Starting a business can be terrifying. Weighing the pros and cons, the risks, and other considerations can be so overwhelming that often promising entrepreneurs stop before they even start. We asked some phenomenal entrepreneurs about their thought process behind starting their own businesses. Our hope is that by making the thought-process less intimidating we can help more folks think through whether they should take an entrepreneurial leap.

Dr. Candice Stewart | DNP, injector and nurse practitioner is the owner of Stella Capri Wellness

I had been the medical director, master injector and hormone specialist at my last job for about six years. I really loved the staff and owner; they treated me like family and helped me create my own path in this industry. However, there were many times while working for others that gave me inspiration to operate in ways that inspired me to run services in my own way. Read more>>

Michael Swisher | Luthier / Guitar Builder

I’ve been a guitar player since the age of 10. I’ve always modified and changed the guitars that I owned to fit my needs, and I had even purchased many guitars simply to make changes. about 10 years ago I thought, what if I just started from scratch. I did a lot of research and started making templates, and creating designs, buying tools and I crafted as much as could from raw materials. Read more>>

Bee Stanton | Graphic Artist & Illustrator

My own business has come about from a series of fortunate events. I’ve always been creative so I took graphic design in college. Once I graduated I did a little bit of freelance but at that stage I wanted stable income and more experience. I got a job at a print shop. It was good. I learned so much and the experience will always be invaluable to me. But nothing beats being your own boss. Read more>>

Carley Storm | Brand Photographer + Video Producer

I wanted to find a way to help women grow and succeed and have more flexibility with my own family. There was one day that I was waiting for the bus where I had this “I’m over this” aka my “F this moment” while standing in the snow waiting for the bus. My son’s school was closed but I had to go to work and while I was waiting for bus into NYC to my dental hygienist job in Midtown Manhattan. It was a moment where I felt out of control- my son was home, school was closed and my husband had to take a day off be with our 5 month old. Read more>>

Dakarai Golden | Photographer and Video Creator

I’ve always wanted to have my own business of some kind. Originally it was just to have something I can all my own and build from the ground up. Currently it’s still for that reason but now I see it more as an opportunity to build something long lasting and something that I can attach to my last name. That’s what a legacy is right? That’s exactly what I’m trying to do. Not only with this company that may fail years from now, but with the many goals that I plan to achieve in my lifetime. Read more>>

Kazuki Oiwake | Co-Founder @ Markester

In September 2022, life threw me a curveball when I was laid off from a tech startup. I found myself at an unexpected crossroads, feeling lost and uncertain about my future. The thought of starting my own business was both exciting and terrifying, and it felt like standing at the edge of a cliff, unsure whether to jump or not. Read more>>

Sue & Jerry Parra | Junk Lovers

To be honest with you, there really was no thought process. It was truly a God thing. In 1985 we were asked by a local businessman Marion Mifflin to look at a large building he had filled with miscellaneous “junk”. It was located in the center of Oracle on his property on American Ave. He had been purchasing abandoned storage units and storing the contents in this building. Mifflin wanted someone to come in and go through the boxes and sell it. We were up for that task and made a deal with him to do so. We loved junk and upcycling way back then and still do. Read more>>

Marvin Paige | Owner & President

Being in the Advertising/Promotional Agency world in the Chicagoland area for over 30 years, I was amazed that he had never had the opportunity to work with a black printer or print provider. This underrepresentation inspired the founding of M2 Printing Solutions and the intention to become the fastest growing Black-Owned print provider in the U.S. Read more>>

Nina Corella | Curvy Gal Closet Founder & Owner

So I actually had this business idea in college around 2011 in one of my classes our final was to create a business and we had to write the business plan, create a budget, a logo, pricing ranges, and products we would carry, and even use the classrooms to create a pop-up shop of what our shop would look like and type of atmosphere we wanted to give off to our customers. Read more>>

Shane Bradford | Window Cleaner

I’ve always wanted to have my own business. But I didn’t know what business I really wanted. I started working in construction and for about 5 years I was learning everything I could. However with construction I always knew that far in the future it would eventually take a toll on my body and so then I started wondering if there was something else for me. From that point I started working in different places, restaurants, retail stores, call centers etc. Read more>>

Kevin Lawson | Rug Aficionado and Restoration Expert.

It was actually quite simple and straightforward. I worked for other companies locally for several years prior, acquiring the skills and knowledge firsthand, then the idea of applying that experience by creating my own business continued to become more and more appealing. I was passionate about rugs and restoring these beautiful works of functional art. I literally decided one day to pursue it and never looked back! I also wanted the freedom and ability to evolve this rather niche service industry into something more widely understood, respected and appreciated. Read more>>

April Walker | CEO & Soapmaker at Willakenzie River Soapery LLC

Willakenzie River Soapery was born out of the need to make soaps that were beautiful but also sensitive skin friendly. Growing up, My mom and I always had skin irritations to soaps, detergents and makeups. When I got a bit older and was able to buy better soap; I was still finding that I was allergic to many of the big name soaps out on the market today including those that boasted of being “all natural” and “sensitive skin safe”. I knew I needed to make a change to help all those like me who were struggling to find Quality, Handmade Sensitive Skin soaps. Read more>>

Chef Turtle | Chef/Educator/Author/Public Speaker/Influencer

I decided to start Chef Turtle’s Infusion Consulting LLC to help educate patients on how to do their own infusions and show them how simple it really is. Because I could not legally sell a product. I started doing my culinary show to give away all of my recipes for patients to do in their own home. Between the educational workshops, and the culinary show those two things also lead to my published infusion guide book that’s extremely budget friendly for the patient. Read more>>

Kelly Shumway | Pickleball PPR Instructor and Realtor

The thought process behind starting my own pickleball coaching business was driven by a combination of personal and professional factors. I first discovered pickleball at an interesting time in my life when I moved to Arizona and didn’t know anyone. To add to this, both of my kids went off to college at the same time, and I was suffering from empty nest syndrome. To top it off, COVID-19 hit and made meeting people incredibly difficult. Read more>>

Andrew Cox | Owner

Nexus was a dream of mine for 20 years. I’ve always been obsessed with books and started collecting with the intention to open a store about 20 years ago. I knew I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life working for other people so over a period of two decades I went to every Goodwill, thrift store, yard sale, estate sales and book store that I could find. We opened on August 3rd of 2022. Read more>>

Ciera Glenn | CEO, Feisty Farmer, Badass

There was no thought. It was a hip shot decision, that somehow we got here. Actually, let’s be real, someone told us that our farm would never amount to anything and that was the fuel to our fire. It went from selling eggs to our neighbor, to be randomly being asked by a local photographer to rent our tall grassy field to conduct photoshoots during Covid (because the local parks were all closed). Read more>>