Starting a business is a commitment and requires dedication, resources and sacrifice. We asked some of the rising stars in our community how they thought through the idea of starting their own businesses.

Elio Voorhees | CEO & Artist Manager

I’d have to say my thought process on starting my own business was to build a community of likeminded individuals. A big thing 21st Century and Voorhees Talent Agency are focused on is minority’s and giving them the opportunity’s I was afforded as a child born into a wealthy family. Read more>>

Stacey Fike | Founder and Owner of GloGirl Spray Tanning Boutique and GloGirl Sunless Products

Starting my own business was a series of professional decisions that happened rather organically! My initial profession was a Massage Therapist. I was the Lead Therapist opening Spa Nordstrom here in Houston around 20+ years ago. One of my responsibilities was to research and implement new services and treatments. At the time, spray tanning was just starting to infiltrate the beauty industry. I got trained and was off and running! I learned very quickly there is an elite clientele in Houston who like to BE tan but don’t want anyone to know they GET tan. These clients started asking me to come to their homes and GloGirl Spray Tanning mobile services was born! Read more>>

Karina Torres | Entrepreneur

I’ve always had a desire to start my own business, but I didn’t know exactly what. Sweet Moments Photobooths started when my sister-in-law was planning her wedding and we wanted to gift her something special. I thought a Photobooth would be perfect, and I decided to do research on it. The idea to start my own booth suddenly grew. I was already managing my partners swimming pool business, but I wanted to start something that I could pass along to my daughters and teach them about entrepreneurship. I had a conversation with my daughters, and they were delighted with the business idea. The joy of seeing our clients happy and enjoying their guests have so much fun with the photobooth is a blessing to us. We are passionate about what we do and enjoy each event. Read more>>

Adrian Green | Event Specialist, CEO &Owner

s someone who has faced many hardships, including imprisonment, I wanted to show the world that you can do what you put your mind to. Our hardships and life experiences should not limit what we can achieve. When I thought about what I wanted to do, I thought about making memories for people. Making memories and memorable moments is something that I truly cherish. The best way to do that was to have an event center that gives people opportunities to create endless memories. This is what birthed H-Town Event Center. Read more>>