Starting a business is a commitment and requires dedication, resources and sacrifice. We asked some of the rising stars in our community how they thought through the idea of starting their own businesses.

Shawn Adams | Chef Shawn

Honestly I alway known how to hustle and my son was just born so I want to create a generational wealth for our future. Cooking was something that was installed in me at a early age from my grandmother and trapping is what I grow up in living in the project !!! So I combined the two and I turnt my passion in to a business. Read more>>

Marion Maynor | Designer & Founder of BLACK BORDERS

I worked for a small sustainable brand as a production seamstress from 2019 – 2021. During this time I witnessed an incredible lack of diversity within the sustainable fashion industry–in the styles, the models, the employees. The prices were also way out of my reach, and I realized I just didn’t fit into this world. I loved to design and I’d gotten really good at sewing, so I decided to share what I’d learned by starting BLACK BORDERS. My brand is about empowering BIPOC and queer communities. I wanted stylish, handmade clothing to be available to everyone. Read more>>

Sylvester Jenkins III | Personal Development Consultant

Thank you for your question. My decision to pursue entrepreneurship was driven by a combination of personal and professional factors. Here’s an insight into my thought process: Passion for personal growth: Throughout my military career, I developed a deep passion for personal growth and overcoming challenges. I realized that my experiences and lessons learned could benefit others who were facing their own battles of adversity in civilian life. Read more>>

Dea Makeda Booker | Owner of Makeda Skinn

I’ve always had an affinity for beauty since I was about six. I grew up watching my parents do their own beauty and skincare routines, begging them to let me help them get ready and even doing my mom’s makeup for work sometimes. I had extremely sensitive skin. For my entire childhood, we would struggle finding products I could use. When I did find lotion, it was hard finding the right one that would keep me moisturized since I had dry skin as well. Read more>>

Tembi Gray | Director, The Young Musician’s University

My husband and I have a passion for music. We met at Claflin University during our freshman year. We both played in the jazz band, were members of the gospel choir and my husband was the personal musician for Alice Tisdale, the President’s wife at the time. Upon graduation from college, I went into youth development while my husband began his career as a professional musician. Read more>>

Kristen James | Registered Nurse & Holistic Health Practitioner

I always knew that I wanted to work in the health field. I thought I would become a doctor because they are the ones that “heal” people. After many years of consideration, I decided nursing would be best since they are the ones who actually spend the most time with the patients. During my 5 years of working as a nurse, I quickly learned that traditional medicine is simply a bandaid. Read more>>

Melanie Nead | Founder & Creative Director

I had so many reasons for starting this business! I’m fascinated by pattern and by functional objects. I want everything to be beautiful! As I began working within the interior design industry doing wallpaper-style murals, I observed that there were historic wallpaper companies (like Adelphi Paper Hangings and Bradbury & Bradbury) making gorgeous historic reproduction wallpapers of very fine quality, using traditional print methods. Read more>>

Dré Ali | Co-CEO of Hall Of Fame Records & Recording Artist

I have always believed my talent can not be bought so starting a record label provided me with the opportunity to assert myself as an owner as well as an artist. Read more>>

Jialu (Calo) An | Illustrator& Animator& Artist

As a marriage present earlier this year, I received a gift card for one-hundred dollars. With this unexpected bounty, I indulged in something whimsical, something not entirely essential, for art. But what did I purchase? A material I had long yearned to experiment with, none other than shrink plastic. Alongside it, I purchased a set of colored pencils, a drill, and a heat gun. Read more>>

Christina Burrell | Web & Graphic Designer

I’ve created websites, graphics, and social media content as a pastime over the past few years. But the hobby evolved into a passion, which prompted me to launch my own business. I enjoyed bringing the visions of my clients to life, then I realized it was time to invest in myself. Plus learning about generational wealth, I wanted to leave something for my son. Thus EAM Professional Services was established. Read more>>

Jeri Robinson-Lawrence | Wool and Lavender Shop Co-owner & University Interactive and Graphic Design Professor

I believe that my goals were like those of any entrepreneur. I started my business because I was passionate about something. For me, it was rare breed sheep and wool. I have always been interested in art and animals. Although raised in the city of Buffalo, NY, my dream was to be an artist and to live on a farm. At first, the farm dream was about growing trees. However, on a trip to England in the late 80s, my in-laws took me to the South of England Show. Read more>>

Malika Skerritt | Artisan

I had childhood eczema that followed me right into adulthood. After many years being prescribed several variations of steroid topicals, I decided I had had enough. I began my journey to a more natural way of healing my skin. The minute I was introduced to shea body butters, I was in love! The only problem was, body butters made my skin shiny, but didn’t offer long lasting moisture. Read more>>

Malika Rucker | Owner & Lead Baker

My thought process behind starting my business was, wanting to spread love through my baking. Baking was always a hobby of mine but, As a teenager, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), an endocrine disorder that affects your hormones and blood sugar levels. This condition can lead to several other medical conditions like diabetes, hypertension, hair growth, and infertility. Read more>>

