The Early Days: why did you start a business

Are you thinking about starting a business? If so, we think you’ll enjoy reading about how these seasoned entrepreneurs thought about the question when they were in your shoes.

Vicente Magana | Sr. Industrial designer & Co-founder of SVO

My thought process behind starting my own business was influenced by my ideology; I cannot depend on anyone other than myself, I must design . I’m fresh out of ArtCenter and design is my profession. I must design my future, to my vision. Let’s get to it. Read more>>

Bren Briggs | Executive Director of The Eden Project, retired Army officer and former Marine

When I got out of the Army after 28 years of service, I struggled. I thought I was prepared; I wasn’t. I thought there would be community services available for me and my family, but there wasn’t. I thought it would be a smooth transition from my uniform to post-military employment, it definitely was not. Read more>>

Patience Bradley | Lash tech

My thought process was something that I’m passionate about something that keeps my day going everyday. My business are both very creative challenging i loveeee a good challenge it trains my brain to think be myself. Brings out another person and also being your own boss it gives me time to also still be an amazing mother to my beautiful 3 children that i have. Read more>>

Chloe W | Lead Brand Designer

Whew! Honestly, I was midway through my Bachelors degree in Marketing Management, and worked on a creative content marketing module. We created visual assets, and I thought to bring this to life through graphic design. COVID 19 was a great time to work around putting together a graphic design agency.  Read more>>

William Warren | Founder and CEO

I never imagined myself diving into the world of business. My journey into entrepreneurship was really about reigniting my creative spark. Back when I was wrapping up my master’s degree in illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design, I had dreams of becoming an editorial or children’s book illustrator. Read more>>

Mary Reed | Board Chair of Life House Atlanta

To be honest, I have not had a ‘steady career.’ I am a full time mother to three children with a part time job in medical billing. My youngest, Catherine, is medically fragile with global developmental delay. Reliant on a feeding tube and suctioning machine, she requires 24/7 care from my husband and me. Desperate for respite, I went online to search for resources, and came across Life House Atlanta. Read more>>

Tyler Davis | Photographer

I always loved working with the Film Club in my high school. I’ve already had experience working with video/photo cameras well before I got my own. It was a passion for me as the camera allowed me to show my creativity and how the world is perceived by me. So once I got my camera, I not only was able to show others a part of myself but also it could be a main source of income over time as I continue to invest in myself. Read more>>

Stephan Brady | Founder and Executive director of the Covation Center.

I had been working with small businesses for a while in a coaching mode. When I first did it it was through a co-working space in Roanoke Virginia and I fell in love with the concept of coworking as well as helping businesses.

Lauren Koritko | Entreprenuer and business owner.

Our biggest why was for the opportunity to give our children firsthand knowledge and experience with entrepreneurship and business ownership. We wanted them to see that with hard work you can turn dreams into a reality and create and build something from the ground up, which is thrilling to experience! Read more>>

Brandi Theus | Housekeeper and Houseplant Enthusiast

When I first started my own cleaning business, I was working for a bigger cleaning company. I was quickly disappointed in how much they didn’t care about the employees or keeping us with working equipment and supplies. Basically every job before that I had gone into management so I knew I would be able to figure out how to be successful on my own. Read more>> 

Marcus Slayton | Photographer/videographer

Just something that fell in my lap at the time. Just podcasting than from there started doing more with my camera. An unintentional investment. Read more>>

Brittany Geertgens | Serial Entrepreneur

I am a serial entrepreneur and started my first business at the age of 15. So being a business owner has been apart of me for a very long time! But when I first started Sassy Girls ATL a year ago I was in the process of wanting to grow my friend group with like minded, friendly and genuine women! I felt like the mean girl energy was something that I was struggling with when meeting new people. Read more>>

Ashlynn Thomas | Cosmetologist & Serial Entrepreneur

I honestly didn’t think about it long at all. I knew what I wanted to do, I knew that I was very talented, and I knew that I didn’t want to work for anyone else. So, I put a price on my services and got to work. I stayed consistent and everything fell into place. Read more>>

Brittany Browne | Military Officer & Entrepreneur

Starting my own business wasn’t something that I always thought of. I am in the Army, so for the longest all I thought about was excelling as an Army Officer. But as I approached 30, and was restricted from running due to injuries, I noticed how how hard it was to keep off weight. Read more>>

Brian Washburn | Co-founder & CEO

Honestly, I never really wanted to start my own business. There’s definitely something safe and secure about working for an employer and never worrying about whether there will be money in the bank at the end of the month to pay myself. Read more>>

