We reached out to some of our favorite entrepreneurs and asked them to think back and tell us about how they decided to start a business. Check out their responses below.

Tina Torres-Wilson

Starting my business wasn’t some perfectly mapped-out master plan. It came from a season where everything in my life fell apart at once. I had just gone through a divorce, lost a six-figure corporate job, became an empty nester, and moved to a town where I didn’t know a single person. I was grieving the life I thought I would have, and I had to decide whether I was going to stay stuck or rebuild from scratch. Read More>>

Ben Askew

I’ve always been into street wear fashion my whole life. I’m a fresh sneaker, nice jeans, graphic tee and hat type of guy. I use to go shopping and found myself critiquing the brands designs, color schemes or feel of the shirt. I would always be like “I’d buy it if it had this or didn’t have that on it” lol.  Read More>>

 Tyona Menzies

I was at a place in my life where I was grieving — not just a person or a moment, but time itself. I felt the weight of the time I didn’t have, and the time that had already passed. For a while, it seemed like my life only felt meaningful after work, like the real version of me only existed outside of obligation. The only moments I felt genuine joy were when I made other people feel something — anything. If something I created moved someone, sparked reflection, or stirred emotion, that was when I felt most alive. Read More>>

Kristi Butler

My love for animals started in childhood. I grew up in a modest home where cats and dogs were always part of the family, and my mother taught me early that compassion isn’t optional – it’s a responsibility. When my parents divorced and we lost our home, I started working at 14 to help my mom. I took a job at a stable caring for Clydesdale horses. I didn’t realize it at the time, but that experience shaped the rest of my life. Read More>>

Corey Cochran

Starting Major Label Marketing wasn’t just about launching a company — it was about solving a problem I kept seeing in the music industry.

Too many talented artists were spending thousands of dollars on promotion that looked good on paper but produced no real results. Fake streams, bot views, inflated playlists — it created the illusion of success without actually moving careers forward. I knew there had to be a smarter, more transparent way to help artists grow. Read More>>