We reached out to some of our favorite entrepreneurs and asked them to think back and tell us about how they decided to start a business. Check out their responses below.

Dakota Driskill | Expert Swagologist

Hey there, Atlanta! I’m Dakota Driskill, your friendly neighborhood promo superhero, armed with creativity, a knack for brand storytelling, and just a sprinkle of goofy to keep things interesting. As the founder of Fireborn Promotions, I’ve made it my mission to breathe new life into the world of promotional products. Think less “boring swag nobody uses” and more “wow, I actually LOVE this thing!” Read more>>

Dekendrick Dubose | Advanced Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach

My thought process behind starting my business was rooted in creating something meaningful and lasting—something that truly impacts lives. Fitness transformed my life in every way—mentally, physically, and emotionally. It gave me strength during my toughest times, clarity when I felt lost, and a sense of purpose. I wanted to share that transformation with others by building more than just a business—I envisioned a movement. A safe and empowering space where people could not only work on their fitness but also discover their potential and break barriers within themselves. To me, this is more than just work; it’s a passion that will never fade. Read more>>

Mark-jason Solofa | Owner & Barber

At the age of 38, I had already spent 17 years working in Banking and Insurance, and faced being laid off as a Senior Underwriter for a mortgage lender in the 2008 housing marking crash. At that time, I was recently divorced and co-parenting my daughter who was 5. Not being from California originally, I didn’t have any family around to help me with my daughter and so I found myself about to be unemployed and needing to make a decision about finding work that would best serve my daughter and I. Read more>>

Landri Peden | Online Strength & Nutrition Coach

I had been working for someone else for years and only received a small percentage of the work that I was putting in and it became frustrating. As a strength nutrition coach, there is so much that goes into helping people achieve their goals, both physically and mentally and I have such a passion for it that the answer was clear. It was time for me to start my own business and work for myself. Read more>>

Ben Mccoy | Owner of Burnt By Da Beard Pyrography

It kind of happened by accident. It originally was just a hobby that I did for fun and every now and again I would have someone reach out and want a custom piece done. But back in 2019 I was shot 7 times while attempting to prevent a mass shooting and was unable to work so a shifted my focus towards turning my hobby into more of an actual business. Read more>>

Andre Martineau | Voice Over Artist, Audio and Podcast Producer

I would have to say that my two biggest thoughts were that I really needed to take a chance on myself, Honestly confidience has in some was held me back ensuring to provide for my family and taking safe roads over trusting what God, gifted me to be able to do. And 2nd was my desire to create, I love different forms and genre of art, my Mom and Dad were very gifted and creative people in their own rights, so that stirs in me constantly so being able to create in my own ways has been a desire of mine I would say since high school. Read more>>

Dr Belinda Sanders | Author/Philanthropist/Entrepreneur

My thought process behind starting Dear Future Husband was deeply personal and intentional. As someone who has navigated the complexities of love, relationships, and personal growth, I wanted to create a space where women, especially women of color, could feel empowered, supported, and inspired as they prepare for meaningful relationships and marriage. Read more>>

Hannabelle Evermore | Funeral Director, Embalmer, & Small Business Owner

Starting my brand, Ms. Evermore’s Mortuary Creations, began as a passion project. When I was a kid my father would bring me to a lot of music festivals and concerts. Sometimes at these concerts and events, there would be a booth by the name of “Franken Pets” and pretty much what they did was separate the heads from the bodies of stuffed animals and let the kids pick one of each. After the child would pick their parts, the staff at the booth would teach the children how to sew. Now I feel in love with the idea. Anytime I would see their booth, I would demand my father take me there. I even wanted to do a “Franken Pets” themed birthday party. But eventually I forgot about the ambition. Read more>>

Insley Davis | Televsion Producer/Podcast Host

My thought process behind starting the Better and Badder podcast was rooted in a desire to merge my passions for storytelling, education, and elevating underrepresented voices. As a filmmaker and public media producer, I’ve always been drawn to creating impactful narratives, and I realized there was an opportunity to bring that same intentionality to branding and public relations. Read more>>

Tafari Walston | Mentor, Fashion Designer & Creative Director

Kingdomgate Entertainment was created in 2003. I was a conscience independent rapper and wanted to maintain creative control and maximize my profits so my partner and I incorporated.. My family was always involved in the entertainment and fashion industries. My mother Vera Hope Walston is a fashion designer, creator, and influencer and worked with brands like Cross Colors and Jnco in the late eighties early nineties. At twelve my brother and I were had extras roles in movies and music videos, and I modeled for Cross Colors and got my first print spread with BE (Black Elegance) Magazine. Read more>>  

Becca Schuetz | Certified Child Life Specialist & Founder of Coping Solutions

I founded Coping Solutions because I recognized a critical gap in emotional support for children, particularly those who don’t have access to a Certified Child Life Specialist. Child Life Specialist often work in hospitals, this limits the ability for many children—especially those outside of clinical settings—to receive the psychosocial care they need. After receiving numerous calls from friends and family about how to support children through grief, a cancer diagnosis in the family, or other major life changes and stressors, I realized that our community was missing a vital resource.  Read more>>

Daniel Kabanko | business owner in the appliance repair market

Starting my own business was both a natural progression and a long-held dream. Since my university days, I had always aspired to build something of my own. I studied business extensively, graduating from Georgia State University with a degree in Marketing and Management. Before that, I earned a degree in Business Administration from Perimeter College and also studied PR, Advertising, and Accounting. These academic experiences shaped my entrepreneurial mindset and strengthened my passion for business ownership. Read more>>

Chloe Harris | Makeup and Multidisciplinary Artist

When I was little 7 or 8 years old, one of my favorite past times was going through my mom’s perfume and makeup collection. I would spend hours looking through smelling and playing with her stuff hoping she wouldn’t catch me. A few years later I became obsessed with youtube tutorials and makeup videos. By 6th grade i got my first eyeshadow palette and used it to death. I would spend hours watching videos and trying out looks on myself. Eventually i started making my own short videos with my webcam. It was so fun creating looks inspired by the videos i watched, from then on out I knew i found something I loved to do. Read more>>

Laketa Entzminger | Clinical Herbalist

I decided to start my own business after seeing how the products I was making for my family and friends were effective. I created an herbal product line of tea blends, tinctures, and salves. I also customized herbal formulas for clients through herbal consultations. Eventually, I transitioned more into educating others about herbalism because of the herbal knowledge that was not passed down to me from my grandparents who were herbalists. I started thinking about how other families may have a similar disconnection and the opportunities missed due to the lack of knowledge. This sentiment led to me writing I Am an Herbalist: Easy Herbal Recipes for Children. Read more>>

Corey And Jessica Perlman | Owners, Impact Social Media, Inc. – A boutique social media agency

Both of us started our careers with General Motors. We got a taste of what it was like to work for a big corporation, and we quickly decided it was not the path for us. We wanted to own our own business, and carve out our own work/life balance. It’s not been easy, and at times we both wondered if we had made the right decision. After 15+ years, we are certain that owning our own business and running it as husband and wife was the right choice for us. Read more>>

Courtney Jones | Mompreneur, Digital Creator

My decision to go into business for myself stemmed from a desire to live without limitations, create a better life and future for my family, and inspire other women to take that leap of faith as well. The modern work environment can often be toxic, and I firmly believe we’re not meant to live solely for work. Instead, we should focus on doing meaningful work while truly living and enjoying life. Read more>>