmeister. Alongside my work in public broadcasting, I also collaborated with the esteemed film music composer Mustafa Yazıcıoğlu, overseeing the mix and mastering processes of numerous film score projects. Behind the curtain of creativity, I discovered the joy of touching every detail of the music, constantly reimagining myself in the process. Read more>>

Matt Stewart

During COVID i was working for a car dealership. They ended up closing and there wasn’t much work. I have always enjoyed working on car’s from a very early age. I decided at the moment that i was going to buy cheap auction cars, fix them up, customize them ( where my artist mind comes in) and then sell them. Business took off and i sold around 12 cars in next year and half. At the same time i decided to start the youtube channel (findfixxflip). It was originally supposed to be more about the entertainment, vlog style, but ended turning into a DIY or do it yourself videos on how to fix specific issues on many different styles and types of cars. Here it is 6 years later and the channel is still going strong. I’m finally getting it back around to original entertainment based builds, car shows, meets and live events. Channel growth in the last 6 months is the fastest it’s ever been. So i’m very much looking forward to the future (sky’s the limit). Read more>>

Nataliia Kalynchuk

The inception of Skin Lounge Med Spa was not merely a business venture but rather a culmination of a lifelong passion for skincare and a deep-seated desire to help others achieve their healthiest, most radiant skin. My journey began in my youth, where I spent countless hours researching with various routines, and understanding the science behind skin health. This early fascinating evolved into a determination to educate myself further, leading me to pursue formal training in pharmacology and aesthetics. Read more>>

Terri Sterk

I am a two-time breast cancer survivor, health and wellness coach, and author. After spending seven years facilitating face-to-face support groups and coaching women diagnosed with breast cancer, I took my experience online. I now use my story to serve women who have experienced trauma, including breast cancer and family discord, by nurturing them to thrive by healing their bodies, mind, and spirit. I support women as they strive to stick to a treatment plan from their healthcare provider, encourage them to set their health and wellness goals, and offer support as they progress. I guide women who seek wellness to understand their motivation for change and find strength and confidence. I aim to empower women to see themselves as the experts of their own health and circumstances and to be the heroines of their own lives. I offer support as women build their best lives by developing self-management strategies to make sustainable changes. Read more>>

Thomas Perone

In April of 2020 I found myself like many other people in the Culinary industry out of work. Ive been working in restaurants for the past 29 years. My culinary journey started with a Catering company called Thomas Joseph Catering. I specialized in every cuisine. The catering company closed after four years when I became known for doing Tailgate/Stadium style food. I transitioned Thomas Joseph Catering to Pig Guy NYC with the influence of friends and family. As risks don’t always work out, it turned out to be a bad decision. After losing the business I bounced around from Latin, to Greek, to fine dining. Fast forward to 2020, after being let go because of the pandemic I got on the express bus from Manhattan to Brooklyn. The mood on the bus was uncertainty and fear of the pandemic. I always carried a marble notebook with me, like the ones used in school. I looked at the cover and where it said name I wrote “Brooklyn Roots Italian, and where it said school I wrote Old. Read more>>

Ameerah Herbert

Approximately sixteen years ago, a patient of mine when I was running a wound care center approached me and said, “You know I only make my appointments with the doctor is to get to you. YOU take care of my psoriasis. If you ever leave here and open a medispa, I will follow you”. I had never heard this term before. Over the next fourteen to fifteen years in my many, many sleepless insomnia nights, I would be up googling “how tall was Jesus?”, “How many teeth do giraffes have?”, “What is a medispa?”, “Medispas near me”, “Can an RN open a medispa?” This became my unspoken “if I ever win the lottery dream”. Spoiler alert; I did not win the lottery. Unfortunately, the untimely passing of my mother yielded an unexpected inheritance. I spent some months grieving, finalizing her estate, I then jumped out on faith in October of 2022 and left my last employer. Read more>>

Johné Booty

My day job is working as an athletic trainer at a high school in north Texas. We help out all types of athletes from every sport the school has to offer. Since I work at a school though, we have summers off so I reached out to a mentor about working with her doing USA Volleyball tournaments. Side note, it has always been a dream of mine to volunteer as an athletic trainer at the summer Olympic Games, so hearing that she worked with USA volleyball, I thought that would help me get a foot in the door. I was able to work a volleyball tournament with my mentor as an athletic trainer, but it was not what I expected it to be. Once I arrived, I found out it was all of the young club teams from across the nation coming together to win a bid to nationals. Read more>>

