We reached out to some of our favorite entrepreneurs and asked them to think back and tell us about how they decided to start a business. Check out their responses below.

Elisabel Borges

I’ve always loved photography, and as a stay-at-home mom, I saw it as the perfect way to combine my passion with a way to contribute financially to my household. I love that I can help families preserve their memories, all while building something meaningful that supports my loved ones. Read More>> 

Tiffany Garza

Just like other people, I thought about starting my business to make extra money and have more freedom. I wasn’t in a rush because I had a full time job, but after receiving a devastating phone call around my birthday from my dad, I felt pushed to take quick action. Read More>> 

Fredrik Munthe

The thought process behind starting my own business was that I wanted to be free, be my own boss, and with a business of my own, it could become possible to influence the development of an industry. I liked the idea of starting with a blank piece of paper and building something from the ground up. Something that people would love using, that engages people, and I suppose I was willing to take risks and work hard, and from that perspective, entrepreneurship felt like the right way forward. Read More>>

Chef Jaia

What started my process behind my business is pretty simple .

A. I love food, lol. But more importantly, my grandma and mom are amazing cooks, and growing up around them made me appreciate how good food can bring people together.

Good food makes everyone happy. For me, cooking is a way of giving love in a different form. I wanted to share that feeling and that love with the world through my business. It’s not just about feeding people; it’s about creating moments of joy and connection through every meal. Read More>> 

Maddison Adimora

Growing up in the heart of the hood in H-town, I saw struggle up close—especially through the eyes of my own mother. She was a single mom raising two kids on grit, grind, family, community, and pure determination. Watching her sacrifice everything to keep us clothed, fed, and safe lit a fire in me early on. I knew I had to be more than a statistic. I had to be a blueprint. Read More>> 

Garesia Randle Warfield

Carrying out my purpose in life and impacting others along the way have always been driving forces in my decision to start my beauty business. I also wanted more time and creative autonomy over my life. I knew somehow I could use my God-given gifts to make those things possible, and that’s where it all started. Read More>> 

Casey Bowen

Starting my own business mostly came out of necessity. Resources and qualities I felt I needed to succeed could come at zero cost (minus my own time) if I was able to do it on my own. With the business being my own, the decisions on direction would be completely up to myself, and that was a quality I was happy with. Read More>> 

Terence Prevost

Man it was so long ago lol. Let me see. Well I knew I had a real passion for being an artist. This was when all I cared about was being a well rounded Photographer (Mainly Wedding photographer) and graphic designer. I felt as if I had a real shot at making it a full time thing. So hey, if I wanted to be legit, I had to make it legit by first getting my DBA. So there was a program not far from my house at a Local community college that offered guidance on small businesses and I went from there. Read More>> 

Rida Ashrafi

What started as a small COVID hobby quickly turned into a full fledged business. I have always loved candles, so one day i thought- why not make my own? I began experimenting at home, and my experiments soon turned into unique creations that friends and family loved, eventually growing in Khushbu Candles. I named it khushbu Candles because ‘Khushbu’ means ‘scent’ in Urdu. It’s my way of blending creativity with culture in every candle I make! Read More>> 

Kat Bailey

Honestly, the idea started as a fun way to help Porter learn his alphabet while keeping things exciting for both of us. He loved singing the classic “A is for Apple” song — so much so that I heard it about 100 times a day. One day, I said, “A can be for something else… A is for Astros,” and that lightbulb moment changed everything. From there, the concept grew into Porter’s H-Town ABCs — a project that blended my love for Houston culture, my creativity, and my entrepreneurial drive into something tangible that could inspire other families too. Read More>> 

Lauren Turney

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. In college, I ran a children’s entertainment business that helped pay for my tuition, and in 2021 I self-published a children’s book. I love being creative, thinking strategically, and building something from the ground up. Read More>> 

Derrick Moore

If I’m being honest, Moorflics was born from both frustration and vision. As an actor, I kept seeing how programming about my community was one-dimensional. Too often, Black American stories were flattened into stereotypes or recycled narratives. I knew there was a greater spectrum, stories of resilience, creativity, tenderness, complexity that was not being told. Read More>>