Everyday we meet business owners, professionals, artists and creatives. Photographers, florists, realtors and more. They might come from different backgrounds, work in different industries, have varying personalities, and have vastly different income and educational profiles, but the one thing we’ve seen over and over again is that most people have a unique and special reason for why they do what they do. From a realtor helping families afford the first home he always wished for as a kid to a photographer using her skills to give a voice and face to victims who feel voiceless, we have been blown away by what happens when you just ask people a simple question – why do you do what you do?

Patrick A. Lewis

At Fresh Start Image Consulting, our mission is simple but powerful: to transform lives through intentional style. We believe clothing is not just fabric; it’s a visual declaration of identity, confidence, and purpose. But the “why” behind our mission goes much deeper than fashion. Read more>>

Zakkiyyah Salaam

ZS Legacy has a mission that extends beyond business consulting. It’s about restoring hope and dismantling systemic barriers for disadvantaged community businesses. It’s about creating equitable access to opportunities, resources, and transformative experiences that build sustainable, culture-shifting change in marginalized communities. Read more>>

Jennifer Stein

I’m a wedding and family photographer, but my background comes from a completely different industry – Finance. When I worked as a financial planner, we always discussed leaving a legacy with our clients. In those days, that meant monetary gifting, leaving assets, basically what are you going to put in your Will or Trust for your children. Read more>>

Zeren Yan

My story begins at the crossroads of cultures. My parents are from Mainland China; my grandmother spent her early years in the Indonesian-Chinese diaspora before returning to China. From them, I learned to adapt, to listen carefully, and to measure real progress by whether ordinary people’s lives become better. I also share clan roots with Yan Fu—the late-Qing educator who championed enlightenment through translation and open learning. His legacy deeply inspires my belief that knowledge becomes truly meaningful when it is translated into genuine access. Read more>>

Anzhelika Steenolsen

Yes, SHER is a mission driven organization, born from both deep empathy and a desire to do things differently.

I didn’t build SHER to compete I built it to expand. To offer something a little wilder, a little deeper, a little less polished. SHER is a sanctuary and a playground. A place where women and girls can come as they are, to be seen and witnessed. Cry if they need to, dream as big as they want to and be held through it all. We dive into mental health, advocacy, storytelling, trauma, identity, leadership and legacy, nothing is off limits. Read more>>

Jonathan Allen

I am a multi-disciplinary visual artist, working in installation, painting, video and performance, often collaboratively. There is not a central monolithic mission or singularity to my practice; rather, different bodies of work speak to urgent personal, social, or political matters. I feel it vital that artists vigorously inhabit and engage the world surrounding them through their art, and – particularly at this moment in American history – ask questions, provoke dialogue, and be present. Read more>>

Brennan Schmidt

My mission started with a calling to partner with God in making the world a better place through real and local impact. Over the years, that mission has taken shape across different parts of my life, from healthy cooking and regenerative farming to character development in young athletes and building meaningful community here in Surf City. Read more>>

Matthew Duffield

My mission since I started tattooing has always been to create an environment for artists that motivate other artists to grow and build a team that want the best for one another. I love tattooing and every aspect that comes with the industry. Read more>>

Dalisia Coppersmith

I am a speaker, coach, podcast host, and author with a passion for helping talented leaders return to their unique power and impact in our world. I started in the trenches, quite literally, leading in military units and eventually corporate and federal organizations. Every place I’ve worked in my career was male-dominated.

