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.

Ashlee Payne | Ms. Peaches

Club Venu, LLC is the name of my business, I wanted to film my life and share moments with the world. I was recently diagnosed with lupus in 2010, live has a way of hitting us with Do’s and Don’ts and for me I never wanted to live a life with RULES. Read more>>

Keyon Edwards | Insurance Broker Owner

Starting my own business was a decision that was driven by a combination of factors, including my passion for entrepreneurship, my desire for financial independence, and my belief in the value of the product or service I wanted to offer. Read more>>

Brandon Timberlake | Chef

Imagine a one bed room apartment on a bright sunny day, oven on, the pot roast in that black spotted one. When it came out, you know it’s about to go down!Grandma’s Special Sunday dinner. The love for cooking started there, since then I have been on a mission to share this gift with all I can. Read more>>

Ben Baumrind | Physician and Owner

The past few years have been transformative for our society. There has been a renewed appreciation for personalized care and the unique inviting environment that comes with small businesses. Read more>>

Quenisha Berry | Event Planner

The thought process behind My Party Galore was to deliver extraordinary parties to my community. I have always been one to design, plan, and decorate parties for my family and friends. I wanted to put a spin on slumber parties because I love putting smiles on children’s faces. Read more>>

Zimco Automotive | Full service automotive repair and machining

We decided to start our own business so that we could have more control over our future. We decided to invest in ourselves and in return we could have more control of our time and financial freedom. Read more>>

Cyntaesha Prather | Master Cosmetologist

I thought it would hard and somewhat an impossible task. Not to mention financially scary. I had no idea on what starting a business even looked like. Read more>>

Michelle Timothy | Drone Pilot

I work in the tech industry, during Covid I was laid off. I decided to pursue my own business to ensure I had income. I had been learning to fly drones from a friend in the movie business when I fell in love with flying and everything organically came together. Read more>>

Famousjazzy | I’m an model , I’m the ceo of ModelGang models agency and famousshadez

Growing up watching my mom work two jobs to make sure her kids was well taken care of , I always wanted more never wanted to work for someone else for the rest of my life . I always been the type of person that could never just settle. Read more>>

Jade Luna | ASTERIAN Astrologer

Right at the beginning of my Astrology career I gave a reading Courteney Cox and predicted she would become a household name in the next year. She booked “Friends” and launched my career in two publications. Years later my phone hasn’t stopped ringing. I had to learn to run a business asap. Read more>>

Arkia Ivey | Business Owner

When I initially thought of launching From Phoenix, I thought about community and wanting to create space for people to just pause, decompress, have moments of joy, and reflect on the lives that they are leading. I thought beyond just offering candles and wanted to provide an entire experience through the products. Read more>>

Connie Reeves | CEO Taff Optical Pickups

I have a love and passion for music. Read more>>

Abram Shlimak | Irrigation and landscape lighting contracto

Always wanted to be my own boss and working for someone just never felt right. I get to talk to my customer, schedule the visits, and work on their systems to make it work efficiently. I cannot imagine not working for myself. Read more>>

Spain Da Goat | Multi Faceted Musician/Entrepreneur

My personal process may have been different than others, but I needed a lot of research and actual skill regarding my field of business. Read more>>

Erin Crowe | Entrepreneur & Holistic Nutritionist

Honestly, it was never my intention to start a business, it was my husband’s. Since the day I met him, he wanted to start his own business. In those early days, he didn’t know what KIND of business he wanted to start but has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. Read more>>

Erica Franks | Physical Therapist, Published Author and Business Owner

To start a business was definitely scary and there was a lot of uncertainty. But I have several positive people around me that spoke that entrepreneurship mentality over and over. They believed in me more than I did in myself, in the beginning. Read more>>

Yuhan Zhu | Independent Filmmaker, Film Director & Editor

For me personally, I prefer to focus on stories about families. In China, where I grew up, the idea is that a strong small family leads to a strong large family, with the small family referring to our own family, including our parents and relatives, and the large family representing the nation or even the world as a global community of humankind. Read more>>

