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?

Leah Osborn

Hello, my name is Leah Osborn with Leah Michelle Photography! I am a San Diego Native! At the age of 10 I began storing a brown cardboard box of family photos in my room and would look at these photos often. I have loved photographs/prints since I can remember. I purchased my very first camera in 2003 when I traveled to Europe. I remember enjoying taking photos on this trip but what excited me the most was to share my experience through these photos with my friends and family. Read more>>

Rachel Rust

My ultimate purpose in life, whether it’s through my photography or anything else I do, is to make an impact in people’s lives. That can look differently for everyone. For example, I had a photography client recently that said every year when she was younger, their family would do family photos because it meant so much to their parents, especially their dad. About a year and a half ago, she lost her father. The family photos I did for that family were the first family photos they had done without their dad — but they did it for him. Read more>>

allison evans

My aunt, Marilee, and best friend, Kelly, and I started Branch Basics in 2009 because we wanted desperately to help people remove toxins from their homes and experience what we call “the power of pure”. It all started when Kelly and I moved out to the Hill Country of Texas to live with Marilee in the summer of 2009 – upon graduating from college – because I was having unexplained symptoms that most closely resembled MS. I was on painkillers, muscle relaxers, antidepressants and sleeping pills. Read more>>

Jasmine Shaw

The story behind my mission began years ago after graduating college. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit! This spirit combined with my passion for skincare/body care is what birthed The Skin Category (formerly known as Loniece Essentials). My mission is to provide a luxury yet bold and fun experience to your skincare/selfcare routines! In addition to donating a percentage of The Skin Category’s sales to mental health services for the minority population. Selfcare is more than how you look and feel on the outside but also the inside as well! Read more>>

Shelby Sorrel

When I first started taking photos around the beautiful city I call home, Austin, Texas, I was just a college student that bribed her friends to let the camera eat first. I had a passion for food and people that I wanted to cultivate through photography, so I spent every second I could standing on chairs for the gram and adventuring around Austin taking photos of the things and people that I love. That passion sprouted into a colorful Instagram account that has been my full time job for four years now, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Read more>>

Unison Frances

Like a lot of people the pandemic and the lockdown were a time of personal reflection. I know that on the rollercoaster that is life, I was hitting some bumpy lows that I had never experienced before. I’m usually a pull myself up by the bootstraps kind of girl, but I couldn’t seem to find my footing. Life was overwhelming, and my family seemed to be on top of eachother. I started slowly cleaning out our garage. I was decluttering things that we hadn’t used in a while and things we probably would never use again to create space for my family. Read more>>

Breyana Wright

At Styled by Breyana our mission is to inspire and impact the business world by creating looks that make the wearer feel confident, fashion forward, and unapologetic with their style. As I worked with different clients throughout the years, I noticed that a lot of them felt as if they had to dress a certain way to do business or fit into their workplace. Although they were partially correct in their approach, they were missing two very important components which was being fashion forward and unapologetic with their style. Read more>>

Alejandra Botello

During the lockdown I came across an interview of an older craftsman from Mexico who was crying because he had no one to sell to because there were no tourists going to Mexico. Even though I live in the United States, Mexico is my homeland and holds a special place in my heart. His story motivated me to help local craftsmen from different states in Mexico by buying their crafts in bulk. What started as an adventure to try and help craftsmen from different states in Mexico has now become my passion, and Jandis Colores de Mexio was born. Read more>>

Cambre Napier

I looked in the mirror 6 years ago and I asked myself. “Who are you”? what makes you happy”? You are a 38 year old wife and mom of 3 girls who has no idea who she is as a person. How can I be the best mom and wife if I have no idea who I am? I decided to do something as I knew that I couldn’t be the only woman at my age who felt this way. So, why not try to inspire other woman to do what makes them happy? So I decided to try something to see if it inspired me to feel better about myself and my appearance. I booked the shoot! I booked my very first boudoir photo shoot! Read more>>

