Our community is comprised of some absolutely brilliant entrepreneurs and so we asked a few of them to tell us the story of how they came up with the ideas for their business.

Jeff Moss | Conceptual Brand Designer, Business Owner and Adventurer

I have been designing and building global brands for the past 30 years. A few years ago, I sold my advertising/branding agency and decided it was time to create my own global brand. My passion with design and branding is heavily guided by history and stories. My style definitely leans towards an authentic, vintage character. It took a few years of vetting what I wanted to build, until a friend of mine suggested something that was right under my nose – Moss Tents, my family legacy. My Father, Bill Moss, invented the “Pop-Tent” in 1956 and that revolutionized the camping and expedition industry. He and my Mother, Marilyn Moss Rockefeller started Moss Tents in 1974 based on all of my fathers tent designs – Moss quickly became the world leader in expedition tents. Read more>>

Sally Baker | Founder, LE BAZAR COASTAL

While living in France, our family would visit the most charming island each summer. I fell in love with the morning marchés in the sweet little towns. The vendors had such lovely goods ranging from easy breezy dresses to quilts to market baskets. Each item was handpicked and unique. When we moved to the US, I longed for those morning market hunts. The sweet little marchés had been replaced by big box stores and I so wanted to return to the sweetness and simplicity of buying unique goods & learning about the stories behind them. This longing soon turned to determination and LE BAZAR COASTAL was born. Read more>>

Kerry MacMaster | Owner & Designer – Everything CropOver

My business started because of my love for CropOver/ Carnival. My first “jump up” was at CropOver in 2014 (with Baje International) – and I LOVED the experience… the feathers, the bling, the costumes, the vibes, the music, the rum. It was like nothing I had experienced before, as I grew up in Australia. The following years I jumped with Zulu International, Aura (their first and second years), and also at Miami Carnival with BajanFuhEva Mas Band. I’m obsessed with glitter and bling, so I started to bling out cups, dresses and accessories for myself, for CropOver/ Carnival fetes, and to match my costumes for Grand Kadooment/ Carnival. Friends (and strangers) would notice my bling cups (or sparkly outfits) and comment on how pretty they looked, and would ask where I got them from. Once I explained that I made them, they started requesting their own bling cups and accessories. Read more>>

Alex Jimenez | Product Designer

The average human has more than 6,000 thoughts per day. In my case, those 6000 thoughts only happen after I’ve had my morning coffee…. The range of thoughts are vast, bouncing from ideas like “I wish the house would vacuum itself” to “I wonder if I can learn how to talk to my dog.” If you learn to become aware of these thoughts, the good and the ridiculous, you start to observe that themes appear in the shape of every-day problems that need solving. Problems that may not be unique to just you. This is how I started to uncover gaps or opportunities to explore. I come up with the ideas for my businesses by simply looking at what’s needed, what opportunities lie hidden, and then taking action. If I see the need for something within the industry, I won’t hesitate to dive into it further. I’ll most likely come up short or realize that I’m not solving a big enough problem. But sometimes, I uncover something. Read more>>