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.

Christopher Savage | Agency Owner

After working with many major agencies, I realized there was a lack of customer service and proactivity. That was when I had the epiphany to start SGM, with a true focus on customer experience and goal-crushing. Read more>>

Krisztian Pivarnyik | Attorney / Solo practitioner

I moved to the United States from Europe with the specific goal of becoming an attorney in this country. After going through the complicated avenues of American immigration myself, tainted with false information by deceiving and careless “professionals”, I discovered in law school that my calling is immigration law. I knew that America is the country of risk-taking, and that determination coupled with opportunity will allow you to grow here. Fresh out of law school, I started my own law practice. Read more>>

Valorie Young | Co-Founder & Entrepreneur

My husband and I both come from a long line of entrepreneurs so starting our own business came naturally! He had his own painting company and I have had a real estate business since 2005. We have a portfolio of rental properties around Virginia and we’re looking to expand into the Florida market as we have a lot of family there! After my husband shut down his painting business, he became a professional caddie. Read more>>

Sabrina Warnick | Wedding Photographer & Makeup Artist

My thought process behind starting my business was when I was 19/20 I want to say. Instead of starting college right after high school I joined a multi level marketing company which taught me to much about business and being an entrepreneur. I realized after a while while working with the company that my passion wasn’t with selling the services they were offering. My passions have always been to create, I’ve had a creative soul since a young age. Read more>>

Kris Nolan | Founder/CEO

I got tired of working for other people. My talent, education and time was going into something that I didn’t own. I wanted to be accountable for the time I spend each day and hopefully make a company that sets an example of how you need to treat customers and employees in the 21st century. Read more>>

Nino Sanaya | Fashion Designer

My vision for Nino Liani Atelier was inspired by my passion for haute couture, fashion history, and a deep commitment to slow fashion, sustainability, and creating unique garments for each customer. With fast fashion dominating the industry, I strongly believe that there is a growing demand for slower, more sustainable options. Read more>>

Celinda Constantino | Jovial Boards Owner & Artist

(jo·vi·al) : cheerful and friendly As some of you may know, I have a passion for hosting and creating great parties! This is why I decided to start my own charcuterie business: Jovial Boards. I graduated with a Fashion Design Degree and I’m also a certified Wedding & Event Planner. For the past decade, my career took off as I mainly focused on motherhood and working as an apparel buyer for hotel & resort gift shops. Read more>>

koolie koo koo | Producer/Recording Artist/Publishing company owner

Thought process for starting business…I’ve always wanted to run a label/music affiliated company of some sort…When growing up, I thought the music industry was in a high rise building in NYC. Always thought the different floors were for different genres and the intricate workings of the music industry. Once I found out that wasn’t true (lol), I started learning the true instricies of the industry. Read more>>

Mandee Elam Ursula Duffy | Mandee Elam and Ursula Duffy of Sea Goddess Healing Arts

We were inspired to form Sea Goddess Healing Arts in the darkness of 2020 after beginning to work together as friends in 2019. The condition of the world during the dark times led us to share our gifts as a collective, while igniting the light within ourselves and creating community. Read more>>

Novieanna Hall | Owner

I have been in the Bridal Industry for over 15years. Managing big box Bridal stores to small Boutiques. It was always my dream to own my own Bridal Store, but not just a regular store. A Store that when you walk in you feel like you are home with your family. A place you can choose a gown without pressure. Choose a gown that make you feel like you. Read more>>

Camilla & Nathan Rivers | Entrepreneur

Originally, we thought Flex Wash would be a way to make some extra money on the weekends. We both worked at dental offices and had good jobs, but we felt we wanted something more. Read more>>

Elizabeth Valle | Skin specialist

Be able to express my own ideas, to build something for us not for someone else, be able to have flexibility on my schedule to have time with my family and friends. When you think about how much effort you put on someone else dream because you get paid per hour and at the end of the day they let you go when they don’t need you anymore it is frustrated or when you get old and you can’t work anymore so you can’t get pay because you did not build anything to hold you up when is time for you to rest. Read more>>

Kaylei Ibarra Blackmoon | Owner | Chief Fitness Officer

The thought process behind starting my own business was simple. There was an opportunity to make an impact in the fitness and cycle industry that hadn’t yet been brought to our community, and where I was at in that industry was no longer giving me the fulfillment I was looking to have. In a world of consistently trying to find a seat “at the table” it only made sense to stop looking for seats and build my own chair to sit on. Read more>>

Miranda Jade | President Super Model Management

Jim and Miranda worked together first as model and photographer team doing various magazine editorial shoots and runway shows. They had a great group of models and a community being built around people sharing the same creative goals. They kept hearing from the models around us that they were signed to these big modeling agencies and just not getting any work, they wanted to solve that problem. Read more>>