The first step to starting a business is deciding to start a business. They say the first step is the hardest and in our experience this is especially true when it comes to starting a business. Getting over the mental roadblocks can be tough, often harder to overcome than the challenges you’ll face once you actually start the business. Fellow entrepreneurs share their thoughts below.

Angela Powell | Community Outreach Specialist & Activist

Family Members and Friends tend to count on me to find resources to fit their needs. Many know me to be well connected within the community network. I found myself assisting with research, often finding resources to bring resolve to each situation. The demand for my services led to Sista’s With a Purpose Networking Club. Originally registered as a Non-Profit in Georgia, dissolved in 2020 and reorganized in Arizona, now registered as SISTAS WITH A PURPOSE NETWORKING CLUB LLC. Read more>>

Melanie Barnes | Discover Strength Franchise Owner

I have always loved autonomy and being allowed to get to a goal or destination in the way that I wanted. I worked in corporate jobs, including at a Fortune 50 company, and at times I could create my own process or path, but most of the time the process was decided for me and there was little variability in the day to day. Starting my own business, specifically a franchise, was the perfect path for me as it allows me to own my own business and create my own path while also still having a proven business model and some support. Read more>>

Daniel Labadie | Creator/Owner of Sonic Soul Services LLC

As an instructor in fitness, dance and education, I started to notice how many people were experiencing a disconnection with their creativity, intuition and sense of self. I began to shift my teaching approaches towards helping others to become present with themselves and their energy, which helped me to realize my capabilities of holding space for others through my own work instead of solely teaching for other companies. Since there was not a pre-existing brand or business that could let me encompass all of what I was able to offer to others, I became inspired to create my own. Read more>>

Scarlett Irone | 2024 Latin Sol Director

What was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The Latin Sol Festival is a 3 day event that is hosted at ASU. Each year, a different student is chosen to direct this event. I applied the same day that the application opened up. By then I had only been dancing for about a year, but I knew I wanted to be as involved as possible. The 2023 Latin Sol Festival was absolutely amazing, but I wanted to see just how much farther I could push it. Read more>>

Eduardo Castro | Entrepreneur

My thought process behind starting my own business was to find a niche in the community that wasn’t being offered. After being involved in the community and working and speaking to members of the community I found out that a niche was being left out and I wanted to be able to provide a alternative to what was already being offered making sure the entire community was having their needs met and welcomed. Read more>>

Dr. Ben Leong | Sports Chiropractor

I started my own business because I want to be in charge of how I take care of people. Healthcare is a relationship, and as a business owner, I can listen to my patients and do what’s best for them, without having any interference from outside voices. I get to create the environment that people learn and grow in, and I am the one that sets the tone for their experience. Read more>>

Faith Burtamekh | Business + Leadership Coach | Retreat Facilitator

Starting my own business was a decision fueled by a deep desire to serve others. My vision is simple yet profound: every woman who comes to Faith Marie Co. with a dream on her heart and big plans in her head receives the tools, beliefs, and systems she needs to turn those goals into her reality. Read more>>

Jade Place | Restaurant Owner

The businesses we have started filled gaps of things we were missing from home. Living in Williamsburg Brooklyn twenty years ago, we recognized a demand for Tex-Mex cuisine, which my husband, a native Texan, deeply missed. This led to the inception of our first venture “El Diablo Tacos”. Interestingly, a decade later, while residing in Austin, Texas, we found ourselves yearning for the vibrant New York bistros known for their all-day breakfasts, oysters, and exceptional cocktails. This inspired the creation of Hillside Farmacy in Austin. Read more>>

Pamela Doverspike | Owner of Mild to Wild Backcountry Horse Adventures & Vice President of Tse’ Bii’

For all my life, I have loved horses and am passionate about trail riding in the backcountry and camping. After years of adventures, I started Mild to Wild Backcountry Horse Adventures to share with other trail-riding enthusiasts. One of my first trip offerings was riding in Monument Valley with Effie Yazzie Holiday and her family in stunning Monument Valley. Effie guides horseback riders around her grazing grounds and shares stories of her people in the park. Throughout the years, I became close friends with Effie and her family. I soon after learned that they- and the residents who live in Monument Valley- do not have water or electrical infrastructure. Read more>>

Kylie Thomas | Owner & Artist

In late 2020 I had quit my job and a couple months later my fiancé, Gannon, suggested we start a small business. I had no clue what I wanted to do but I knew I wanted to do something that involved art. One night I was scrolling through Tiktok and came across a video of someone making a Cubone skull with borax crystals and I thought to myself that it would be cool if someone made a Cubone skull terrarium. Shortly after, I had the idea of bug Pokémon displayed like real moth and butterfy taxidermy. I scoured the internet to make sure I wasn’t stepping on any toes and to my surprise no one had done it yet, so I immediately got to work making prototypes of Butterfree. Read more>>

Autumn Timmins | President and Co-Founder

I wanted to live my “why” through a career that matters and create a way to support our community. By creating my nonprofit, I believe I can help empower our First Responders with better tools to create inclusivity while fostering a culture of acceptance and awareness between the First Responders and the autism community. Read more>>