Step one is deciding to start

The first step to starting a business is deciding to start a business. They say the first step is the hardest and in our experience this is especially true when it comes to starting a business. Getting over the mental roadblocks can be tough, often harder to overcome than the challenges you’ll face once you actually start the business. Fellow entrepreneurs share their thoughts below.

Destiny Darcel | Digital Illustrator

Can we normalize entrepreneurship falling in our laps? That’s how it happened for me. It wasn’t anything that I planned to do. During quarantine I began illustrating and posting on my finsta (which is now my business page lol). I really believe that timing has a huge part in many success stories as it does with mine. Read more>>

Michael Wohlwend | Managing Principal, Alpine Supply Chain Solutions

Starting my own business was a decision driven by both personal and professional factors that developed over the course of my career. When I started working in the supply chain industry, I gained valuable experience working for small family-owned consulting companies, which laid a solid foundation in consulting practices and client relationships. Read more>>

Jackie Devito | Nail Technician

My business was never suppose to be a business. It started with an interest that turned into an obsession and later my passion. I started doing nails to simply save mine and my boyfriend (now husband) at the times money. I asked him for a 27$ kit off of amazon. My first set of nails took me 3 days! Read more>>

Lachauna Edwards | Attorney & NIL Consultant

personal passion, professional dissatisfaction, and a desire to make a meaningful impact. Firstly, I have always been passionate about law and advocacy, particularly in the realms of civil rights and education law. Read more>>

Roslyn Ellerbee | 360° Business Coach

Starting my own business was driven by a deep recognition of my passion for leadership and my skill in business development. Over the years, I’ve realized that my strengths lie more in leading and strategizing than in simply following directives. Read more>>

Feenix Forreal | Artist

The process around starting my own business was staying true to my independence. Read more>>

Anthony Davis and Jason LeDay | Business Founders in the Pet Products and Supplies Space (Dog Treats and Cat Litter)

When Jason and I founded Amaizing Brands, it was a call to action to provide premium products to a market that is filled with poor quality products and is expanding rapidly. In our research on the global pet care market, we found that it was growing at an average of 5.3 percent a year, and culturally diverse companies were present but focused more on areas that were auxiliary to pet health rather than integral to pet health. Read more>>

Rickdrieka Bennett | Business Coach and Marketing Strategist

Rickdrieka Bennett’s profound journey into the realm of entrepreneurial empowerment and business guidance began with helping nonprofits and churches with their marketing and from this the the inception of Nexambit Marketing was born. What she saw was that many nonprofits were unable to have a large budget for marketing. Read more>>

Hanaan Clark – Sabir | Event Planner

I have always been amazed by all forms of creativity and the transformation of something ordinary into something extraordinary. I initially started Original Occasions with the hope of earning extra money outside of my full-time job as a registered nurse. Working in the Emergency Department during and after the COVID-19 pandemic was extremely stressful, so this became my creative outlet. Read more>>

Jenny McIntire | Home and Garden Creative

We moved to Atlanta in 2022, and purchased a home that desperately needed some love and updates. After slowly renovating the inside and the outside, our new neighbors started asking us about our process and wanted advice on their garden areas. Read more>>

Giovanni Porter | Artist/Songwriter

Well, for one… I knew that it would start with me investing into myself. Starting a business or any venture that you have to financially invest in on your own can be challenging! The end goal of it if you stay consistent is worth it, but it takes a determined individual to get to that point. Read more>>

Temilade Badmus | Entrepreneur

Starting my own lash extension business was a natural progression for me. I saw a growing demand for high-quality lash services and recognized an opportunity to provide that in my community. I was passionate about beauty and wanted to create a space where clients could feel pampered and confident. Read more>>

Kurt Seidle | Designer & Printmaker

Knits & Prints started as an outlet for my wife, Elizabeth, and me to explore ideas that didn’t fit within the context of our jobs as brand designers and strategists with Grant Design Collaborative. I realized that for each project I worked on, I always had dozens of ideas and sketches that didn’t make the cut and were left to wither away in a sketchbook or random stack somewhere. Read more>>

Janora Davenport | Master Cosmetologist & Braid Educator & Coach

I knew that I wanted to create financial freedom for myself. It was also in my plans to go after my passion and create a lifestyle that included doing what I love to do on a daily basis. I also knew that I wanted to work for myself and create opportunities for others through my business. Read more>>

Connor Butterworth | Chief Rug Slinger

Starting a business can offer many different things to different people. Whether or not to start a business depends on your priorities. For me, my main priority has always been freedom. I wanted a business where I could work when I wanted, where I wanted, and I didn’t want anyone telling me what to do. From childhood, I’ve always had a problem with authority. Read more>>

