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.

Trona TK” Peoples | Owner

Creating my own self-publishing company was a personal journey fueled by a mix of self-belief and a bit of frustration with the traditional publishing route. Traditional publishing is most, if not all, writers’ dream, but it wasn’t happening for me. I believed that the books I wanted to create deserve to be in today’s world, not when someone finally saw my potential. I embraced the freedom to bring my creative ideas to life without jumping through the hoops of the conventional system, where it often feels like breaking in is an uphill battle. Starting my company was about embracing my stories and ideas in a way that felt true to me and just doing it my way. I am a librarian, and while reading stories one day, I saw a need for more bilingual children’s books. The days of reading story after story sparked my first book project, “Wow Mom, You Speak Spanish!” My favorite quotes are “Knowledge is Power” and “Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way.” I learn as much as I can about self-publishing so that not only will my company flourish, but this company will help others like myself. I was determined to share with the world, and Anort Books, LLC became the way! Read more>>

Randy Hoexter | Pianist, Composer and Educator

In terms of business, have been a freelance musician, commercial composer, arranger, teacher and a studio owner over the years. As a musician, I never wanted to do anything else. I still make the majority of my income by playing piano. I often tell students that if they can be talked out of a music career, they probably should be. It’s a challenge to survive in the music business, so you need to be “all in.” I don’t believe in “backup plans.” You only live once, so you should pursue your purpose. Read more>>

Reyvon Shemo | Nail Artist

Honestly, after college I didn’t have a clear plan of what I wanted to do with my life. I had a few jobs but I never was able to settle into a position. I knew beauty was a billion dollar industry so I decided to indulge. Lashes was an absolute no-go, I didn’t enjoy doing hair so the next best thing was nails. Read more>>

Nefertari Medford Rasaq | Storytelling Strategist

My path down this road has been a combination of knowing what I love to do, knowing what I’m always being asked to help people with because of how I approach my art and the results I produce. I started wondering what it would be like to do what I do so well I could provide my own time and financial freedom. I want my daughters to see me as their first and greatest role model. I want them to move beyond fears and be addicted to growing and learning and actively become who they want to be. I have to do and be those things for myself first in order to show them why and how. Read more>>

Chiamaka Ebochue | Lead Producer & CEO

In my role within Cineast Productions, I recognized that some clients and other production companies value confidentiality and are not open to sharing the credit for the work we do for them. To address this, we established Abovetheline, a specialized team dedicated to producing briefs. This allows us to provide our producing services seamlessly while respecting the preferences of those clients who prefer to keep the credit for our work confidential. It’s a strategic approach that helps us cater to a diverse range of clients and maintain positive working relationships within the industry.” How it became a strictly female was by sheer accident. It wasnt planned in any way. Read more>>

Simone Floyd | Haircare Specialist and Owner of Simply Silk Haircare

Born and raised in the international hair capital of the world— Atlanta, Georgia — I have had a spark for rebuilding and maintaining healthy hair since my formative days, when I learned to maintain and manipulate my own hair in her childhood home with her father, when away from the grooming guidance of her mother. Read more>>

Bri Wilmerding | Photographer & Hot Sauce Business Owner

There wasn’t and hasn’t ever been much of a conscious thought about starting my own business–it has sort of just worked out that way. I think personally my art is such an integral part of everything I do. It’s ultimately my voice, my way of expressing myself, much like anyone else. For example: this past year I started a hot sauce brand, which has been a really fun diversion for me, because it has given me a whole new avenue of expression, vis a vis creating weird, funny little commercials or spot ads for it. So for me, if I’m doing something, I’m going to find a way to incorporate the camera. So I guess it really just happened. I have a clear vision, and a clear voice, so I think things have just worked out that way. Read more>>

Empress Bey | Personal Stylist

This is a very great question, thank you so much for asking. So when I first initially stepped into the Fashion World I only wanted to style men. However, my calling was much higher and greater than just styling. The vision for The Style Lyfe was birth after my lupus diagnosis in 2016. When I begin to go through a lot of physical, emotional and mental changes it really took a toll on my lifestyle that not many people know about. And so as I received the vision and provision from God, I began to dig deeper into what I wanted my brand to represent in 2017. Read more>>

TK Kirkland | Fashion Designer

I wanted to start a legacy. Coming from 2 power houses my mother being a fashionista model and my father owning a fashion boutique inspired me to become the designer I am today. Read more>>

Natalie Doss | CEO Natroganix LLC

My journey with Natroganix has been an incredibly organic one. Sometimes, I forget that it’s my business because, in truth, it’s more than that—it’s my lifestyle. My passion for helping others has always been a driving force in my life. However, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that to truly help and support others, you must first help and take care of yourself. The creation of Natroganix wasn’t a planned endeavor. It all began when I found myself surrounded by family members grappling with health issues like cancer and diabetes, while I battled my own challenges with asthma and severe allergies. It became evident that a significant change in my lifestyle was needed.What truly triggered this shift was a rollercoaster journey with my ability to focus and my mental health while being on various medications. As I realized the impact these medications were having on my mental well-being, I got into researching natural remedies and embraced holistic health and completely changed my lifestyle. Read more>>

