Starting a business is a commitment and requires dedication, resources and sacrifice. We asked some of the rising stars in our community how they thought through the idea of starting their own businesses.

Lauren Woodman | Founder & CEO of Annabel Creative Company

I’ve wanted to be an entrepreneur for as long as I can remember. There are binders from my childhood filled with all of my “business ideas.” After working in a corporate world for over three years, I knew that I wanted to take a step back, reevaluate where my career is headed and ultimately be my own boss. I have my degree in Mass Communication which taught me so many skills that I’ve incorporated into Annabel Creative Company. Read more>>

Jordan R. Murphy, PhD, APRN | Scientist & Clinician

I founded Girassol Wellness in 2015 along with three other women committed to improving communities through service and leadership. We started as a volunteer-based organization that provided programs to support the health, education, and reproductive attributes of women and children in Atlanta, GA and Los Angeles, CA. I’ve always had long-standing dreams of doing humanitarian work locally and internationally, and starting a non-profit organization was the most appropriate step for me to realize my dreams. Read more>>

Marci M | Blogger and Travel Agent

One of the things that I enjoy most in life is being married. In the media, I sometimes hear negative things about marriage. I desired to be a light for marriage, so I told my husband I wanted to create a blog to share marriage content. He supported my interest in starting the blog thus, how the concept of Adventures in Marriage with JaM was born. Read more>>

Jessica Benhaim | Owner, Lumos Yoga & Barre

After leaving a corporate job in NYC and moving to Philadelphia, I wanted to take my career in a different direction. I knew the only way I could give myself the work/life balance and flexibility that I was looking for was to start my own business. There’s always a risk when starting your own business that it won’t work out, but you have to try and give it your all. Read more>>

Aaron DeCoux | Fashion Designer; Poet; Recording Artist

To gain true freedom in all sense of the word. It’s a giant leap into self sustainability. Read more>>

Alexis Odufu | Brand Strategist | Graphic Designer | Creative Director

It was 2020 right after the pandemic hit. I had just signed a lease for a brand new apartment and lost my job at the hospital in the same week. I was panicking! Uncomfortable situations have a funny way of pushing you to finally make the major move you were always unsure about. I had been sitting on my idea to start a lash business for many years at that point. I woke up one morning and remembered seeing all of my bank accounts go into the negative. To be honest the thought process behind starting my business was survival! Read more>>

Tlayra Jordan | Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist & Director of Mother to Mother Recovery Center

Mother to Mother Recovery Center is actually a fulfillment of a promise that I made to God during the depths of my own addiction. I promised God that if he spared my life from addiction that I would use the rest of my life in service of helping others overcome there’s. For me, my addiction to crack cocaine was bad. I lost everything from my children, my home, family and my mind. The only thing that I was able to hold onto was my faith in God. Read more>>

Markus Hudson | Photographer

I first started off, just liking it as a hobby of course, then transpire into a passion for it. At that point I decided to decide on my brand name , which today is MH Visions. The thought process behind this was simple to me , the way I can see things, before shooting through the lens or just my creative process period, which cause me to put Visions after my name. Read more>>

Doreen “Dee” C. Whitfield | PublisHer

Assisting clients with great stories to tell & share with limited writing skills or an outlet to do so. Read more>>

Nicole Quick | Influencer & Entrepreneur

My thought process behind starting my own business was shaped by my unique childhood experiences. Growing up, I faced numerous health challenges that prevented me from pursuing various opportunities. From the age of 13, I grappled with undiagnosed health issues, which left me feeling lost and purposeless. The majority of my time was spent in hospitals rather than classrooms, and it seemed unlikely that I would even make it to adulthood. Read more>>

Brittani Ephraim | Loctician & Mentor

I knew I was given the gift of creativity, and I knew I had the talent to do hair. I needed more though, so I prayed about this newfound joy that this gift gave me. I wanted to know how this that I was given could be used to bring glory and honor to God. How would this gift bring me closer to my purpose in life? What was my purpose? The answer didn’t come to me right away like I’d hoped, but I went ahead and jumped out there on faith. I was always taught that faith without work was dead. Read more>>

