Are you thinking about starting a business? If so, we think you’ll enjoy reading about how these seasoned entrepreneurs thought about the question when they were in your shoes.

Mike & Abby Lopez | 4/7 Clothing Owner

Our thought process behind starting this business was that we wanted to share an expression of Faith and Gratefulness through clothing and spread Hope. We spend 6 months in the ICU with our son, in 3 different times during those months the doctors told us our son wouldn’t survive. But now our son Miguel is healthy and growing strong every day. We know that is nothing short of a miracle he is alive, we know it came from above not from us and that’s why 2nd Corinthians 4:7 is so important to us. We want to share with everyone through our clothing line to have hope no matter what situation you may find yourself in. Read more>>

Emilio Villanueva | Dance Photographer

From a young age, I’ve had a passion for visual and performing arts. The first two hobbies that swept me up were dance and videography. The first opportunity to blend them together on a larger scale was when I performed at a dance show while simultaneously recording the event. I loved having the ability to be in front of the camera, but being behind the camera was when I truly felt a sense of myself. A year before embarking on my dance photography journey, I worked on a video titled “Relation. Ship.” that was conceptualized by my former dance teacher, Deanna. It was created as an effort to stop the Permian Highway pipeline from being built across the Texas Hill Country. Read more>>

Folasade Ogunsola | Entrepreneur & Creative Marketer

I’ve always been very entrepreneurial in spirit. When I was in high school I would sell candy bars to my classmates and then on the weekends I would sell handbags and jewelry at the local flea market. By the time I got to college I was selling hair extensions with my sister on my school’s campus. When I graduated from college like a rising number of millennials and gen z’ers I couldn’t find a job. I applied for months on end with no luck in landing a career in corporate. So I put on my thinking cap and got the bright idea out of desperation and nowhere else to turn, to launch my own business. Read more>>

Vanessa Malevski | Photo Booth owner

When I first saw an advertisement on the 360 booth I slept on the idea for several months, and I realized it’s either now or never. Starting a business of my own was something I never thought I would do, let alone a photo booth business at that. It was the last thing I thought I would find an interest in. I realized early on into my venture that I could easily expand my services as long as It was profitable. Read more>>

Roland Champaine | Singer/Songwriter

I guess my thought process of becoming an artist, in my opinion, really wasn’t something I had to really think about. I knew early on that I was different, as far as sticking to the norm of having a stable secure job to make ends meet. My passion for music and entertaining has always been embedded in me. The only thought process I had was whether or not I could become who I knew I could be as an artist, songwriter and entertainer. Read more>>

Tempist Haywood | Small Business Owner

StormiCreations: I’ve always been a super crafty person who would rather make it than buy it. Once I found out that I could actually make a business out of making quality custom merchandise, the dream just kind of manifested. I spent a full summer studying the machines I wanted and taking notes on how to make all kinds of custom merch, and thanks to my big sister who always supports/spoils me, she bought my first Cricut machine Christmas 2018! We launched in January of 2019 and the growth has been amazing! Read more>>

Anjelica Markray | Educator & Mental Health Advocate

n 2019, I started going to therapy to get help due to me having feelings of anxiety and depression. I was 29 years old, and I had everything that I could ever dream of when it came to what I at the time defined as success. Regardless, of having everything I was not okay, and it lead me to my journey of self-discovery and finding peace within myself. Making the choice to start therapy was nerve wrecking yet exciting, and I can honestly say it was the best decision I’ve ever made because it changed my life. Read more>>

Erica Drexler | M.S., Board Certified Christian Counselor, Youth Minister & Speaker

My thought process behind starting Abstinence Inspires Millions Christian Counseling was that Christ blessed me with a special gift, to give counsel to others and I wanted to use that gift to assist God’s people. I have an increased need to help others, especially the youth & single mothers. I feel it’s important to be a light to others who are walking in the darkness, that’s what God called us to do. So A.I.M Christian Counseling is more than a business, it’s a place that facilitates healing & encourages clients to strengthen their relationships with Christ! Read more>>

Kayla Ussery | Graphic Brand Designer

After leaving the oil and gas industry and combining my artistic passion with my business knowledge I knew I wanted to work for myself and provide something for the world that I can have my own control over. I love helping people and wanted to be able to do that when people are starting their own businesses as well, especially during this uncertain time we live in. Read more>>

Catherine Buckner | Owner/ Operator of Bakery

I was out of my house for 3 years before I moved into a brick and mortar. During the pandemic, in the lockdown, I had a very hard decision to make. I either needed to find a new job that was more secure and possibly remote or say, to hell with it, and go for it. I decided to GO FOR IT. I hired a personal assistant, we wrote a business plan, worked out a budget, figured out all the end and outs and in a matter of 6 months, we got a loan, we found a place and we started construction for a full build out. 4 months late, we opened our doors. It was a wild roller coaster. It still is a wild ride. Read more>>