Jianna Greaves | Hairstylist

As a young high schooler with a passion, I knew that I wanted to be something greater. After being around an environment you have always enjoyed I knew I did not want to lowball myself and work for anyone. So I put my skills to the test and began to open up my work for the world to see. Read more>>

Benny Kline | Owner and Co-Founder of Tenacious Toys

I didn’t have much of a thought process, more like we fell into it. After graduating with a degree in art, I found myself in NYC without much direction. I met my (future) wife and in our travels around the city, we discovered the odd collectibles that were both toys, and art. We were intrigued, looked into the niche more. Read more>>

Lisa Gomes | Founder & CEO

Lesbifriends was never supposed to be a business. It started off as an organic get together in the living room of my one bedroom apartment years ago and grew into a community of queer people who wanted to keep that connection going. Read more>>

Kimberly Gibson | Chef

My thought process behind starting my own business was to bring a taste of Florida to Atl. Being a Florida native I have tired several of Atlanta’s favorite spot nothing compared to Florida, while cooking seafood for family & friends became more consistent I figured what Atlanta need is some good flavor seafood at it’s fingertips. Read more>>

Alexzandra Swindle | Esthetician

To be honest , I had no intention on starting my own business . It came to a point in time where I made an impulse decision to leave my job and at that point I KNEW I had to bet on myself . I knew I was talented and creative . I knew my work ethic . I knew myself .  Read more>>

Sean Owen | Breathwork & Meditation Instructor

I was deeply moved by my own spiritual journey and the opportunity to serve humanity. Having worked in the behavioral health community for the last 10 years, I realized that teaching holistic and spiritual approaches to wellbeing represents the next level of growth and often fills the missing link.  Read more>>

H. Randy Hughes, III | CPA | Lead Instructor for the Well-Rounded Accountant Program

I can remember being in college and wondering, “What in the world am I going to do for work, to support myself?!?” Shortly after finding my first “job”, I quickly learned three things, Read more>>

Hadzi-Aleksandar Djurovic | Film Director, Producer, Writer

I started my small film production back in 2009. when i was still studying film directing. I was on 3rd year and with founding company i started producing my short films. I had luck that company is branch of publishing house founded by my parents 20 years ago. So i didn’t have to bother with administration too much and we already had team. Read more>>

Adrienne Y. Murphy, CMP, VEMM, DES | CEO & Founder | Meeting & Events Manager | On-site/Virtual Support Specialist

The pandemic. That’s what actually prompted me to re-start my business. Back in 2003, I started my business as, I had a strong passion for planning events and meetings. Raising my young family at that time caused me to put my dream on hold until a future time when it would better align with my family’s needs.  Read more>>

Anya Fleming | Travel Agent

I was born and raised in Tupelo, Mississippi. 6 years ago, I moved to Nashville, TN, where I began to explore various passions. Being a single parent provided me with a chance to start a new, delve into entrepreneurship, and unleash my creative side. In 2020, I launched my candle business, inspired by milkshakes and desserts, which has enjoyed considerable success.  Read more>>

Ahyun Jeon | Artist, Painter

When I was young, I went to kindergarten in the United States for one year and six months. At that time, I started kindergarten without even knowing the alphabet. I said hello in Korean, but what I received back was not Korean but an alien language.  Read more>>

Shantaia Higgins | Hair and Spa Owner & Esthetician

The thought processes that initiated my desire to own a business were driven by my love of science and beauty. I was anxious to connect them in a way that spoke to my talents, education, and interests. I knew that if I triangulated these elements not only would I be able to be someone’s answer, I would always retain the motivation to move forward. Read more>>

Paul Jxhn | Visual artist

For me starting my own business was the only thing that made sense at the time. I was working for someone else selling hats at a weekend market, whilst also selling my art on the side. Read more>>

Lauren Holsey | Music Creator, Entrepreneur

The first time I considered having my own business I about 16 years old in high school. Its focus surrounded my Original Music/Lyrics, Music Production and owning my own record label. At the time I knew little to nothing about Music Business. However, I knew I loved the art of music, the joy I felt when creating it, and learning about its history. Read more>>

Kenya Finch | Health Educator

best. I had just completed my undergraduate degree and was ready for my first “big girl” job but couldn’t find a job that truly emphasized the importance of health and helping the community. Read more>>

Shanequa Bonvillain | Advocate, Ally, Board Director, Street Medicine Case Manager, Tutor, Business Owner, Creative Director

