Many books on startups and business talk about how there are right and wrong reasons for starting a business.  So, we asked a handful of successful founders about their reasons and the thought-process behind starting their business.

Cooper | Artist

I’ve always wanted to start my own business. I have always liked taking control and seeing a vision and bringing it to life. It really started when I was in college and began to learn about art history. I was studying Keith Haring, along with other contemporary artists. I then began putting my drawings on Instagram and watching several other artists daily routines and how they were creating their businesses. I just thought if I could copy this model then why couldn’t I have my own business? Read more>>

Stephanie Coradin | Executive Coach and Soap Maker

I wanted to be in control of my finances and time. When I left corporate I knew that I wanted to be more present for my daughters and help others on my terms. Read more>>

Cindy Kruse | Pastry Chef

I love the restaurant business. I have worked in this industry my whole career, beginning in 1992. There have been many great moments, but also many many tough years of paying dues. After twenty years of working for other people, I felt it was time to not only do my own thing. “I had a dream, and finally the courage to go for it!” The year was 2012. Read more>>

Dr. Eva Silot Bravo | Arts-Education Consultant and Entrepreneur

Initially, it was a reaction to an unsuccessful 5 year long experience, trying to get hired in the humanities academic market in North America. After 10 years of graduate studies, I needed to find practical and monetary value to that long period of learning and academic training, first at Florida International University and then at the University of Miami. After that, I became a multidisciplinary scholar in International Studies, Cuban Studies, Cultural Studies, Spanish and Latin-American Literatures, with 3 book projects, and several articles to be published or in the process of being written. However, apparently my education and professional background were working against me in the job market. Read more>>

Sandy Glass and Michelle Klahr | Artists and Entrepreneurs

We’ve both been artsy-crafty all of our lives, and we each worked on our own making different types of creations, . We met through mutual friends and instantly became good friends. One day, while having dinner, we began talking and brainstorming about all the ideas we both had in mind, and that’s when we realized that the world was lacking what we like to call “One-Of-A-Kind Gifting Solutions” and that we were meant to work together! So the very next day, we joined forces and began a new chapter in our business lives and that’s how Crafty Brains became what it is today. Read more>>