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.

Catherine Collodo | Co Founder

The idea for the business did not start as a business, it started as a way to get my life back. The pain of being sick for four years brought us to realize we needed a change and when we did everything shifted. I would wake up every morning throwing up mucus and acid and the doctors could not figure out what was going on with me. They did every test, asked every question, gave me all sorts of prescription pills but nothing worked. My husband could not take the pain of seeing me like this, not being able to even have a real relationship. Reggie got on the hunt for information and he found alkaline veganism. That is right we are not just any vegans, we are Alkaline vegans. This way of eating cleanses balances and revitalizes the cells in the body along with using alkaline minerals and herbs. Read more>>

Roxana Rooney | Owner

My passion is helping clients tell their stories in ways that resonate with their audiences. While I’ve loved working both in an agency setting and in-house, I always felt that something was missing. There’s something so empowering about working for yourself, dictating your own future and success while working with brands you’re truly passionate about. Since moving to West Palm Beach, I’ve been able to build long-standing relationships with those in the community, which led to the courage to go off on my own and build the business I’ve always dreamt of. Read more>>

GiGi Diaz | Mindset Coach for Women Entrepreneurs & Founder

I ended up in an emergency room depleted from “hustling” while getting my Master’s degree ,holding 3 jobs and managing my first business that I had established back in 2003—that’s when I realized that working hard is NOT the quickest way to success. I also realized that I wasn’t alone, that there had to be other women out there, eager to take on the world and make their wildest dreams come true but were going about it the wrong way and just burning out in the process. The hustler approach makes the road to your dream life unnecessarily longer. After my health scare, I spent years looking inward as well as learning about the true core of joyful living. I got my certifications as a Life Coach as well as in Happiness Studies, Positive Psychology Habits Practitioner, and Mindfulness. I founded my second business, Seizing Happy, a coaching organization. Read more>>

Meivys and David Suarez | Photographers

When my husband and I first decided to start a business back in 2013, our goal was to merge my passion of photography with his entrepreneurial nature to create a business that would satisfy the flexible lifestyle we wanted for ourselves and our future children. While it took years to get things right and for us to get the hang of things (although we are constantly learning!) that dream lifestyle we always imagined is what helped propel us forward and always look at the bright side in every point of our journey. Read more>>

Stephanie Rodnez | Author & Filmmaker

GodlywoodGirl.com is actually my fifth business, so to be honest, my thought process was “how do I not fail again?” GodlywoodGirl.com was born from the Lord allowing me to try and fail at four different business ideas. Each idea that didn’t work helped me rethink, revamp and reconsider what could work instead. I truly believe the Lord used those business failures to help me think differently about entrepreneurship and what “success” actually means. And by the time I got to GodlywoodGirl.com, the lessons from the four previous failures helped me learn how to successfully step into this fifth one. Read more>>

Gil Breef | Motorized Window Treatments Expert

My brother and I started our first window treatments company in NYC in 2002, at that time the products offered through various manufactures were very limited compared to today and since we served very high end clientele, we found that there aren’t many companies who offered motorized window treatments since the technology was fairly new and was intimidating to most small window treatments companies. We realized that offering out of the box solutions and home automation integration will be a great niche to specialize in, so we started our research and studies to be able to cater to our client needs. This vision allowed us to expend our business and today we are considered pioneers in the motorized window treatments retail industry. Read more>>

Diego Orlandini | Social Entrepreneur, Illustrator & Writer

When I created AimfulBooks.com, the idea originated from a long-held dream of contributing to our global community with an artistic endeavor. I wanted to create products that benefited society. I didn’t know what it would be at first until the strong street art influence, while I lived in Miami, inspired me to combine my skills with the skills of hundreds of visual artists, and integrate them into street art coloring books. These books became my contribution to society and the reason why I started a business in the first place. Read more>>

Nicole Henry | Vocal Recording Artist & Owner

It really was “the cart” that came AFTER the horse that had already left the station! I started my companies because I had already begun the work of the business. So when it came time to invoice or give credit to the ‘company’ I had to come up with the business names…and there it was. In about half a year, I owned two businesses! Read more>>

Sarah Wilson | Maker Monkey Workshop – DIY for Kids

In some respects, the idea for Maker Monkey Workshop felt like a “light bulb moment”. Prior to starting Maker Monkey, I was a jewelry designer/metalsmith, but as an entrepreneur, my day-to-day actually consisted mostly of looking at website statistics, creating sales campaigns, and tracking inventory. Without really meaning to, I had become a salesperson instead of an artist. I was at a crossroads. It was at this moment that my son asked me to come to his preschool class for career day to talk about the very career that I was considering leaving. I decided to take a hands-on approach with my son’s class. I brought in my toolbox and gave the kids a chance to use real tools to make art using hammers, forging their initials into metal, getting tactile. Read more>>

