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.

Robert Landau | Certified Life Coach

I’ve been a Motivational Speaker for over twelve years. When the virus hit, I felt moved to concentrate on another side of what I’m blessed to bring to people for years, that of being a Certified Life Coach. We need comfort, assurance and empowerment now more than ever. Learning how to manage fear and an uncertain future are in high demand now. I, and numerous others, are honored to be of service and answer the call. People need to know how to be in the present moment and be secure in that. Read more>>

Susan Gomez | CEO and Founder of Sugopetite

As a petite woman, I have always struggled finding cloths that fit proportionately with my petite size. So, I thought that there may be many petite women out there going through the same struggles and I wanted to solve that problem. At the same time, I didn’t want to bring just a fashion line for petite women to the fashion industry, I wanted to do it meaningfully by contributing to a positive impact to our planet. Unfortunately the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global Carbon dioxide (CO2 ) emissions and I didn’t want to be part of that. Read more>>

Kimberly and Miriam | Co-Founders, PWR WMN

PWR WMN was created by two best friends who wanted a simple thing: pockets. We grew tired of never having the tools we needed to be 100% ready for business at all times. We wanted clothes that portrayed our confidence, but also helped us close that deal because we were ready, so we created PWR WMN. Our clothes highlight the strength our femininity brings to the table, and the extra pockets don’t hurt either! Read more>>

Tyler & Hope Abbey | Bed & Breakfast Host

Starting this new business on top of already running another business took much thought. Tyler works a full time job and I have a photography business as well but when the idea of a Bed & Breakfast came to mind it was something we couldn’t wait to pursue. We love to entertain and hosting has always been a love of mine. So Bed & Breakfast it was! This was something we planned ahead of time and giving it time to grow so I’m able to stay home with our future kids and still do what I love. Read more>>

Jessica Ray | Braid Salon Owner, Non Profit Founder and Short Term Rental Entrepreneur

My thought process was I needed a way to earn money quickly after leaving a career field I was in for 14 years. I loved to braid and I knew that would earn me income in a crunch. Read more>>

Misty Campbell | Fashion & Wardrobe Stylist

I’ve always said that if I would’ve got paid for each time someone complimented or highly praised my fashion sense, I would be a millionaire by now, lol. As I’ve gotten older and my kids started to come into their teen years, I begin to regret that I had not taken advantage of my talent which could’ve led to additional income and perhaps benefit my kids in some way. Furthermore, with the rise of social media, I begin to see others gain opportunities from their styling talents regardless of having any specific credentials that I thought might’ve been required. With that I decided to take a chance on myself, you know, better late than never. Read more>>

Wayne Branigan | Owner of Photobooth Masters of Houston & Wayne Branigan Photography

I wanted something for myself. I’ve spent 25 years working for someone else. I have two boys and I know, a job is something I cannot leave for them. As an adolescent, I was very technical and had a peculiarity for technology. Once, I left the corporate world in 2018, I decided to challenge myself and take that leap of faith. I’ve always played it safe but I was extremely unhappy. I knew to start my own business would be challenging but I was up for it. It couldn’t hurt. Instead of thinking it couldn’t work; what if it does work? The better answer I decided on was it’s going to work. Read more>>

Xavier Prince | Makeup Artist/Beauty Influencer & CEO of PrinceOnDaBeat Cosmetics

Before my business came about, it was all a thought. I knew what I wanted I just needed to focus. At the time, I was working at a warehouse driving forklifts and I would save my money and invest it into the products that I was producing. I knew I wanted to start my cosmetic line with lashes because I love lashes and I feel like they can turn your makeup look from a 5 to a 10 easily. I’ve always had problems finding brands that produced high quality lashes that are extremely fluffy and wispy while lasting a long time with proper care. I wanted to be the brand that produced these type of lashes. Read more>>

Elizabeth Miller | Integrative Psychotherapist

From a young age, I had a vision of creating a safe space where people could heal. Throughout my career, I have worked in a variety of settings including recovery centers, emergency psychiatric centers, and private practice. While each of these settings provided services to specific populations and provided me with invaluable experience, none of them filled the unique void of serving women who experienced trauma and chronic health conditions. My goal was to start a private practice where I could provide humanistic and integrative psychotherapy services to individuals and couples seeking more specialized care. Read more>>

Meesha Farzaneh | Designer

I was working a consulting position for about 3.5 years, and I just felt like I was going through the motions. It wasn’t doing anything to excite my heart or had much room to grow. I was thinking about how some people work for a company for years, and sometimes get laid off because of issues that are out of their control. The thought of not being in control of my own financial independence and future was something that really bothered me. I decided that the only way I could have more control over my career was to build it from the ground up myself. Read more>>

Jaime Foley | Jeweler & Business Owner

To be honest I never wanted to have my own business. It seemed like a lot of work and responsibility and I thought I wanted to be able to check out at the end of the day and be free until my next work day. I constantly have this need to be creating things and there are only so many of those things you can store and keep for yourself, especially if you want to expand your options of materials and skills. So my decision to start my own business came pretty organically with not so much of a decision but more of a natural series of steps that led to just having a business. If you want to create and create without limitations you have to have a way to financially sustain your habit and selling my work was the only way I knew how. Read more>>

Landra Williams | CoAuthor, Creative Director and Empowerment Advocate

During the time, I was feeling unfulfilled and was at a point in my life where I desperately wanted to feel fulfilled. I began thinking about the times in my life when I felt the most fulfilled and quickly realized that that feeling was often associated with celebrating and helping others. Event styling was one of the things that I loved to do and it didn’t feel like work. And that is what led me to take the “leap” into entrepreneurship. Read more>>