David Morin

Getting out of your own way to excel & exceed your own expectations.. Showman is the new buzz word that somehow people must avoid these experiences but in fact as a man, is your greatest asset your deepest resource in terms of the chemical process of transferring search misfortune Into the life You truly desire to live. The constant contemporary consensus of coddling every misfortune debilitates empowerment of the individual to employ free agency over circumstances, work over excuses Read more>>

Kathryn Cross

When I was 3 and my brother was 1, he was in a near-drowning accident. Soon after the accident, my brother was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. He couldn’t walk or talk, so my mom immediately began looking into treatments. We found hope in umbilical cord blood. The research was in its early days at the time, but there were a few inspiring stories of children with cerebral palsy who saw changes in upper body strength, vision, and coordination within just a year of an umbilical cord blood treatment. Read more>>

Jackie Howard

As a high school humanities teacher, one of my favorite units to teach is personal narrative essay writing to seniors. With the personal statement for college applications in mind, I came alive getting to merge so many of my passions at once. Coaching emerging adults to find their voice, direction, and stories is a culmination of my career as an educator with my hobby as a writer and my enthusiasm for being a life coach. Read more>>

Nicole Tatum

Our mission here at 3Thirteen Printing Company, LLC is to assist clients with bringing their vision to life on promotional products. By teaching our clients the importance of branding their ideas to their target audience. Being in this industry, we have noticed companies will have a business and want to promote the business in multiple ways to gain new clients. We suggest products related to their industry and show them mockups of the items with their logo and business information. Once the clients select the items, we start production and ship the final product to the client. Read more>>

Dilsa Bailey

Who am I? I ask myself that question every morning. Some days, the Universe gives me the answer I want to hear, and other days, I respond, “Darn, not that again.” It’s funny. I grew up wanting to become a great writer with books on the bestsellers’ lists. The fascinating thing about how the Universe responded, I did become a writer. Read more>>

Shakiyah Gravenhise

The mission of my KHLOÈ BELLA BEAUTY is to educate customers on the importance of a healthy skin care journey & a healthy lifestyle. Khloè Bella’s beauty has a mission and that is to ensure that everyone despite gender, ethnicity , and age know the importance of skin care. We strive to provide 100% all natural products that can be used by all. We assure that our products are not harmful to the skin. Read more>>

Zachariah Thompson

My entire life I have personally always battled mental health issues. I was specifically diagnosed with an anxiety disorder when I was only in 7th grade. Since then, it was always a constant dance with the good and the bad emotions, not knowing how to properly handle some of the trauma in my life. It hit a peak when I graduated college. I had just finished my collegiate baseball career when I was diagnosed with a life-threatening, incurable heart condition called ARVC. Read more>>

Lindsay Crawford

Growing up, I was always self conscious of myself. Dealing with difficult acne and self image issues made high school so much harder than it already was. I learned to use makeup to cover up my acne and build my confidence back up. I stared becoming more and more creative with my makeup skills and I quickly knew the beauty industry was the career path I wanted to follow. After getting my own brows and lashes done and learning how to clear up my skin, I found myself not alway having to wear makeup and to feel confident in my own skin. Read more>>

Lindsey Hauge

Starting a family can be an exciting, overwhelming and anxiety-filled time. What Peek A Boo Baby 3D Ultrasound Studio hopes to do is to bring some calmness and bonding to the family, whether this be their first or tenth baby that they will be bringing home. We all know that there have been some difficult times in the past few years which has impacted many people with their plans in childbearing. From baby showers to family and friends visiting the new baby, many of these things have been halted. Read more>>

Michelle & Gail Moore & Austin

Our mission is to make each woman feel beautiful from the inside out. We both know what it feels like to feel beat down, overwhelmed, insignificant, etc, It took us a long time to get where we are in both our personal and career life. We believe Empowered women, Empower women. We never want to forget that, We want to make sure every woman we come in contact with feels loved and encouraged, Read more>>

