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.

Karen Chaiane Dalapossa | Content Creator, Model and Entrepreneur

My content creator and influencer career started very organically and it was a slow process. In 2016 I started sharing my life on Social Media, back in the days on Snapchat and then migrated to Instagram. I started working with small brands through influencer’s platforms and later on my following and work started growing to the point that in 2020 I quit my full time job to work with Social Media, modeling and my own company. I started getting booked to work at events as a brand ambassador and doing more modeling gigs. My entrepreneur life started when I opened my small business VL Swimwear in 2020 during the pandemic. Read more>>

Luis Alejandro Márquez ”Vomba” | Visual Artist

What was your thought process behind starting your own business? I decided to create my own brand ”Vomba” when I discovered that my work with photography was being appreciated and people I didn’t know wanted to work with me. From that point I understood I could create a business out of what started as a hobby. People knew me as ”Bomba”, for which it made sense to name my personal brand that way. I changed the first letter and that was the beginning of ”Vomba” Risk taking: how do you think about risk, what role has taking risks played in your life/career? Read more>>

Lisa Haubenstock | Professional Organizer

I discovered there that for many people there was great difficulty starting their process of becoming organized and staying organized. Read more>>

Tristine Davis | Land & Underwater Photographer

I started my business 17 years ago in hopes to make as many women as possible feel beautiful and sexy. In the beginning I only photographed women. I have since added children and families as well as underwater. Photographing women in my studio and underwater will always be my first love. I added underwater photography to my business 7 years ago and it was the best decision I have made. I truly love the water and the art my clients and I create together. I have always believed capturing memories is so important. I love what I do and I love sharing my passion with my clients. Read more>>

Eric Goeres | Small Business Coach, Serial Entrepreneur, Founder, Owner/Operator

I’ve never started a business just for the money. It’s always been for the fun of it. To quote David Byrne, “always for love, never for money.” And that’s worked well for me, because if I am having fun doing something, I’m usually pretty successful at it, and then the money follows. Now I am doing business coaching, and I don’t worry about the money, I just focus on eliminating pain in the client’s businesses — and the money follows. And you wouldn’t believe how many clients I have that are also not worried about the money. Read more>>

Amy Giddon | Founder and CEO, Daily Haloha

Starting my own business was never a life goal for me. I thought I was pretty content in the corporate and consulting worlds I was in. But I became troubled…and then inspired….and then compelled. I’m troubled by the “us vs them” mentality that is so pervasive right now. Loneliness had already been on the rise, and empathy on the decline before the intense othering that reared its head 5 years ago. My most deeply held value is that everyone deserves to be seen and heard, and that we all belong. I was feeling the weight of these divisive times when I had a transformative experience that became the inspiration behind my startup Daily Haloha. Read more>>

Samantha/ Taylor Stewart/ Johnston | Boss Babes

Taylor and I have always been passionate in creating our own future, being our own bosses and taking life by our own hands to make it whatever we want it to be! We have worked numerous jobs in our life and have learned what we do and don’t want to be as women. One thing we really pride ourselves in is being awesome bosses & genuine leaders who work our butts off to show our authentic hard work ethic with everyone around us! We love the idea that the future is what we make of it. Read more>>

Randa Djabri | Optometrist or eye doctor

The very first day I shadowed an optometrist was at a private practice. By the end of that day I remember thinking to myself, this is what I wanted. This is when I envisioned myself one day. I didn’t know how it was going to happed, but I knew that this is what my happiness was. At that point I hadn’t even started my application to optometry school and was really just exploring around to see if I would find my dream career. At the time, I was oblivious to the fact that optometry had so many different modes of practice and yet I knew I wanted a private practice. Read more>>

JACQUELINE MILIAN | BIRCH + ELM | Floral Design

The push behind me starting my business Is my parents, being the daughter to immigrant parents is to be blessed, Is to know and understand the hardships they dealt with and defeated to have their kids be born in the country of limitless opportunities and it is true to its core this was such an integral part in my growth and vision for this business I intended to use all those opportunities, I do everything with the mentality that “I WILL MAKE IT BIG FOR THEM” that is my mantra every day I’m blessed in every aspect of my life but I want more and intend to 100% work hard to make it happen. Read more>>

Brandyn Jenkins | Business Owner & Homebody Enthusiast

I came up with Homebody Friends back in 2018. I remember saying to myself “I wish I had more Homebody Friends” on a long drive home from a house party. From that day on, I’ve been working on building & expanding Homebody Friends with the use of Shopify and a Facebook group (also called Homebody Friends, which you could still join today). I sell shirts, hoodies, and other household items & accessories for people that resonate with the brand. Read more>>

Brian Laubert | Athletic Trainer & Writer

Ultimately, I wanted to create multiple streams of income to facilitate my own financial freedom by January 1, 2027. At the time, I had no specifics, just an end goal. I began to think about my talents and my passions and in what ways they aligned. I decided to turn my passion for reading into a writing career, and to turn my passion for fitness into a specialized training center for athletes. Read more>>

Kristen Llerena | Professional Soap Maker

I honestly started making soap for myself, I suffer from a condition known as Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) and was always given the run around of “shop the natural stuff at the store” – which I did and it made it worse. So I took it upon myself to learn how to make my own soap, I took a whole year to practice and study my formulations and recipes. I saw my skin change of course with the help of my dermatologist and medical treatment. If my soap worked for me, I figured it might work for you. From that point on the rest is history. Oh! I also needed something to do while my husband was deployed so within that time Tropiks Collection came to life. Read more>>