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.

Amy Chatterjee | Gardener and YouTuber

Simply put – I was having such a good time envisioning and watching my own garden blossom (pun intended), that I wanted to share that passion with others. I’ve always loved watching the gardening programs in the UK. It is a big industry built around cultivating beautiful yet functional gardens but when I look at domestic and local content there is a gap in programming in the tropics. Read more>>

Robinson Holloway | Executive Director, Art Fair 14C

It was really with the desire to fill a need, rather than the goal of starting a business. My business, Art Fair 14C, began as an initiative of the Jersey City Arts Council when I was the chair of that organization. Read more>>

Aarif Khan | Co-Founder

When it came to starting my own business, this was something that was completely out of left field for me. While growing up, my career aspiration was to become an accountant or work in the finance field. I was 11 years old telling people that I wanted to be an accountant. Looking back on that now, I feel like I was put into a box in terms of what I’d be able to accomplish. Read more>>

Josue Velez | Josue Velez aka Man-u-iLL

I have had many jobs, been working since 16. I started at Kentucky Fried chicken. I lasted about a week haha, They said I was rude and they suspected that I was taking money from the registers… From there I did everything from collecting shopping carts and bagging groceries to carpentry, landscaping, painting, hvac & so much more. I never minded hard work, but I didn’t like being told what to do, especially if it was from some asshole boss on a power trip. Read more>>

Michelle Caba | Business Strategist/Consultant/C

Entrepreneurship is a family tradition, I come from a family of successful business owners. My father owned several businesses over the course of 30 years, as well as my aunt and uncle who owned a small franchise of steakhouses, and my mother who always had a side hustle. The love of business was ingrained in me from an early age. Read more>>

Kenya Mitchell | Beauty Esthetician

The thought process behind me starting my own business was I didn’t want to work for someone else any. I didn’t want to make someone else wealthy if it wasn’t me. I always wanted my own business since I was younger. So I had to start doing my research on what I wanted my business to be that Is a 5 star salon. Read more>>