Starting and growing a business is hard, but often deciding to start the business in the first place is even harder. We asked some successful entrepreneurs from around the community to open up to us about how they thought about starting a business.

Cashaey Serenity

Being in the entertainment industry for over 15 years, I saw the disconnect between aspiring talent and industry professionals. I created Model Works as a way to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity. Model Works provides a platform where models and actors can connect with industry professionals, learn from shared experiences, and cultivate lasting relationships. Read More>>

Jay T

My thought process was how could I be different while bringing the best hair care possible for my clients. Read More>>

Marisa Graca

I worked as an Insurance Specialist at a bank in Brazil for over 20 years. After leaving my job, I decided to follow my dream of starting my own embroidery business.

Embroidery has always been a passion of mine. As a child, I loved watching my grandmother create beautiful hand-embroidered pieces, and it always amazed me. Read More>>

Ama

My motivation for starting my own business stemmed from the desire to leverage the transferable skills I gained during my time in corporate America. I aimed to identify how I could apply these skills to benefit small businesses. Read More>>

Aaron Dean

When I started my first business it was in the middle of a the recession and I seen a gap in the area that I had just moved to in quality home builders. I also could not agree with the employers at the time that I worked for because they kept throwing quality out the window for a quicker, cheaper job. Read More>>

Shawntae Hazewood

I created Inner U Beauty to offer natural skincare free from toxins, dyes, and irritants. After struggling with breakouts from over-the-counter products, I began making my own skincare at home. What started as a personal project soon grew when family and friends asked for products, leading to the creation of Inner U Beauty. Read More>>

Bridget Rowser

My first thought was to become my own boss, but as I reflected more deeply, my vision evolved. I wanted the freedom and time to give back by mentoring others, guiding them to create, grow, and step into their true potential. Read More>>

Damon Self

Whenever I started my own business, I had no idea it would have come this far. I started out with photography as many people do, but I just had the deeper feeling to take a chance at cinematography because I just loved the way the moving images created emotion. The thought process was something more of a blessing. Read More>>

Joy Moseri-Cooper

Starting Zoya Group Inc. was a deeply intentional decision rooted in our shared passion for real estate and community building. We envisioned creating a firm that not only provides exceptional real estate services but also fosters genuine relationships with our clients, helping them navigate one of the most significant decisions of their lives. Read More>>

Alicia Hurtt

My thought process behind starting my own business was driven by a deep passion for service, empowerment, and creating impactful solutions for underserved communities. I recognized gaps in support for women, children, and families—particularly in areas of education, holistic well-being, and advocacy. Read More>>

Gaia Community Outreach, Inc

We were both psychology majors in the undergrad program at Reinhardt University, and we’ve been friends ever since. Prior to our official launch in July 2024, we were both working on our own respective businesses. Read More>>

Deborah Wilder, Ph.D.

My father was a psychologist, and even before I really understood what that meant, I knew that becoming a psychologist was what I wanted. I had a clear path through school, and I started my private practice in 1994. After a number of years of building my practice while raising my children, my own divorce eventually changed the trajectory of my career. Read More>>

Dr. Rachel Scheinfield

When I decided to pursue private practice as a psychologist, I wanted to have the ability to tailor my work to my professional values, interests, and specialty areas. There was great appeal about having autonomy over the treatment approach and specializations that align with my passions. Read More>>

J Fitz

I started my brand GODFLOW off of a conviction and natural inclination from The Holy Spirit.

I told myself, that if I combined my faith and style, I could create something memorable. There is a huge desire for my generation to connect with God, but they don’t want to seem corny or lame. Let me focus on promoting faith, authenticity and that can set me apart in the marketplace. Read More>>

Maya Lemberg

It was never our intention to start a business. It was summer of 2020. Our dance community was suffering due to the Covid pandemic. We had no where to gather and no way to express and release through dance. After months of being idle, we had enough. We decided to do a one-off ecstatic dance in Candler Park (Atlanta) to honor the Summer Solstice. Read More>>

Pamela Williams

Mainly, I wanted to have the freedom to choose which projects best aligned with my purpose and create a school of thought that focuses on connecting our interior environments to our mental health and overall wellbeing. Read More>>

Yaahn Hunter Jr.

