Starting a business is a commitment and requires dedication, resources and sacrifice. We asked some of the rising stars in our community how they thought through the idea of starting their own businesses.

Carolina Gutiérrez | Founder & CEO

Thank you for having me. My journey with UZE finds its roots in an unexpected personal experience. While in Europe, my friends and I sought the ideal spot to capture our trip’s final sunset, while on a secluded beach. The evening, however, took an unforeseen turn. With our car stranded on what we thought was firm sand, dead phone batteries, no charging cables, and the tide coming in, we found ourselves unprepared. Read more>>

Desiree Walters | Mobile Bar Owner

I moved back to South Florida to give birth to my son in 2013, I had over 3 years of experience as a server and a little over a year as a bartender. Almost a year after giving birth, I shifted my career path over to education, working with grades K-12. Eventually, I missed being behind the bar as well as the customer interaction, so I dipped my toes back into the service industry part-time working from restaurants to clubs to private functions. Read more>>

Schader | CEO & Creative Director of The Skins Factory

I was running a division at a digital audio company that designed skins for media players so that record labels (and other companies) could promote their recording artists using these custom, branded desktop media players. As the Art Director and Project Manager, I not only managed the projects but also played a role in business development to secure new clients. Read more>>

Jonathan Nalepa | CEO – Smart Aquatics

Starting my own business wasn’t really the plan. You know how they say on paper your plan looks like a straight line but then life happens and that line ends up looking more like a heart rate monitor… if you were going into cardiac arrest…well that’s real. Read more>>

Shanika Cooper | CEO Of Ninashe’s

My mind was all over the place thinking how could I start, when do I start, and what I need to start. I’ve learned it is never about how you start it’s how you finish. Read more>>

Christina Erickson | Interior Designer / President

Being an entrepreneur has always been a dream of mine from a very young age. I wanted to have a career that I could have my own flexible schedule as I am a parent and want to be able to have flexibility to be able to be involved in her activities and be there when she is needs. Read more>>

Victoria Vergilli | Entrepreneur

Both my husband and I come from families of entrepreneurs, and we were looking to start our own business. We began the process by considering different industries and franchises. One day, while attempting to schedule a grooming appointment for our dog, Maia, we discovered a waiting time of more than 4 weeks. Read more>>

Miriam Altman-Reyes | Social Impact Entrepreneur, Investor, and Advisor

Brass Ring Impact is actually my second business, and I launched it largely based on my experience with my first company. My first business was an edtech company called Kinvolved, which I founded and led as CEO from an idea through our exit last year to a publicly-traded company, PowerSchool. Read more>>

Anthony Thomas | Music Producer & Owner / Ceo of Anthony Records

It’s been a little over a decade already! In 2012 I was fresh out of high school and wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do, I was hanging out at a friend’s house as he was recording a song and offered to help, and just like that I fell in love with music at first click! Read more>>

Melania Antuchas | Fitness wear owner and fitness influencer

I always knew I never wanted a boss or someone to be in charge of how much money I make. I wanted to be my own boss. I started UltimateFit about a year into my fitness journey once realized fitness saved my life. Before the gym I was bullied for years on my body. I was “too skinny” “flat” “a stick”. Read more>>

Late Bloomerz | Alternative Hip-Hop and Rock band

All of us were looking for like-minded people to share our musical passions with and we all have the common goal of becoming professional musicians and to make this our full time career. Read more>>

Giselle Chusan | business

The saying of “Do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” has always stood out to me. I have traveled to 24 countries and at a young age I was intrigued to make youtube videos but never had the courage to do it. Instead I picked up photography and would tell stories through the photos I would take. Read more>>

Dr. Arienne Wrigley Ashby | Physical Therapist & Pelvic Health Specialist

In honesty, I wasn’t the kid, or even young adult, that imagined myself having my own business or navigating everything that entails. I was brought up in a home with a teacher mom and a geologist dad who dedicated most of his career to one company. It was a typical “go to college, get a good job, have some stability in life” kind of home and I never longed for anything different… Read more>>

Shurlanna Dixon | Nail Technician and Makeup Artist

My thought process behind starting my own business was that I didn’t want to work in a corporate setting anymore. I had a high paying government job but it was a soul killer. There was no room for the arts or creative elements that I’ve always been drawn towards, so I decided to get my certifications and give my true passions a shot. Read more>>