Our community is comprised of some absolutely brilliant entrepreneurs and so we asked a few of them to tell us the story of how they came up with the ideas for their business.

Nichole “Nicci” Jones: Personal Development Coach & Private Investigator to Your Purpose

I grew up being the only female child and grandchild. My mom is the only female child therefore I grew up without any aunts until my uncle was married. Now I am married to a man who has all brothers, meaning no sister-in-laws for me. My husband and I are a blended family consisting of us having all sons. Read more>>

Joe Ward: Traveling Hibachi Chef

I came up with this business when Covid hit hard, we was in a pandemic, people couldn’t go anywhere to have a decent meal so I decided to do traveling Hibachi Read more>>

JAMES LAWRENCE: Wedding and Event Planner

I’ve been planning events in some capacity since I was in high school, through college and for my family. So I’ve always had a passion for event planning. Having so much knowledge about lighting, event design and event coordination…I decided this business would be a great way to help people create amazing memories. So we founded The Lawrence Event Planning Company. Read more>>

Najla Allamani: Antique reseller

I used to go to a lot of garage sales and thrift stores with my aunt growing up. I always thought looking at all the old retro items were neat. As an adult once and a while I would drive by and see and antique store and walk through them just for fun. Read more>>

Stacie Brooks: Master Herbalist & Healer

Before I became “The Shea Butter Ladi” I was an every day user of the Shea butter. I started with buying a bulk of Shea butter product that I used for myself. Eventually I learned how to whip my own Shea butter and add my own spin on ingredients and customize fragrances. Read more>>

Justin Evans: Co-Founder

The idea of our business started off as a service at first. We had a vision of doing something that never had been done before, so we had to do more service in the beginning than business. Read more>>

Vondell J. Burns: Founder + CEO at Thankless Production LLC

I established my career on the strategy and brand team at Goldman Sachs (an investment bank), so when navigating creative circles, I felt a bit out of place when they asked me “what do you do?” Read more>>

Tamykah Anthony: Forensic Scientist/Toxicologist & Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Educator

While completing my coursework to become a Forensic Toxicologist, I started paying more attention to the ingredients in products used daily and realized how toxic some of them were. When educating others about this, I was always presented with the same problem: what brand/product could I suggest instead? Read more>>

Laura Moody & Susannah Darrow: Nonprofit Consultants

Susannah and I both started out at small, nonprofit organizations that were essentially start-ups. We had the challenge of supporting or leading every possible position at our organizations – from programming to fundraising and management. Read more>>

Ingrid J. Henson: Charcuterie Artist and Designer

I came up with the idea for my business due to my love of cheese and entertaining during social gathering, feeding my friends and family. Together with an idea from one of my good friend Cashmere Jefferson, who was once my Soldier in the Army, she suggest that I create a cheese board for a gathering. It was an excellent idea to say the least.  Read more>>

Calli McRae: Actor, Singer, & Teacher

There are many rewarding aspects of being an actor and a singer, but there’s something particularly special about teaching and empowering others as performers. My acting and voice teachers have been instrumental in my growth, helping me to become a powerful and versatile singer, an authentic storyteller, and a grounded actor. Read more>>

Adrienne Starks: CEO, Scientist & Innovator

When I was a little girl, I wanted a microscope for Christmas. As I grew up, I started exploring many different scientific fields. I attended Alabama A&M Univerisity, where I obtained my bachelor’s in Biology. Read more>>