Our city is home to so many incredible businesses and so we asked the founders how they came up with the ideas for their businesses and have shared their responses below.

Rachel Gupta | Founder, Artsy Dinos

The idea for Artsy Dinos was (ironically enough) borne out of a healthy dose of mom guilt! One late night, I started thinking about how we had decorated for and celebrated Christmas more than Diwali (Hindu New Year), given that we’re not Christian and celebrate it purely in a secular way. It’s just so easy to get excited for and caught up in the festive spirit of Christmas, so I was determined to find activities to do with my then 3 year old son that would bring the same excitement for Diwali as we have for Christmas. Being a first generation American, I’ve already lost a lot of my parent’s Indian culture, and I know my kids will inevitably lose even more. But, I really wanted my son to be PROUD of where he came from and not grow up trying to hide his culture to “fit in” like I felt like I had to. Read more>>

Terri Sudduth | AFSP Galveston

Several years ago I attended my first AFSP Out of the Darkness Walk in Austin, TX. Right away I knew that was an organization I wanted to somehow be a part of. A few years later I ended up moving to Galveston and am now planning a Hike for Hope Event in March of 2022. Suicide awareness is a passion of mine. On the night of Jan 26,2002, I lost my mom by suicide. For most of my childhood and teenage years I watched her struggle with addiction and depression. I didn’t realize the severity of it until I was in my mid twenties. I can recall going through several attempts with her and used to think they were cries for help or attention. Read more>>

Cathy Alexander, CCC-SLP | Certified Speech Language Pathologist

Well I have been a speech language pathologist (SLP) for over 20+ years. One of the big professional catalogues that SLPs use is Super Duper Publications, Inc. In 1998 this publishing company was advertising for authors for new material. I submitted my idea and they accepted it in 1999. My idea became a reality – WH Question Blast Off – a WH question (what, where, when, and why questions) educational game. w It has been a Best Seller for over 20 years. So, that basically started my idea of self-publishing. After that game I published a book “Classroom Articulation for R, S, and L which incorporated grade-level vocabulary and articulation. Read more>>