Thabiana Jeanty | Visual Artist: Fertari Cuztomz

I always embraced art as a leisurely pursuit, driven by a genuine passion for creation. Initially, the notion of making it big seemed distant. That is until college, when requests for my artwork turned into paid commission—spanning portraits, logos, album covers etc. — I began to seriously consider turning my passion into a thriving craft. The decision to establish a brand/business doing what I love became the greatest honor I could envision. Read more>>

Malcolm Malik | Fashion Designer

After parting from collegiate football mentally and emotionally while still actively playing. The politics of football along with the trauma of enduring racism, favoritism, being misunderstood, and alienated amongst other things, lead me in another direction. I decided to get in my creative bag and find something niche that I had complete control over. This transition occurred while I was still in college, I had no actual knowledge about this arena besides having a knack for being stylish. To this day, I can’t pin point exactly why I was called to start a fashion brand. Nevertheless, I went from drawing sketches and logo’s to represent the brand’s identity to now fully operating as a business and I haven’t looked back since. Read more>>

Loree Sandler | Founder and Managing Director

Edible chocolate candles were something I dreamed up and didn’t see in the marketplace. And because I’d taken a long hiatus from architecture to raise children, I couldn’t have easily stepped back into the profession. So the timing of starting a new chapter and the challenge of bringing an innovative product to life perfectly dovetailed. Starting a business also made sense because my husband was commuting full-time to Dallas (from Chicago), so I was the primary kid-taker. Having a flexible schedule was a priority. Read more>>

Sagdrina Brown Jalal | Founder and Lead Facilitator, SageD Consulting

In 2022, I launched SageD Consulting, a Black-women-led, community-centered space for leaders to lead with authenticity and intention. Because our strength is reflected in our combined talents and treasures, we refer to ourselves as a collective – officially, The SageD Collective. Read more>>

Glo Fisher | Chief Operations Officer of K9 and Feline Daycare Services

The idea of starting our business came from my daughter Kaaliyah. She wanted to open up a dog walking business and I just wanted her to believe in herself and be dedicated and determined to not quiet. So I help ran with her idea, developed K9 and Feline Daycare Services, LLC was formed. I ask her what made her want to get into pet sitting and it is because we struggle to find a pet sitter when we want to take a trip or vacation. Read more>>

Jasmine Washington | Cake Artist

When I was pregnant with my son, I made all my baby shower treats and instantly fell in love with treat making. At the time (2017/2018) never would I thought I’d be where I am today as far as cake decorating. I didn’t know honestly where to start as a business owner, but I knew it was something I loved and wanted to do! I created a logo and started watching YouTube tutorials to enhance my skill. It was definitely a trial-and-error process, but I stuck with it and never gave up! Read more>>

Tamara Curtis | Retail and Real Estate Investment

I was a high School dropout, left home at 16. No plans or future goals to look 4ward to, I like most of the people who come from where I come from, had to improvise. How I would survive the day, week or month, because of the choices I’d made, I knew I never would work for anyone other than myself. No one would ever pay me the kind of money I’d made. At 19 I became pregnant delivered my 1st son at 20 and knew I would soon have to choose another path. By 25 I had learned some business sense from my mother, she owned a cleaning service and did very well and began purchasing real estate via tax lien properties and fix n flips. Rented to low-income and section 8 families. I realized, I had a blueprint directly in front of me and decided to follow her lead. Also, as a result of my dealings with apparel, I thought there has to be a way to purchase wholesale It was as if I was being guided every step of the way. Somehow, I found myself at the bottom of the webpage of a retailer and they had an affiliate link and just below was a wholesale link a voice instructed me to click on the link. Clicking on that link changed my life. I opened Didier Boutique, instantly. I also formed Ivy League Enterprises, a small real estate investment company where I purchase and educate the benefit of investing and owning Tax lien properties. We teach how to locate, invest and build your portfolio with a minimum investment. My personal family home was purchased for $856.14 a 3Br 1Ba home in a very modest community where 3 houses down a family purchased their home for $224000.00. I’ve been offered over $88,000.00 for my home as is that’s more than 1ox ROI. I’m proud of the choices I’ve made good and bad for the ups and downs but today I get to be as proud to be someone’s blueprint just as my mother was then and remains today for me. Read more>>

Schellie and William Hogan | Creators of Far Out Galaxy: DJ Cuttlefish + Robot Booth

One of the many reasons, perhaps the most important reason, we decided to start our own business was so we could live a life of our own design. We are artists, free spirits, movers and shakers, and working for the man just doesn’t fit that vibe. 😉 Read more>>

Michele Williams | Founder and CEO of Scarlet Thread Consulting and Metrique Solutions

The thought process behind starting my own businesses was that I had something to share that I could not find in the same form in the marketplace. And I knew from working with and talk with many people that they had the same need. Read more>>