Matt Tanga | Aspiring Television Host/Videographer

My thought process was and still is finding my purpose and pursing a dream of mine since the age of four. Along my process in starting and entering into the business world, I learned a lot about myself as well as building my spiritual faith with my lord and savior. My purpose was to do something to make me happier but as well have a positive impact on the community. Read more>>

Kay Paschal | Wife, Mom, Author, Speaker, Podcaster

In my early 30s with two small children, my husband was offered a job transfer to Singapore which we declined. His company moved us back home to Atlanta from his position in Houston and now we were both jobless. So, we decided to take a big leap of faith by buying property and building a preschool. Read more>>

DeAudra Reed | Clincally Trained Counselor & Certified Coach/Matchmaker

I decided to become a Certified Life Coach in 2020 because I wanted to help survivors of domestic violence regain the courage to love and pursue their dreams again. I wanted to service those who had navigated their healing process but still struggled to believe in the love they once desired and the dreams they used to imagine. Read more>>

Brielle Bryant-Erales | Financial Coach & Founder of The Healthy Wallet

My thought process behind starting my own business came from me learning about personal finances in 2018 and wanting to share with people what I’ve learned. When I graduated from college in 2018, I accumulated around $45,000 of debt and no one told me what to with it or how to pay it off. Read more>>

Yifat Bloch | Classical Homeopathic Practitioner, CCH, RSHom (NA)

Being a homeopath is a calling. It stems from a deep need to help others through a unique and effective form of healing. Homeopathy’s main principle, “like treats like,” means that substances causing symptoms in a healthy person can treat those symptoms in an ill person. My journey began when I first saw the benefits of homeopathic care with my children. Read more>> 

Brandon Williams | Financial Professional

When I decided to start my own business, my main motivation was the idea of “making my boss my business.” This meant I wanted the freedom to control my own work and create something using my own vision and ideas. Read more>>

Kentrella Shoats | President & Cookie Developer

During the pandemic my mother tested positive for Covid 19 and lived in a neighboring state from me. I wanted her to feel special and loved so I would deliver a gift box of homemade cookies and soup every weekend. After she recovered, she wanted me to continue delivering cookies. Read more>>

Joseph Ward | Historian & Educator

I created On the Shoulders of Giants in 2012 out of necessity. At the time I was working for the local Health Department, going into schools and teaching safe sex and domestic violence prevention. I used an icebreaker activity that included black historical figures. The students were to use the characteristics of the person’s name on the card as clues so the other students could try to guess the historical figure. One of my historical figures was Harriet Tubman. Read more>>

Lois Reece | C.E.O./Barber School Owner/Master Barber Instructor

Starting my own barber school business was driven by a mix of passion for the craft and a desire to give back to the community. I’ve always loved the artistry of barbering and wanted to create a space where aspiring barbers could learn and flourish. Additionally, I saw a need for quality education in the field and believed I could offer something unique and valuable to students. Read more>>

Jenoir Lynne’ | Founder of EntrepreneuHer League & CEO of The Beauty Institute

I wanted to help other women gain financial freedom by teaching them lucrative beauty techniques to start their own businesses. I remembered what it was like to struggle to make ends meet before I started doing beauty services so I wanted to share my expertise and wisdom of the industry with others. Read more>> 

Ashlyn Marks | Social Media Manager

From a young age, I knew I wanted to pursue a career that embraced creativity and self-expression, and I discovered both through social media. It became my way of exploring and showcasing my passions. Along with my love for social media, came my passion for medical aesthetics. Read more>>

Jice Johnson | Economic Developer, Business Strategist & Visionary

The Black Business Initiative wasn’t planned, but it blossomed from a desire to make a difference. Fueled by my business degree and inspired by Dr. Claude Anderson’s “Hidden Colors” and Maggy Anderson’s TED Talk “My Black Year,” I saw a gap in our community – a need to empower Black businesses. Read more>>

Nicole Tholmer | Owner of Nicole Tholmer, LPC LLC and Therapist

Starting my business was driven by a deep passion for helping others and a desire to create a fulfilling and balanced life for myself and my family. As a mother of a young child, I wanted the flexibility to control my schedule, ensuring I could be present and actively involved in my child’s life. Read more>>

John Leister | Self-published author

I always knew that I my spirit was a creative one. What I lacked was a mindset that worked for me. I became a self-published author shortly after I reached out to God and asked Him to help me. That was the beginning of my true life’s journey. This was in 2019. Read more>>

