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.

Val Barnett | President of Emmerse LLC & Mental Health Advocate

Emmerse was born out of need for a mental health outlet for me. At the time of creating Emmerse, I was in a high-level leadership position, unhappy and unfulfilled. The work environment was toxic, and I really needed to focus on my mental health. At the age of 15 years old, I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, and working in a toxic work environment was only exacerbating my anxiety disorder. Read more>>

Fatima Silva | Fatima Silva | Wedding & Event Planner

I discovered my passion for working with events since very young, when I was 12 years old was when I started having my first experiences with parties and events in general. I started working on small parties in my neighborhood, until I saw that it could be my business, so I went to improving and dedicating myself more and more to know everything about it. Read more>>

Arria Stinson and Rene Simpson N/A | Event Designers

Thinking of business ideas is second nature to me because my father taught me to problem solve and inspired me towards a path of entrepreneurship. I’ve had several ideas, though nothing has felt more suited for my life’s work than Free Creative Events. Free Creative Events came from a longtime passion of event design. As a child, I can remember my mother assembling wedding bouquets and boutonnieres for her family and friends. I loved everything about it and can still remember the smell of the faux florals. Read more>>

Jenee Williams | Graphic Designer

My entrepreneurship journey has definitely not been smooth. There’s been bumps and turns and a lot of soul searching but one thing I can say is that I have learned so much throughout this journey. It took 3 businesses prior to the start of TechDirect Designs to realize what was in store for me. My graphic design journey started in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. Read more>>