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.

Imani Martinez | Lash Technician

Okay so the reason why I started my lash business was because I was trying to find something to do. I’ve always been driven to start new journeys. I started doing hair at 15 but then realized I didn’t like it so I took a lash class when I was 17 & went from there. Read more>>

Chase Dupree | Owner/Operator

I’ve always had a love for cupcakes; so when I contemplated starting a cupcakery I knew I wanted my cupcakes to have a twist. And what better twist than an alcoholic one. I didn’t need to re-invent the wheel, just add a little edge and Black girl magic. And voila! Cupfusion Cupcakery was created. Read more>>

Tim Franklin | Pastor

We had been considering how we, as a small church ministry, could be a bigger blessing in our community. As we prayed and sought direction we came up with the idea of opening a non-profit coffee shop that could be used to help meet needs in our community. We wanted to run a shop with a volunteer staff that would be able to provide quality drinks and service to our customers, and to have a goal of using the profits to help organizations in our area that are touching the lives of people in need, and to provide assistance in areas of special community needs. Read more>>

Ashley Brown | Chief Event Officer

I have always been crafty, and I love planning and decorating for events. Since my husband and I got married almost ten years ago, we have had a dream of one day opening an event venue where I would coordinate and curate events. We, however, both also like our current jobs as an engineer and lawyer and are still working on that dream. Fast forward to March 2020 and the world shuts down. We spent the next few months quarantined at home with our three kids. It became a swift reality that we would not be able to celebrate our birthdays big as our custom. But I still wanted to make my kids’ birthdays special. Read more>>

Being Kenz | Entertainer

My thought process behind starting my career as an artist is being able to share my story in my own creative way Read more>>

Jennifer Nick | Jazzy Yard DIVA

My love for Yard Signs began approximately 8 years ago. I researched the product & did my homework but never pursued it. Last year my daughter surprised me with a Birthday Sign for my Birthday and I fell in love all over again. She never knew my admiration for them. I knew almost immediately I would soon initiate a deep dive into a Yard-Sign busines journey. 2 months later Jazzy Yard Bling was born. I have always been told I was creative & this was an opportunity to let my creative light shine. Nothing brings me more joy than putting a smile on someone’s face with one of my eccentric Exciting Signs. Jazzy Yard Bling is a Premier yard sign company with over 60 themes and unlimited bold colorful letters & images. Read more>>

Schwanna Fortenberry Regine Patillo | Advance Practice Registered Nurse & Owner

Our thought process behind starting our own business is to be intentional in educating others about the health benefits of vitamin infusions and focusing on preventative health. Read more>>

Jillian Walkowiak | Adjunct Lecturer & Creepy Candle Maker

It was really on a whim! I had a couple different sources of inspection but the main one is this: While browsing vendors at a horror con in 2018, I came across a wonderful soy candle vendor with no horror connection. My candle fiend & horror fiend wheels started turning together and I thought how cool it would be to put some horror inspired candles out into the world. Read more>>

Ummehani Karimjee | Wedding and Event Floral Designer

Like most creatives, my business began as a hobby. I was always into the various forms of art as a child, but in terms of my academic future, I was initially considering something in the medical field. My beloved daughter, Zahra, was born in my last semester of college, and I put aside everything to raise her. I enjoyed creating the decorations for her birthday celebrations, and it slowly grew into small backdrops for my family’s and friends’ events in our community mosque. I wasn’t able to go back to school because my daughter was diagnosed with a terminal illness when she turned two, and she required my constant care. During this time, my mother-in-law really pushed me to create something of my little hobby. It was something I could do for myself without compromising my daughter’s care. Read more>>

Ruben Alonso | Evangelpreneur

I have always been in business, since I was a kid, my dad was always in business. He came from Mexico with a 3rd grade education but he was always hustling, we sold avocados, cookware, street corn, snow comes all kinds of stuff. So I guess I caught the bug at an early age. Read more>>

Desiree Flores | Entrepreneur

My first thought was, can I do this on my own? It was tough starting out I had a lot of negative thoughts and it was risky but I’m glad I did it. Read more>>

Drew Lawson | Coach and Founder of Strength Ministry

Well, there really wasn’t much thought that went into at all! Let me explain what I mean. I’ve always had a feeling that I could build a business around my lifestyle and inspire others to live healthier, stronger lives. The thing I’ve learned about pursuing a life in entrepreneurship- is to turn off your brain and follow your heart. There were so many times when I had thoughts that I could never start my own business, I wouldn’t make it financially, I wouldn’t be a good enough coach, or people will be disappointed with their results. If I would’ve listened to these thoughts, I never would have left my career and built the business that I have now. I never would have severed the tie of safety and security behind a steady paycheck and ventured out into the world of entrepreneurship. No matter where I worked- gyms, hospitals, clinics- I would wake up in the morning and go into work with this underlying feeling that I could be doing more. Read more>>

Lia Charisma Hall | Chandler

I finished a fantasy series that had totally wrecked me. I mean, this was an 8 book whopper of a series that I had absolutely devoured because it was so good. Then it ended, and I wasn’t prepared for the heartache that I felt because it was over because I missed that world. I decided to create something that would help me return to that world (albeit, in a different way), and that’s when I decided on candles that I was mentally referring to as “memory candles.” Candles that, via scent, can transport you back into a memory or book. Read more>>

TreNuBB | Social media influencer, High school Percussion instructor, Motivational speaker & Actor

Well far is agar story because I have no hands in one leg so they made it hard for me to get a job most times I get interview they see me and then say I’m a liability to the company or Can be Liability to the company so I started my own business N. U. B. B. the brand N. U. B. B. stands for never underestimate before belief and that’s who I am and what I stand for Read more>>

Priscilla Saynay | Creaitve Dream Maker

I always loved the creative thinking and the process of finding material for building a piece.  At one point my home was full of my creations and I need to find different reasons to give them away as gifts in order to create space to keep creating. I started to sell them at many of the local markets around the area. From those markets evolved my journey in owning my own business, which eventually led me to open up my brick-and-mortar shop at Railway Heights Market. Read more>>