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.

Larissa Jean | Author| Speaker |Minister |Spanish Educator| Gift Center Founder

Hello! My name is Larissa Dayana Jean. I give God the glory for each and every day that I am able to steward the vision of my business, the Gift Center. I would say that the idea for my business began thirteen years ago, while I was a graduate student in Bible college at Beulah Heights University. Read more>> 

Monnie Bush | Founder & C.E.O.

As a police officer, I saw many families, especially single mothers and grandparents, struggle to raise their teenage sons. Without a strong, engaged father figure, they would often turn to the police when the teenager became defiant. Read more>>

Esther Kim & Nik Partridge | Chef

We both worked in restaurants for 10+ years and by the time we reconnected in Athens, GA neither of us were working for restaurants. Then COVID hit shortly after moving here and we started to form the idea of MOUTHFEEL as a creative outlet and a way to give back to the community. Read more>>

Myron Walker | Car Wash Innovator

I’ve always had a strong passion for tech, but I wanted to create an innovative solution that would allow individuals to get their cars detailed or washed with the push of a button. Think of it as a service like Instacart, but for car washing! Read more>>

Shanell Palmer | CEO/ Recovery Consultant

Back in 2020 my best friend Felisha who is our Director of Operations and I (Shanell) traveled to Miami for me to undergo Cosmetic Surgery. We were both unfamiliar with what the recovery process would look like. We booked a recovery house stay, so they could assist me and teach Felisha how to take care of me once our stay with them was over. Read more>>