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.

Jori Edwards

What started as a hobby turned into a boutique, and that boutique evolved into a lifestyle. I didn’t wake up one day and decide to start a business—I was led to it. My journey as an entrepreneur came from a deep desire to help others see themselves in a greater light. I’ve always believed that we are all equipped with purpose; sometimes, we just need the right tools to activate it. Confidence, self-expression, and vision are at the core of everything I do, and that’s what fuels JModish Couture. Read More>>

Nelson Diaz

“The thought process behind starting my own handyman business stems from a combination of my personal skills, my desire for hands-on work, and my background in Human Resources. For years, I worked for Chevron in HR, where I developed strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills. While I enjoyed my career in HR, I always had a passion for working with my hands — whether it was tackling home repairs, fixing things around the house, or helping friends and family with their projects.  Read More>>

Darius Butler

I have had an idea to be an entrepreneur for about 5 years now. It originally started with the dream of becoming a Chick-fil-A Owner/Operator, running my own franchise because I was able to make such an impact on my community through leading and developing leaders in-house, leadership, mentoring within the community that I live in, leading a board of directors for a foundation, and being able to impact lives beyond the job is what first inspired me to become an entrepreneur so I could do more bolster a community. Read More>>

Taylor The Esty

My thought process behind starting my own business was to create a safe haven for others who suffered from problematic skin concerns to feel heard, protected, valued and nurtured. Read More>>

Calvin Ford

Photography was an outlet I needed to decompress from my day-to-day routine. It allowed me to experiment with my creative side. Read More>>

Crystal Cook

I have been in the beauty industry since 2005 and have always worked for myself part time. I decided in 2017 to finally make the leap and become 100% self employed. My main driving force behind this was the opportunity to increase my income, but I also wanted freedom to create my own schedule. Read More>>

 Jerod Baker

Starting Houston Warriors Organized Sports wasn’t just a choice—it was a calling. I saw a critical need for quality role models in youth sports, mentors who truly inspire, guide, and lead by example. Too often, young athletes are left without the right kind of support, and I knew that had to change. Read More>>

Mayra Mayo

Like many others, I was furloughed from my 8am-5pm job right when the COVID pandemic hit and even though it allowed me to spend more time with my family, we weren’t in a financial position where I could be a stay at home mom. Fortunately, my husband was blessed with a promotion at his job and I found myself in a position in which I could be and loved every second of it. However, as much as I loved being at home and watching my daughters grow, I wanted to contribute financially and have something of my of my own. Read More>>

Shaneese Lowery

So just like many Americans the common next move after high school or college is to get a good job and be great right. So that’s the vibe I was on until this guy in the music industry asked me to work at his music store. This job is actually where I discovered I had hustle in me. Not only did I work at the store, but he use to through huge parties that we would work including artists like Nicki Minaj, Wayne, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes and so many more. This entire era opened my eyes to creating my own lane and boss up. Read More>>