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.

Rachel Ann Garcia | Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

Being a nurse gives me a lot of motivation to become in business, even when I was a kid my parents already thought me how to sell and hustle. I came from a very poor family in the Philippines, this gives me more drive to pursue my career and advance my degree in Nursing. Starting your own business is difficult, I thought at first it was a piece of cake and once you put everything together thats it. But i was wrong having your own business requires a lot of dedication and continues commitment. Read more>>

Kalee (Koburi) Francis M.A. Ed. CCC-SLP | Speech Language Pathologist

After the birth of my son I decided that I wanted to provide the type of support that I had been looking for as a first time breastfeeding mom. Traveling with a newborn after having a c-section was challenging and weekly lactation appointments that were 25-30 minutes away from home were a struggle. I decided that I wanted to offer virtual and in-home lactation consultation services across the valley with no travel fees associated with the service to alleviate the stress of traveling with a newborn. Read more>>

Lauryn Mandryk | Co-Founder of Nurtured 9

I think the most successful businesses fill a gap in the marketplace and come from a genuine place or passion. For myself and my business partner, Lindsey, we both we navigating the throes of pregnancy and new motherhood apart from one another, but around the same time. Nurtured 9 truly stemmed from two best friends discussing their experiences, feeling like there was a lack of support for Moms during pregnancy and postpartum, and thinking, “there has to be a way we can make this better for others”. Read more>>

Kasey Bugayong | Horse Trainer

My thought process behind starting Rockin’ K Horse Training was more of a dream and an idea my younger self. I had always wanted to have my own business, be my own boss, and help horses. I really started thinking about making training horses a profession of mine when I started helping a family friend in the summer of 2015. Read more>>

Elizabeth Wimpsett | Digital Marketing Strategist & CEO of The Social Boutique – Marketing Agency

I spent several years working in the corporate world as the Marketing Manager for a Regional Financial Institution. While in this role, I became actively involved in our local Chamber of Commerce and joined our local Main Street Program’s Board of Directors. I saw the struggles our local Small Business Owners faced when it came to promoting their storefronts, products, and services. I also saw predatory “Marketing Agencies” approaching these small business owners and selling them products and services that they did not need – at a price they could not afford. Read more>>

Heather Livingston | Acrylic Abstract Artist of Arizona & Instructor

When I started painting, it was just for fun and it was calming and therapeutic for me. It helped with anxiety and depression. I was able to express emotions through my paintings when I had no one to talk to. I created very large paintings and lots of smaller pieces until every wall in my house was covered. with my paintings. I started to paint other things when I ran out of wall space. Flower pots, table tops, picture frames, dressers, vases, and even started making coasters. I started advertising to do commission pieces so I could continue to paint and not have to worry about where I would hang it. Read more>>

Beth Mosey | Baker and cake decorator

I was a high school English teacher for going on 10 years when the seed for my business was first planted. I was feeling more and more stressed, dealing with the demands of a job and 2 young kids with a third on the way. I started putting more time into baking; cookies, cakes, bars, etc. I would bring treats to work and colleagues began to ask me when I was going to start baking for a living. Read more>>

Donetta Walker | Licensed Professional Counselor/ Practice Owner

I started Divine Wellness & Counseling to provide quality counseling services to individuals and communities that are underserved. I wanted to provide services in an environment that fostered growth and transformation in a nonjudgemental way. I wanted people to come into the office and feel safe, seen, and heard. It was important to be able to meet people where they are and walk beside them through their journey of healing while providing them with tools and coping strategies. Read more>>

Talia Ortiz | Cow Skull Artist

I started to get into the world of art when I was younger. For a while, I stopped doing it, And during that time I started to suffer with anxiety. One day at a friends house, she had a cow skull laying around and she told me to paint on it. While painting, I was so focused and was discredited from feeling anxious. As I started to create more art on cow skulls, people started to notice. Then, I got asked by multiple people for custom skulls. I created my business and the rest is history. Read more>>

Adam Ogard | Photographer & Videographer

My thought process behind starting my business was thinking, “I know people like what im was doing with it so instead of only incorporating that in a small part of what I was doing at the time. Why not create a business out of it”. Read more>>