Ebenezer Adusei

The story behind my mission is straightforward and simple. I believe photography gives me the ability to create beautiful images to uplift, encourage, and inspire others. With my work I hope to grow as man who is loving, hardworking, and peaceful. Read more>>

Junki Hong

Taekwondo is not just about learning how to fight! I think that Taekwondo is the same as our real life. Most people of martial arts learners say that they want to be a black belt when they start martial arts. It takes a lot of time to get a black belt. And the journey is not very easy. Sometimes they meet a big wall. Their body doesn’t move as they want, and sometimes they get injured. They find something more interesting, neglect martial arts training, and lose motivation. Read more>>

Chris Acton

My mission really came into clarity in 2 parts. Here’s the setting for Part 1. I had been in the corporate world for years, doing a job that sounded creative, but wasn’t. And in an attempt to counteract my ongoing restlessness, I took a weaving class. Now, a weaving class may sound like a big stretch. But, I grew up with teachers and had taken lots of random classes (many of them in the arts) over the years. Read more>>

Naman Mukerji & Tanmay Neema

Our mission primarily focuses on one thing: sparking creativity in our viewers. As very analytical and technical people, photography has allowed us the opportunity to discover our world from a new perspective which has allowed the stimulation of our creativity. We have discovered the natural, urban, and cultural beauty in our surroundings and used photography to capture it in a unique way. By controlling lighting, angles, subjects, and various other factors, we have been able to tell our own story utilizing one main tool: our cameras. We hope by sharing our work, we can inspire people to express themselves through photography, and we can help to kindle creativity in those around us. Read more>>

Lisa Mermella

Lisa’s Sugar Fix is a one woman show with everything being homemade on demand. Each day we slowly grow! We are at a lovely pace for a small business which I’m incredibly thankful for. The long term goal, is to one day have a bakery! Why is this a mission though? I don’t want to be any bakery or any type of boss. I believe in taking care of my future employees – I want them to enjoy coming to work and to create a safe environment for not only them but the customers that come on in. Read more>>

Peggy Townsend

Townsend Atelier is an independent art school and materials store dedicated to excellence. Our art classes and workshops are modeled after the atelier method where professional, working artists pass down their tremendous skill sets to students of ages and artistic abilities. My husband, Stan, and I founded Townsend Atelier in 2009 out of a desire to fill a void in the Chattanooga region by providing high-quality and meaningful art instruction taught by professional, working artists from all over the world. Read more>>

Bonnie Hayflick

I am a professional communications consultant since 1978 specializing in public relations and media relations, strategic alliance networking, events, and TV and radio news coverage for individuals, businesses, and non-profits. I have also worked for advertising agencies, marketing, and PR firms, plus social media teams, TV and radio stations, and newspapers. Read more>>

Tchacona Wells

Childcare is a very controversial industry because it is slated to be “babysitting” also known as daycare. The philosophy behind the need for change lies within the saying, “We care for children, not days”. With this connotation held over the industry, I have made it a personal yet professional mission to change that. Read more>>

Melanie Klein

After dealing with crushing personal shame, guilt and self-doubt, I was catalyzed into action after meeting my first mentor and simultaneously beginning my mindfulness and embodiment practices over 26 years ago. Beginning to “understand” the world around me and my unique place within it as a woman as it intersected with discovering – a revolutionary and liberating awakening – my personal agency and power combined into a very specific mission and intention. Read more>>

Jacqueline Journey

I know it sounds crazy, but even the “experts” like dermatologists don’t always know what’s best for your skin. Working on camera, I’ve always been really choosy about what products I used. I spent thousands of dollars on the “best” skincare money could buy. I also used a daily prescription to fight my rosacea and finally thought I had my skin all figured out. Then one day – boom – I was diagnosed with cancer. Thank God, I caught mine really early, but as a result, because of this scary diagnosis and all we’d just been through with my husband who had survived stage four cancer only a couple of years earlier, I started questioning everything we put on our bodies. Read more>>