Kesha Rainey | CEO & Founder

My original vision for my brand was empowering women through bold fashion jewelry that reflected the importance of self love. A brand that affirmed that as you invest in your self care, you are also allowing yourself to stand in your truth. And over time, my vision evolved as standing in your truth day in and day out is easier to do in community with other women supporting you. When women stand together, there is nothing they are unable to achieve. Read more>>

Morgan Wilkinson | Polymer Clay Jeweler

I started Jewelry by Morgan in September of 2020. Earlier that year, due to COVID-19, I lost my boutique job which led me to wanting a hobby. I started making bracelets and soon realized that I wanted to branch out into polymer clay. I love creating things and the process that went into making clay earrings. I started selling what I had made and that’s when Jewelry by Morgan was created. I currently have earrings in boutiques across the country and have shipped to multiple states. Read more>>

Denise Dawidowski | CEO/Founder of Korzen Hair

While I would love to give this amazing story as to why I started Korzen Hair, I can’t say I have one. What I can tell you is Korzen Hair became an idea after I had been laid off by my employer in 2020. After being on the corporate America roller coaster for so many years, I decided to try my hand at entrepreneurship one last time. At the start of my entrepreneur journey, I worked as a professional hair stylist for over 10 years. Read more>>

Serrita K | Real Estate Agent & Co-founder of MaXX Capacity Design Studio

Starting my own custom Apparel business birthed during the shutdown of COVID-19. Even though the thought of doing a tshirt business came years prior, just never had a timeline of when because I was still active duty military. It all started when the demand for masks came about. I purchased a few fabric blocks and sewing kit from Walmart, then sat on my living room couch and hand sew masks for my family. Read more>>

Courtnei Hayes | Social Media Marketing Manager

My thought process behind starting my own business was to show the world the amazing service that I offered. In the beginning of my business journey, I started off as a sales consultant for a very small automotive dealership. I have worked in several different automotive businesses, but this one was just different. I wanted to learn more about how to run a business. I was very skilled in email, social media and marketing but born to speak. Read more>>

Dii Lectable | Media Personality/ Entrepreneur

I started my business as and alternative to a hospice care package. My elderly father, who was on medication my entire life, was brought home and placed on hospice. He taught me many things, but I took the top two things he shared, and created my business. Delectable Dolja, and it has opened many doors for me to expand and create new brands in the media and music industry. Read more>>

Renatta Lorrayne | Photographer and Digital creator

I remember the exact moment that I decided to go into business for myself. I was working for a company that did not care about my mental health, stability, or family balance. I had just become a mother, and more than anything I wanted to be able to put her first. I didn’t want to miss out on those milestones in her life. I knew that I had a very special set of skills and had perfected my craft enough over the years that I could essentially go out on a whim and take ownership of my life. I became an entrepreneur officially and set out on perfecting my craft when my daughter was officially 5 years old. Read more>>

Amari Walker | Travel Agent & Event Planner

My thought process behind starting my own travel agency stemmed from a combination of personal passion, market opportunity, and a desire to address a specific need within the travel industry. Read more>>

Andrew Thompson | Art Director, Artist, Apparel Designer

I’ve always wanted to bring my art to life. Hats and Apparel seemed like a natural fit/medium to do so. I grew up in the late 80s and 90s so a lot of my apparel is influenced by that era. My business blends a lot of hiphop,sports and entertainment. Read more>>

Isabella Sanchez Castañeda | Founder of Isa Media Inc, Podcast Strategist and Producer for Entrepreneurs

Graduating college in 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, set me up to see that there was no secure career path. I was fortunate to get a job right after graduating, but within two weeks of starting, I saw half my team laid off, and I got furloughed a few months after that. While it was rough to have the post-grad optimism bubble burst so quickly, I’m grateful that’s how it happened. Read more>>

