We reached out to some of our favorite entrepreneurs and asked them to think back and tell us about how they decided to start a business. Check out their responses below.

Paul Zelizer | Social Entrepreneur Coach and Podcast Host

I was drawn to start my own business because I saw our world dealing with a number of very challenging issues. And business is one of the more powerful forces in our modern culture. There are many, many examples of businesses doing more harm than good in the pursuit of profits with little attention to longer-term ripple effects. Read more>>

Ella Nesius | Dog trainer and photographer

For a while, dog training and photographing animals has been a passion and a hobby that brought me a lot of joy and taught me new things about myself. Both things have brought amazing people into my life and connected me with the greatest minds who helped me found myself and craft a beautiful skill. I never planned for my passion to become the main source of income, but after spending so much time working on myself and the skill of handling and understanding dogs made it something inevitable. Read more>>

Evan Drachman | Cellist, Artistic Director and Founder of The Piatigorsky Foundation

As a performing artist, I play the cello, my goal after graduating from The Curtis Institute of Music was to perform. As is common in this profession, my telephone did not immediately start ringing with concert opportunities. I was advised that the best route towards a career was winning a major international competition. I set my sights on the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.  Read more>>

Caleb Vance | Real Estate Investor and Vacation Rental Property Management Owner

I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for real estate. Growing up, I watched in awe as my parents and grandparents worked hard to build their own business. They taught me the importance of hard work, dedication and never giving up. This was the foundation that led me to pursue my dreams of owning my own business. Read more>>

Carlos & Jenny Encinas | Entrepreneurs & Parents

We were new parents with full time, demanding jobs that did not leave much time or energy for family or each other. Once our oldest son started elementary school in 2016 we realized if something didn’t change we were going to miss out on our kids growing up, volunteering in the classroom, sporting events, etc. because we were tied to offices and deadlines. We had been hearing more and more about vacation rentals growing in popularity and decided to turn our long time family condo in Mammoth Lakes, CA from a long term rental into a short term rental as a test run and a way to start a side hustle. Read more>>

DAWN MORGAN | Public Relations and Marketing

Dawn has always had her own business. It was never anything she thought about, it just came naturally to her. When she was 13, she would go to the Beauty Shop with her mother on Saturdays, and out of boredom, she would clean up, offer the ladies in the hair dryers coffee and a magazine. That grew into the beauticians tipping her to come every Saturday and answer the phone, sweep hair, grab lunch orders, clean hairbrushes, etc. Read more>>

Angel Pickett | Owner of Party Like A Toddler

I was a first-time mom, trying to plan my sons first birthday. I searched all over the internet looking for some fun activities for my son to enjoy at his big birthday party. I was unable to find activities or rental options that were specific for the birthday baby. The day came for his birthday party, which was at a large banquet hall and ultimately there was nothing specifically for him to enjoy. We had lots of decorations and fun games for the older children to enjoy however the birthday baby had nothing. Read more>>

Melissa Herbst | Licensed Massage Therapist and Massage Educator

I have a had the great privilege of working for some fantastic employers throughout my career. Even so, I came to a point where I found myself wanting to grow and expand in a way that only going out on my own would provide. The massage industry is at a very interesting point and a lot of fellow colleagues are starting to branch out on their own. Since most of us in the healing professions are focused on gaining therapeutic skill sets, often the business side can be lacking. Before I opened Aligned, I was commuting for almost an hour and half a day. During these long drives, I found myself diving into any business podcast I could find. Read more>>

Kandace Ledergerber | EMDR Therapist & Yoga Teacher

While going through my schooling and developing as a young professional, I spent much of my career in non-profit settings. I saw so many people who deserved better care than they were receiving or needed services utterly different from what they were getting. I can’t even begin to count the number of trauma survivors I have had the honor of working with and hearing their stories sparked a passion within me. I knew that I wanted to help trauma survivors heal on a much deeper level, and to make this happen, I knew I needed to start my own business. Read more>>

gayle kabaker | Artist- writer- teacher

I’d always wanted to be a fashion illustrator ever since i was a kid. i went to art school at 18 and have free lanced since graduating at 22. Read more>>

Miguel Licona | Woodworker and Gallery Co-founder

I started woodworking in college and it had always been a hobby of mine. My wife, Gloria has been a silversmith for almost 20 years. When she moved to the US from Peru 13 years ago, she started making jewelry as a full time to supplement my teacher’s income. Gloria got her start selling her work at our local farmer’s market. We packed her booth into our tiny car and travelled all over the country doing many art shows. Read more>>

Ryan Zamudio | Mortgage Advisor & Model

I felt like I had reached the highest level I had any interest in achieving in my previous line of work! I wanted to shift my efforts into something new that was worth putting time into – something with near endless potential! Read more>>

Kaili Killingsworth | Social Creator & Skincare Sales

Living in the social media age, my interest was always peaked by the “influencer” lifestyle. But that life seemed unattainable unless you looked a certain way or lived in a popular area. In my day-to-day life I naturally share what I like and dislike with friends and family, what skincare or house cleaning products I am using, and clothes I ‘m buying, and decided that I could become a relatable resource for my community by using my trusted relationships, without having to be aesthetic. Read more>>

Jesselyne Abel | Poet, Author, Orthoptist

When starting Ink Jess Poetry LLC, our mission is to bring the power of poetry to individuals and businesses, enriching their lives and enhancing their communication. We aim to foster a love of poetry and writing in all those we serve, and to help them discover the power and beauty of the written word. We believe that poetry has the ability to connect us to our emotions, to each other, and to the world around us in profound ways. Read more>>