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.

Jessica Jade | C.E.O. & Founder, SunKissOrgancis

SunKissOrganics is an organic skincare line founded by me, Jessica Jade, a Black Latina from the Bronx inspired by the skincare recipes of her Puerto-Rican great-grandmother. In 2011, I developed chronic eczema that covered over 50% of my body. Read more>>

Monique Davis | Shoe Artist & Entrepreneur

Ever since I was little I’ve had a gift of art and been looking for a way to use it. I would spend most of my days just drawing, there would be times I wouldn’t even go outside to play just would sit in the house and just draw. My mom would even sometimes force me to go out and play. Read more>>

Maggie Flynn Hillyer | Pet Photographer

Starting at 4 years old, you would rarely see me without a camera in my hands. I’ve always loved everything about the artform, but it was just a hobby. It wasn’t until 2009 that I found the subject that inspired me to start spending serious time with my camera. Read more>>

Valerie Thomas | Owner of Quote the Culture

My passion for stationery emerged while I was a student at Howard University. I worked in a small card/stationery store. I enjoyed cataloguing the newest journals and looking at the boxed notecards that would be delivered with each shipment. This love for stationery continued into adulthood. Read more>>