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.

Stuart Weingartner | Small Business Owner & Licensed Real Estate Agent

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be an entrepreneur, I just never knew exactly how to start or what exactly I wanted to do. I have always been in the business of service, I could just never pinpoint where I wanted to land. In 2020 at the beginning of the Covid-19 Pandemic I was living in NYC when the whole world shut down. Living in the epicenter of the pandemic, I, like many people, hit the reset button. Read more>>

Marifi Escobar | Special Education Consultant and Advocate, Psychologist, Special Education teacher

I had already been doing pro-bono advocacy work for children with disabilities for several years but I was limited in the amount of cases I could take because of logistics in getting to meetings all over the city. All of my cases were word of mouth, and I had not paid any attention to my social media or advertising. With the shut-down in 2020 I realized it was a unique opportunity to expand my reach and to go nation-wide, as well as to significantly increase my caseload. I hired an assistant, set up a Facebook page and registered The IEP Firm. Immediately the business took off and it has steadily grown since. Read more>>

Miriam Damaris Maldonado | Colectiva Feminista Colibri Founder/Co-founder

In 2019, the performance of a “Rapist in Your Path” became a worldwide event that brought women together to protest against violence toward women. The performance was presented throughout Latin America and succeeded in raising awareness and bringing people together to secure spaces for individuals who had been victims of this (https://www.lifegate.com/the-rapist-is-you-un-violador-en-tu-camino). However, such performance had not yet been presented in the United States, and Houston seemed a very likely place for it being that we have documented a high incidence of sex trafficking and violence against women. Read more>>

Christian Osornio Pena | Massage Therapist, Esthetician, Educator & Dancer

I wanted to make massage therapy and skincare accesible for everyone. Having my own business allows me to control my location, I can serve clients in my office or at the convenience of their location. Seven days a week any time during the day. It also allows me to take time for myself to rest and reset when I need it. Read more>>

Ferrari Evans | Credit Consultant

THe thought process behind starting my own business was the many failed attempts at receiving results from someone else’s business. Before starting my business in 2019, I spent thousands of dollars attempting to get results from other who claimed to repair credit. At the time, I had no knowledge on the steps it took and thought it would be easier to just pay someone else. A few thousand dollars and several months later I saw no results with my credit. Read more>>

Cheyenne Jones | Founder of Mooney Junes

When I began thinking about starting a business, we were smack dab in the middle of what felt like the apocalypse of 2020. I had lost my job, like so many others, but this gave me the room to start thinking about my own interests and passions. I knew I wanted a product that wouldn’t cause strain on the environment, that people could use and feel great after. I also started delving into aromatherapy and what traits and energy herbs and flowers held. I knew I wanted to do something that connected me closer to earth while helping me survive and take care of my family. Thus, Mooney Junes was born! Read more>>

Samantha Lightbody | Teacher & Mum Maker

It started as a hobby really. I love to craft and create. I always made my own homecoming mums in high school, so when I got to college, friends would ask for help with ones for siblings. Once I did at least 10 a year, I figured I might as well make a business out of it. Read more>>

Cierra Fox | Graphic Designer & Branding Specialist

Honestly, I’ve worked for multiple huge corporations since I was 17. I was never okay with the fact that a Million/Billion dollar company can put a cap on how much money I’m allowed to make with them while having profit margins of at least 70%. I always knew my time was worth more than minimum wage. However, I was intrigued by the financial freedom these CEO’s had, being able to spend a great amount of time with their family and travel at their leisure. Read more>>

Joselin Vargas | Cake designer

Being honest, the hardest part of starting my own business was believing in myself, believing that people would be interested in what I was creating. I started this business for the pleasure that creating gives me, I really enjoy creating delicious and beautiful pieces for such special occasions as a wedding or first birthday, the acceptance and affection they have received has been so gratifying. Read more>>