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.

Nidal Barake | Founder, Food Enthusiast & Traveler

Having graduated during the .com era (mid to late nineties for those who were not born yet) inspired me to be always in a Strat-up mode. In every startup, from mobile messaging, mobile payments, digital agency, and now food related initiatives like Gluttonomy, I always start with a. need not being satisfied. With my current company, Gluttonomy, when me and my co-founders started thinking about it, we saw how the food industry was becoming more and more relevant to more people, but also, because we are very close to it, we realized that it needed a more professional approach to some of the challenges the industry was facing. Also, in my experience, I saw how traditional agencies do not understand the food industry as they should, so that paved the way for Gluttonomy to be born. Read more>>

Kelly Alvarez Vitale | President & Strategic Philanthropy

I have three distinct memories that helped inspire me to start my own company. Never having been a true morning person (until I had a son), I had the opportunity to make my own hours during an internship in graduate school. I would start my day at 10 a.m. and remember thinking, I wish I could start every day like this (although I start much earlier these days!). That internship also allowed me to create a program from scratch for the athletic fundraising arm of the university and I really felt invigorated as I got to dabble in a bunch of different aspects of business – Marketing, Development, IT, etc. and knew that I always wanted that feeling. Upon graduating, my first job was as a development director for a massive nonprofit whose focus was pitching corporate clients on cause marketing. Read more>> 

Tim Sparks | Filmmaker

I was a reluctant warrior when it came to starting my own business. I choose it because I felt that I didn’t have a choice. I worked in New York and Los Angeles doing film related jobs and internships but soon realized that I’d never go anywhere or at least not get where I wanted if I tried to climb the latter. People try to label you or pigeon hole you based on what benefits them and its hard to get a chance if you don’t just just go for it. So I took the leap and put some projects together and found ways to survive in the meantime. Read more>>

Juan Pablo Sanchez-Williams | Gallerist & Art Handler

At the time I began my business I was already working with another company doing essentially the same tasks and had similar responsibilities to the ones I have now as a business owner. I wanted to strive towards more success and my girlfriend at the time suggested I break away and start my independent business. I started with the Art Handling company in 2017 and pursued that with a lot of passion. At the time that I started that company I knew I wanted to strive towards my own gallery in the future. 2 years later I felt it was time to strike while the iron was hot and opened Miami Art Society. For the almost 10 years I had been in the art industry there had been this absence of galleries dedicated to exhibiting the stunning talent the city had. I knew that the endeavor of bringing these amazing artists together would be one well-received and also a project I had a personal take in so I would drive it forward as passionately as possible. Read more>>

Alex Wilfand | Live Entertainment Producer & Director

Starting your own business can be tough. And it was. I was a former professional ice skater/performer at Disney Parks when I was hired to perform in an ice show in Tampa. Needless to say they never ended up paying me! I was so frustrated I became determined to start my own business and never treat a performer or employee as a number. Once my business started growing, I moved from less “all about making money” to more perfection and quality when it comes to what I put in front of audiences. Its the best feeling in the world, and there is so much more I’d like to accomplish! Read more>>

Marco Zanna | Founder & Owner

Being born in Italy, a country that offers a lot in terms of variety and quality for food, culinary tradition, healthy and quality life style, of course my idea was to share all this treasure with others and help them live a better and more satisfactory life. The key to enjoy your life is health and one of the most important pleasures in life is food. This combination is the thought which led my life first and my business then. Read more>>

Viveka and Johanna | Owners

We started the Nordic Design Company because we really felt that a lot of homes really lacked in style and function. In South Florida many homes are older and we wanted to help people find ways to make them feel fresh and be more functional. Houses in South Florida can be expensive, but that does not necessarily mean that you get an updated house, so we saw an opportunity in this market. Read more>>

Oliver Sanchez

I was a waiter during college, learning early on to quickly read people and treat everyone the same-ish. After graduating from MDC I moved to NYC in 1980 and began working in the arts industry in various capacities as a freelancer. The Big Apple was a gritty welcoming mess, a fruity cocktail of colorful characters spiked with effervescent urban erosion. One could work a few days a month to earn a living and afford good food, cheap rent and go out. Aside from a long list of awesome clients and challenging projects, I’ve never had a salary job. It was normal have feast or famine lifestyle. Honestly, who would hire me full time? Read more>>

Douglas Caporrino | Functional Medicine Nutritionist

For years I saw so much misinformation in the wellness industry and felt a need for a central place that people could go to get the truth and options for their health. I use to hear the media report on studies and read in tabloids that the study said, but no one ever questioned the study or looked into who funded it and who the participants were. I follow the money trail and peel back the layers of the onion so people can make the best choice based on their needs. Read more>>

Steven Freivogel | Owner & Web Developer

It was actually a hobby that turned into a business. My original direction was not towards the web, programming, marketing or development but was going to be in broadcasting. In not doing broadcasting, I turned my hobby into something that I thought could be worthwhile to people and offer a better service than what is out there. The more personal touch and going above and beyond what is needed. Read more>>

Sabrina Harris | CEO, Executive Director & Lead Advocacy Strategist

My guided pathway into entrepreneurship was illuminated through divine orchestration and intervention, especially as it relates to birthing our 501(c)3 non-profit organization House of Loveillionaires Inc. © 2020. My initial professional career inclination and passion were devoted towards the fashion industry, as I had envisioned the feminine boss moves, power of social influence, the flashing runway lights, in addition all of the transformational and exciting allure of New York City since I was old enough to remember, and I was determined. While I have been blessed with a intuitive eye and talent to create, it was the power of God’s divine calling upon my life combined with several life-changing experiences that would eventually help me to triumphantly overcome, completely re-direct the trajectory of my life, and catapult me into a realm of thinking, understanding, being, and doing that I never knew existed. Read more>>