I’ve always wanted to create freely, so starting my own business was the best way to ensure my creative freedom! I also wanted to leave a legacy behind for my children. Read More>>

Alexis Driver

My thought process was wanting to be able to build my own legacy, while starting something I’m proud of and can call my own. Read More>>

Adedolapo Lawal

For me, I Pastor a church, The Zoehousehold ATL. And I got an impression in my heart and also got a revelation as confirmation to start a church here in Georgia. Read More>>

DERRICK THOMPSON

After years of Djing late night at Nightclubs and Lounges around New York City and Atlanta G.A and being treated unfairly, i came up with educational platform for Djs in other nightlife professionals to voice their opinion as share stories called the DJS NEED LOVE 2 SHOW. We wanted to take back control in the nightlife with getting paid on time and the correct amount. Read More>>

Jasmine Nove

It actually all started from something so small – designing a poster for my high school club. I absolutely fell in love with Canva and would find myself creating random designs just for fun. Then during my first year of college, I came across this TikTok about social media management. It was perfect timing for me since I was already making the drive from Flagstaff to Phoenix every weekend, and I realized this type of work would give me an actual reason to make that trip more often. Read More>>

Brandon Luther

For so many years, I was giving my creative talent away to companies to use and reap the rewards from it. In 2016, I decided to start using my creativity for my own reward. Read More>>

Karla Russell

Access parents and students without limitations set by school curriculum, time spent on remediation and
curriculum and testing mandates. Read more>>

Zerrontae Jones

Knowing that i could do more. Working for so long, then retiring, and only getting to really live for 20 years ish doesn’t sound right to me. Life is about experiencing, and 20 years seems like a lot of time but there’s so much to learn and do. Just doesn’t work for me Read More>>

Valeasia Walker

The thought process behind creating Urban Design Outreach was deeply rooted in my passion for community engagement, strategic design, and creative problem-solving. I recognized a need to provide high-quality design and print services that not only help small businesses, non-profits, and local government agencies elevate their brands but also foster meaningful community connections. Read More>>

Bridgette Kimbrough

I have a podcast. I know, who doesn’t? Which is why I entered this space with the tenant of “I am not starting a podcast, I am starting a business.” My development process focused on having a clear mission statement and the need for a very definable, Unique Value Proposition. I wanted to ensure the show’s premise would stand out from the hundreds of thousands of other folks speaking into a microphone. Read More>>

Crystal Barbee

Starting my own business was not just a career move; it was a realization of a dream. From a young age, I was fascinated by the idea of creating something from nothing, of shaping an idea into a tangible product or service that could benefit others. Read More>>

Ariel Baverman

I came from a strong line of women who were entrepreneurs in the real estate field. My Grandma, who just passed away February 24th, was a Broker & Owner of her own real estate firm, at a time when not very many women worked outside the house. My Mom followed in her footsteps and was a Broker in Atlanta for a few decades before I started working with her. Read More>>

Ramon Reed

My business was formulated by me and my mother. Since the start of my career, we had always had the word “rare” come up in conversation, day-to-day life, and sometimes the word would constantly appear in our mind so during quarantine my mom and I had this idea that we should start a motivational lifestyle and clothing brand using “rare” as our mantra and putting a definition on what it means to live rare, and that was the start of RARE MNDST Read More>>

Amal Alaoui

well when i came to the U.S in 2015, i thought about what i should do as a job and came to me naturally that i should be in the food industry since cooking is my passion. I wanted to cook Moroccan food so i started doing catering. Read More>>

Hunter Dorton

We have always loved agriculture and nature so naturally in efforts to grow our own food, we were led into farming. Once you work for some other people for awhile you start to realize that you can’t always exanchge more time for dollars. You eventually run out of time. Read More>>

Kieana Tindle

My thought process behind starting my own business was driven by my passion for creating unique experiences and providing valuable services to my community. I saw a need for high-quality event spaces and engaging entertainment, so I wanted to build something that not only fills that gap but also brings people together in a meaningful way. Read More>>

Lisa Ibekwe

I chose to start my business because I honestly got tired of getting fired. Ironically enough I kept thinking I needed to work for someone else and I had this belief that I would get more opportunity and stability doing it that way. But in reality I learned that I didn’t like doing it other people’s way. I kept seeing the same issues pop up where I would enter a system and feel trapped or limited by the rules and policies they had. Read More>>

Christina Jackson

I always had the entrepreneurial mindset so therefore, I just started and put my mind to it, I did my research on how to get started. I made a few mistakes but I’m still learning as I go . I didn’t give up sure you might discourage from time to time but that comes with starting anything on your own. business In my mind I felt if they can do it and I can do it. Read More>>