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.

Don DeBeaux | Military veteran, Ironman triathlete, & creator/inventor Doggytogo, LLC

I had an idea for a product that did not exist & thought other dog owners might enjoy it as well. Read more>>

Marcelo Zelicovich | Entrepreneur, Inventor & Founder @ Doctor Aromas

I started in the aroma business in Tucuman, Argentina in 1993, during one of the many economic crisis that happened there. I had the chance to learn about an opportunity that was aromatizing public restrooms. That was the beginning of a model of service company where you have to go every month and replace the product in the restrooms and create several places where you have your products in use. Read more>>

Jessica Green | Integrative Health Practitioner and Health Coach for Midlife Women

Before I began my business, I was working in corporate and had a daughter under the age of 1. She was in daycare 10 hours a day and my health had been suffering for years by that point. It was a perfect storm for me. By that point I had seen a number of naturopathic and biological medicine doctors and had gone through so many therapies and protocols. But the one thing I hadn’t yet tried was to stop the corporate work and address the chronic stress it caused. So, I did something that was extremely uncomfortable for me at the time, I left a career I had built up for over a decade. It was the best move I ever made. I knew I wanted to become a health coach so that I could focus on my own health and also help others restore their health. The fact that I was also able to be more present for my daughter was a huge bonus. Read more>>

Hannah Staddon | CEO & Founder

Hi, I’m hannah, full time yacht chef since about 2015. Funky Chef was started because I was sick of spending a fortune on off the rack chef jackets that were meant to be for women, but never looked good on me. I always had to get them tailored to fit my pear shaped (hence the logo) body. Once day i approached a seamstress in Fort Lauderdale and she agreed to make me a jacket. i bought blue denim fabric and a watermelon fabric and when i tried it on it was the best fitting chef jacket i’d ever had. Needless to say I bought more material in different colors and patterns and had her make up multiple options for me. When my other female chef friends saw the jackets they all voiced their excitement about the uniqueness and fit of them and were ready to place orders. Read more>>

Aileen Vega | Host of the Cuban Family Roots Podcast

The idea for my podcast took shape in 2021, driven by a desire to connect with fellow Cubans and guide them on the intricate path of tracing their family roots. For the past three years, I’ve consistently posted over 30 episodes, one each month. The goal is to provide listeners with interesting interviews with historians, genealogists, credible authors, and ordinary Cubans, each offering a unique insight into the realm of Cuban genealogy based on their personal experiences. Building a dedicated fan base, the podcast has reached audiences in more than 60 countries that Cubans now call home. Month after month, eager to gain experience, Cubans eagerly tune in to explore their favorite subject: genealogy! Read more>>

Richard Hamilton | Veralink Limited – Founder and CTO

As an engineer, my inclination toward problem-solving and improvement has been evident since my formative years. While balancing full-time employment, I consistently engaged in various small projects, gaining firsthand insight into the challenges faced by businesses. Witnessing these obstacles firsthand fueled my desire to address them and provide solutions to enhance customer experiences. Over the past decade, I have amassed valuable experience and acquired prestigious training and certifications in the field. However, I observed a persistent gap between businesses and technology, hindering their optimal utilization of resources. Motivated by this realization, I made the strategic decision to venture into entrepreneurship, aiming to bridge this divide and empower businesses to leverage technology effectively for their growth and success. Read more>>

Jermaine Scottycuss” Watson | Content Creator & Media Specialist”

I’v always known that the world of “employment” wasn’t for me from quite possibly the moment I learned to walk. I’v also been cultured with an independent type mind that doesn’t function well with the kind of efficiencies that come with traditional employment. No shade to the 9 – 5 world because trust me sometimes you look on to the stability, benefits, peace of mind of structure and kick some rocks from time to time, but I just know that I couldn’t survive in an environment where I’m accountable to someone or a group of persons whose vision don’t necessarily align with mine. For example I would be the kind of worker that ensure that my customers are fully taken care of and satisfied but a manager or supervisor’s role in an organization IS to maximize profits at all costs. Kudos to those who know where their next meal is coming from at all times, it’s wild over on this side of the grass, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! Read more>>

Cesar Ravan | Cpa

As our mission statement emphasizes, we believe in providing value beyond the numbers. One of the lessons learned early on in my career is to set expectations up front from both our client and us. Once this was set and agreed upon – we would look for ways to go above and beyond those expectations. It’s one of the reasons we moved away from the traditional CPA firm model towards a multifamily office style, so we can focus not just on tax compliance, but overall financial health and more advanced planning. This approach gives many opportunities to add value and “WOW” our clients.Read more>>

Tasha Jo Peterson | CEO of Mystic Movement/ Mystic Mentor

My decision to start Mystic Movement, my own healing center, was not part of a preconceived plan or thought-out strategy. After working as a barista for 16 years, I embarked on a spiritual journey seeking deeper meaning in my life. This journey led me to make significant life changes, including leaving my job, getting a divorce, and selling my home. It was during this transformative period that I took a major leap of faith and decided to create Mystic Movement. The business emerged organically from my personal growth and newfound passion for healing and spirituality. Although there was no detailed thought process behind starting my business, it was a heartfelt and courageous decision that has brought fulfillment and purpose to my life. Read more>>

 John Fitz | The Fitz

Somewhere between Montana and Wyoming sporting a slight beer buzz is where I came up with the idea of starting my own business. It was early Summer of 2020 and the world was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was entering my third week of a cross country trip that eventually lasted 49 nights covering 13,000 miles over 23 states. “Social distancing” was changing the worlds behavior. The small things in life like having a conversation over a few beers seemed to be in jeopardy. DIfficult times for all but I was convinced that the art of having good conversation over a few drinks was not extinct. Read more>>