Nick Garrity | Alloy Personal Training Franchisee and Entrepeneur

I’ve been fortunate over the last few years to work for multiple franchises and see the “behind the scenes” that I was never truly privy to and now am able to have a more comprehensive understanding as to what it takes to be the owner. More importantly I get to provide amazing jobs for industry professionals like me that are used to working as independent contractors, working hour to hour to make ends meet, all while doing something that directly impacts people’s quality of life and health on a daily basis! Read more>>

Von | Owner & Creator of Freer Brand

The thought process behind my clothing brand Freer, was to create a brand that encourages others to live freely despite societal norms. I truly believe that all each of us can think of something at any given time that makes us feel “free”. What I want to do through my clothing brand is to bring awareness to whatever that may be and encourage you to do more of that. Read more>>

Kabrina and Alenna | Salon Owners and Pet Stylists

Owning our own grooming salon has been a long time dream. When we got the opportunity, we ran with it. We were determined to provide a safe, clean and spacious space for all of the pets and stylists. The salon we purchased needed some serious TLC and we had limited time to get it all cleaned up and ready. After much hard work and determination we were able to turn this salon into our dream business. We couldn’t be happier! Read more>>

Jarius Brown | Social Media Manager & Real Estate Investor

Last year, I began the process of interviewing contractors to renovate my first investment property in Atlanta. During the process, I noticed that few contractors have social media accounts to properly display their work. As one contractor showed me ample examples of his work in his photo album, I decided it would be great to offer social media management services to him and other small construction companies in the area. Read more>>

Sandra D Johnson | Founder, CEO, & Family Coach

I saw a vacancy in the space of who and what was being provided to link parent and child during behavior crisis! The system is set up to provide redirect services for youth who get in some form of trouble. There was no consideration for the needs of whole family unit. The problem behaviors of youth, are connected to the whole family. Read more>>

Dr. Virginie Jackson | Founder and CEO

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in [insert year] not only disrupted our daily lives but also had a profound impact on the education system. As schools transitioned to remote learning, it became evident that students were falling behind in their studies. Recognizing this urgent need, I embarked on a mission to start my own business, driven by the desire to support students, parents, and educators in overcoming the challenges posed by the pandemic. Read more>>

LaKisha Goggins | Restaurant Owner- Black Female Business Owner

The thought process behind starting my own business, well it has been a dream of mine since I was 17 yrs old. I knew I wanted to open my own Restaurant one day. I have always enjoyed good food from a child living with my Italian Mother and Aunts and also being inspired by my Southern Grandmother from another Mother. Food is what bought us all together it was the one time that everyone seem to come together to laugh and love on each other while enjoying a great meal. Read more>>

Dedarius Cofer | Podcast Host

A lot of Times We Allow what’s on tv to raise us and we base our life based on what’s on television. We Think Celebrities Have All The Answers And We Praise Them To Be These Godly Figures When in fact they are human just like us! My goal with my podcast was to show people that anybody can teach you something and just because these upcoming entrepreneurs and entertainers are not famous that doesn’t mean they can’t teach you nothing! Read more>>

Ashley Carnage | Criminal Defense Trial Attorney

I’ve always known I wanted to work for myself, even when I was working at the public defenders office I knew my plan was to gain experience to start my own business as a trial attorney. When the time actually came to make the move, I prepared myself to step into the ring of entrepreneurship. Read more>>

Tristina Cooper | Crafty Creator & Owner

So many thoughts went through my mind when coming up with a business plan. I was a single mom of 3 kids at the time looking to figure out how to balance work/personal life, how to make ends meet, what could I possibly make, sell etc. Initially I wanted to start an online business named Rich Peeples Closet LLC that sold school uniforms for sizes that were hard to find in stores. Read more>>

Kim Weber | Potter, Maker, Artist

After spending years working in government and the non profit realm I was feeling lost and without purpose. Not that the organizations weren’t purposeful, they are. But I wanted something different, something of my own creation where I am the contributing factor. I wanted to pursue a passion. Read more>>

Charyl Williams | Life & Wellness Coach

At the start of this year, I experienced a miscarriage. During the time of physically healing, I had a lot of time to think and reflect. In contemplation, I was confronted with accepting my true passion and gift for empowering others to be their best selves. I’ve known for a while that I was a life coach. I was just hesitant to claim the role because of the fear of the unknown of what it looks like to be a life coach for me. Read more>>

Qaysean Williams | The one-hand sewing man

I always say, “Fashion found me,” because it was something that blossomed while I was in middle school out of a need to disguise my disability and get friends to focus on my fashion, instead of my arm. Throughout the years, my interest grew, and eventually,  Read more>>

Shaun Sinclair | Publisher & Film Director

I wanted to be in control of my time, career, and financial destiny. I also wanted to help others who may not have had the opportunity to get their books published the traditional way. Everyone deserves to have their story told; I’m just a facilitator. Read more>>

Sheryl Tobler | Esthetician & Body Practitioner

I wanted to provide a Wellness Spa for women to enhance their beauty naturally. Without the downtime, pain and risk associated with invasive surgical procedures. Read more>>

