Deciding to start a business is an unusual decision. It’s often considered irrational and yet for many it’s the best decision they’ve ever made. So we asked folks to think back to when they were starting their businesses and to tell us about their decision making process.

Sharon Forbis | Small Business Owner

I watched as my husband had taken a love of his baja bug and turned it into a business. After building my VW Bus, Lala, I saw an opportunity to take something I’m passionate about and share it with others. I received a lot of positive feedback from our community and realized that there was a huge interest in using vintage vehicles for photo shoots and events. That’s how Events With Lala started! Read more>>

Summer Walter | Visual Designer

The thought process behind starting my own business was driven by a desire to set my own schedule. In 2019, I was laid off from a non–profit organization somewhat out of the blue. After sending my resume to what felt like hundreds of job applications, I felt extremely frustrated by the recruitment blackhole of 9–5 culture. This frustration prompted me to move into a van with my partner and three dogs to re-group, cut down on living expenses, and have an adventure. I loved the spontaneity of living nomadically, and realized that if I wanted to have a flexible lifestyle that allowed me pursue my creativity, I would need to start my own business. Read more>>

Michael Zimmerlich | Entrepreneur and Podcaster

When I was a senior in high school I had class project to sell something to our fellow peers. So my classmate and I created a video “yearbook” in partnership with the school TV station. We didn’t sell many but it was such a rush that I made something for others to purchase that I knew then I wanted to be an entrepreneur. During college I had two notebooks, one for class notes and the other became filled with business ideas. Ever since then I never stopped thinking about new opportunities and possibilities. Read more>>

Shaheen Siddiqui | Physical Therapist

I’ve been a physical therapist for 20 years, and for the first 13 years of my career I have always worked in a typical outpatient therapy setting, which I truly did enjoy. It was exciting, I and I learned so much from the patients I was able to work with. However, there was something that didn’t quite feel right, as I felt that my time with each patient was so rushed, because I was seeing 3-4 patients per hour. I felt that there had to be a better way to provide physical therapy, so that my patients could get more out of each session. In mid-2016, I had an opportunity to rent a space inside of a personal training studio, and after much thought and deliberation, I took the plunge! Read more>>

Solomon Blake | Martial Arts Instructor

I decided that I wanted to have my own martial arts school in sophomore year of high school. I had fallen in love with martial arts so much, and I didn’t see any real career opportunity outside of running a school of my own, so that’s what I decided on. Read more>>

Toni Leo | clinical psychologist, founder/director of nonprofit animal sanctuary, chef/baker, B&B owner, maker of soaps and candles

I decided to start my own business because I wanted maximum flexibility in my schedule, and the ability to determine how my business functioned including quality control. I actually have several small businesses, each providing a different service to the community. Read more>>

Etienne Carreira | Breaking Coach/Entrepreneur

Myself, my brother (Guillaume Carreira) and our partner (Kareem Gwinn) Felt we had a duty to pass on the knowledge we have attained over decades of breaking and competing to the next generation of B-boys and B-girls. It was only natural that we open up our own breaking, dance studio. Read more>>

Tess Annushka Dharandas Domínguez | Architect | Data scientist & Data Analyst student

My thought process when starting my own business, Intelliverso, was driven by a deep passion for technology and the future. I have always believed that artificial intelligence and new technologies have the potential to revolutionize how we live and work. The creation of Intelliverso was my response to the need to share these fascinating innovations with the world in an accessible manner. From the outset, my goal was to transcend the conventional boundaries of technological information and take our readers on a journey beyond the ordinary. I wanted to create a space where technological innovation and artificial intelligence could be explored in-depth, from practical applications to ethical issues and future challenges. Read more>>

Maria Mazon | Chef + Restaurant Owner

I was foolish enough to start 🤣— I discovered that I was an okay cook working in restaurants in my late teens and early 20s. Then, I found a business partner, and I knew that I felt the most safe in the kitchen. Having ADHD, I always felt like my life was chaos anyway, and owning a business is kind of chaotic you know? So I thrived in that position. And I knew I wanted to make people’s lives better with food – food and music are the only two things that can transport us as people to the happiest times in our lives. I wanted to bring happiness to as many people as I could. Read more>>

Melissa Medina | CEO and Owner of Affordable Legal

After working for law law firms for almost 15 years I decided that I wanted to take my experience, education and drive to invest in my self and build something for me and my family. Read more>>