It takes a lot more than an idea to build a business, but there can’t be a business without the idea. So we asked folks who’ve built wonderful businesses to tell us about how they came up with the idea in the first place.

Keisha Pierre | Private Chef & Cateter

I’ve always had a love for food since i was younger , whether it was shadowing various family members in the kitchen or sneaking food while they were cooking. As I grew older I took that love for food to a kitchen of my own . My favorite pastime is watching on as friends and family eat my cooking. I started recording my meals and posting them via social media where my friends and family would often ask me for the recipe or to bring them a plate. One of my cousins gave me the name chefkeish and from there I started EatzbyKeish. Read more>>

Dennisha Bellinger | Boutique Owner & Entrepreneur

My love for fashion started at a very young age. For as long as I can remember, I was always into reading fashion magazines/blogs and watching fashion tv shows. I even had a sketch book and would constantly draw out different outfit ideas. I loved everything about the fashion industry and still do. Along with my passion for fashion, I also dealt with body-shaming and saw it among several women around me. On social media, at school, it was everywhere. Read more>>

Manëësh Chatman | Certified Personal Trainer, Tea Business Owner and Spiritual Guide

Since I can remember I’ve always been involved in some kind of physical activity, especially being in the military for 10 years. Now being older I decided weightlifting was going to be my primary focus; getting as big as my body will allow me to get. At the age of 25, I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both knees and I began having many health problems. Sparing the details, I would get so sick that I would have to be out of the gym for weeks and months sometimes. Read more>>

Karen Johnson | Licensed Esthetician

Everyone always ask me, “How did you come up with your business?” and I tell him that I didn’t always know what I wanted to do until I went to college. I attended Central State University in 2015, majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. I knew that I always wanted to own my own business, but didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do until my mother said, “you need a side hustle while you’re in school, why don’t you start waxing brows since you know how to do your own”. Read more>>

Dani Dobbs | Owner | Baker

CBD happened accidentally. My mom taught me to bake as a kid. All the women on my moms side bake, so it’s really like a rights of passage for us. Fast forward to when I was attending Spelman and my friend group had a potluck. I forgot all about it and I didn’t have time to go to the store. As a Hail Mary I whipped up a Red Velvet cake to take with me. Read more>>