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.

Emily Listmann | Natural Healing Coach

As with many healing professionals, my business was born from my own healing journey. I was chronically stressed and suffering from autoimmune diseases, cancer, IBS, and more. I was burnt out in my job and stuck in an anxious state of mind. Read more>>

Marcus Bell | Entrepreneur

Got tired of being where I was at, a loser going no where but an average life style. I wanted more, to become more, share my story and create a new way of life my family. Change my family tree of “just getting by” to self discipline, self respect, being relentless, never backing down, never giving up. I would rather die giving it everything I got than die of regrets. I wanted My business to be a reflection of everything I said. Read more>>

Allison Mcfarlane | Business & Marketing Guru

Starting Allison McFarlane Inc. wasn’t just a business decision; it was a leap of faith toward rediscovering joy and purpose in my life. After dedicating 15 years to commercial banking, I found myself at a crossroads with my previous company. Despite my efforts, success seemed elusive, and the challenges I faced at work began to affect my personal life. I felt as though I was losing my spark, the very essence that had driven my success for years. Read more>>

Delara Shirvani | Owner

The thought of starting my own business was just the scariest thing! I was scared of failure and disappointing my self. I wasn’t sure if I even had confidence to become an entrepreneur. With all the courage I could find within my self I decided to start Shop Vani in 2020. I started in my mom’s extra master bedroom closet haha. I think I started with 5-6 pieces of clothing. At the time thats all the inventory I could afford and even had space for. I remember storing my inventory in my mom’s guest bedroom. Little by little I felt more confidence in taking more risks for Shop Vani. The more confidence I started to build the better my business started to do. I had plenty of failures, don’t get me wrong! Those failures had to happen for me to build my business to where it is today. A lot of the times in the beginning my negative thoughts would take over my mind and it would effect Shop Vani. Fighting those negative thoughts and building something from nothing is one of the biggest accomplishments of my life to this day. Read more>>

Kerry thekyleblue” Smith | Comic Book Author and Writer”

I have a love for comic books and thought why not make one myself. I wanted to have a space to create content that is worthy of reading and to self publish. I want to create stories worth publishing and inspiring. My goal is to create stories illustrated in Black and White with Black characters in Texas. Read more>>

Pamela Taylor | Birth Doula

My journey towards starting my birth doula business was deeply influenced by personal experiences, including supporting my aunt through a stillborn, becoming a surrogate, and facing challenges during pregnancies. These encounters fueled my passion to assist women, especially those affected by infertility and infant loss, advocating for their right to a physiological birth. My goal is to be a voice for women and help them embrace their divine feminine energy throughout pregnancy, birth, and beyond. Read more>>

Monique Hoggard | Real Estate Concierge

My thought process was to be my own boss after being laid off and seeing how realtors help others, it was something I wanted to do and enjoy. I wanted to connect with the Caribbean community first and be a resource for minorities. This business definitely challenges you, but is rewarding at the same time. YOU are the limit in this industry. Read more>>

Jerri P Beasley | Kingdom Visionary

I didn’t like what I was seeing on television and hearing on radio, it all seemed so manufactured and scripted, I wanted something that would invoke creativity and would be able to be spirited led vs corporate led Read more>>

Teresa Kelley-Harris | Creationist

I was born into a Legacy of entrepreneurs.

My paternal and maternal grandparents, mother, father, maternal aunts all had their own businesses. At a very young age I worked with all of them in different industries. (Decorating,Administrative Assistant, Floral Design, Hairdressers, Second hand Resale, Custom Creations, Balloon Design, Etc. ) It’s what was embedded in me to be my own boss very young. I love to create with my hands, so why not make it a business just like my family. Read more>>

Crystal Hinds | Owner/Designer of Washco Apparel

From a very young age, I knew I wanted to start up my own clothing line. Growing up, I would watch my grandmother sew all of her clothing and it truly inspired me. Although I did not have much experience in the fashion industry, I decided to take a leap of faith and dive in head first. Being a natural creative, I wanted to bring my ideas to life and make a stamp in this large competitive industry. I wanted to create a clothing line that was unique and on trend but yet different from what you saw in any ordinary store. I also knew when starting my business, I wanted to offer a wide variety of sizing in all of my designs. Washco Apparel offers sizes X-Small to 3XL and all are a true to size women’s fit, allowing women of all sizes to feel confident in their wardrobe. In January 2021, Washco Apparel was created and since we have grown our reach to 38 states and stores all across our home state in Texas! Read more>>

Kristopher Harvey | CEO & Founder and Fashion Stylist

As a young boy growing up in Mississippi, I loved high fashion but never had access to it. Then after 6+ years of working in fashion, I had become frustrated by the lack of diversity in the fashion industry and the horrendous impact fashion had on the environment. The fashion industry contributes more carbon emissions than maritime shipping and international flights combined. People always talk about the lack of diversity on the runways but never enough about ownership. There are very few black owned luxury fashion companies. I enrolled at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania to gain my MBA and build my entrepreneurial skills and my network. During my final year of business school, I built a website through Shopify and launched TheLuxeLend.com in March of 2022. I launched TheLuxeLend to: – Establish a black-owned luxury retail company Read more>>

Jacobo Gaitan | Cigar Store Owner, Master Cigar Sommelier

I grew up in the Jamastran Valley in Honduras. Tobacco is one of the main products that grown in that region, real close to Danli, where cigar factories are one of the biggest employers. I spent a lot of time visiting factories when I was assigned to the Army base in Honduras, visiting my uncle, Bayron Duarte, who at the time was in charge of quality control in one if the big factories. Years later, my uncle and his business partners started their own brand of cigars, Oscar Valladares Cigars, and I started going to the annual premium cigars trade show with them until 2017, when I decided to open my own store. Read more>>

Jasmine ‘Jas’ Jordan | Peronal Injury Attorney

Embarking on the journey of starting my own firm wasn’t without its apprehensions. Like any significant leap, there was a moment of pause, a flicker of doubt whispering in the back of my mind. Yet, amidst the uncertainty, there was a steadfast belief—a belief in my abilities, in my dedication to the cause, and in the unwavering support of those who had placed their trust in me over the years. Read more>>

Brittany Cooper | Licensed Clincial Social Worker (LCSW- Therapist) and Business Coach

I always knew that I wanted my own business. My mom had been doing her own thing since I was born. When I made the decision to start my private practice I was working as a supervisor at a nonprofit agency and I felt boxed in! This is the first time I have ever started using sick days or arriving late or leaving early from any job. Something was clearly wrong and even my family started noticing a difference in my energy. I knew that I had more to give to my community and I needed to do it my way! I needed to make providing therapy fun again! I needed to do what I felt was best for myself and my community no matter what anyone else felt. So I took a leap of faith and instead of waiting until I was in my 40/50s I started my business immediately! Read more>>

Kennedy Comito | Photographer

Well at first I didn’t really think about it. I just decided to start an Instagram and share baseball pictures on there, and then everything else just sort of fell into place. I am so glad I did decide to start my Instagram account because if I didn’t I wouldn’t have so many amazing things from it. Read more>>