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.

Mauro Maugliani | Wine educator Sommelier. Wine Import.

knowledge, love and passion. Followed by Dedication, studies and professional preparation. constantly focused on the project Read more>>

Lusine Hakobyan | Principal Photographer & Co-Founder

Together with my brother and my husband, we started Shotlife Studio at a point when we had developed the necessary skills and confidence to establish a sustainable growing business. That being said, no matter how prepared you are, there is always something new to learn and unexpected obstacles to overcome. That’s why three heads are better than one and surrounding yourself with people you fully trust is pure gold! Read more>>

Ben Shatil | Master Aesthetic Injector & Obstetric Anesthesiologist

I grew up in a home and family full of entrepreneurs. My parents always made time for me and my two sisters, whether for dinner, homework help or vacations, because owning their own companies allowed them to. I was the only one who spent multiple years in school and training (13 years to be exact!) in such a structured environment. When I completed my training as an obstetric anesthesiologist, I first worked at a large academic hospital. While I loved the medicine and teaching residents, I felt certain things in my life lacking. Read more>>

Charmaine M | Owner/ Baker

My thought process behind my business was providing something to our community that they didn’t have. Read more>>

Mateen Khan | Content creator, Founder & CEO of M.A.K Studios., Inc.

I am lucky to be born into a family where arts and design was appreciated. My inspiration behind stepping into the fashion, and photography came from my grandfather. He was a garment factory owner, and a photography enthusiast. My sister who is a born artist also owner of a graphic design and animation business, is my biggest inspiration and influencer in over-all choice of being in a creative business. Read more>>

Shela Adams | Small Business Owner

When I started Cosh in 2019 with my best friend, Cody, we didn’t set out to start a small business. In fact, that wasn’t even a thought at the time. We watched a documentary on Netflix called “Stink” which dove into the very real and often overlooked issue of products containing the term “fragrance” on ingredient lists. We learned that the term fragrance was code for hundreds and hundreds of chemicals that do not need to be disclosed. It was a shocking discovery. Furthermore, I had just come back from a yearlong trip around the world with my husband where we saw so much plastic waste floating in the otherwise gorgeous waterways. Read more>>

ayana gordon | CEO & Modeling agent

I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur within the fashion industry but never knew what exactly I wanted to do. While I was in my 2nd year at FIDM as a product development student; I had an outside friend who wanted to get into modeling but she felt she didn’t know where or how to start. At that moment it came over me to begin model management. It came so naturally to me and I loved being able to help someone step out and achieve their goals as a model. This opportunity allowed me to really explore the fashion industry on a whole new spectrum and I have LOVED IT ever since. Read more>>

Lolita Oliveri | owner of LO.OLI.TA SWIMWEAR

To be honest when I started the brand, I didn’t ask myself too many questions. I would never have believed that it would have evolved in this way or at this speed. I just knew that I dreamed of living in sunny Miami and that I was a fan of bikinis. I also often said to myself that it was difficult to find beautiful, original swimsuits that were really at the forefront of annual trends, which encouraged me to create some myself. So it started very spontaneously! Read more>>

Leezandro Chamizo | Real estate photographer/marketing specialist

I have a illness that doesn’t give me the energy to work long hours and sometimes doesn’t allow me to work at all. So I needed to do something that would accommodate to that and it just so happens that it’s also something I love doing. Read more>>

Claudia Jaramillo | Aromatherapist and Professional Soap Maker

It all started with the real estate crisis of 2008 when I was a mortgage broker, and things were going great, but there was a significant change that year. After introspection, I decided to change radically and began to think about what I loved and what moved my heart and soul. Read more>>

Sarah Caicedo & Erica Quince | Owners

We wanted to create not only a thriving business but a creative space for anyone that visits to feel at home. Read more>>

Jeanette Coates | Master Certified Life Coach

I wanted to start my business to be a asset those in need, Those that struggle with the concept its ok to not be ok. I wanted to be able to offer techniques on how to cope and deal with whatever challenges that they have going on in life and for them to know they are not alone. Read more>>

Maurizio Farinelli | Hospitality Entrepreneur and Mosaico’s Restaurant Owner

In 2019, I decided to sell my previous restaurants to pursue my goal to travel the world to expand my culinary horizons. Travelling throughout Italy, Europe, Israel and Japan, has been giving me the inspiration to open a new concept for my new restaurant in South Miami, FL. Read more>>

Andrea McCafferty + Kat O’Neill | Andrea McCafferty + Kat O’Neill

As Matisse said, “creativity takes courage.” And that is as true in life and business as it is in art. We both have worked for preeminent companies in the past but there is nothing like building your own brand. Only about 5% of all businesses worldwide are involved in the creation or distribution of
arts. Read more>>

Nicky Stefan | Nicky Stefan

I always dreamed about having my own business and working doing what I love. That’s why alongside with my husband Lion Herris who is a music producer, we decided to open Herrbroz Studios in Miami, where we do music production, video production and we also teach singing lessons and music production lessons. We want to provide our customers and students with everything they need to create their own product. Read more>>

Erica Maia Marrello | Founder, Artist, Event Planner – EMM Creative Arts Co.

I wanted to give myself the freedom to create the things I feel most passionate about, to bring inspired ideas to life and be able to share that vision and opportunity with others. Read more>>

Andrew Escudero | Artist

I knew I wanted to do something that I cared passionately about, and I’ve always had a knack for sales and creativity. When I saw that my visual art could reach many people quickly via the internet, sharing personal insights and messages, and creating income consistently I decided to pursue my own art business. That was about 14 years ago. Read more>>

Dana Kaplan | Renowned Educational Coach for Out of the Box and 2-E Learners

I once was an out-of-the-box learner who needed help . . . As a child, I understood all too well the pressures of trying to fit into a standard educational mold. I was sensitive, empathetic, justice-oriented, and had ADHD (though I was unaware). My attributes made me a unique and exciting learner who craved attention and affirmation, but was frequently overlooked. Read more>>

Patrice Saltzman | Custom Cake Artist

It really happened out of frustration, unhappiness and a distraction from my previous career! Gosh, those are probably not the most sophisticated reasons to start a business, but it’s the truth. I have a BFA in Musical Theatre and I lived in NYC pursing that career for about 7 years when I started to really feel the grind of auditioning, rejections and instability. It’s a really hard profession. It happened pretty organically — I started procrastinating doing the work for theatre jobs by instead baking in my kitchen. (I have always loved good food and I enjoyed finding recipes to recreate in my own kitchen, especially baked goods. Read more>>

Dominique Dorsett | Trinket Fashion

I am a lover of art, accessories, and crystals. I thought it would be pretty cool to sell small unique and flashy accessories. Little flashy things make people happy. Read more>>

Latoya Hinson | Chief Executive Officer/ Founder of Naturel Noire LLC

My thought process behind starting my business Naturel Noire LLC was based on my passion for skincare and helping people. I’ve been in healthcare for over 20 years and I have always had a passion for helping others. Then one day I decided I wanted to help people outside of healthcare, so I enrolled myself in a school for esthetics. Read more>>