During the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic when everyone obtained that cool little covid break I noticed a plethora of new business beginning, especially minority owned businesses, I wanted that for myself because at the time I was a CPC case manager with Fulton County DFCS and burnt out. I never go that covid break and I’m still jealous in 2024.  Read more>>

Brandeis Marshall | Data Scientist & Data Equity Strategist

Creating my own business wasn’t on my life bingo card. The entrepreneurial bug started biting me after being awarded a 3-year $500,000 grant for my former employer. This forward-thinking grant outlined a transformative plan to increase data science knowledge and its relationship to other disciplines and to highly marginalized communities. Read more>>

Dave Mulbah | Rap artist

I originally decided to start my own business within music because of passion. I love the history of music, the songs, the artists. I grew up classical trained in understanding and playing music. I used to play the trumpet, baritone, and piano in middle and high school, then I transitioned to rap in college.  Read more>>

Humanizmo | Non-Profit Organization

Our aim in creating Humanizmo was to advance access to children’s books in a unique way: by creating and selling children’s books on the human body and using our profits to donate these books. The impact of Humanizmo extends far beyond the pages of our books. Read more>>

Lindsey Leota | Entrepreneur & Mom

I have always been a creative and known that I wanted to work for myself. Becoming a Mom in my early 20s made me so much more aware of the challenges women have with their bodies and the importance of having the control to make decisions about it. Jewelry has always been a love of mine, so I decided to create a brand that celebrates Women and our beautiful, powerful bodies. Read more>>

Angel Coney | Model/hairstylist

Growning up I’ve always had a passion for hair and I would always ask my mom and sisters could I play in they’re hair or could I do a style but I never took it too seriously. once I graduated high school and I needed a part-time job while in college I started working at a beauty supply, and my love for her grew even more. Read more>>

Brittney Sherrod | Creative Visionary, Director, and Filmmaker

The primary motivation behind wanting to start my own business was the idea of FREEDOM. After many challenging work experiences, I knew that having bosses and working 8-5 was not going to work for me much longer. Being a creative often transcends beyond the art realm. I was an initiator when it came to ideas, and I had visions about the type of work I wanted to do, no matter the role I was currently in at the time.  Read more>>

Curtis Austin | Fitness|Nutrition Coach

My thought process behind starting my own business was,” Thinking 10 years from now where do I want to be and by working for someone else would it get me there or provide me the lifestyle I envision?Upon self reflection I actually experienced a brief moment of fear!  Read more>>

Amber Trahan – Oluwaloju | Hairstylist, Makeup Artist, and Photographer

My business sort of found me. From the start it was my hobbies before it became my career. I guess you could say the process behind my business started with me trying everything else. I went to school for many things, but could never get away from my calling.  Read more>>

Trinity Cross | Owner and Designer for Field Day

I’ve always made my own garments. When I lived in Asheville NC my friend had a vintage shop and asked me if I would like to make some one of a kind items for the shop. I happily agreed and after I saw that others wanted to wear my creations as well I decided to move back to Oakland Ca and go to fashion school and jump into becoming a full time designer and creator.  Read more>>

Dett Maddox | Designer

A BLACK MAN IS NOT MY OPP was born out of an urgent need for conflict resolution within the black community in a time when young black men are being heavily influenced to handle issues/conflict with their own reflection with violence.  Read more>>

Brandon Leavenworth | Co-Founder

When we first started Atlanta Pickleball Tournament (now Dink Tour) our first thought came after playing in a tournament for the first time. As partners, we both agreed we could do it better, have more fun, and create something both we would love and our friends would agree. Read more>>

Jerome Parker | Care giver & artist

One thing is, that it’s not as easy as it’s looks. Many things come up through the course of the day and it can play with your mental health if you allow them to do so. Read more>>

Khali Brewer | Performer, Director, Designer

The main thing that will make or break your career in the film industry is, self awareness. On set or in the production office, you’re around the same people for 12-20 hours a day. Most people are under a lot of pressure, sleep deprived, or just straight up stressed out. Read more>>

Maurice Stewart | Music Producer & Sound Designer

Consistency goes a long way , if you aren’t reliably crating new things it’s hard to stay interested in your brand. Read more>>

Adrienne Y. Murphy, CMP, VEMM, DES | CEO & Founder | Meeting & Events Manager | On-site/Virtual Support Specialist

The pandemic. That’s what actually prompted me to re-start my business. Back in 2003, I started my business as, I had a strong passion for planning events and meetings. Raising my young family at that time caused me to put my dream on hold until a future time when it would better align with my family’s needs. Read more>>