Marla Neufeld | Florida Third Party Assisted Reproductive Attorney

I used to think that once you decide to start a family, you toss the birth control and give it the ‘old college try’. BAM! There you are in your cute maternity jeans, booking your family trip to Disney World. I was surely mistaken. The reality was that my husband and I suffered through years of failed infertility treatments, great disappointment and a lot of expense. We attempted IUI (Intrauterine Insemination), IVF (In Vitro Fertilization), which entailed injecting hormones, taking steroids, blood thinners, etc. and yet I still endured multiple miscarriages. Ultimately we had success with the use of a gestational surrogate who carried and gave birth to our beautiful twin boys. Backing up a bit, here is how we arrived at our plan of action. After numerous fertility treatments and multiple miscarriages, we reached a ‘baby making’ cross road and had to reassess our game plan. Read more>>

Dr. Lessilee Jones | Executive Director

I have always been involved in education in some way or another. My career originally started as a music teacher and vocal coach. Through that, I found that music was a powerful vehicle that moves the heart and mind. As time went on, I began to be involved in other aspects of education, including higher education and educational leadership. I always knew that some how I would return to my roots of music and instruction. BeyondTheNorm Music, L.L.C was that avenue. With all that has taken place over the last few months, during the pandemic, my heart began to break for all creatives and musicians–especially children. I became mush more sensitive than ever to how important the need for music is and for what we have to offer to support it. During this time, I have gained an even greater perspective on the marriage between music and the human soul. Read more>>

Elsa Victorios | International Artis, Art Curator, Art Instructor & Art Gallery Director

I thought of opening an art school to teach and educate the culture of art to children and adults so that they know the importance of art in our lives. I am an artist and I took art classes from 6 years until I started studying Fine Arts at the National University of Colombia. Read more>>

Eunise Chery | Speaker, Coach & Educator

The idea of starting my own business began when I observed my husband establish his first company in 2013. The thought of no longer having to work a “9 to 5” for someone else was extremely rewarding in itself. He found satisfaction in helping others and fulfilling a need in the community that many overlooked. I wanted the same satisfaction from helping others in need. As I began considering entrepreneurship, I realized that I was tired of exchanging my time for money. When you work for a “W-2” there are limits. Your income is limited, your time is limited, and your reach is limited. I desired to become financially free and to take off the limits. I took a leap of faith and turned my passion into a business/ministry. I love being an entrepreneur because I am known as a problem solver and that keeps me on my toes since I am constantly learning new things. Read more>>

Melanie Zaid Anielisa Lora | Founders

Flowers are a wonderful source of energy and inspiration in our lives, but too often we get caught up in our fast-paced routines and getting fresh flowers becomes a hassle instead. We dreamed of receiving a beautiful pink box of fresh flowers at our doorstep every month, hassle-free. So we decided to develop a flower subscription service in the Miami area, offering the best quality flowers sourced from farms in Latin America. A question we get asked a lot is, why My Tuileries? If you’ve ever had the incredible opportunity of taking it all in at the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris, you understand the power of nature’s beauty to energize, refresh, and clear our minds. With our hand-picked flower bouquets, we ensure that your home becomes your sanctuary – a place of enchantment, a place to loosen up; a place to be unapologetically you. Read more>>

Alex Perez | Owner

I saw a need for honest communication with the customer not just fair pricing but explaining the process to educate the customer on what the job entails. I wanted to make a difference in my field and make an honest profit delivering quality of service, all these ingredients are rare in my field. Read more>>

Andrew Johnson

We started The Little Carrot of South Florida in January of 2020. Inspired by our newborn son, born in December of 2019. We were spending time working on our home garden and thought that it could inspire others to start their own gardens. We had the intention to grow and make baby food from our back yard garden – and did so very successful for our little one! Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020 and the business took off with many people worried about going to grocery stores and spending more time at home. Our Instagram account is a resource of information and we are always happy to give advice when it comes to home gardening. Read more>>

Tasha Dixon | Chandler Hand Made Wax

At first, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, then my mother gave me the idea to just do candles for her. Then i started making them for my co-workers, after that, I started to develop my own kind of candle and the scents I would love. Read more>>

Bayley Ramos | Marketing Consultant

I have always been a strategic thinker. I enjoy finding solutions to problems and setting my own style to work. While studying Marketing in college I knew I wanted to have my own consulting firm to help business owners. I saw opportunities to help business owners with the day-to-day challenges they face. I know that starting a business is not easy, requires sacrifice, and brings many challenges. My mission was to treat my clients business with the care and value that I would for my own business. If my clients trust me with their business that they gave so much to start then my mission was to go over and beyond to show my appreciation. Read more>>