The surprising challenge for strong, confident women is that navigating the “dance of assertiveness” can be maddening. Too soft and they call you weak. Too assertive and you’re labeled aggressive. It still happens today. Read more>>

David Garifo

Everyone deserves to experience the future. I’ve been in customer service my whole life, from restaurants, to catering, to retail, to hotels, to luxury, to my own business and I absolutely love it. What it has really taught me is that all of us want to be treated well, and that all of us DESERVE to be treated well, as it generally makes people happy. I guess making people happy is really what we do in customer service, beyond answering questions and selling things. What I’m selling now is the future. At least a way to experience it. I wanted to make people feel a sense of joy and excitement for what else the future can hold for them. It may just be a virtual reality arena, but people leave here happy and excited and it truly feels like all the work has been worthwhile. Everyone deserves to experience the future, and we’re here to help. Read more>>

Daroya Mcalister

DaRoyalWay was born from my own story. As a single mom and full-time student, I know what it feels like to give your all to everyone else and have little left for yourself. I started this brand to change that narrative. Not just for me, but for anyone who’s ever felt overlooked, exhausted, or stuck. Read more>>

G4 Jag

I’m a Survivor. I survived Harlem and flourished in the late 80s early 90s til this day. I survived society and the thin line black men have to walk to exist in a world that creates a false narrative of fear for people who look like me. I survived 9/11 I was at 100 trinity place in my Junior year of Highschool, and had to break into a city bus for relief from the silica cloud that engulfed us. I survived the music industry successfully, From writing for major television shows like Empire, to putting my stamp on the mixtape market, to 16+ project releases since 2019. To surviving the construction industry and creating a pathway for black and brown people to create a lifestyle through the train in my classes I teach. I survived…. Read more>>

Randi Pullar

My journey to this point in my business has been long and a little chaotic. It started as a way to accomadate myself (I have ADHD and Generalized Hypermobility Disorder), and bloomed into a mission to serve others like me and fill a gap that I think is incredibly important. Read more>>

Walker Harris

The story behind the mission of my business is a fun one! I used to work at a thrift store, shout out to Lost n Found in Atlanta, and part of my job was to go through donations, which were both used and new items, and due to the high volume of donations I would sometimes have to throw stuff away. Trashing stuff that was still in good or new condition felt so wrong because someone could definitely still want them! I would even see donations that were vintage which I thought was so cool and would make sure those were put on the sales floor because they deserved to go to a new person too! I would even keep the pieces that I thought were cool, like troll dolls and VHS tapes, and sometimes give them as gifts to friends and family. I even noticed the same people coming in to shop, more than the regulars, and caught on to what they were doing: reselling! Read more>>

Marz Marcello

After years working across PR, production, and many roles in the podcast industry, one truth stood out: the traditional path to monetization, hitting 10,000 downloads, is a barrier most creators will never overcome. Only about 1% to 5% ever make it there.

But I’ve seen something more important: podcasts with smaller, deeply engaged audiences converting listeners into paying customers for apps, communities, and merch. The real strength of podcasting lives in its niches. The saying “the riches are in the niches” isn’t just a cliché – it’s fact. Read more>>

Suzanne Connolly Howes

Thank you for this opportunity to share my story. I am a founding member of Particulars Art Gallery and Teaching Studio in Lafayette CO that showcases 38+ local artists from the Front Range area. Particulars mission is to create a place for artists and the public to explore unique art and experience excellent art education with an underlying purpose of promoting and nurturing artistic passion in our artists, students and community. Our gallery showcases many one of a kind and unique art pieces made for purchase and enjoyment. Read more>>

Benjamin Cloud

When you are nine years old, sitting in a pew with your parents, your mom scratching your back, and then God suddenly speaks to you through an old 1975 Baptist Hymnal during a song called “People to People,” saying, “I have loved you, and you will be the love of God for me,” what do you do?