Mimi Brown | Transformational Leadership Coach and Motivational Speaker

Picture this: I was just a regular student, minding my own business, running the camera for my college TV station. And then, BAM! Destiny intervened in the form of that mind-blowing motivational speaker. I was so captivated by their words that I completely forgot I was holding a camera. Yup, you guessed it—I dropped it like a hot potato! Of course, I got an earful later, but hey, sometimes you just gotta follow your heart, right? Read more>>

Nathalie Paulin | Executive Director & Soca Connoisseur

Originally Established in 88 started out as a blog catering to all things Caribbean. From the sweet sounds of kompa to whinnin’ down low at the latest carnival (or as we say KANAVAL). Eventually I was aiming for it to be a Caribbean version of Essence Magazine, however during my undergrad my love of production over powered my love of journalism so I thought it would make more sense to turn it into a production company. Read more>>

Catherine Gulley | Designer & Entrepreneur

I really wanted my own business. I had no idea what I really wanted to do, but I know I was tired of working for other people. It took some years before I actually did anything, but God made a way for it to happen. So one day I was watching TV with my niece and then I heard make lip gloss. “I’m like what”, so I heard it again. I knew it had to be the Lord telling me, so I started looking up how to make lip gloss. I went on Amazon and bought myself a lip gloss kit. Read more>>

Kayla Dennis | Entrepreneur

I just knew I wanted the kind of income security that I didn’t have to rely on another person or company for. After being furloughed from my job during the pandemic, it left an uneasy feeling for me. I wanted to create a source of income for myself that nobody could take away. Read more>>

Oluwabusayo Ojo | Entrepreneur & Musician

The first reason is pursuing my passion for wealth creation, I grew up in a fairly comfortable home in Africa, Delta State, Nigeria to be precise. Even though I was privileged, I always felt some type of way looking at the other kid on the street with nothing to eat. I made it a goal in my life, to create wealth, not just for me, but for my community! Read more>>

Lejandra Williams | CEO of Lejandra Newyork & a Sophomore

Entrepreneurship has always been a part of my blood “by force I guess haha”, Even though I am a Sophomore and hoping to pursue a career in bio medical engineering one day. I grew up seeing my mother working for herself as a model while working other jobs for an income. She always preached to me that she does not want me working for anyone so I need to have my own business. I am now 14 years old and do dabble here and there in makeup, but my mother assist me a lot with executing the creative ideas I have for the brand. My mother started the business for me and keep me very much involved in the decision making as the business grows. Read more>>

Carl Graham | Master Baker

Initially it was a side hustle a means of extra income, however I’ve had a love for baking since I was 16. Along with working 9-5, it became more stressful having a full time job, managing a business and being a single father.. Instead of building someone else’s dreams I decided to build my own. Read more>>

Tootie Harris | Flip Specialist

My thought process was being there for my kids and family.I figured if I could give my all to someone else’s dream why not give that same time and effort at starting up a business of my own.My main priority was being there when we needed too for our children.I’m big on family and some jobs unfortunately don’t have the ability to give you every request off that you put in.My thoughts were just having more time with my kids while still doing what I love to do at the same time. Read more>>

Zay Aliyah | Entrepreneur

From a young age I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset and liked the idea of being my own boss. Read more>>

Korra Obidi | Musician, Pro-Dancer, Business woman

I wanted to be free to do whatever I wanted at any time Read more>>

Jerry Francois | Business owner of GFTC, Creative Director of Pynrs, entrepreneur and father, Community activist

My thought process behind starting a business is following your heart and trusting in god. Be prepared to fail but also know you win at some point too. Read more>>

Altelisha Lisha” Taylor | Physician Advocate

To be honest, I didn’t set out to start my own business. My primary goal was to help my friends and other young professionals become money savvy. Many of them wanted to know how to start investing, how to get rid of their debt, and learn the steps they needed to build the live they desire. My business started as a blog to help them with that. I was asked many of the same questions from people, so the writing down the answers, explaining my though process, and arming people with options and pathways to achieve financial success grew from that. Read more>>