Ashley Culmer, MS, CCC-SLP | Speech-Language Pathologist

Well Spoken Speech Therapy is an outpatient therapy clinic specializing in communication and feeding disorders in children. It is in Sandy Springs and serves children from various backgrounds. The idea of starting my own practice started back in high school. I watched my youngest brother attend speech therapy for years due to his diagnosis of autism. So, for me, this was personal. Read more>>

Marrio Lemon | Media Specialist

I seen that my city need its own media outlet and I also love journalism. Read more>>

Ronnie Low | Recording artist

Having the faith that your idea + execution will allow people to understand and appreciate your art truthfully. Read more>>

Misty Kelischek | Fine-Art Painter

If I’m going to be completely honest, it started out as a way to get some tax benefits from a side hustle. It didn’t stay that way for long though. As soon as it started growing, I realized that I would love to be a full-time artist. I just never knew it was possible. It wasn’t until I asked for mentoring from some friends who were making it work did I realize how lucrative it could be. Read more>>

Sara ‘Saray Young | Author, Emcee & Jewelry Designer

The brand, SaraSaray was originally started in 2015 because I wanted to help women build their confidence and self-esteem. I created a blog and started sharing tips and articles for women, specifically, plus-size women who may not have realized their value and worth. As a young girl coming up and having my aunt be that person for me, I knew there were other young girls and women that need that same guidance and person as well. From there, the brand grew and I started being invited to workshops, teaching classes, hosting events and my last venture was releasing my self-published book, “The Journal and Planner of Expectancy.” Read more>>

Chelsealya Cookie” Payne | Non-profit Founder, Certified Purpose Coach and Certified Coach Trainer”

As a person that experience domestic violence and felt as though I had lost my voice, i wanted to provide a platform where persons who had experienced the same were given the opportunity to not only regain their voice but also receive hope, inspiration, empowerment and a sense of community. We expanded out reach to include mental health awareness and health and wellness for the same reasons. It is important to give voice to the voiceless and empowerment for those that feel as though their strength has been depleated. Read more>>

Ndawe Jennifer Oluchukwu Odunze | Future Esthetician and Owner of St’Claire Beauty LLC

My thought process was to create products that are effective and a delight to use either by me or the consumer. St’Claire Beauty was birth out of necessity due to my own personal struggle with hair loss due to baldness. Read more>>

Jessica Hawks | Business Coach

I started working nearly full time starting at age 16 while I finished high school online. At 19, I moved to SC and started working as a Chiropractic Assistant while going to college for Nursing for two years. Internally, I desperately wanted a job that would provide me the ability to work from home, travel when I wanted, allow me to have financial freedom & express my creativity that I felt had been stifled by years of being in 9-5’s. Read more>>

Philip Harrell | Ice Cream Maker

People over everything. Everything driving this world today pushes us further away from each other. Ice cream brings people together better than most things. Most people don’t eat ice cream alone, and if they do it’s just to take a mental break. We generally see families, first dates, date nights, daddy-daughter days, mommy-son days, or some form of people enjoying each other’s company. Read more>>

Kevan Sharperson | CEO & Content Creator

I wanted to create a network for creators to interact with each other and support one another as we all take our own path to success. I wanted to offer services and resources that wasn’t available to me starting out to other creators and business owners. Sort of my way of “paying it forward .” Read more>>

Myriah Tremble | Licensed Esthetician

A side hustle, literally. I did not know my small business would ever be on the way to a bigger business. My job at the time was slow for months, and I had just gotten a new car, and I needed the extra money to pay my car note. There was no intention on pursuing a career out of my business. Read more>>

Shamica Baxter | Certified Life Coach

Years ago, I was faced with a challenge that is too familiar to many. Upon graduating from college with two undergraduate degrees, I faced multiple job rejections from companies within my career fields of psychology and communications. In a moment of confusion and despair, I asked myself “is a degree enough”? Read more>>

Kadijah Vickers | Restaurant Owner & Real estate Investor

I have always worked for myself in whatever venture that I was pursuing at the time, over the past 20 years. In conversations with my mentor, I was advised to start pursuing my purpose and passion versus always chasing a check. I took some time and did some soul searching in order to identify my purpose. Once I realized that my purpose was to “serve”, I then had to figure out as to what capacity am I here to serve. Read more>>

Dr. Karen Ratliff | Principal, 365 Consulting Group, LLC.

The freedom and flexibility to create and implement what I am truly passionate about. Read more>>

Billie Slum | Owner & recording artist

I’ve always been into fashion. Ever since a child, I’ve always had an eye for putting things together. So I thought what better way to make money than doing what I love. Read more>>

Aisha Martin, LICSW, LCSW-C | Owner/Clinical Director/Lead Therapist

My thought process behind my business was to do things my way. For many years, I have shared my talents with many agencies, but often felt stifled by policies (that I did not necessarily agree with). When I finally decided to open my own practice, I was working as a school social worker for a school district and felt that I was not able to be as clinical as I would like. The way the system was set up I was doing a lot of other task (duties, attendance, etc) and that is was not the best use of my clinical skills. Read more>>

Tiffany Dillard | Founder and CEO

New Voice Books at first was just supposed to be a book publishing company for my books only but God. God gave me a voice through writing and he charged me to go back and help his Kingdom Scribes use their voices. Read more>>