Ron Grams

I was inspired to become a home inspector after witnessing the heartbreak some new homeowners faced when they realized that their dream home was actually a money pit, because they either failed to get a home inspection, or they tried to save a few bucks by hiring a cheap inspector who gave them a less than thorough inspection. It is easy to rack up tens of thousands of dollars in repair bills just to make a home safe to live in if an inspection report is missing critical information that a buyer needs in order to make an informed decision. Read more>>

Corine Ferebee

I have always known that I wanted to be of service to others. Very early on I experienced what if felt like to have a loved one suffer from health issues and not be able to help. I decided that I I wanted to create a career that would allow me to help in some way support people in their health journey. I decided to take on the challenge of becoming a pharmacist. As a pharmacist I have been able to educate and support patients and other health care professionals along their health and wellness journey. Read more>>

Chaunda Walls

There are some moments in life that move you in a monumental way. The birth of Tupelo Rose is one of those moments for me. My story actually began with a 120-pound weight loss journey. I struggled to lose weight after a traumatic childbirth experience in 2001. I wouldn’t find my way back to health until 2007 when I finally embarked on a major life-changing journey in which I lost 120 pounds through diet and exercise and started a company to help others do the same thing-The Bella Fitness Group. Read more>>

Niesha & Ericka Baker & McCracken

We’ve been consumers of Press-ons for nearly three years and decided it was time to be an Owner and not just a consumer. Black women spend millions every year on beauty brands yet we represent a small percentage of owners in the business. We decided we were not only going to become owners but would present quality products that focus on these three pillars: Read more>>

Rewa Sparks

We, at HerHalo, believe that everyone deserves to feel beautiful and having a crown of glory is one way to achieve it. HerHalo strives to provide high quality extensions, units, frontals and closures to help bring out the Diva-fashionista. Read more>>

Dr. Tongie

What do you do when you want Bigger-More from life, but can’t see past where you are? When you know you can be the first in your Family to do FIRSTS-such as graduate from high school, matriculate into college and subsequently into medical school, launch a nanny service, homecare agency, publishing company, entertainment company, consulting agency-but have no one to show you “how”. Read more>>

Cassie D’Arpino

Bella Bags aims to help women facing serious health or situational challenges rediscover their confidence, strength, and beauty for improved emotional and physical healing. It all started in February 2020. I was hospitalized for nearly six days with a massive pleural effusion. While in the hospital, we learned that my breast cancer had relapsed, spreading to the lungs and bones. I was feeling extremely low. Read more>>

Candace Cantu

Since I was a little girl, I always enjoyed gymnastics and pushing myself. As I came into adulthood, I left that space for a while, but it never left my mind. So when an opportunity arose to get back into it, and I found friends that felt the same, it was awesome! I am so priviledged to have a business at Aerial Candy that can provide a fun, safe, effective but magical workout for people of all ages and fitness levels. Seeing people try things they didn’t think they could do and seeing all of the students support them in acheiving their goals — it’s really a dream come true. We all found home. Read more>>

Diamond Holliday

Lesson Learned Tutoring was officially founded by Diamond Holliday in 2021 in response to the growing need for exceptional individual instruction, specifically to the youth impacted by COVID 19. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced uncertainty in many aspects including education. For many, school closures and remote learning impacted student achievement. Read more>>

Shamya Jones

XquisiteIce Avenue is a brand that I created at the age of seventeen. Our mission is to bring elegance and elevation into your presence no matter the occasion leaving you feeling exquisite. Growing up, my mother loved accessorizing, and in turn, I ended up loving to dress up only to top it off with beautiful jewelry pieces. I didn’t always have a reason to wear exquisite jewelry so I cherished the times that I did. Fast forwarding to the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey I thought, why not create a brand that allows all women, whether working towards their degree or well established, to find their jewelry desires? Read more>>

