Starting a business can be terrifying. Weighing the pros and cons, the risks, and other considerations can be so overwhelming that often promising entrepreneurs stop before they even start. We asked some phenomenal entrepreneurs about their thought process behind starting their own businesses. Our hope is that by making the thought-process less intimidating we can help more folks think through whether they should take an entrepreneurial leap.

Alexis Campbell | Creative Director & Transformation Expert

I started my own business, Lex Creative Studios, after retiring from the beauty industry. I was an agency repped makeup artist in New York City, working with incredible brands doing work in celebrity, fashion, and commercial. I’d always done design and photography on the side for my artist friends who couldn’t afford to hire professional designers and photographers! Read more>>

Nicholas Dupre | Attorney

Honestly, my initial thought was autonomy and service. I had been working for the same law firm for almost 10 years and I saw no real growth opportunity or interest from management in advancement and I felt like I was not serving my client, the community and my family in the best capacity. Read more>>

Mustaf Alki | Incense maker

The business has always been there, it is a family business for the past 4 generations across the middle east and north Africa but no one was managing it, so during the COVID-19 lockdown, I decided to study the art of incense from my grandfather and bring our products and services to the market. Read more>>

Lexie Stoudt | Owner/Head Baker, Two Blondes & A Bakery

Well, it’s a funny story really. We actually started Two Blondes & A Bakery as a joke. I, Lexie, was stress baking one day and made sooo much food. Taylor was hanging out with me and made a joke about what could go wrong with two blondes in a bakery …. 5 minutes later we had a logo and a Facebook page. We packed all the goodies up in sample boxes and distributed them to our clients and friends and before we knew it we had a bakery business! Read more>>

Katie and Cody Solbo | Owners

Mind Over Matter was initially started by Sean Moritz. However, my husband helped Sean grow the social media following that the business has from the inception. When Sean was looking to sell it was a no brainer that we wanted to continue the company. We are both triathletes that believe strongly in what the business stands for. Read more>>

Diania Merriam | Founder of The EconoMe Conference

I started an events-based business called The EconoMe Conference, which is the first large-scale event rooted in the FIRE movement (financial independence, retire early). The discovery of the FIRE movement completely changed my life: I got out of $30k of debt in 11 months, started saving/investing 60% of my income, and am on track to be financially independent by the time I’m 40 years old. Read more>>

Angela C | Designer / owner/ Buyer

I wanted to know how much they were asking off of me if they were able to pay me 20 a hour, I also didn’t like the thought of someone else being in so much control over my finances. Read more>>

Hannah Barnthouse | Founder and Creator of Hair Candy by Han

I started making gem hair clips for myself and my daughter at my kitchen table in 2020 when I couldn’t find what my mind’s eye had created as “hair jewelry.” I’ve collected vintage jewelry since I was a child; hunting for beautiful, rare jewelry was something my mom and I loved to do together. Read more>>

Tommy Allen | Strength & Conditioning Coach

I’ve always had a passion for health & fitness and I saw an opportunity to take that passion and create an environment where I can impact the lives of my community. Building a business around impacting lives essentially became a no-brainer for me. I had been in the industry long enough to understand the nuts and bolts of making a micro-gym work and so there wasn’t a lot of friction in terms of getting started. Read more>>

Chiquita White | Healthcare worker & Entrepreneur

My thought behind starting my business was to show my child, grandson, nieces and nephews. That they do not need to work for others, but they can work for themselves and set their own schedule. They could take their talent and passion and make a business out of it. Read more>>

Alex Kal | The Owner Of Buddhist Bracelet

The start of our business wasn’t easy. If anything it was an uphill battle. Many have tried to do it before and many miserably failed. We wanted to provide bracelets like no other. A bracelet that has all the qualities a person could ask for. High-Quality, Handcrafted, Natural, and Blessed. These 4 things have taken us decades to find/master. Read more>>

Isaiah Conway, Jr. | CEO

My thought process was to organize a business where I could entertain others and also give back to the community. Read more>>

BILLISHA Hastings | Jewelry Designer

I’ve always been a creator. I wanted to share my creations with people. Read more>>

Tamir Jackson | Certified NBA Agent

My thought process was creating a brand that is affordable for everyone. Read more>>

JT Morse | Writer/Editor/Photographer

I’ve always run my own businesses, even if they were entrepreneurial side-hustles while working for someone else. When serving as the aquatics director for a YMCA, in my twenties, I also taught in-home swim lessons and water aerobics classes on the side. In the early days of my acting career–like most theater performers–by day, I ran a successful pet sitting service called “The Irish Sitter” then, at night, attended rehearsals and performed in live shows as a whole host of characters. Read more>>