Azfar Imam

It was in 2020 that COVID-19 affected every person in the world including me. I was working for a company full-time and then suddenly I was let go due to a lack of business. I was worried sitting at home wondering if the company would call me back or not. This experience made me realize that a job can go away quickly. My wife Sofia who is my partner in all my businesses told me one day about how you have a great mind and the experience that you gained in your job can be used to start your company. I was nervous at first, but she supported me about doing my own business. This made me think about how an entrepreneur can control their own destiny. From there I never looked back but rather gained more confidence to do something worthwhile. Now looking back, I feel very happy to have made the decision. Emotionally sometimes I feel my business is growing slowly, but I know it is a long journey. Last 4 years, we have made great strides. I feel my brand has evolved into more mature and the ideas I have gained every day have been fruitful in making my companies grow. Read more>>

Brian Rose

Track Bar Media has quite the origin story—it certainly didn’t begin with the established name and formal approach we have today. If we rewind a bit, you’ll find me as a kid, deeply immersed in the world of racing, competing in local and regional circuits. Racing was my passion, although life and family responsibilities eventually took center stage.Then I stumbled upon iRacing, a racing simulation game that changed everything for me. iRacing is a virtual arena where everyday racers get to measure up against their heroes on the track. My mission became clear—I needed to shine a spotlight on these exhilarating virtual races and the league’s sponsors. That’s when fate introduced me to a NASCAR ARCA series driver, curious about transforming my virtual racing videos into real-life adaptations. Read more>>

Grace Turner

In 2019, I was halfway through my third year as a healthcare recruiter, feeling fulfilled and continually challenged by the work. I loved the company I worked for and the team I was part of, and I was thriving in my career. My day-to-day attire was corporate, professional, and…admittedly a bit dull. My wardrobe was filled with neutrals and basics—safe choices that reflected the polished environment of my office. But on weekends, I’d shop for vibrant, unique accessories, especially earrings, in an attempt to add a splash of personality to my otherwise monochrome outfits. Read more>>

Ayesna Regmi Pandey

The story of Elegant Brow and Spa began with a deep passion for beauty and wellness that had always been a part of my life. While working as a full-time nurse, I was drawn to the idea of helping people feel confident and beautiful, not just physically healthy. This spark led me to explore the beauty industry more seriously, knowing it aligned with my personal interests and my desire to make a meaningful impact. The turning point came when my sisters, Sabina and Bimala, shared a similar enthusiasm for the field. Together, we envisioned creating a space where people could find a blend of professional care, relaxation, and artistry. This shared dream gave rise to Elegant Brow and Spa. Read more>>

Jack Sivan

I’ve always wanted to do my own thing. When I first became drawn to fashion it was more through an interest in tailors and their practice, rather than an interest in working for any big fashion house. From early on success to me meant getting to do my own thing and set my own standards. I have worked for other fashion labels and I think that has been vital to my education, teaching me what to do and what not to do as i planned what I needed to set out on my own. But working in the fashion industry also shifted my final idea of what that independence looked like. Where at first my aim to work for myself was really just about creative freedom and setting my own pace of work, it has evolved into an aim to create a company I’d actually want to work at. Read more>>

Michelle Sullivan

For as long as I can remember I have loved planning events. My career background has always been in the hospitality and event industry.  I was a Sales Manager for the Convention Center and at several luxury hotels in Boston. This experience of working luxury events provided invaluable knowledge in the field. It gave me the confidence and understanding needed when it came time for me to start out on my own and it felt like a very organic progression.  When starting the business I was particularly drawn to weddings as they are a celebration of love, creativity and personal expression.  As a planner I feel so fortunate that I get to be a part of that magic in my every day life.  The company name Twist Six Events came from the fact that it takes six twists of the wire cage to open any bottle of champagne.  Champagne to me symbolizes elegance, celebration and fun which I felt was the perfect match for the brand I was looking to create. Once the name was solidified that was the first step in taking the dream of having my own luxury, boutique planning company and making it a reality. Read more>>

Mili Isaza

Becoming a motivational youth speaker was born from my journey of overcoming adversity. Growing up in Petare, Caracas, Venezuela—one of the most dangerous and violent slums in the world—I faced hardships that forced me to become resilient and resourceful. Looking back, I realized I didn’t have a role model to guide me through those struggles. There were moments when I felt hopeless and wanted to give up because the idea of becoming a professional and living in a better environment seemed impossible. My surroundings were chaotic and dangerous—drug dealers on every corner, and gang violence. Today, many young people are in the same situation without the support, inspiration, or tools they need to create a life unlike what they saw growing up. But it’s not just about overcoming obstacles—I also saw a lack of women in STEM as role models, especially for girls like me, who didn’t even know engineering was an option to create opportunities to transform lives—including my own. Read more>>

Jack Utermoehl

Motivated by the changes yoga brought into my life, I immersed myself in practice and training, eventually leading yoga classes myself. Alongside my growing commitment, I recognized a gap in the market for high-quality, sustainably sourced yoga products. This observation led to the inception of Asivana. The business logic was straightforward. We were addressing a specific need: yogis seeking products that supported their practice both physically and ethically. We launched with premium cork yoga mats and expanded to include various props and accessories, all aligned with sustainable practices. Read more>>