Are you thinking about starting a business? If so, we think you’ll enjoy reading about how these seasoned entrepreneurs thought about the question when they were in your shoes.

Duncan Greenwood | Flow Artist, Technical Designer, Entrepreneur

At first I thought it would be a nifty way to make some income on the side from a hobby. I have a passion for juggling and fire dancing, and quality props are hard to get in South Africa, so I started a shop called Flow DNA. The idea was to provide lots of toys for my friends and I to play with at parties, basically. I had a full-time job in animation, so money wasn’t the focus. It was a way of attempting to sustainably produce art that I love to make, and encouraging people to express their own motions. I wanted to see a world where everyone had more interesting toys. Read more>>

Kara Hendricks | Kara Hendricks Photography/Family & Senior Photographer

After an early retirement from teaching elementary education, I knew I wanted to contribute something beautiful to society and help others in some way. I loved taking sports photos during my own children’s sports events and giving them to families as keepsakes, which led to those families asking for family photos and my business just organically evolved. As my business grew, each family had questions about what to wear, or what to do with their images once they received them, and being a natural “helper”, I wanted to make each experience easy and special so my business grew into more than I imagined! I love serving my clients with everything from styling advice to ideas on how to display and preserve their photos. Read more>>

Amy Mackey | Astrologer, Tarot Reader, Yoga Instructor, Nutritional Coach, and Ceremony Facilitator

I didn’t really have a goal in mind when I decided to officially start my own business—I had already left my old job, as a dancer, to pursue yoga teaching when I became pregnant. After having my two sons and completely several certifications, it seemed the only logical thing to do was build my own brand. It was a place where I could combine all my talents and share my knowledge. Read more>>

Dinesh Tadepalli | Co-Founder and Chief Spoon Seller

It started about 3 years ago, when our family was at an ice cream shop. We had fun eating ice cream and threw the cups and spoons in the bin. After noticing hundreds of plastic spoons in there, a question stuck as a lightning – As an educated person, who is well aware of plastic pollution, why didn’t I think twice before using a plastic spoon just for few minutes of fun?? My 10 minutes of convenience is causing hundreds of years of pollution. That question disturbed me deeply and pushed me to go all-in to find the best alternative to plastic, not just for replacing it but making people think before using another plastic spoon! Read more>>

Sean Collins | CBD Entrepreneur

I worked for Walgreens for 15 years. While I was there, I became disgusted with the amount of C2 pain medications we were dispensing. When the farm bill passed in 2019, I had several customers coming in looking for CBD. Walgreens didn’t sell it and my customer base had no one to go to. I saw CBD as a natural alternative to pain medication. I created CBD Beauty and Bath so my client base could have a company they could trust for a natural alternative to pain medication. Read more>>

Carrie Hoffman | Yoga Instructor, Ayurvedic Health Counselor, Entrepreneur

In 2018 when we started I saw a lot of yoga retreats out there but I didn’t see any that also focused on recovery and personal growth. We are both in long term recovery from addiction and so we recognize the importance of creating safe and supportive spaces for people in any kind of recovery. Alcohol use is very normalized in the world of outdoor recreation and travel, but drinking through a trip doesn’t give you the full opportunity to learn and grow. We wanted to create something different. Read more>>

Tamisha Johnson | Cinematographer & Director

I decided to start my own business as a way to start building my legacy for my son. Im building and learning so that I can teach him when he gets older. Read more>>

Bethany Smith | Owner and Lead Coordinator

I come from a family of entrepreneurs, but I had never really envisioned myself owning my own business before. I knew that if I went that route, I would have endless support, but if I chose a different path and worked for someone else, they would support me in those endeavors also. It wasn’t until I spent three years in the corporate world that I realized I didn’t want to do that the rest of my life. I knew what my God-given strengths and talents were, and they weren’t being put to good use in my jobs, so I decided to take the leap and start my own business in something I’m passionate about. It definitely took a few years to grow to a place that I could quit those other jobs and pursue my business full time, but here we are. I’m still learning, but that’s what makes it so rewarding. Read more>>

Matt Ferree | Collectibles shop owner

We had been collectors for years. I’m always looking for ways to save a buck so I started looking into how to get wholesale pricing on some of the items we regularly purchased. I got a business license and started seeking wholesale contracts. Instead of buying 1 action figure, I would buy a case of them and sell the extra ones online. Once I started doing that, I was able to keep 1 item out of a case for myself and end up making money on top of it. Once I realized how easy it was to make a profit and do something I enjoyed at the same time, I was hooked. Read more>>

Kristin Hardwick | Fashion Designer

My thought process behind opening my own business was to advance in ways that I never thought I could. The best thing about my career is that I can be creative and unique from others while also being able to learn new things along the way. I am grateful for the many opportunities I have received such as showcasing my collections in NYFW, St. Louis, and even Vegas! My thought process is always to never give up and to strive for whats to come. I am a huge advocate for self expression and not letting anyone get in the way of it. Therefore, opening my very own business, was a huge step in the right direction for me. Read more>>

Candie Kemp | Corgi mom-treprenuer

Being that I am my own target customer, I saw the need for certain amenities and accommodations that are necessary while traveling with my pets. Sure, there are pet friendly hotels – but largely that often means that pets are simply “tolerated” in those establishments. I envisioned a place for the many people like me who build their life around their dogs and can travel without extra fees or worrying about having to occasionally be away. Read more>>

Amber Foster | Interior Designer & boutique wine & design shop owner

I had been working for another designer for a little over 5 years when I starting getting the feeling I was more of a boss and working for someone wasn’t the path I was supposed to stay on. So early 2021 I took the leap! I was nervous going from a salary job to nothing, but I really felt deep down it was the right move for me. I just continued to tell myself I was capable. My love for design and my great support system we’re the driving force behind making Thrown Design and Wine a reality. Read more>>