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.

Ksenija Stosic

For me, it started with freedom.

Not just financial freedom, but freedom of time, energy, and creative direction. I wanted to design my days intentionally. I’m a mother, and being able to structure my schedule around what truly matters to me wasn’t optional. It was essential. Read More>>

Karol Pokojowczyk

Starting my own business wasn’t a dramatic leap — it was a gradual realization.

I’m 49. I didn’t want to wait for permission. I didn’t want to chase trends. I’ve built businesses before, but this time I wanted to build something around my true passion — music. Read More>>

Juan Chahin

Starting Procontractors came from recognizing a gap in the construction industry between technical execution and the overall client experience. After working in environments focused on systems, operations, and structured growth, I realized that many construction projects don’t fail because people lack skill—they fail because of poor planning, unclear communication, and decisions being made too late in the process. Read More>>

Martin Leo

I’ve always wanted to start my own business. My son-in-law wants a pest control business and I noticed that he didn’t have a website so I thought to myself if he has this problem that means other people have this problem too so as I did more research, I found out that many people have this problem with small businesses so since I like IT and websites, I took it upon myself to start my small business this year in January 2026 Read More>>