For me, it started with a teary, vulnerable response: walking down the aisle in front of hundreds of adults, confessing my sins, asking to be baptized for those same sins, and then wondering what the heck “He” meant when He said, “You will be the love of God.” Read more>>

Kennedy Lewellen

My mission as a photographer is to be actively preserving life’s precious moments. From when I first get a message from a client until I photograph and send out their last ever gallery with me, my goal is to help create a product that instills life long memories and gives them a feeling of home. Everyone has their own story, and my passion is learning about you and creating something that holds a special place in your heart. Read more>>

Krish Sav

Seeing the recent news about cyberattacks and phishing attacks prompted me to create Techinance. Although I initially envisioned it to be solely cybersecurity-based, I found that there are people wanting to know more about neuroscience and finance as well, which is why we can now proudly say that we are offering courses for those subjects as well. I’ve always had a keen interest in technology and health sciences, but when I discovered that students – the future of our world who will be going out into the real world – know little about how to stay safe online, I wanted to do something. Read more>>

Michael Frank

The Philadelphia City Repair Project believe in creating and supporting environments that foster community, art, and ecology that are made by the people who live in them.

Why is this meaningful to us? The United States has the fewest number of outdoor gathering spaces in all first world nations and the highest rate of violence. Here in Philadelphia, like many cities in the US, we deal with a lack of community gathering spaces in our neighborhoods and communities. Too often Philadelphia is designed and shaped by developers who don’t keep community in mind as they invest here. Read more>>

Ashley Coil

Our mission is to cultivate moments of joy, peace and adventure as we connect, educate and inspire the Colorado paddling community.

The Story Behind Our Mission:

Rocky Mountain Paddleboard was born from a deep passion for pursuing bliss. Our founder, once confined to a corporate job, envisioned a way to turn his love for the outdoors into a way of life. In 2012, he took the first step by loading up a trailer full of paddleboards at Boulder Reservoir. His commitment to delivering exceptional experiences through high-quality service, gear, and genuine enthusiasm quickly fueled RMP’s growth. This momentum led to a rental shop at Union Reservoir and eventually the full management of rentals at Boulder Reservoir. Read more>>

Marni Konner

Twenty-three years ago, when my daughter was just three months old, I attended a baby music class. As a lifelong music lover and a record company executive specializing in live music tours, I was stunned to find the class was led by a tape recorder – literally an instructor fast-forwarding and rewinding to cue up songs. I knew there had to be a better way. Read more>>

Michael Berg

I spent 10 years teaching in the Texas public school system, and during that time I gained deep insight into the limitations of traditional education models. Today, students spend eight hours in a series of classrooms, with teachers expected to ignite enthusiasm for every subject, every day. Yet a 2024 Gallup poll showed that only 47% of students in grades 5–12 feel engaged by school. Read more>>

Josie Rios

To promote visibility and create a safe, inclusive environment for our Indigenous, LGBTQ+, Non-Binary, Transgender, and Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) community members. This space is dedicated to fostering community engagement, mutual support, and empowerment.

It is meaningful to me because I have the opportunity to observe the growth and milestones of the Market vendors, as well as the engagement from the community. Read more>>

TORI PELFREE

Me and my business partner Val opened up the concept of Blush and Rouge Salon in October of 2018. We started out in a really small studio space within a co working creative space building. Back then, we had discussed what we wanted the vision of the salon to be, especially when we eventually get our own brick and mortar (which we eventually did in June of 2020) and when we are building a team. And we have always been clear that we want our salon to feel like home for all of our clients, a cozy space to of course come and get pampered but also to form relationships, relax, hangout with friends, walk out feeling like you look your best and that your cup has been filled. Read more>>

Wilson Du

When I was first diagnosed with kidney failure, I was overweight, stuck on dialysis, limited in what I could do physically—and honestly, I had no hope. I started searching online for someone like me—someone who was on dialysis, losing weight, fighting through it, and coming out stronger. Read more>>

Nick Pacal

My Mission is to help. I have been in sales for 20+ years and the consistent theme is that most people are underserved. That makes it a challenge for a true sales professional that just wants to HELP people get what they deserve. I have always worked for companies that I believed in their product or service. This made it easy for me to promote the product/service. The only thing then that I would need to over come is the service. I’ve found that being responsive, caring, informative and doing what you say that you will do has great success. I’ve been on all sides of a sales process and getting bad service when buying high priced items is absolutely horrible. Read more>>

David Barkley

Our mission at Rise Martial Arts is to build stronger families through martial arts. That mission started with my own family. After we began training together, my parents bought the school we were attending, and martial arts quickly became the center of our lives. With six boys in the house, it gave us structure, discipline, and a shared sense of purpose. Read more>>

Nicole Woodson

At The Floral Design Lab, our mission isn’t just words on a page; it’s the very heartbeat of our business, born from a truly special moment.

