The first step to starting a business is deciding to start a business.  They say the first step is the hardest and in our experience this is especially true when it comes to starting a business. Getting over the mental roadblocks can be tough, often harder to overcome than the challenges you’ll face once you actually start the business.  Fellow entrepreneurs share their thoughts below.

Alex Coba | Singer-Songwriter & Entrepreneur

It was mostly out of necessity. I was starting to tour a lot more and as dates were added there was a need to figure out how to maintain a steady source of income while also following a calling. I had worked directly with many high level entrepreneurs and felt I was ready to set aside fear and doubt, use the skills I had honed and take the leap of faith. Read more>>

Lisa Morton | CEO & Profit First Professional

I have always been an entrepreneur. After i sold my last bookkeeping firm and worked out my contract there was no doubt i wanted to create another company where i could help other small businesses grow and be successful. Read more>>

Victoria Alvarado | Psychic Medium and Healer

I wanted to help people by sharing my natural born gifts of energy healing and connecting to the divine. I had a strong feeling that I needed to be of service because so many people need guidance and healing, and the best way for me to help those in need was to put myself out there. Read more>>

Jenny Goldfarb | CEO & Founder

No high quality deli meat existed in the vegan world – that needed to change, because I was hungry for it! Read more>>

Brandon Shabazz | DJ & MC

Create a space where I can help create employment not just for myself but for others. I appreciate the lessons and experience that I gained from the corporate world but I realized that there was a ceiling in that environment both financially and creatively. Read more>>

MacKenzie Jewell | Content Creator & Digital Marketer

I love creating videos on Tiktok. It’s consumed my life. Before people started taking Tiktok seriously I was frustrated that no one took advantage of the amazing algorithm. I always insisted insisted insisted that if you truly wanted it, you could have 10K followers within a month. So when I started seeing businesses like Walmart and whatnot making tiktoks, it inspired me to lend my services to local businesses. But my business partner Lena Luxxe is who really pushed creating this whole thing. We went to a houston youtuber meetup and we realized just how many people need help with social media to build up their following. So the next day we talked about what we would offer people and what CuteLittleProductions would be all about. Read more>>

Weihong Zhang | PhD, Specialty Coffee Association Trainer

I was born and raised in China. When I was young, I often wondered about what kind of life I wanted to live. Although I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do for a long time, I knew two things without doubt: I wanted to bring happiness and fulfillment to people while enjoying what I do. And I wanted to see the world. In finding my answer, I came to the United States for my PhD in Biochemistry in the summer of 2009. In graduate school, I was drinking coffee every day in a coffee corner across the parking lot from my lab. At that time, coffee was simply a bitter energy drink for me until I participated in a coffee cupping event by chance. The coffees on the cupping table opened my eyes. I never thought coffee could be so tasteful and full of personality, from the bright floral tune to pleasant fruity flavor to chocolaty and nutty richness. I started to learn about coffee. Read more>>

Minah Lee | Owner & Maker

I started to make my own candles after I found out that the candles have bought were most likely soy/paraffin candles and I fell for the words “soy blend” or “soy candle”. It was a shock for me that the candle brands are not required to disclose the ingredients, so it is impossible for us to know what they used. I wanted to know the ingredients within the candles – if the wax is100% soy, where they are from, if the fragrance oils are synthetic, natural, or blended, and if the wick is cotton without lead and zinc, etc. One of the reasons I pay attention to the ingredients is that I majored in Organic chemistry and worked as a Chemical and Pharmaceutical patent researcher in the Korean Government. Chemicals and diseases were the main two things I was dealing with every day. I loved making candles whenever I have free time. Read more>>

Ellyse Espinoza | CEO & Designer

My thought process behind starting State Line was to create a brand that was inclusive for both men and women with comfort, quality and my love for typography and design. I have always had a love for sports. Growing up my family was big on the Rockets, Astros, Oilers and now Texans. We grew up watching sports and going to games as kids. In 2005, I moved to California to go to design school and my family would send me Rockets tees and Texan tees, but most tees were mens tees and the ladies tees were never my style. After receiving my degree in Graphic Design and working in California for marketing for a few years, I returned home to Houston. Going to sporting events, I still never saw cute, comfy and well designed tees for sports fans in Houston. Read more>>

Lydia Springer | Cake Designer

I had just finished culinary school and dove right into working in hotel and resort kitchens. I helped run the pastry departments that would feed hundreds of people daily, and after 3 years I started to burn out, fast. Long hours, nights and weekends, and I was newly married myself, I became so exhausted I started to not enjoy what I did as much as I had use to. I noticed a big need for custom cakes and wedding cakes in my area. So many venues around were being built and quite a few allowed couples to bring in their own vendors. I realized to be able to keep doing what I loved, and still love it after the end of a long day, I needed to make a change. It just made sense to fill that void and step into weddings full time on my own. Read more>>

Ben Bumguardner | Certified Chiropractic Sports Practitioner, Owner & CEO

I always liked the idea of being my own boss. Growing up and watching my dad start his own business instilled in me pretty early on that it was possible and that you have so much more control over what happens on a daily/monthly/yearly basis. Especially when it comes to time off. I would say as I got older and started to learn more about my profession, and I learned that there were a lot of ways it was being implemented that I did not agree with or thought it could be done better. I thought I could do it more efficiently and more profitable. I also believed that after 5 years of owning my own business (as a sports chiropractor) I would be significantly farther along than I would have been if I had walked into someone else’s business and had the ability to relax. I was ready for the constant hustle and grind that would make me into a better sports practitioner. Read more>>

Tierra Smith | Founder

I wanted to create the media company that I always aspired to work for, one that centers the stories of Black women. Wins For Black Girls is a media platform that spreads positive news about Black women. We highlight Black women who are winning in business, education, politics, sports, culture and everyday success. We target those who want to know and celebrate those wins. From interning to working at traditional news organizations and digital niche publications over the last decade, I noticed how the industry often marginalizes the essence of Black women. As a proud Black woman, I know how Black women show up and win for ourselves and the community. Wins For Black Girls highlights those stories and provides our readers with the information to win in their own lives. Read more>>

Rachel Kay | Eco-Conscious Shop Owner and Wellness Advocate

I have two boys, each with different health concerns, and I am always researching ways to teach them positive, healthy lifestyle choices from supplements to meditation practices while learning to managing my own mental health challenges. When I found out our local health food store was closing, I knew I had to do something to continue the availability of not only quality products but also access to education. We went through years of struggles while I learned best practices so if I can help shorten that for anyone dealing with similar issues, I’ve done my job well. This is the main reason that Monarch Health Boutique was created. Read more>>

Laura Jorden-krolczyk | Owner

Starting a business is often a life-altering decision. It can affect you & your family in so many ways beyond just financially. The thought of starting my own company was simple, find what you love to do & then make it your business. If you find what your good at, excited about it, and can’t wait to wake up to do it, then it’s never really work. Entrepreneurship starts with an idea. To be successful, you need to always be thinking of new ideas and better ways of doing things. Read more>>