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.

Correy and Alycia Plunkett | Travel Planners

Traveling is a passion of ours, it allows us to share new experiences and creates moments of vulnerability to bring us closer. We also learn about other cultures and witness how much more there is to life outside of ours. We want to share these learning experiences with others and present travel to an audience that may not have been exposed to it otherwise. We aim to educate and help others to embark on these expeditions that create lifelong memories. Read more>>

Stephanie O’Dell | Founder/CEO Celebrate The Gray Agency

When my 60 year old client told me the fashion industry had forgotten her, that she felt invisible and I noticed that she had begun to dress in gray, tan and black in an effort to disappear, I knew something had to change. Read more>>

Viri Dukes | Owner of ICONIC BY VIRI

It was definitely a very scary decision to make. I was leaving consistent income behind, to invest all of my time and energy into the unknown. It wasn’t something I decided to do on the side, while working my 9-5. I left my full time job to give ICONIC BY VIRI my absolute all. Read more>>

Brad Boothe | Creator of Fill in the Game

When I started creating Fill in the Game, I didn’t have a plan for turning it into a business. It all started over 10 years ago while playing party games with my wife and our friends. We really enjoy party games, but found that they usually got repetitive after playing a few times. I had the idea to create a party game that had blanks in it so the challenges could be different every time you play. Read more>>

Sherri Brookshire-Roberts | Safety Defense Specialist &Habilitation Therapist

To start off, my initial plan was to create a safety system for my daughter whom was diagnosed with Autism at a very young age. She’s becoming of age and I wanted to create a safety system for her while she’s out in public. A safety system that I could utilize to keep track of her while she’s not with me. Read more>>

Estrella Fitch | CEO/Founder of The Healing Journey

I had worked over 25 years in social work and 10 1/2 years as a victim advocate. I noticed the limited resources we had for victims of abuse once the court proceedings were done. I knew I had to open a safe place for victims’ could heal from their abuse. This is what drove me to open up The Healing Journey a 501-C-3 non profit organization. Read more>>

Meghan Corr | Content Creator & Videographer

I could never sit still at a conventional job. I always had so much going on in my head. I wanted to see the world, I knew this was only attainable through starting my own brand. Read more>>

Heather Whitener | Owner/Operator of a Salon for Men

My thought process behind starting my own business, was I am already working 60 hours a week sometimes seven days. I may as well be doing that for myself and my family instead of a bigger corporation. My hope is that one of my children would like to someday get licensed in the industry and continue working and running the shop in the future. Read more>>

Jenna Ford | Family Nurse Practitioner, Founder and Owner of Compass Mobile Medical

The thought process behind starting my own business was to change the perception of healthcare both for myself and my patients. I have been in this industry for 15 years, and if you asked me what was wrong with healthcare today I could probably write you a book. However instead of focusing on the negatives, I am choosing to take my knowledge and my experiences and pave a new way. Read more>>

Ricardo Flores-Ortiz | Metal Artist

At first, I just started welding nuts, bolts and any repurposed metals to make figures just as a stress reliever. My wife encouraged me to try to sell them and she submitted applications to art shows, we were admitted and saw potential and started our business. Read more>>

Heidi Block | Co-Founder & CEO of Play-PKL

I think I’m an entrepreneur at heart. This is my second time starting my own “business”, though much of my career has been as an independent contractor so really I’ve almost always had my own business. Read more>>

Kätlin & Torsten Malm | Tattoo Artists

Torsten Malm: I really can’t remember, there wasn’t any big thought process behind starting our own business, it all just happened really naturally and without too much thinking. It was the logical step in our career path since both I and Kätlin found tattooing the right career path for us and we wanted to pursue it. Read more>>

Claudia Andrea | Wedding Officiant and Event Host

I’ve always had big ideas and big dreams and, fortunately, believed that anything is possible! Read more>>

Georgia Cobb | Founder of LadyBird Essentials, All Natural Bath & Home Goods

Even though I am an Arizona native, I used to volunteer at Fort Davis National Historic Site in Texas. To be a volunteer there, you must learn about how people lived during that time period. I became interested in how the early American settlers would clean themselves and their homes. Read more>>

Kassidy Baker | Sam Rufo

We were planning my daughters 3rd birthday party; we had designed a balloon arch, made chocolate covered candy dipped in sprinkles, and even designed a mosaic frame. We went the whole 9 yards. It was my best friend and now partner, Sam, who then came to me, and suggested the business idea. Read more>>