Ideas aren’t everything, execution matters greatly, but starting often requires an idea and so we asked folks to think back and tell us the story of how they came up with the idea for their businesses. We’ve highlighted some of our favorite stories below.

Suzanne Chilton | Registered Canadian Reflexology Therapist & Educator

After the birth of my daughter, I was looking to find myself again and a career that was more in line with my values, passions and gave me more time freedom to spend with our new little one. I had been working in theatre and film for years but didn’t have the spark for the industry politics anymore. Read more>>

Crystal Egger | President & Meteorologist

After a 15-year career in Broadcast Meteorology, I clearly understood the devastating effects of weather and our changing climate on people and capital, firsthand. After working alongside Kathryn Prociv at The Weather Channel, we decided to team up to turn our knowledge, experience, leadership skills and love of science into “business” by launching Monarch Weather + Climate Intelligence. Read more>>

Jessica Stern | Co-founder & COO

If the U.S. military uses advanced technology to keep Americans safe by tracking the bad actors and their networks who pose a threat to national security, then how could we apply the same technology and techniques to find family and community connections that would keep our most vulnerable children safe? Read more>>

Michael Herlache MBA | Founder, Investment Banking University

Investment Banking University really began when my business partner and I were trying to figure out how to build a boutique M&A advisory firm back in graduate school. We spent hours whiteboarding together on how we could start the firm, get into deal flow and ultimately build a meaningful advisory firm. Read more>>