Are you thinking about starting a business? If so, we think you’ll enjoy reading about how these seasoned entrepreneurs thought about the question when they were in your shoes.

Lane Edwards | Founder of PURA Botanicals

I was living in Australia at the time, branding lululemon into Sydney when I became pregnant with my first child. I became ultra sensitive to all of my conventional beauty products. Read more>>

Marie Kubin | Founder & CEO of RENT MY WEDDING

I was planning my wedding and became frustrated that there weren’t any online rental companies. It was very time-consuming to contact local vendors and ask for pricing and details. As I started getting quotes for wedding lighting, I found it was very expensive and out of my budget. Read more>>

Cortney Barlow | Mental Health Therapist and Health Coach

As an African American woman, I found out I was making thousands of dollars less than women in my role at my last two employers. Albeit, I was more qualified and experienced. Although, I was angry and felt inferior I realized it was time to make a change. I realized all the work I was putting into making someone else rich, I can put into myself. I knew this journey would not be easy but I knew it would be worth it. I left my employer without having a job but with a passion of helping others. Read more>>

Sarah Kelly | Multi Passionate Creative Powerhouse

There is a quote I have always felt connected to that sums this up best- “I’m going to make everything around me beautiful- that will be my life.” – Elsie de Wolfe I have always felt called to making the world a more beautiful place and inspired with how visual communication can impact our confidence, understanding, and sense of identity. Read more>>

Virginia Kluiters | Fashion & beauty photographer

I was a photography major as an undergrad in college, and when I first moved to NYC, I entered the photography industry as a photo and production assistant. I organically transitioned to fashion and beauty copywriting after getting burnt out working in the photo industry, but after a couple of years, I realized how much I missed the fast-paced environment and the social aspects of being on set and creating visual art. So, I officially started my business as a full time freelance photographer in 2018. Read more>>

Clarita Volovitz | Partner & Luxury Travel Advisor at AZA Luxury Travel

I worked as an independent contractor at a local travel agency for 5 years. I loved my job but felt like something was missing. At that moment, I came to the realization that I wanted to create my own brand -a unique identity- and set myself apart from the competition by offering an extremely high-level of detail to an affluent clientele. Read more>>

Chris Brengosz Trey Wilson | Owner & Detailer (for each name)

Chris grew up in a family that had their own business. So he has always been exposed to entreprenuership. So it was only natural for him to want to create his own busienss. From an early age Trey has always had ambitions of being a successful business owner. When the pandemic hit the country jobs became scarce and no one was hire. Read more>>

Yanique Chin | Owner of H.E.R by Yanique

My thought process behind starting my own business is to make women feel sexy and comfortable within their body especially women who are mothers.I wanted to do something that I would love and enjoy doing , something that I myself wears and brand. Read more>>

Keli Hernandez-Eustace | Business Owner/Entrepreneur

I knew when I was a teenager that I wanted to own a business of my own. I did not know what type of business that would be, but I can remember feeling uneasy whenever I heard teachers tell me that I needed to go to college so I could get a good job. Read more>>

Ashley Fleury | Certified Wedding & Event Planner, Certified Event Designer

Growing up in a Caribbean household, my parents would take me to weddings all the time, I was even a flower girl in one and recently I had the opportunity of being a bridesmaid in my uncles’ wedding. Read more>>

Roxanne Vogel | Fitness Instructor & Playa Bowls Owner

In 2019 I found myself at a crossroad. I’d been working in higher education for most of my life and while I was being invited to the boardroom, I never quite got a seat at the table. With a strong passion for fitness and OrangeTheory, Read more>>

Vanessa Castellanos | Founder and CEO

After many years of event planning and management for various hotels in South Beach, I found that I had built strong relationships with my clients and that they would benefit more from my ability to offer them additional services such as venue scouting, event planning in other cities, travel, etc. Read more>>

Robnitia Weekley | Entrepreneur

My thought process behind starting my own business is my passion and mission. Being able to offer my clients/customers tremendous customer service as well as everything they need to feel and enhance their beauty needs through all the latest beauty trends while also making ladies feel pretty and look their best even with a pretty affordable budget which drove me to taking fashion to another level with a passion for high-end quality products and amazing customer service. Read more>>

Lauren Layne Merck | Fashion Model/Designer

My thought process behind Lauren Layne Swim began when I was a Lingerie and Swimwear model. I had been working in that part of the industry for 7 years. I always loved the companies and product I was modeling for but we always had to go through so many fittings before the actual photoshoot. Read more>>

Ryan DeBonville | Chief Knitting Officer

I never had a thought process! And that’s really part of my problem today. I’m working on systematizing the tasks I do to create a piece and looking for ways to scale the business. For right now-that means having someone other than myself make the inventory while I focus on creating hand-knitting patterns and content for social medial Read more>>

Marihon Angulo | Certified Educator Infant Massage | Rapid Transformational Therapist

