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.

Alejandro Guzman

Everything started when my Husband was gifted a ‘Jurassic Park Crochet Kit’ for his birthday. He attempted, was unsuccessful, then gave up and left all the materials on a shelf. One day I asked if I could give it a try and was also unsuccessful. Read more>>

Saurabh Khetrapal

For me, it wasn’t really about starting another business. I'd already spent nearly two decades building technology companies in Silicon Valley. The question I kept asking myself was: what do I want the next chapter of my life to stand for? I grew up in Tanzania, where wildlife and nature were simply part of everyday life. Read more>>

Timothy Colomer

For most of my life, I worked in environments where the mission was assigned to me. The Marine Corps gave me a mission. Corporate security gave me a mission. Eventually, I reached a point where I wanted to build something that reflected my own values and interests. Art started as a way to process experiences, tell stories, and connect with people. Read more>>

Kourtenay Dolmos

Honestly, it started with realizing I had built up a really specific set of skills that most trainers weren’t combining. I had a background in pet nutrition, a CPDT-KA certification, and a genuine obsession with understanding why dogs behave the way they do rather than just managing behavior on the surface. But the other piece was pet care. Read more>>

Jeff Suh

I have always been an entrepreneur at heart, even as a child. The desire to create, innovate, and solve problems through my own initiatives was something that grew with me over time. Read more>>

Tina Kilburn

My son came to me wanting to to open a business, I told him if we could build a Himalayan salt cave, have a spa with Massage we should do it because there was nothing like this in the area. Read more>>

Roniqua Griffis

My thought process behind starting my own business really came from my own journey. Being in a wheelchair, I wasn’t always confident. It took time for me to truly become comfortable with who I am, how I move through the world, and how I show up. Read more>>

Gili Mor

We wanted to provide affordable and accessible engagement rings to the public. When we got the feedback from our first few clients we just ran with it, getting high end, great quality engagement rings for affordable prices was more than doable, it was the only way we’ve done business. Read more>>

Madison Schulz

When I started Rock Island Creations, my goal wasn’t simply to offer social media management or content creation services. I wanted to create a business that clients genuinely enjoy working with. I’ve always believed the best marketing comes from truly understanding a business, including its people, its story, its day-to-day operations, and what makes it unique. Read more>>

KAT Troulinos

When people ask why I started HeartSpace Hypnosis, the answer really began long before the business itself. Years ago, I used self-hypnosis to quit smoking. That experience opened my eyes to something powerful: lasting change doesn’t happen through willpower alone. It happens when we change the patterns operating beneath conscious awareness. Read more>>