DJ TNT | Artist & Activist

The thought process behind starting my own business steamed from the obstacles that one endures when reentering society. I was able to turn my hobby or side hustle of djing into a business. Of the many obstacles one edures after successfully paying their debt to society and just wanting to put their past behind them and live their best life adequate employment is at the top of the list. No-one is willing to take that risk no matter how educated or qualified your are. Read more>>

Chuck Bah | Personal Trainer

For me, working each and everyday and feeling miserable was getting old. My wife and I discussed it for months preceding me venturing out on my own. So we put up enough money to pay bills for 90 days. That was my goal if i couldn’t make it work then back to corporate america. I was blessed to have God lead my path and replace what I was making at my employers place. Read more>>

Morgan Roberts | Photographer, Videographer & Entrepreneur

My thought process behind starting my own business came after years of working for someone else. I came from commercial diving and underwater construction. I remember my first day on the job in that career field, a fellow diver told me, “Morgan, I’m going to tell you something… Enjoy your time in this industry, make a bunch of money, and get out as fast as you can!” I sat there shocked. I had just acquired an excess of loans on school and training and day one, this man is telling me to get out. Read more>>

Sin Perez | Artist/Producer/Business Owner

I started my own music production company basically because I wanted and needed an outlet that I could be in full control of my music creation, owning my own music catalog and keeping all my earnings from my music. I was receiving calls from independent labels as well as several known labels but they wanted a bigger portion of everything regarding my music and only wanted me to have the small portion and I wasn’t happy with that since I create everything myself so I took my own hard earned money and I started an LLC in Texas. Read more>>

Jennifer Ly | Artist and Sewing Enthusiast

My thought process to starting my own business came from my love of stuffed animals. My fondest memory is when I was a child and my dad would win carnival games to get the stuffed animal prizes I wanted. Growing up, when I played with my older brother, we always gravitated towards using stuffed animals as our main toys instead of action figures. I started learning to hand sew in middle school and became interested in sewing my own dolls and creations. I would look at the seam lines of stuffed animals and try to create my own patterns off of what I saw. Read more>>

Anna Gieselman | Jewelry Designer

I started my own business because I had an idea that I was passionate about. The more I moved towards that idea the more successful I was. In the beginning I worked on my business part time while I held another “real” job part time. Eventually I realized I really only needed to do a little more business than I already was to replace the 20+ hours of low paid work that was sucking up my valuable time. As soon as I let go of my security blanket the universe supported me with more business and I was able to go fully on my own and I haven’t looked back! Read more>>

Kristina Denice | The Romance Concierge

I have always had dreams of being an entrepreneur. I come from a family of entrepreneurs where my mom is a hospice consultant, my father has his own concrete and construction company, my son has his own cupcake company and my step dad has His own medical transport company. I never knew what I wanted to do, but I knew I was creative and I like to do things that were hands on. The Agape Palace came a long when I decided I wanted to get into event planning but I wanted to do the planning, the decor, the candy tables, the balloons, and the treats. Read more>>

Cherae Crump | Owner of Valor Venue

Honestly, I never thought about or seen myself being a business owner. I know for some people, they always knew since they was a little kid that one day they was going to start their own business, but that definitely was not me. I always just thought to myself “if I get a decent paying job where I can be financially stable and have weekends off, then I’ll be good”. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with that, but there came a point and time in my life where I began to want more. My whole entire life I’ve had a scarcity mindset and only strived for average or the bare minimum. Read more>>

Debbie Cardwell | Jewelry Artist, Metalsmith

At some point in my artistic journey, I had to decide whether to continue making jewelry and honing my craft simply for my own personal pleasure or did I want to sell my creations in hopes of obtaining some commercial success. I felt that being able to sell my jewelry would not only challenge me to “up my game” but also give me a different type of satisfaction. Once I decided that I wanted to push myself beyond jewelry making as a hobby, there were many other considerations to start my business. Read more>>

Lieve Saether | Lieve Saether I Founder & Principal, Turnstyle Interior Design

With my long love of spaces and a keen interest in taking rooms apart, a design firm of my own was certainly inevitable. I have been interested in function, form, and most importantly color and pattern, since I was a young girl. As a curious and creatively encouraged person, I developed my company to fill what I saw as a gap in pushing interiors into something unusual. When I began my business, a lot of interiors where finished out in neutrals. Beautiful, but lacking in something vivid, complex and full of how life really is. Read more>>

Rachel Alexander | Mom, Writer, Poet

My son is my inspiration. In 2014, Max was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 2. When I found out, I researched how I could help him and what therapies or services I needed to get for him. Over the last 5 years, we have learned to live with and embrace everything that Autism brings. It is this journey that inspired me to start writing poetry. I created a website and Facebook page called ‘Autism Through Poetry’ with the hope that my poems will help others know that they are not alone, and that we are all in this together. I hope to encourage acceptance and create a better understanding of life with Autism; ultimately providing comfort to those who need it most. Read more>>

Gabriela Gerhart | Motherhood Center Founder and Parent Educator

Honestly, I was not really planning on starting a business initially, all I wanted to do was help new moms and dads transition into parenthood, my passions and interest helped it evolved into a business. I have always loved babies and pregnancy even as a little girl I would be playing the “pregnant women” creating my belly with a pillow and walking/wobbling around our living room. Years later, when I came to America, through an Au-pair program, I saw the need to create a place focusing on motherhood. The business really evolved from me listening to my client’s needs while I was working with them as a “baby nurse”, baby doula. I recognized that these moms needed a place to find quality information, physical and nurturing support, guidance and a place they could trust. That is how the Motherhood Center was created. Read more>>