Christin Gaither | Master cosmetologist /hairstylist

I knew i had to make myself stand out from others and also be a necessity in my industry. i saw with a lot of other stylist they weren’t focusing in on the health of their clients hair and that was something i was passionate about so i made that my niche and that helped me build my business. Read more>>

Wayne Levert | Entrepreneur

I started my business Paincups after a close friend of mine passed away. I wanted to create something that would honor his memory and keep him close to me at all times. Instead of putting his image on a shirt, I decided to put it on a cup. Read more>>

Vid Lamonte’ Buggs Jr. | Author, Entrepreneur, Consultant, & Speaker

VLB/VBJ Enterprises, LLC. was created as an umbrella or a series for companies like 4-U-Nique Publishing. I wanted to establish a company that ventured into Real Estate; Public Speaking; Investing and Building Businesses; and Consulting. So, I patterned VLB/VBJ Enterprises after what Magic Johnson has done. Read more>>

Tony Reese | Dr. Reese

I wanted to create something of my own and to have something that the success, direction and fate of, was in my hands and not another individuals. It was a desire to create my own path and something I bring my kids into and create some generational wealth and jobs for others. Read more>>

Crescent Crater | Nanny Agency Owner, Children’s Author, and Early Childhood Education Enthusiast

I remember reading an article in the newspaper that the pandemic left daycares and preschools struggling to keep workers. I remember that the article stated that most daycare were operating at levels 10% below pre-pandemic levels. Read more>>

Jennifer Olson | CEO

I am what some might call an ‘accidental entrepreneur.’ I started my first business as a sophomore in college. I wanted to make mason jars and sell them to help nonprofits around the world. Read more>>

Chantel Chance | Bench Jeweler & Gemologist

I wanted a jewelry company that stood out from the competition. I analyzed and worked for all my competitors before starting my own business, just to see what my competitive advantage(s) would be. I studied their weaknesses and strengths, gathered a network of mentors and colleagues that would support me and KZMT & Co.® was born. Read more>>

Alexis Christina | Founder of Identity Crush Hair | Studio + Extensions

The thought process behind me starting my own business came from the idea that I wanted to be in control of my own earning potential and create a thriving enjoyable enviornment that reflected my core values. Read more>>

Louis Cash II | Media & Marketing Coordinator | Videographer/Photographer

The thought process behind starting my own business (H.E.M.P Entertainment), was because I was very much tired of working for people who are disrespectful & have no common sense. Which actually means, I have no common sense, because I am allowing this to happen. Read more>>

Diamante Torres | Sugar Scrub Queen

My thought process behind starting my business was to get away from toxic work environments. I created a safe and happy workplace for myself and others. Read more>>

Gift Muringani | Commercial Janitorial Services

Hello my name is Gift Muringani. I am a 25 year old business owner originally from Southern Africa. I was raised in Southern California and that’s where my love for business started. I have been able to build my commercial cleaning business to be able to generate well over six figures, operate in 5 states and now I have course I have created to teach other people the same. Read more>>

Sara Mizrachi | Owner, Designer Sara Sela Jewelry

It’s actually almost a strange thought; there being a process behind starting my business. It was such a natural step. By the time I walked into the courthouse to file my paperwork, I was about 18 years old and I had been selling for 5 years. It didn’t feel like the choice was anything but inevitable. Read more>>

Malik Sails | Ceo, and Founder

My thought process behind starting my free apartment locator service was seeing how many renters struggling to find places that truly made them happy. I wanted to provide guidance as renters moved into their next luxurious apartments. Read more>>

Alexandria Jones | Business Owner & Designer

needed a coping mechanism to assist as I grieve the loss of one of the most important people in my life. It was originally just a thing that helped me get away from sadness and grief. It turned into my greatest idea yet. Read more>>

Josh Luger | Capital Tacos Co-Founder

My business partner and I are serial entrepreneurs, with a broad background across multiple different industries. We’ve always had a passion for the food industry. While we had some different professional touch points with it in the past, we decided to go head-first into it with Capital Tacos. Read more>>