Anne-Sophie Rosseel | Interior & Furniture Designer, Founder of House of RoRo

As an interior designer I often design custom furniture for client’s homes. So when I couldn’t find what I wanted when looking for furniture for my son, I decided to make it myself. When a child needs its first chair is also right about that time when the toys start multiplying. It made sense to me to want to combine some of that furniture with storage. While I find beautiful and thoughtful vintage children’s furniture in Europe, to me the current offer lacked options. A lot of what’s out there is plastic, short-lived and overly cutesy. Who said a child’s chair needs bunny ears to please. I wanted practical, ethically made and beautiful pieces that could live a long life in people’s homes, in or outside of the playroom. We’ve lived with those first prototypes for a couple of years now and every time someone would visit they would comment the furniture. I had always sold a service but never an object and it’s a very different thing I soon found out. But I was so excited to be able to voice my ideas without interference of a client that I decided to run with it and founded House of RoRo now about 4 months ago. Read more>>

Terry Hardmon | Developer- Construction Manager

I have a sincere passion for construction beginning with my childhood of building my own toys and play items from a very loving but from a less fortunate family. I was blessed to work for major fortune 500 construction firm and projects completing over 1/2 billion project volume over my career from a variety of projects and states from New York to Miami Florida. . I have always wanted to complete projects at my will for more purposeful projects such as church’s, community supportive projects, and other development projects that directly impact the urban community. Most important I want to be an example for young men and women of color to see a person of color perform on a major level so that they can be inspired to do so as well. Read more>>

Nikkie Chadwick | Owner/Walnut Creek Apparel and Gifts

I wanted to be my own boss! I have always been a hard worker and decided that I wanted to put my talents and efforts into starting my own business and being successful for myself and not for someone else. Read more>>

Minerva Salles | Elevating Senior Managers to Become More Confident Speakers

My name is Minerva Salles, Founder and CEO of OMG Creative Solutions™, a digital media (EdTech) company that elevates senior managers to become more confident speakers and guides companies to deliver their brand message through digital media. Read more>>

Yohana Del Rosario | Alchemist Guide & Mindfulness Facilitator

Combining the essence of my heartfelt journey and my profound dedication to empowering women, the decision to start my own business was deeply rooted in a passionate commitment to creating a sanctuary for women navigating life’s transitions. Drawing from my experiences working for corporate startups that championed diversity and inclusion, yet often fell short of those ideals, I felt compelled to carve out a space where authenticity and empathy reigned supreme. Read more>>

Tammy Iban | Founder & CEO of Clandestinemood

While working at a major sporting brand, I gained valuable experience in the industry, but I also felt a growing desire to create a brand that offered a different kind of experience for the customer., focusing on women. I envisioned a brand that went beyond simply selling events, but instead, focused on cultivating unique and personalized experiences for the end consumer, where each of them was unique, thus creating “a piece of art” every time we had one. Read more>>

Chelsea Moxon | Owner of Buffettes Shoe Shine

I wanted to be the boss! I’ve been working since I was 13 and have had jobs ranging from bagging groceries, making sandwiches, working retail, market management and more! The one thing all of those jobs had in common is that I was not in charge and that was a problem for me. After working in various fields I saw a business opportunity in the event industry that had very little competition and a demand in the south FL/ Orlando area. I developed my business plan while still attending FAU and filed Buffettes LLC the day after I graduated. I told myself that if I wasn’t able to grow the business in 3 years that I still had a degree to fall back on. Buffettes LLC has been in business for 12 years now! Read more>>

Kenzy Lafrance | Fingerstyle Wedding Guitarist, Composer, Music Producer

It’s funny because I’ve only recently started to treat myself as a real business. To elaborate, as a musician, some of the things I struggle with includes a few things, such as: getting booked to perform at venues and events (weddings, private, corporate, etc.), finding people that value my craft, forming genuine, authentic relationships, balancing life between what I want and what I need, and of course seeing that I am actually a business. My thought process as I began to shift into an entrepreneurial mindset as a guitarist was that I want to find meaningful ways to communicate the value I create for people, and staying true to what I know I’m worth, and if I’m to do this, then that means setting high standards for myself as well as raising standards within the high-end event industry to further my establishment and clientele as a guitarist. Furthermore, starting my own business as a musician meant that I’d operate on want, and not need. If I work based on need then resources seem scarce, but if I work for my wants which includes creating an honest, sustainable full-time income doing what I love, then anything is possible, because I don’t have to explain what I want, I just go for it. Read more>>

Stephanie Miller | Cancer Coach & Essential Oil Specialist

As a cancer survivor myself and the care giver to my husband during his cancer journey I didn’t realize the there was a healing process that needed to take place when a diagnosis hits the home. When going through a cancer journey your life is interrupted in the most devastating way. The fear, emotions, overwhelm, loss of control, loneliness take over and your life is handed over to the medical team to kill the disease. After treatment is done life is expected to return to normal. Read more>>

Lance Dixon, CBET | Owner | Founder | CEO

The thought process to start my own business began after being laid off twice by two large corporations. I was tired of letting others dictate my success and future. I started researching the process, reading lots of books, and taking each process of building a business one step at a time. I was set out to create a company that would bring extreme value and convenience to each of our clients. The first phase of starting the business came from the questions of who, what, why, when, and where. Precision-Med Biomedical Solutions was started in 2018 with a lot of hard work, sleepless nights, and never ending thoughts that would continue to springboard our company to where we are today. Read more>>

Patricia A Griffin | Fine Artist and Entrepreneur

My art has always been my focus and it just made sense to find an outlet to share the work directly with the collectors. Starting a business forced me to deal with the less favorable parts of being a creative. Once the basic business skills were achieved they could be used in other businesses. I have started a number of businesses over my career, a historical air b&b, a florist, a home and garden center, and GriffinGallery.com Read more>>