Leif Johansen | Artist Leif Erik Johansen

I’ve been a creative for as long as I can remember but turning my lifelong hobby into a career concerned me on many levels – I wasn’t sure what trajectory to take; galleries, art festivals, illustration, graphic design etc. I was also concerned about the “starving artist syndrome” or that turning my passion into a job could suck the joy out of it. I was now in my early forties at a job I felt had run its course. I became depressed and an anxious and was in desperate need of a change. Then, I had an injury that changed everything. Two weeks before my first son was born I ruptured my achilles tendon playing in a semi-serious flag football league. My girlfriend and I were particularly distraught over this injury because my wife was scheduled for a C-section. The recovery time for both surgeries is about three months. We had very little savings and we were desperate. We had moved to Asheville two years prior with the intentions to start and family and begin my art career, but if I’m being totally honest, I was intimidated to take the leap. This injury was the nudge I needed. I had no idea what I was doing, so I watched a lot of youtube videos, I asked a lot of questions and read a lot of books on the subject. I painted my ass off and slowly raised my prices. I began to introduce more product such as, limited edition prints and framed prints and to my surprise it was working. Sometimes it takes a desperate situation to make the necessary change you need in life. Read more>>

Ashley Rodriguez | Digital Marketing Strategist

You know, the idea of starting my own marketing agency came from a real passion for helping local businesses connect with their audience. I wanted to mix my strategist skills with a genuine desire to support startups and brands. The joy I found in coming up with cool strategies and leading a diverse team of experts, along with the freedom to be creative, really got me excited about diving into entrepreneurship. I saw the challenges as just temporary roadblocks and the rewards as long-lasting, and that’s what kept me motivated to take the leap. Read more>>

Ashunta Jolly | Owner of Jolly Juice LLC

At the time I was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas and I found myself at an all-natural juice bar. We decided to purchase a one-day juice detox. Listen, I had so much energy and had the best sleep of my life that night! From that moment I knew I couldn’t revert back to my old way of eating. I transitioned to a vegetarian lifestyle, then became vegan and two years later started living an alkaline lifestyle. I truly felt I was at my optimum level of health at that stage of my life. I spent so much time in the kitchen learning and experimenting with fruits and vegetables that I had never heard of growing up. I would periodically detox my body with fresh juice, herbal teas and water over a period of days. I removed alcohol from my diet and overtime reversed an abundance of health issues i accumulated over the years. From there, I cultivated Jolly Juice LLC with the main mission of helping others reclaim their power to heal themselves in the way that i did! Read more>>

Kiara Moody | Journalist / podcaster

When I started my business I was only thinking about my legacy and what I would be known for . All my life I been inspired by women who were business motivated! I knew I was going to be of high influence and I always felt that I had knowledge and charisma so share with the world. When starting my business I wanted a platform where my guests and audience could be free of judgment and speak on topics that are controversial. i wanted to focus on the hard topics the painful ones and the ugly ones . Life is not all sunshine and rainbows focusing on all things surrounding the human experience is the content I put out ! Even tho im far ahead of the game in my journalism career I still always remain humble and know Im not done yet ! Still have so much work to put in ! Read more>>

Adam & Emily Gauntt | Southern Oaks Design & Decor

We really didn’t intend to start a business. My husband has spent the past 20 years working in management for some amazing companies but the long hours, commute time and frustrations of working towards someone else’s goals gave us a desire to lean into our own. Read more>>

Ashley Jackson | Mom, Wife, Business Owner, Full Time Employee

My thought process is to make sure you’re starting a business for either one or two reasons: either you’re doing something you love, or you see a serious need in something that you’re passionate about. Don’t start a business because you see someone else doing it. What works for other people may not work for you. I always think back to the quote, ‘If you do something you love, it won’t be work.’ You have to be mentally prepared for the long nights, weekends, holidays, and the word ‘no.’ Just know that when you keep pushing and stay relevant, you will see the fruits of your labor. Read more>>

Marvin and Faquita Rivera | Rising power couple, photographers and motivational speakers

Thank you for having us. We’re a husband and wife team. My wife purchased a Canon starter camera as a Father’s Day gift and I went a little further with some family and close friends. They loved what we were doing as a couple. We researched what it would take to get started and here we are 4 years later. Covid really gave us time to research and apply what we were learning. We are evolving everyday. Read more>>

Scheronda Thompson | Entrepreneur & Model

I wanted to build a business for fashion forward women with unique curves like myself. I had gotten tired of going into every day stores struggling to find clothes that fit properly. Either they were too big, too small, fit in some places, or hung off in others. Shopping for me became a nightmare. And like most women caused anxiety because of the stress of not finding what looked good on my body shape. The Curvy Diva Boutique was created for all size curves from petite to plus to enhance the beauty of a woman, and bring out the Greatness within. Read more>>

Latisha Nickerson | Infinite Solutions Corp

The thought-process of starting Infiniti Solutions is to express a passion for fostering connections and streamlining the travel booking processes, highlighting how my business aims to bring efficiency and collaboration to the forefront. I want to be a
one-stop shop. Be it family travel, weekend getaways, or girls’ trips. Read more>>