It takes a lot more than an idea to build a business, but there can’t be a business without the idea. So we asked folks who’ve built wonderful businesses to tell us about how they came up with the idea in the first place.

Timothy Rodriguez | Owner and Head Coach of Time to Ball

The idea of Time to Ball first started back in 2017 when I was in the process of planning my summer before going to college. I wanted to have a summer job that would give me a purpose. I was brainstorming in one of my classes my senior year after my last high school basketball season and the idea popped in my head to create a travel basketball team. This travel team would only be based on players didn’t play on their high school team. Read more>>

Kellen McCormick | Inventor and Founder

The initial idea for my product came as a result of the overdose and, thanks to EMS personnel administering nasal NARCAN®, subsequent revival of my older brother. Had the paramedics not been carrying the life-saving medicine, the
outcome of events would have more than likely been a fatal tragedy for our entire family. I’m proud to say that my brother has not used since this incident and has remained in active recovery for roughly 3 years now. Read more>>

Marta Ziembinska | Love and Relationship Coach

Through my own journey. I was really bad at relationships and personal life in general. I got married at 29 and divorced at 30, that was my breaking point. I felt like a failure and began a downward spiral that led me to the darkest of places. A diagnosis of clinical depression, PTSD, and anxiety followed – the treatment of which addressed the symptoms, but not the underlying, nagging problems. On the surface I had a smile on my face, a good job, I was busy and active, but I was running on autopilot. I was lonely, crumbling, and so focused on staying alive that I was not actually living. I dreamed of love and a healthy relationship but had no idea how to get myself there. Read more>>

Eni Neadle | Mom and Daughter duo trying to give teens in foster care a memory of a lifetime.

Actually, the idea for A Sweet Chance, Inc. came from my daughter, Jazmin Neadle. I adopted Jazmin and her little sister when they were 10 and 8 years old. When Jazmin turned 14, I expressed my excited for her Quinces coming up in a year. I am Cuban and the Quinceanera (equivalent to a Sweet 16’s) is a huge tradition in my Latin culture. Jazmin had never heard of this custom but loved the idea of being a princess for a day. When Jazmin was finally 15 years old, she had picked several outfits, multiple venues for photos, and felt like a real princess. Read more>>

Nicolette Dieffenbaugher | Founder of VestNow.io – Working towards a world with financial inclusion.

When asking the question, “Who taught you about personal finance?” – the most common responses I get are “no one” or “myself.” Personal finance education isn’t taught in most high schools and colleges. When my girlfriends and I all left college with student loans we had to teach ourselves and each other how to create a budget and handle our loans. Read more>>