Our city is home to so many incredible businesses and so we asked the founders how they came up with the ideas for their businesses and have shared their responses below.

Sasheina Williams | Tattoo Artist

The first step of the ideation of my business came out of the love for the tattooing industry. In September 2020, during a peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in Jamaica, I decided to launch LivityInkJA . My love for Tattooing started years prior to my engagement into the skill, by admiring heavily tattooed bodies and watching shows such as Ink Master and Best Ink. The thing that blew my mind the most was the fact that persons were permanently adorning their bodies with creative artwork. Through the years art has been my whole life, creative at the core and this was just another artistic challenge that I was willing to take on. Not knowing the great passion that would grow for the art form. Read more>>

Chrisy Gonzalez | Founder of Madewithwonders @madewithwonders

As a child I always knew I would become a Entrepreneur, although life was difficult for me and did not have clarity of how I will get there. Until one day I read a verse from the Bible Psalms 139:14 Fearfully and Wonderfully made, that day I understood when God created us he made of full of respect, reverence, honor and awe. From that moment I knew that whatever I did, I wanted to EMPOWER people, especially women. That they know that no matter where and what they been through, nothing is impossible for God and this is where my business Made With Wonders came about. That whenever they see this brand they will be reminded how WONDEROUS they are regardless of their past or current situation. Read more>>

Lacy Barry | Paper artist | Spatial designer | Podcaster | Illustrator

I didn’t, my occupation found me, but then isn’t that how the most beautiful life pivoting circumstances happen… and what is luckiest is that my career is always evolving in its own way to meet me where I am at that moment in my life. I had always been an artist, and though it does not define me as a human being, it is a bonus to live from the creative ideas that electrify pangs of excitement through my veins. That said I don’t see a career as a defining characteristic, rather it is a feature in the story of my life. Read more>>

Jason Goodrich | Gym owner and Athlete Development Coach

The idea for my business was formulated over several years of continuing education and practical application through general participation and activity. Simply put, I took everything I’ve learned and adapted it to my training style and technique. I also used my years of training in several different disciplines and class structures to extract what I liked, and begin to mentally assemble The most desirable aspects (for me) of each, and combine them into what I now call The Inferno! Read more>>

Nella Fusco 

In 2015 I was living in Virginia with a newborn and breastfeeding. I had stopped drinking kombucha because I was unsure if it was beneficial to drink while breastfeeding. I met a wonderful company in Floyd, they were giving out samples of their kombucha and I picked their brain about drinking kombucha while breastfeeding. They were full of knowledge and gave me the confidence to drink it again, knowing it was good for my son and he would benefit from the microbes and bacteria through the milk. What kombucha did for me in my 20s was what I wanted to share with people, in hopes that I could help others and find relief to their ailments. I apprenticed under the couple and worked with them for a few months before moving to Florida, where I started my own kombucha company. Read more>>

Mary, Kayla and Melissa | Owners of Casa Decor + More

We have always dabbled in upcycling furniture for our own homes and at one point about 3-4 years ago, 2 of us, Kayla and Mary, began selling our pieces on OfferUp. We love repurposing a good quality vintage piece of furniture because not only is it better for our environment and less wasteful but we’re able to enjoy a one of a kind item vs. purchasing a mass produced item at a store in which many other people will have the same piece. Our business was a two-fold idea, not only do we get to work and sell our upcycled furniture but we’re also giving local crafters, artists and makers the ability to sell their products at a brick and mortar by consigning with us. Read more>>

Assia Payne | Owner/ CEO Ella Payne Collection

As a young teenager I always had love and interest about fashion, trends and music. All my time and money was spent buying magazines, accessories and clothes. It sounds normal saying this for a 13 years old girl, however I was completely obsessed. I knew it because my friends literally thought I was crazy, since all I cared about was my outfits and shopping. Once I graduated from high school, I decided to go to study fashion marketing. I thought if I love fashion so much I would love studying fashion. Boy I was wrong. Read more>>

Richard Guerreroo | CEO GENIUS FIT WATCH

Genius Fit Watch began through the need to start educating the
community to give you a way of control at the fingertips of your wrist and offer a suitable lifestyle to people through the interconnection between our friends and loved ones. Together with the excellent industry team, among software engineers, medical product designers, doctors, and fitness specialists we have developed an algorithm for monitoring temperature, step count, sleep, calories, heart rate and blood pressure measurement. and many more functions. Read more>>

Diana Arango | Chefpost CEO and Co-founder

The idea of Chefpost came from my own need. As a working mom, I was struggling to find the time to cook for my family. I also love entertaining at home and wanted to serve my guests delicious and fresh food without worrying about the cooking or kitchen clean-up. I thought it would be amazing to have a place where I could book someone (cook or a chef) that could come to my house and cook for me whenever I need it, like a chef-on-demand for everyday meals or special occasions. Read more>>

Carla Cid de Diego | CEO of Carla Cid de Diego, Madrid and CEO of Zenith Art & Fashion

I grew up in the world of Art. My father was a very well known sculptor from Spain and my mother is a publicist who, together with my father, created a Set design company in Spain and another one in the USA where they produced sets for theatre, opera, ballet, TV, movies, theme parks, events, etc, winning multiple awards all over the world. So I grew up immersed in that world of creativity and color, where everything was possible. In high school (I attended Design & Architecture Senior High) in Miami, I fell in love with the Fashion world and pursued my professional career at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC.
My dream was to have my own brand, and after working for a few years in the fashion industry both in the USA and Europe, I was ready to do take the chance and go for my dream. Read more>>