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?

Courtney Burkholder

A part of our mission is to link arms with other local small businesses. We have had such an organic success in our small business due to the support of other small businesses. It’s a matter of having each other’s back. For example, we were introduced to the owner of Pop Of Confetti. We did a popup at her store for a Galentines event where we met Justin, the owner of JC Desserts. Read more>>

Joshua & Noelle Locke

We LOVE to make health taste great–and this is at the center of our passion in making kombucha.  Wheatgrass and apple cider vinegar shots may be trending en vogue as superfoods right now, but those can be hard things to wrap our tongues and tummies around for newbs to the health block. Read more>>

Aniekanabasi White

The mission of Sensiil Studios is to create a multimedia library of narratives featuring BIPOC characters and culture to bring unrestricted representation to the sci-fi genre. With a slew of characters from across the pan-African spectrum, we have committed to building a non-politicized, unashamedly black story for anyone from middle school to college age. Read more>>

Ivan Quezada Taveras

My mission as a Black Dominican fashion designer and entrepreneur is to create clothing articles that express the cultural essence of Black street fashion in New York City especially Harlem. This mission is incredibly meaningful to me because I believe there is not enough representation, inclusion and reverence given to Black stylist, Black artists, and Black designers from NYC especially Harlem. While some may categorize stylist, artists, and designers as very specific professions, I would argue that most people from Harlem NYC, if not all, are fashion artists in some respect. Read more>>

DL Pettigrew

The team at Hidden PEARLS believes all Queens wear PEARLS and we want all women who put on a Hidden PEARLS design to look and feel like a Queen when she walks out on her runway if life. I design for unique women who want to mark their OWN trails! Read more>>

Torrion Reed

As the need for sustainable practices grow around the world, my main goal is to display refreshing designs using upcycled denim. I want to translate avant garde, couture design language to streetwear creating unique silhouettes with innovative engineering. Read more>>

David Joyner

My company’s mission is to be the resource to all of our clients that we wish we always had. As a creative, early on there were so many ideas I had and so little money to get them to materialize that I would lose passion for the idea. I want my company to always help out clients keep that passion and bring their ideas to life, regardless of budget Read more>>

Ariana C. Garcia

I am in a unique position where I am responsible for overseeing the direction and management of LancLiving Realty but I am also an independent agent with the company, as well as the LancGallery initiative coordinator. Our company’s mission truly intertwines with my personal missions. Read more>>

Eleanora John

Our mission is to create unique crystal jewelry to uplift our customers using the metaphysical properties of crystals. Crystals are not just physically beautiful. They have an energetic frequency or vibration that helps the wearer to become better versions of themselves by being catalyst of positive change. Read more>>

Catryce Thompson

There is not just one story that ignited my drive to do what I do. I have always had a passion for helping others and believe that this passion is rooted in being the oldest of five kids, but also being raised in a church that puts a huge emphasis on community service. From a young age, I have been encouraged to serve others and be selfless. Read more>>

Jasmin Swinton

As a single mother of 2, over the years I’ve learned that working a standard 9-5 (in the office or remote) isn’t conducive for single parents. In my experience, I’ve had to call off, come in late, leave early, and often times rely on my support system to assist with my children to be able to keep my job in good standing. This caused stress and anxiety, never feeling secure in my position for fear of a write up or termination. Read more>>

Alycea Adams

As a young African American woman in Generation Z, I was on the platform TikTok and Instagram as social spaces to connect with family and friends, but it quickly turned into a platform for me to vocalize embracing my natural hair and the challenges that come with that. Growing up I was often confronted with questions about my hair that focused on whether or not it was real. Read more>>

Saige Thomas

Our mission at Geisa Haus is to provide comprehensive support to designers and brands by producing fashion shows, promoting their designs creatively, and telling their stories in innovative ways. We identified a gap in the market for a fashion show production company that could manage all aspects of organizing a successful show for Texan designers and brands, from logistics and castings to production and promotion. That’s why we established Geisa Haus to meet this need and elevate the Texas fashion industry. Read more>>

Altheda Bastien

My mission as the owner of Nailah’s Naturals is pretty simple. Our goal is to provide quality personal care and skin care products to consumers that are all natural and free from the typical harsh ingredients you’d find in bigger name brands. We believe in keeping things simple with the majority of our products being made with just a few key ingredients that still manage to offer the best value and overall customer satisfaction. Read more>>

Brian Jenkins

At BlackFin Coffee, the brand and the mission are one and the same. Our mission is to save the southern resident killer whales from extinction by restoring the critically endangered chinook salmon, and honoring indigenous peoples’ treaty rights. What does that look like exactly? Simply put, we support non-profit conservation organizations through donations from the proceeds of our coffee, and by upholding our 3 core values: Kindness, Conservation, and Excellence. Read more>>

