Deciding to start a business is an unusual decision. It’s often considered irrational and yet for many it’s the best decision they’ve ever made. So we asked folks to think back to when they were starting their businesses and to tell us about their decision making process.

Anthony Freeman

It all started when I was 15 years old that’s when I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur. Seeing my mom struggle made me want different. Read More>>

Tatiana Bozic

I started my business because I believed in the value I could offer,and I was ready to take that leap for bringing that vision to life. Read More>>

Christa Melchor

I’ve always loved the beauty industry—since I was young, I was obsessed with makeup. As I got older, that passion grew into skincare, and I fell in love with the idea of transforming a canvas and helping people feel their best. Starting my own business gave me the creative freedom to bring my vision to life from the ground up. I wanted to curate a space that felt comforting, welcoming, and true to me, a place where clients could relax, be themselves, and leave feeling more confident. It was important for me to build something authentic, where both the energy and experience reflect who I am and what I value. Read More>>

Treneisha Bean

I’ve always had a passion for beauty, creativity, and helping people feel confident in their own skin. Becoming a hairstylist and lash tech felt natural because I’ve always loved using my hands to create, and I genuinely enjoy making others feel good about themselves. Read More>>

Georgina Antimo

I have been catering for 15 years, and my business eventually grew to the point where I could no longer work out of a small kitchen. During the pandemic, I created a weekly menu and prepared family-style dishes that I personally delivered to my customers’ doors. That experience inspired me to look for an industrial kitchen. Read More>>

Larissa Vargas

In 2024, I was struggling a lot with my chronic illness and needed to find a new job. I needed to be able to control my schedule so I could balance work and school, but also something low impact for my body. Eventually, I came to the idea of doing lash extensions and once I decided I wanted to do that, I went full in. Read More>>

Chelsea Lewandowski

The thought process behind starting my own business came from realizing that so many women—myself included—were craving a fitness space that felt supportive, flexible, and real. After years of personal experience in fitness and working in traditional spaces, I saw the need for something more inclusive. Not everyone feels comfortable walking into a packed studio or paying boutique prices. So I created The Strong Enough Club—a virtual community designed for busy women who want to improve their strength, mindset, and wellness on their own terms. Read More>>

Stephanie Munford

It wasn’t really one thing, but more of a coming together of multiple things at the right season in my life. Since moving to Houston last year, things have slowed down a lot as far as the chaotic grind of working full time, going to school, and raising three kids. Now that the oldest two are grown, and I homeschool our 8 year old, I’ve had more time to devote to designing and creating my crochet projects. And then, when I kept coming home with more yarn, and completing more projects, it was my husband that said, “Hey, you should really do something with this.” Read More>>

Zoey Boutte

Back then, working for other people or companies just never felt right for me—I always knew it wasn’t what I truly wanted. The last job I held before starting my own business was at an after-school program, and it was actually the longest I had ever stayed with a company. But when COVID-19 hit, I was laid off. I’m not the type of person who can sit around without making any kind of income, so I decided to take a leap of faith and start my own business as a lash technician—and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. Read More>>

Enrico Grosso

It was out of sheer passion for my craft and and the desire to do something that was unique. I wanted to work for something I truly believed in, something that felt like a glue between my interests, all the things I have been interested in my life and my own roots, and I wanted to work on my own and be independent, to have complete control of every choice made, and wanted to create something that felt honest, sincere. Read More>>