Anja & Nicole

We initially started out developing a passion podcast project as a result of a need to fuel hope for love and relationship at any stage of life. Read more>>

Shelly Williams | Maison Blanc Roswell, Co-owner

Stephanie Spence and I were introduced through our daughters and quickly forged a deep friendship. We were captivated by each other’s unique styles and intrigued to learn more about one another from the moment we met. Despite our differences, we found common ground. Read more>>

Madison Paula | Artist | Barber & Loctician

My thought process in starting my own business was originally pretty skeptical. I was honestly scared like anyone else would be Wondering what I would do if I failed, thinking of all the worst thoughts you can think of when going out on a leap of faith, but the universe has a way of showing you your on the right path so even when the road started to get bumpy I always knew when I got to my destination its going to make everything well worth the drive. Read more>>

Christopher Wells | Dance Fitness Instructor

I wanted to align my happiness with something I had a passion for. Read more>>

Michael Oh | Private Chef

I wanted to bring an experience to people’s home. At the height of the pandemic, restaurants were closed, everyone stayed at home, no one went out of town, so I felt like this was the best opportunity for me to pursue my passion and share my gifts to everyone. Read more>>

Grant Davies | Principal. Digital Strategy

I had been a software engineer and a consultant for torture 500’s for years and I often saw a lack of value in the work being produced by external vendors we hired, lack of alignment, budget over runs and often more interesting in billing than solving real problems. Read more>>

Belle Jones | CEO, Public Speaker & Mentor

When I embarked on my entrepreneurial journey, my biggest concern was, “Will people like it?” Fear and self-doubt held me back, leading to procrastination. My journey began from a deeply personal experience. Struggling to find products that truly worked for me, I decided to create my own. Truth be told, I was terrified. Read more>> 

zaniyah davis | Hair braider

The thought process behind starting Iman Creationz was to be my own boss. I come from a family where not too many are into entrepreneurship and I wanted to change that cycle. I wanted to show people that no matter how young you are if you go for your dreams you can reach them with consistency and determination! Read more>>

Taissa Carepa | Home organizer

The thought process behind starting my own home organization business was driven by my passion for decluttering and creating efficient, beautiful spaces. I noticed a growing demand for professional organizing services and saw an opportunity to use my skills to help others improve their living environments. Read more>>

George YUALL Harper | CEO, Talent Manager and Brand Strategist

Really just wanting to do things our way and not what everyone else in the music industry does. Artist development is a key to creating a super star. I feel like we understand that more than anyone so we pride ourselves on doing things the right way. Read more>>

Kirk Lunde | Math Therapist & Tutor

I saw a way to use my training and experience to meet a need supporting families with complicated children. Read more>>

Jasmine Stewart | MasterChef Junior Season 5 Winner

After winning Season 5 of Fox’s MasterChef Jr., I immediately felt a whirlwind of emotions. While this time was filled with recognition, unexpected opportunities, and extreme gratitude, it was also filled with negative comments, scrutiny, and self-doubt. Read more>>

Vivian Brown | Meteorologist-Owner of The Warm Front & Together in Weather™️

The Warm Front business model was created out of necessity. When I became pregnant with my first child I was a television broadcaster and needed maternity clothes that were professional and business-like. I looked high and low for business’s/career maternity clothes, but none of the maternity stores in Atlanta carried a large selection of professional maternity wear. Read more>>

Natalie Crenwelge | Ceramicist & Product Designer

Starting my business was a slow climb. When I first began making pottery, I never thought it would turn into a career of selling pottery, but I’m so glad it did. As I began my pottery journey, I slowly began accumulating more and more work. I was presented with the opportunity to sell my artwork and ceramics at a local market. Read more>>

Raushanah El Amin Foster | Raushanah El-Amin-Foster and Suhaylah Foster with Susu’s Lemonade Crush

Susu’s Lemonade Crush was started by my daughter Suhaylah in 2020. The idea that sparked the start of the business is, she wanted to start a business that will bring joy and make people smile. The business has evolved over the years. Read more>>

Karlesha Springs | Tutor & Academic Coach

As an educator, I felt restricted in my ability to truly connect with and support students on an individual level. I wanted to meet the diverse needs of students without large class sizes, standardized testing, and rigid curriculum requirements. A one-size-fits-all approach can leave many students feeling uninspired and disengaged. Read more>>

Mae Riley | Model, entertainer, entrepreneur, artist, Ceo, content creator, poet, song writer, and speaker

To control every aspect of my business between me and potential business partners, sponsors, and advertisers. I do delegate some responsibilities at times. To help people by hiring them and giving them jobs. Read more>>