It takes a lot more than an idea to build a business, but there can’t be a business without the idea. So we asked folks who’ve built wonderful businesses to tell us about how they came up with the idea in the first place.

Tonie Kennedy | Mixologist|&MomPreneu

I came up with the idea of my business after graduating from Learn how to bartend fast south Atlanta bartending school. My instructor Nikki saw in me at the time what I didn’t see in myself . Though I had experience of 6years being a server that was no longer no my calling.At the time I was working as a patient dining associate at Emory hospital . I was staying with my dad me and my kids after minor setback & a long Job hunt I had finally found a answer to problems so I thought. Read more>>

Patricia Cavanaugh | Psychotherapist and Third Age Life Coach

I was looking for something that really didn’t exist. I was looking for someone to help me sort through my hopes and dreams for my years post 65, not a financial plan but a life plan. Back in 2006 I knew I wanted to leave a job I had held for close to twenty years. I was working as a psychotherapist in a drug treatment clinic. I knew I was burned out but I wanted and needed to keep working. I finally found a career counselor who helped me begin to think about what I came to call my third act. I realised after polling my friends and colleagues that many people were facing the same dilemma: Read more>>

Jakayla L. | Entrepreneur and Business Coach

Honestly, I was simply solving a problem each time I started a new business! I think that’s what every great business is founded on… the ability to solve a problem on a large scale. For instance, my skincare line Rheal Natural came about after I personally started having really bad eczema breakouts. I tried using Prescription meds, over the counter products, you name it…. absolutely nothing was working. I was reaching out to facebook groups who had followers experiencing the same issue and was desperately asking if anyone had a solution. Read more>>

Alecia Swoope | Personal Development Coach

I honestly didn’t come up with the idea. The idea followed me my whole life without me realizing it. My mother once told me that as a child, I used to tell people that I wanted to be a mom and a cheerleader when I grew up. Looking back, I have always been that for people: nurturing, encouraging, and a safe place to learn & grow. I have always challenged, supported and cheered people through various seasons of their lives. Through different experiences, I have grown to understand that these gifts, weren’t just a part of my personality, they were my a part of my destiny, and thus a part of my business. Read more>>

Victoria Poole | Life and Business Executive Coach

God has for me; It has to be a better way! I was unhappy in a career that was no longer serving me, and I was also struggling personally. I needed God to save me from myself. I had become stagnant, and I saw no growth in my career and in other aspects of my life. I can honestly say I was at my lowest point, but I was determined to live out my purpose. I realized that I had already known what my purpose was, but I had chosen to continuously run from it. I knew that it required more than I was willing to give. Scared and broken! Read more>>