Many books on startups and business talk about how there are right and wrong reasons for starting a business. So, we asked a handful of successful founders about their reasons and the thought-process behind starting their business.

Ekaterina Kuznetsova | Championship Licensed Adjudicator. World Dance Council Adjudicator. Invigilator. Master’s Degree Ballroom and Latin Certified Choreographer. Professional Competitor. Coach. CEO & President of US Dance Co.Inc. CEO & President of Dance With Stars Inc.

After all, I lived for dance, opening my own dance studio seemed like such a fun adventure at the time. I loved taking class of my own. I loved to teach and always had great feedback and retention in my classes. I was a talented choreographer, and I had a great relationship with my existing dance families. Read more>>

Adriana Gonzalez | Founder & Psychotherapist

The thought blossomed from the desire to achieve both personal and professional goals. It was my passion for the field that drove me to directly serve my community. Mental Health professionals are always on demand. However, I knew that I wanted the flexibility to address specialized needs. I had, and continue to have, a strong will to take on the many ways in which mental health, especially disordered eating, negatively impact our lives. HKA Counseling was born! Read more>>

Moe McCoy | Actor and film producer

Ever since I was 11 I had my own business once I started acting by knew that I wanted to be a part of the film industry. The only problem was that day only use me as an extra. So I started my own film company and acted in my own movies. Wanting to be in the movie made me want to be an entrepreneur. Read more>>

Ronnie Nwahiri | Tech & Real Estate Strategist

I’m 2018, I got accepted to graduate school in Cincinnati so I booked a trip to visit the campus and stayed at an Airbnb that was a duplex. Upon my arrival, the key lock was not working and the host was not communicative. Read more>>

Latoya Lawrence | Owner/Operator

Contemplation was the main thought process for opening Groovy Chicken and Waffles mobile food business. I dreamed of having my own food business as early as 14 years of age. Having a career in the food industry gave me insight on what I needed to start this process. Read more>>

Jaime Avokhani | Vegan Restaurant Owner

My husband and I started our own vegan food business in 2018, this decision happened roughly 3 years after we decided to go vegan. It was during our transition to veganism that we realized that there were very limited option during that time for us in terms of dining out or purchasing already prepared meals. Read more>>

Yanet Borrego Crawford | Clarity and Mindset NLP Coach

After getting my chemical engineering degree, I had achieved everything I had been working towards, a high-paying job with a prestigious corporation and a successful career. I made it through perseverance and discipline! Read more>>

Steve Kreider | Dad, mediator, instructor, producer, retired First Sergeant

I was in the Army from 1988 to 2013 when I decided to retire in November 2013 to take a chance at working in the civilian world. Fortunately, I was immediately hired by Ricky Schroder to work as a producer on an Army reality show called Starting Strong. Read more>>

Tieranny DeCuir | Business & Teacher

My thought process behind starting my business was very simple. I decided that I no longer wanted to be a consumer in the hair industry but a producer. I have always had a thing for hair extensions, so when I decided to start my hair business, everything came so naturally. Read more>>

Kayla Williams | B.S. Psychology

I started my non-profit organization because I felt like there were not enough resources for children and young girls. Growing up, I always wanted to be involved in programs that focused on the wellness and betterment of young women, but I never had time due to sports, school, etc. Read more>>

Lance Craig | US Army Health Care Specialist and Entrepreneur

My wife was a stay home Military spouse and enjoyed making desserts, we decided to put a twist on cake jars with our own Cheesecake Jars and now Specialty waffles Read more>>

Carla Gonzalez | Owner of Carlas Curves Boutique

My thoughts were that as a curvy individual, I felt I didn’t have a lot of options to be stylish or fashionable. I literally could only shop small sections of certain stores in hopes of finding “something cute”. Pieces of clothing in my size and budget were limited. I was tired of feeling like I was stuck. Read more>>

Madison & Cameron North | Entrepreneur

We originally baked as a side hustle in college and we thought nothing more of it. When COVID happened, our lives changed drastically for everyone. We both lost our jobs from COVID so we figured why not bake more things and take it serious to gain more clients. We started blowing up on twitter and the rest is history. Read more>>

Tre Bennett | Professional Basketball Trainer

My thought process was just figuring out how I could stay attached to the game of basketball and impact the lives of others even after my playing career came to an end. Read more>>

Tony Natalizio | Musician/Business Owner

I’m inspired by people that are really good at what they do and/or are very successful at what they do. I’m inspired by people that I both know personally and don’t know at all that fit that criteria. It’s inspiring to see people succeed, learn, grow, and sometimes fail. So I guess people inspire me. Read more>>

Danielle Hunt | Sports and Gameday Content Creator

I wanted an outlet where I could be creative, and be my own boss. I feel most empowered knowing that I am the one behind everything that happens with my brand. Read more>>

Donna Williams | Freelance makeup artist

In the beginning I just wanted to enhance my makeup skills and then I thought it would be great to help other women feel beautiful too Read more>>

Aj Hitz | Music Producer

Well for me growing up i always had a business mentality and was always interested in how some people work for businesses and some people owned businesses. Read more>>

Jen Madden | Life Coach

About a year ago, I had a glimpse of how my future was going to unfold. I had achieved a lot of success – well, the way most people define success – and I realized if I kept doing what I was doing, my life was going to be just fine. Read more>>