Our city is home to so many incredible businesses and so we asked the founders how they came up with the ideas for their businesses and have shared their responses below.

Garrett Stigall | Civil Engineering and Entrepreneur

I have been in the pool business as a pool technician since I was 14. I have cleaned people’s pools and constantly witnessed algae flare-ups occurring every week in their pools. In the Summer of 2021, the largest chlorine factory blew up and caused chlorine prices to skyrocket, resulting in expensive algae clean-ups for pools. Read more>>

Dr. Kynesia Bishop | DEIB Consultant

A Seat Creator LLC was created by discussing with a friend that I wanted to write about racial discrimination that black women endure in corporate settings. My friend suggested I do a podcast, and I thought about coaching. We met in the middle. I started posting video snippets on Instagram about various scenarios black women face in corporate settings. Read more>>

Tiffany Nguyen | Business Owner & Nail Artist

At Nail Muse Salon, our business idea was born out of a passionate desire to redefine the nail salon experience. We saw an opportunity to create something truly exceptional by blending a variety of key elements that we felt were lacking in the industry. Read more>>

Candace Jackson | Mobile Bartender

Twisted Cocktails Mobile Bartending LLC Services is different from other mobile bartending services because no bartender makes drinks the same, I add a little twist to mine. It definitely was not easy starting my business it takes time energy and effort. Some challenges I’ve faced along the way is just continuing to build my clientele other than that everything is running smoothly. Read more>>

Erika Bride | Hypno-artist

The idea for my business began when I realized that I was really ready to seek help for my past traumas. As people are working with therapists, hypnotherapists, or just on a real spiritual journey, I sit with them and paint their life story. I have always been an artist, but for some reason I had developed a block that only allowed me to paint when I was sad. Read more>>

Benish Lalani | Nurse Practitioner | Healthcare Career Coach | Pharma Operations Manager | Nurse Injector

I was working as an Oncology Nurse Practitioner for 1.5 years before I decided it was time to leave the bedside clinical setting entirely. I began looking for opportunities in pharmaceutical and biotech companies that needed the clinical insight and knowledge from medical professionals to build their product or services. Read more>>

Ann-Marie Fitzsimmons Niki Keck | Co-Founders & Co-Executive Directors

We worked together at the Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences (CSAS). Ann-Marie was the school librarian and Niki is the English/Theater/Journalism teacher. The library and Niki’s classroom were side by side, but we really didn’t speak until one day just before winter break. Read more>>