It all began in February 2023, when I set out to create the perfect “soft girl” birthday brunch for my daughter, Kylie – who is now my amazing co-founder. Like any mom, I wanted nothing more than to bring her vision to life and she deserved it. Kylie envisioned a chic, all-pink brunch, and the atmosphere was everything. That’s where the flowers came in. We thought, “Let’s make floral bouquet arranging an activity!” So, we gathered dozens of fresh blooms and a vase for each girl, expecting a simple, fun craft. Read more>>

M.B. Thurman

My mission is simple. I provide a safe space for people.

I own and operate Miller Tree Inn, a bed & breakfast, with my husband, and I’m also the author of The Summoned Series, a romantasy book series. At Miller Tree, our business revolves around people: we provide a safe, comfortable, and beautiful space where travelers can rest and relax after their adventures in Olympic National Park. And as an author, I aim to tell stories that are entertaining, but more than that, I aim to tell stories with characters who make readers feel seen and understood, worlds that make readers feel less alone, and missions that inspire readers to bet on themselves just like their favorite characters. Read more>>

Antonella Durantine

I’ve always been drawn to the arts and the subjectivity that defines them. There’s incredible diversity in the art world, and every form of talent has its place. From iconic Renaissance painters like Michelangelo to contemporary visionaries like Yayoi Kusama, art continues to evolve and push boundaries. What I love most is how thought-provoking it can be—offering enthusiasts the chance to experience a piece through their own lens, while still connecting with the artist’s perspective. Some works are more direct in meaning, but there’s always a space for interpretation, and that’s where the magic often happens. A single piece can resonate with people in vastly different, personal ways. Read more>>

Claudia Sasse

I am not on a mission. I am on an adventure with you. We are in the middle of the greatest adventure we have ever experienced on this planet as we are evolving from a mostly mind driven to a heart-centered and soul-led society.

As an intuitive leadership guide one of my extrasensory abilities is clairvoyance. And for the past 10 years I have received visions of a loving, peaceful, liberated, abundant, incredibly creative and colorful reality here on Earth, that is beyond anything that we have ever known. Read more>>

Wasim Muklashy

Ever since leaving corporate America, the natural world has always played an incredibly pivotal role in every decision I make.

It helped me re-center and re-focus my life after finally exiting an industry that was doing nothing but sucking my soul dry.

It has, in every single way, shaped the very direction of my life since.

After leaving marketing, advertising and broadcast news video career, I was a bit lost. I knew I didn’t want to do what I was doing, but I didn’t know where my life was headed next. Read more>>

Stephanie Remon

Honestly, this mission was born from my own journey. I didn’t build my business because it sounded good on paper — I built it because I lived the chaos, the burnout, the overwhelming pressure of trying to grow something without a roadmap. And I knew I couldn’t be the only one.

My mission is to help ambitious entrepreneurs and vision-driven leaders build businesses that actually work for them — businesses that are profitable, sustainable, and aligned with the life they want to live. I’m big on clarity, structure, and strategy — but I’m also big on peace, alignment, and joy. Read more>>

Annie Nelson

For any nonprofit, the mission is the heartbeat. For me, leading a nonprofit isn’t just about driving a cause—it’s about living a mission, both organizationally and personally. Years ago, I read The Path by Laurie Beth Jones, where she challenges readers to craft their own personal mission statement—just two words that define your purpose. I did that over 25 years ago, and mine has never changed: Ignite Faith. Read more>>