Ideas aren’t everything, execution matters greatly, but starting often requires an idea and so we asked folks to think back and tell us the story of how they came up with the idea for their businesses. We’ve highlighted some of our favorite stories below.

Tenita Johnson | Authorpreneur, Publisher & Book Coach

After being unemployed from corporate America for three years, with only small contract jobs along the way, I realized I had to use what was in my hands. I had to use what I had in “my house” at the time. I had a Bachelor of Journalism and I’d picked up a keen eye for detail in the J-School. I loved both writing and editing almost equally. So I decided to solely start a business where I offered proofreading and editorial services for books for self-publishing authors. Read more>>

Kim Hartz Courtney Campo | Co-Founders Sunnies Shades

I (Kim) was talking to another mom about why there aren’t any good options for kids sunglasses. The options were either super cheap or involved a lot of up sells to get what I wanted for my kids making them pricey. So, instead of shrugging my shoulders and moving on, I started to talk with Courtney about the possibility of creating our own line of kids sunglasses that included everything we wanted, such as polarized lenses, fun colors, 100% UVA/UVB protection, and all at a price that wasn’t cringe worthy. What started as an idea became a fully fledged business with a lot of hard work, finding the right manufacturers, the right branding, and a lot of knocking on doors. Read more>>

Victoria Azubuike | CEO Vangel Shoes

I have always had a love for fashion especially shoes and having “big feet” led to the creation of Vangel Shoes. I recall going shoe shopping and leaving the stores disappointed most of the time as I could not find styles and the size I was looking for. I identified the need to create a platform where people who were struggling to find their shoe sizes like myself could find quality, cute, comfortable and stylish shoes of varying styles. We continue to strive to listen to our customers and to continually increase our style variety and have also managed to incorporate unique pieces of jewelry, accessories and African handmade handbags to make our online store a fun stop for fashion lovers. Read more>>