ANTONIO Piretti

Writing songs and sharing them on stage is storytelling based on a mission. The mission is to improve, enrich and inspire the live of others by sharing meaningful messages and storys through the songs. As a successful manager and enterpreneur I came to a point in which I did not see a sense anymore to run behind money without leaving a mark or a meaningful impact on people. Read more>>

Dominique Jones

Living with a disability is a huge challenge in itself, but finding the confidence in still seeing value in your limitations is something not everyone has to offer. My goal i to not only show that but share that to those that may not feel they have value Read more>>

Jimena Nacht

Back in the day when I started working and promoting festivals and parties it was heartbreaking to see the amount of waste this industry can make. Also I was noticing a lot of unsafeness specially being a women. So, I was like: I need to make a difference. Read more>>

Shanice Miles-Moore

I am Shanie a Hair & Extension professional on a mission to making hard working mamas like myself look & feel amazing all while having the convenience of bringing their child(ren) along for the ride. As a single mother of two, I know how hard it can be to find a stylist that allows mamas to bring their children or even find someone to watch them. Read more>>

Catherine Andrews

My mission is to connect highly sensitive people back to their self-trust, intuition, creativity, and magic. I do this through energy work, creative visioning, journaling, Tarot and inner child healing. As a life coach and spiritual mentor, my calling is to coach people who feel disconnected from their lives back into their authentic, compassionate and worthy selves, so they can design a life of their dreams and do work that will light up the world. Read more>>

Ellaf Al-Tamimi

I started Bosskey Premium Services LLC in March of 2021. I was preparing to graduate with my bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico. As a first-generation immigrant, and single mother of three children, having a career and an advanced college degree were not the definition of success for my family. They were for me. As a middle school dropout (yes, I’ve never been to high school), I wanted nothing more than an education. Read more>>

Joshua Rolnick

I started Immunity because I was managing a bar in a restaurant that charged an average of $16 for a glass of wine and served food filled with butter and salt. A light bulb went off insisting that for the same price as a glass of wine, I could give my guests something that not only fills their soul, but also helps them feel better for the long term. I am proud to do what I do now. People walk up to me on the street here in Hollywood, Florida and thank me for helping them feel better. That’s worth more to me than anything. Read more>>

Nazia Siddiqui

Growing up in India, I always loved going shopping with my mom and sisters to the bustling bazaars filled with small businesses. We would pick out the fabric and trims, take it to our tailor, give our custom measurements, and pick up our outfits in a few days. I learned about different types of fabrics from my mother who loved creating outfits for my sister and me. Read more>>

Sarah Zareen

Ishq (ee-shuh-quh) in Urdu means Love. I come from a long line of healers in Southern India. One half of the family have been gifted “yunani” (greek medicine) healers and the other half were renowned Sufis-spiritual advisors to kings, and spiritual guides to the people who became their disciples. I have grown up absorbing the wisdom from both branches that was passed on to us, in little and big ways. Read more>>

Andrew Landry

Where Men Hurt was birthed out of the book “Overcoming The Addiction That No One Has”, written by the founder, Andrew J. Landry. A book topically about sex addiction, the story of the book is centered around Hope and Redemption. Read more>>

Yanni Hufnagel

At Lemon Perfect we have accomplished our goal of producing a sugar-free alternative that mirrors the taste profile of conventional sweeteners while prioritizing the well-being of our customers. The overconsumption of sugar in America has a myriad of adverse heath effects and we are committed to positively impacting the overall wellness of American consumers, particularly those in marginalized communities. Our mission is to provide a health-conscious solution that doesn’t compromise flavor. Read more>>

Chris Florence

I’m a firm believer in the success of America isn’t large corporations but locally owned/operated businesses. Local businesses don’t have access to the tools needed to grow and scale their companies. That’s were we come in. We install our team into businesses all over Central Florida equipping them with the knowledge and clarity on why video is important to growing their brand. Read more>>

Jake Perper

In the sports world, specifically the high school basketball event/media space there has always been a need. The high school space is one where the athletes are not only still learning in the classroom but also on the basketball court. They need all the exposure they can get and with my platform, I make sure it is all encompassing between my high quality events, social media push and articles that are read by college coaches and scouts around the country. Read more>>

Rosalinde Clara

My mission is ‘adding beauty to the world one pattern at a time’. I think that we can all agree that the last few years have been more difficult than most. There is so much uncertainty and unpredictability in our day-to-day lives that it can often be hard to find a calm space. As someone who saw their anxiety levels start to creep up in recent years, I really had to focus on the things that I could control instead of the ones that I can’t. And one thing that I can control is my art. Read more>>