Bessy Martinez

I was born in El Salvador and migrated to the US at the tender age of 2. So much of my up brining has led me to advocate for Latina woman and to elevate and empower their journey. So much of what I saw growing up was founded in community. My mother and I surrounded our selves with people who looked like us, spoke like us, had similar lives like us. But our stories and struggles always stayed within our community. We relied on each other to lift us up. Read more>>

Sharica McGee

I founded Red Rose Naturals in Florida after developing a line of plant-based products to help alleviate my son’s eczema. I was determined to create natural remedies that would give him relief, without the use of harsh chemicals. My son’s eczema has never been better, and now we are serving families internationally. My company, Red Rose Naturals uses natural ingredients, fruit extracts, and pure oils to formulate products that are safe and non-toxic to help hydrate and create flawless-looking skin. Read more>>

Lavoughnda White

In 2016 I was on the way to the Washington D.C. school where I was teaching second grade when a friendly-seeming young Black man approached me and said: “I just want to let you know that you’re pretty to be dark skinned.” It took me a second to process the subtext. My first response was a burst of expletives. Then I caught my breath. I looked him in the eye and said: ‘Nah, I’m just pretty. That incident stayed with me — and ultimately inspired me to found a social enterprise company that was recently celebrated by Forbes Magazine for its efforts to fight colorism. Read more>>

Katie Leadbetter

I have always been interested in food and nutrition and as is common, when I was 17, I went vegetarian for 8 years. But after craving meat and reading “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”, I became an omnivore once again. Shortly after, my husband convinced me to try The 4-Hour Body” “diet” and for the first time in my life I noticed positive differences in my sleep, energy, and weight. I became even more interested about food and nutrition and then decided to go back to school to become a holistic Nutrition Consultant. Read more>>

Briyanna Releford

Just like Issa Rae said, “I’m rooting for everyone Black.” I’m all about nurturing and bringing positive attention to the Black community. I push this in my podcast, non-profit, and merchandise. I grew up off Glenwood Ave and Memorial Drive with my single mom and 2 sisters and 2 brothers. Often we would find ourselves receiving help from local organizations, friends, and family. My mom’s disability only increased our need for outside assistance. Read more>>

Lyda Hanson

Our mission at Suntide is to create a brand that inspires people to get outside under the sun and connect with each other, their environment and the present moment. While we offer canned mimosas, we strive to provide an experience that gives our consumers so much more than just the convenience of a tasty beverage in can. Growing up in beautiful Northern California, my brothers (and fellow co-founders) and I developed a deep appreciation for those moments in which we were with friends and family, Read more>>

Nadine Calderon

In 2018 after moving to the USA, I witnessed how my father’s health declined due to his diabetes and poor eating habits, alongside the health of my father-in-law and close relatives. My husband and I, embarked on a journey to better our own health in the hope to avoid repeating our family’s health patterns. Having a sweet tooth, we started experimenting with cooking and baking without any sugar while keeping the flavors and decadence of our favorite desserts, which eventually led us to launch Revol Snax. Read more>>

Elena Smith

The story behind my mission can be put simply… its God. I am involved in three vast realms of the world: animal medicine, wedding ceremonies and a brand that creates apparel for the flesh but represents the soul. In each area, I witness miracles day after day. And since youth that has always been my goal. I knew I wanted to be involved on many platforms but I also knew I wanted them to include aiding the world, being part of good change, kindness and fellowship. Working with animals, officiating weddings and creating designs for an inspirational brand offers me all of those details. Read more>>

Adam Bobroy

My love for cameras and editing started back in high school. Right out of high school I decided not to go the traditional film school or college route. Started working for a few freelance clients and a production company that would regularly hire me. After a few years built up my client base and worked with more production companies. Overall my mission for clients and other creatives I work with is support the imagine / ideas they have and add my own creative twist at the same time. Read more>>