Charietta Hill | Accountant & Entrepreneur

I started my career in public accounting as an auditor. My job was to come in and review company’s processes, controls, financial statements, etc. and provide a report on them. Part of our reporting included what we called the Management Letter. This is where we would list any issues or findings we had from the audit. We would list them out, and make recommendations, but we couldn’t help clients implement them due to independence rules. I’ve always taken the approach of rolling up my sleeves and getting in there when it came to my clients. There was nothing too messy or too complicated for me to sit down with them and try to figure it out. Read more>>

Miles Garner | Crawfish Innovator

There were a few things that I thought about when I was coming up with my business. I looked around the Houston crawfish scene and I really didn’t like what I saw. There were a lot of places charging outrageous prices for very average crawfish. It seemed to be more of a money grab than a passion for good food. Growing up around the culture in Louisiana, they handle crawfish in such a different way. It’s about family, and gathering around a table to eat. So I believed that my passion for good food and my product would be successful. Read more>>

Vanessa Gonzalez | Mix Media Artist & Business Owner

I always admired my parents hard work. My mom’s desire to be her own boss, her confidence and ¨jefa¨ attitude and my dad’s career passion and work ethic inspired me to seek my own business. I knew it was going to be difficult especially working as a full time art teacher. For me having my own business is more than just another income, it’s about having ownership of my own work. “It’s me”, it’s who I am and I feel so accomplished when people want to purchase my art, Read more>>

KP Roberson | Sea Moss Enthusiast & Quality Assurance Senior Specialist

Selling sea moss did not initially strike me as a business opportunity. I have a full life! I am a single mother of three, which includes a set of young twin girls. I have a full-time challenging career and creating a business was the furthest thing from my mind! I was sincerely sharing the personal benefits of sea moss for my family and all it took was one person to ask, “Can I pay you to make me some?” Seriously, just like that. Read more>>

Elisa De La Cerda | Salon Owner and Blonding & Extension Specialist

My mission is to elevate the beauty industry. I want to elevate every single artist that joins me team; and not just in a superficial way but to help them get into a new tax bracket, help them to be able to buy a house for their family, help them feel good about their career and have the clients they want. I really want to help our industry go from ” trades people” to “professional service providers”. I want parents to want to send their kids to beauty school and not see it as a last resort. Read more>>

Carolina Cuellar | Lifestyle & Motherhood Content Creator

The thought process in anything I do starts with the intention of helping others and bridging the gap between who I am and who I want to be. When I had my son in Dec. 2018, it sparked a world of difficulties I had never experienced. Mentally, physically, and emotionally. As a first time mom, it made me realize how challenging yet rewarding motherhood could be, so I started sharing my journey in hopes others would help us. Two new young parents, learning. We found that becoming a stay at home mom was more convenient and important to our family, however, I wanted a hobby that would bring in extra income to our home if I was leaving my job as an accountant. Read more>>

Joi Sarina | Pole Dance Instructor & Entertainer

I cannot say that I had a specific thought process. I think it was just the circumstances in my life, both good and bad, that led me to diversifying myself and becoming an independent worker. I used to work reception at a pole dance studio in my late teens. By my early twenties I was a bodybuilder and a personal trainer. I returned to pole dance as a hobby eventually..and somehow I ended up stripping! My perspective of myself as a woman has changed through my personal practice of pole dance, which is why I am so passionate about instructing. I am also a sex worker, so breaking the stigma surrounding pole dance and sexuality is important to me. Read more>>

Marivano Lister | Artist, Actor, Fashion Designer & Entrepreneur

When I asked myself what matters the most to me in life, my response was “time.” Time is the most expensive luxury because we can never get that back. Many people are caught in a stimulation or ideology of how we should live our life based on the world’s standards. My thought process in starting a business was finding a way out of the matrix. Ultimately, I wanted freedom & happiness and the key was choosing something I was truly passionate in. I believed that having control of how I spent my time would create freedom where I would be happy and understand my purpose. Read more>>

Paige Burgess | Travel Planner

My thought process behind starting my own business came about after I saw a need for young adults who wanted to travel, but struggled with having the time or patience to research and create vacation plans. I am a self proclaimed travel buff and I was constantly inundated with questions while I traveled about how I booked my activities, details about where I stayed (hotels/airbnbs), and questions about the vibes of each city I traveled to. I think of Blank Paige Itinerary as a liaison between travel experiences and travel planning. Read more>>

Jasmin Cotton | Licensed Esthetician

When starting Serenity Lush Extensions my goal was to create a “safe space” for clients to come and feel comfortable within their own skin. I first started by coming up with a name for my business. I came up with Serenity first because at that time in my life I felt at peace and was in a serene space. Lush is defined “as a very rich and providing great sensory pleasure” leaving my clients feeling luxurious after their service. Extensions completed the name with the array of services that I offer in my Spa. Read more>>

Ezinne ‘Zini’ Offordile | Event Stylist

Honestly with any business owner, starting a business and making profit is always the end goal. But there is also that factor of bringing smiles to my clients faces knowing that I have done my job well. When I started AdornedbyZini, I told myself that I will be a household name, create beautiful balloons and let my creativity sell itself. Read more>>