Are you thinking about starting a business?  If so, we think you’ll enjoy reading about how these seasoned entrepreneurs thought about the question when they were in your shoes.

Jarius Cliett & Lavern Smith | JMC Productions Founders

JMC Productions specializes in promoting the discipline of music, producing and showcasing opera and musical theater events, and providing performance opportunities. We created JMC Productions because we noticed a lack of performance opportunities for talented Black performers. We wanted to create a space where Black artists could audition, book jobs, and perform without having to worry about being judged or rejected because of the way they look. We also created JMC Productions because we noticed a lack of adequate compensation for Black performers, resulting in the inability for Black artists to turn their passion into a fulfilling, lifelong career. We are dedicated to ensuring our fellow Black artists have the support they need to turn performing into a career, so we provide talent development, exposure, and adequate financial support. Read more>>

Alexia Reese | Personality & Interviewer

My thought process would be something that you can have as a legacy. That brings in currency at the same time. It’s also building something that not only something that the city could represent but the whole state can . It’s being so creative and on a mission to knock down all the goals that you wrote down. It’s the thought process of becoming a Legend. Read more>>

Ryan T. Sauers | Speaker, Author, Marketing Consultant, Magazine Owner, Radio Show Host, TV Show Host & Podcast Host

I wanted to do what people said could not be done. I own two businesses and I love variety and thrive on it. My End Resultz Media company owns two monthly positive family and community news magazines. It also has a Community Connections TV Show that also comes out as podcast where I interview top community leaders from every sector. My other company is Sauers Consulting Strategies. It helps companies improve their sales and marketing and branding needs. i also do a lot of speaking on these subjects. I also have a radio show Marketing Matters that we record live in the and it airs live and later becomes a podcast. It get tens of thousands of listens each show. Finally, I like to teach aspiring leaders and am finishing my last two classes in my doctorate of leadership (then dissertation). I started my own business as I love to help people and seek to make the world a better place and doing all these things. Read more>>

Tiffany Days | Multifamily Marketing Pro & Experience Curator

I wanted to solve a problem for the apartment industry by providing high caliber staffing solutions while also introducing people to a rewarding career. The apartment industry seems to often miss the mark with recruiting and retaining creative talent. The Communal Group bridges the gap between sales goals and creating a lifestyle experience for apartment dwellers. It’s our approach to multifamily. We wanted to create extra support for onsite teams tasked with developing and maintaining a sense of community. This work is delicate and should never be thrown together. Read more>>

Saira Sultan, ND, MBA | Naturopathic Health Expert

I started my own business, DrSairaND, after a lot of thought about how things have changed in the world in the last 6 months. With the pandemic of Covid-19, we must now focus our lives on doing things out of the comfort of our home to stay safe during these trying times. As a Naturopathic doctor, I knew the best way to ensure my patients were able to stay healthy at home, was to see them for appointments through telemedicine to make this a convenient way to stay in touch. This has been helpful and successful for my patients, as I guide them through digestive issues, weight loss, fatigue, hormonal imbalances, and infertility. Read more>>

Jasmine Perry | Makeup Artist

I’ve had a lot of thoughts behind starting my business. At first, it was a bunch of what if’s? or I want to do this but i don’t know how the income will turn out.. I will say in the beginning I had so many excuses on starting my business. I seeked a lot of advice from others on how should I go about starting a business and then running it properly, so i brainstormed first on different brand names, then I started off selling lashes, finding names for those different styles, searching high and low for vendors, and matching their prices. It was a long thought process but i did it Also during that process, during the beginning of the pandemic, three days before my birthday; my mom had went into the ER and had a heart attack and was out for 7 mins…I remember the doctor calling me telling me what happened and that she was in a coma, my whole world stopped because I never thought my mom would go through that in her life and it really opened my eyes and really woke me up. Read more>>

Katrina Highsmith | Brand Strategist

The thought process behind starting my own business came when I knew I had the ability to take action, implement and execute major plans. I am an action taker. My friend and colleague, Kristen Hopkins, and I decided to start our own public relations business while we still worked for other companies. The goal was to learn more about internal business strategies we could implement into our own business structure. I used to think if I can put this much energy, effort and dedication into my work, working for someone else, I know I can put 2x as much into a business that belongs to me. Read more>>

Britt Vasina | Artist

Starting my art business really started by chance. I was struggling with anxiety a few years ago and had been looking for some type of activity that I could do to help with that. I remembered how much I enjoyed drawing and painting in High School and figured I would give that a shot. It worked like a charm to calm my mind so I just continued, really thinking nothing of it. After awhile, I decided to create an Instagram account to capture my work – sort of like a time capsule – really thinking nothing of it and then people just started following along my journey. One of my best friends encouraged me to start selling my work and the rest is history. It’s been quite a ride the past few years and I really had no clue what I was getting myself into but I’m so grateful for having took the leap! Read more>>