I started my business after being let-go of an engineering position with an oilfield services company I had spent 15 years with. My thinking process started recognizing who I was without a large transnational corporation title following my name in my business cards or any business meeting. Read more>>

Claudia & Eliana Zeballos | Owners

While planning my daughter’s first birthday, we wanted something that she could enjoy. Soft play was the perfect thing for her party because it provided a safe and fun environment for her and her tiny friends. We loved the idea of being able to provide a safe space for toddler’s to enjoy their parties that could be set up anywhere. Read more>>

Leyla Barakat | Licensed Esthetician & Cosmetic Dentist

I’ve always wanted to open my own business in the U.S. and was eagerly waiting for this moment for several years. First and foremost, I’m a dentist specialized in orthodontics and cosmetic dentistry back in Paraguay, where I studied and then worked for 10 years. Read more>>

Brittany Jackson | Event Host and Entrepreneur

My thought process for starting Britt’s Sips was solely that I felt that people’s main concern at the time was their health. At the peak of COVID, I wanted people to feel like they were taking control of strengthening their immune system, finding ways to remain positive and healthy in the midst of chaos and uncertainty. And even better, they wouldn’t have to leave their homes to achieve this! Read more>>

Shae Nicole | Salon Owner – Hair Stylist & Makeup Artist

In starting my own business in the beauty industry not only did I want to Give men and women a service but also an experience. Being the first within my immediate family to start their own business and to also be a role model to my children and other siblings, my need to rise above statistics And stereotypes were very strong. I didn’t want to just use my talent as a side hustle I wanted to be able to make it a career. Read more>>

Garrett Cadwallader, Tamara Cadwallader Clarke, Stephen Baker N/A | Co Founders // Make Life Studio

Make Life Studio is an artist owned and operated recording studio and creative production suite located in Brooklyn, NY. The three of us play in a band together called Lets Tokyo and we were looking for a new space to work from back in the winter of 2019. At first all the rehearsal spaces and small studio options available were so disheartening. Read more>>

LureAromatic | Social Media Entrepreneur + Influencer

It all began when I was in my younger teens, I was always outcasted and bullied when I was younger because I didn’t look like the typical girls here down south. I was deemed the “weird kid” or the “awkward weird black girl” and I was a loner. Read more>>

Vanessa Tella | Boutique Owner

The idea of starting my own business came to me shortly after my husband and I got married. I had taken some time off around the wedding and when I got back to work after our honeymoon, as I settled into my normal routine, I really started thinking about what my next career move was going to be. Read more>>

Jayna Thomas | The Marketing Queen

Initially, I thought it would be difficult but easy because I had already been in corporate for a decade and I am very good at what I do. That’s when I learned entrepreneurship is more about your mentality than it is skill. Read more>>

Stacy Alexander | Custom Bling Artist

My thought process behind starting my business was to provide additional income for me and my family. After years of financial struggles. Living in the inner city “Brownsville”. I wanted better. Read more>>

Sophie Delli-Colli | Hair stylist / Colorist & Salon owner

I was working as a hair stylist / colorist for 14 years at a salon. While working there I learned the business and identified some areas where I can improve and optimize. I saw an opportunity for a a great space for rent I decided to go for it. Read more>>

Dulce Trujillo | Serial entrepreneur, business strategist & events producer freak

Being really free, proving that it would be possible for me to change the corporate dream for the business dream and really measure what I would be capable of. Since I was a child I always questioned everything, my questions were constant madness and if they didn’t convince me I wasn’t going to accept an idea just for the sake of it. Read more>>

Kareen Chung | Integrative Psychotherapist

As an Integrative Psychotherapist, I wanted to create a space where people of all kinds could feel comfortable in a healing space. i wanted the freedom to take elements from different therapeutic approaches according to the individual needs of the client. Sometimes people find it difficult or uncomfortable to put their feelings into words, make sense of what they are going through, and need help & support from someone outside of their personal life. Read more>>.

 Julia Valldi | Founder & Creative Director at Jvalldi Styling

I started my own wedding makeup and hairstylist business in New York way back in xx for a number of reasons. I’ve always been quite a creative spirit with an entrepreneurial side, so when I spotted a gap in the market to provide luxury wedding hair and makeup in a completely inclusive way it lit a fire inside of me that has made my path a pleasure to walk. Read more>>

Luis Rodriguez Santana | Industrial Engineer & woodwork enthusiast

I have always loved challenges and when I decided to move to Miami I saw the opportunity to challenge myself by making true the dream of having my own business doing what I like Read more>>

Juan Manuel Cardenas | composer, musical producer and entrepeneur

My mentality of dreaming big, I was born in Bogotá, Colombia in a low-income neighborhood, with all the odds against me, experiencing social problems for young people such as gangs, drugs, and I understood that only I was the one who could change my future, being responsible for my decisions, using my gifts, one of them music, to grow and fulfill my dreams and inspire young people and children who come from there Read more>>