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.

Dan Cockerell | Co-Partner, Cockerell Consulting

Working 26 years in a large corporation I realized it was time to move on to a new experience. I had 19 jobs in Disney and was always developing a morning war end it was time to get a much more diverse experience. Also my wife and I discussed to guide and principles that we wanted to follow, Number one freedom and number two simplicity. Great timing since all three of our kids were working or in college and we had no other responsibilities to take care of parents etc. so this window was perfect for us to go take a risk. Read more>>

Che R. | Published Model & Media Production CEO

The idea of starting my own business originated from skills and crafts that I’ve honed over the years! Incorporating things of passion from my already existent life outside of business is where the realization of profiting from said passion derived! Read more>>

Tonia Osborne | Travel Curator

I’ve always been an avid writer, and it was my love for writing and traveling that would manifest into Travels by Tonia. In 2015, a close friend and I launched a lifestyle blog called The Sparkles Files, and I quickly discovered that my niche was travel. After being featured on multiple travel social media pages and publications like Soul Society, Blavity, Essence, The Shade Room, Travel is the New Club, etc, and receiving many inquiries about personal travel planning services, in 2017, Travels by Tonia was founded to curate client’s travel experiences from start to finish. Read more>>

Cucy Boucicaut | beauty body products & services

My Thought process was knowing i will no longer be working for someone else anymore,i will be doing something i really enjoy and have a passion for. Read more>>

Whitney Tinsley | Journalist/ Podcast Host

I grew up in an era when having a degree was pushed on us. I went to school and got a bachelors and two masters and now I am finding issues with finding any job in my field. I knew that I always liked sports and knew I wanted to be a sports reporter, so Sports Talk with Whitney B was birthed. I figured that I would start a podcast doing what I love and hopefully it will give me my start in the sports journalism world. Read more>>

Virginia Zecena | Licensed Esthetician

After completing my esthetician program and receiving my license, I started my business earlier this year. I started working in the beauty industry in 2016 at Ulta, and then moved on to Sephora in 2017 where I stayed for four years. The creativity of cosmetics and the power of skincare have always captivated me. I was surrounded by people who shared my enthusiasm for the beauty industry, and I was given incredible opportunity to learn from qualified professionals. It wasn’t until 2019 that I decided to leave my standard college course and enroll in a cosmetology program. I knew I wanted to be a solo esthetician with my own business, providing treatments to make people feel beautiful. Read more>>

Sierra Nickole | Beautician

I started makeup and hair in middle school as a competitive cheerleader and would do all the girls makeup. I enjoyed the excitement on enhancing someone’s beauty. Just the confidence and light it brings to someone really encouraged me to make it a full time thing. I’ve always been into beauty and fashion and always wanted to have a shop. I knew I liked doing more than just makeup so instead of just using one talent I combined all my talents and made a one stop beauty shop. I feel like it is more convenient because most ladies would have to travel to multiple different places before their event and be stressed. With the one stop beauty shop you come ready to get all of your services done in one place and your able to relax and not have to worry about the stress of having to go to different locations. Read more>>

Tiana Watson

My thought process behind starting my own business was to ensure the health of canines and humans. Learning how health issues are affecting the community in masses made me want to do something about it. Read more>>

LaTanya Bowman | Chiropractic Physician & Owner of Discovery Chiropractic and Wellness Center, PLLC

I have been in the practice of chiropractic now for 16 years. My goal ever since I begun chiropractic school, was to become an entrepreneur, for I saw the benefits of having your own business. As a physician you are not taught how to be a business owner, you are taught how to be a doctor. So those strategies has to be learned outside of the classroom setting. Therefore, throughout my four years of schooling at Parker College of Chiropractic, located in Dallas, Texas, when I had the opportunity to shadow other doctors regardless of their field of study I jumped on it. Not to learn their practice of field of medicine or health care, but to learn how to run a business. The best way to learn something, is to get your hands in it, and have those mentors to show you the proper way and guidance of being a successful business owner. Read more>>

Cherish Chere’t | Owne

I, created Austin Rowe in an effort to honor my family. Austin Rowe honors my late grandmother, Alma Austin and my great aunt, Virgie Rowe. These beautiful women were strong, educated ladies that believed in faith and family! In addition, they were confident women who loved education and serving their community. Austin Rowe is in honor of these beautiful women who exuded style and grace on a daily basis. Legacy is important to my family and I wanted to find a way to honor my family. So I created a for profit business and a non-profit business to honor my family’s rich legacy. Read more>>

Victoria Taylor | Author, Activist and Influencer

Throughout my journey of motherhood, I’ve always felt like I was the only person going through certain things because my reality was so different from most of my family. I started creating a safe space within the people outside of my normal support system to help me with the different point of views. It was when we started sharing the different things we all held knowledge in, was when I realized how necessary this sisterhood is for all working mothers. We may alI have different backgrounds and circumstances but at the depths of it all, we’re sacrificing for the same thing, our family. Read more>>

Ayanna Amar | Cosmetologist & Owner of Hairology of BR

I started my business as a creative outlet that fulfilled a lifelong passion and skillset. Furthermore ,my business is an opportunity to share entrepreneurial skills with other young woman. Read more>>

Nate House & Curt Corona | Business Owners

Being a business owner has always been in the game plan as far life goes. Financial freedom has been the highlight of the things that we wanted the most in life. Read more>>

Uzo Ukeje | Creative Director & Entrepreneur

Honestly my thought process in starting my own businesses was that I wanted something that would be a creative extension of me. Something that represents me and that I could see myself funneling my creative ideas and energy towards. Read more>>

Tatiana Vernéll | Makeup Artist

I’ve always had ideas that weren’t the “ideal” job as a kid. You’re always told to be a nurse, lawyer, doctor etc. I feel as though entrepreneurship wasn’t instilled into us as it should’ve been. I have always loved things Beauty whether it was hair, nails, or makeup. I’ve always been a “girly girl”, but it wasn’t until high school that I considered cosmetology to be a thing that I truly wanted to do. I became that friend that always had to put friends lashes on or do their makeup before a party. From there I discovered YouTube, and makeup took a place in my heart. I always practiced new trends and figured out the latest products to buy. From there, with a little more research, I found out that I could actually do this as a career. To do something that I actually loved became my main focus. Read more>>

Mar’Erica Matthews | Lash Artist

I’ve always had a passion to work for myself. It was the process of knowing how and where do I start. I worked in a dental office for about eight years and attended college part time. I still had responsibilities outside of work and school. Which required me to balance my work life as well as being a parent. So last year the pandemic happened and before you knew I was without a job. I went into a panic mode and asked myself what is something you love or think you would be interested in doing. I’ve always had a love for eyelash extensions, you would never catch me without them. So I decided to start my own business as a lash artist. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I enjoy the look on my clients face after enhancing their beauty! Read more>>

Chrishana Reed | Permanent Makeup Artist

The thought process behind my business came from my layoff during COVID in 2020. Growing up and going through my early twenties I always said I wanted to be a business owner in beauty or fashion. Once I got laid off I felt like that gave me the push, time and opportunity I needed to start. I have always had the worst of luck when it came to jobs, Every time I started working for a job I loved, I would get laid off! It really started to get depressing. This last time I told myself I wanted and needed a back up plan for the future and so Pretty Me Brows was created! Read more>>