Our community is comprised of some absolutely brilliant entrepreneurs and so we asked a few of them to tell us the story of how they came up with the ideas for their business.

Samantha Minugh | Photographer

It sounds cliché but I’ve enjoyed taking photos since I was little. My grandfather did personal photography for family events, and my mom was a retail studio photographer for part of my childhood so the camera was something I was familiar with. When I was 14 or 15 I started taking photos for a local cooking class, mostly food photography. Then I started volunteering at my church doing photography for events and services. I started my business when I was 15 when friends and parents of kids I babysat started asking for me to take photos for them. My first ever paid job was an engagement session for one of my youth leaders. I am 20 years old now, I do everything from weddings to family photos to creative work with makeup artists and cosplayers. Read more>>

Wendy Berry | Wendy Rose Berry & Eugenia Marshall conditionHER Co-founders

The idea for conditionHER was sparked by the preference of one of Wendy’s exes. Let’s just say he was more of a ”hair vs. bare” type brotha. Wendy felt like she needed some maintenance tips for the new ‘70s bush life she was embracing, and at drinks with with her girls, she asked, “Have any of you ever used your regular hair shampoo or conditioner on your pubic hair?” There were LOTS of laughs and truths told, and the idea to create an intimate skin care brand was sparked Read more>>

Kenisha Mcgee | Hairstylists

How I came up with my business , I’ve always loved doing hair since I was about 11 and one day I got tired of working jobs so I told myself what is it that I really want to do? I asked myself what is my art? What is my craft? I said to myself doing hair is my art it’s my passion so from that day forward I created SlayedByNina ! Read more>>

Aneeta Pearson | Founder & CEO of 4 All Coils

As a child, my hair was very long and thick. I ran away and hid when it was time to do my hair because the process was painful. There were not many natural hair resources or products available. As a result, my hair was permed at seven years old and into adulthood to “manage” it. I decided to do the big chop when I discovered I was pregnant with my first child. Not only was I tired of perm burns and hair breakage, but I was also afraid that using chemicals would harm my unborn baby. I reached my breaking point of trying to fit into this standard box of beauty. When I did the big chop, I felt incredibly liberated, and I have not looked back after eight years. Read more>>