Many books on startups and business talk about how there are right and wrong reasons for starting a business. So, we asked a handful of successful founders about their reasons and the thought-process behind starting their business.

Renee Damon | Business Owner & Naturalist

Starting my own business was a decision deeply rooted in my passion for supporting animals and promoting their well-being. I’ve always felt a strong connection to animals and have been driven by a desire to make a positive impact on their lives. This intrinsic motivation served as the foundation for my entrepreneurial journey, guiding every decision and action along the way. Read more>>

Claudine Cuenca | Wax Specialist & Business Owner

I was always scared to work for myself. I’ve been in the beauty industry for over 18 years, having gotten my cosmetology license back in 2006. Prior to opening Bikini Body Wax, I always worked for other people, I was always an employee. Last year, I battled with breast cancer. It was the most terrifying experience of my life. It took such a toll on me(and my family). It was challenging physically, emotionally, mentally, financially. There were days is didn’t know how I even survived and how I was still alive. By the grace of God, I survived and was declared no evidence of disease end of September 2023. As I pieced my life back together, I decided to take some of it back. When it was time for me to go back to work, I knew I needed to work for myself. As scary as it was doing something new, and essentially starting from scratch since I had not been working for a while, I knew this was the right move. If I could survive something as terrifying as cancer, I could open my own business. That’s when I decided to open Bikini Body Wax. Read more>>

Brigid Trainor | Bottle Transformer & Candle Maker

I was working at an AZ focused wine bar, and loved looking at all the wine bottles. The artwork on so many of the labels was just stunning, and representative of our state. Tossing or throwing the bottles in a recycling bin didn’t seem right – after all, they are still works of art. I started taking home my favorite bottles, and trying to come up with ways to artfully display them. Eventually I purchased a cheap cutting device and began using them as planters. The candle making started a few months later at the suggestion of a friend, and I have been running with that idea ever since. Read more>>

Peggy & Willa | Co-Founders of Poppy Gifting

Gift giving has the power to spark joy and ignite conversation, but it has become a bit of a lost etiquette. We found that ready-made boxes feel impersonal, and big-box retailers don’t feel special. So we started Poppy to revive the art of gifting with an intentional touch. Read more>>

Tammy Carter | Baker

My thought process was to share more of my culture and to create a one of kind product using the same ingredients my ancestors used. I also want to teach the next generation about the significance of each ingredient in our culture. Corn is sacred to us, our ancestors knew the best time to plant by watching the stars, they knew how much rain to expect by watching the phases of the moon. There are songs dedicated to harvesting the various types of corn, songs for using corn pollen in a ceremony. The pollen is used as an offering during prayer or gifted to the shaman. During a womanhood ceremony, a 4 foot cake is baked in the earth made entirely out of corn baked in layers of corn husks. Blue cornmeal is also shared between newlyweds during a wedding ceremony. Not only is corn an integral part of my culture, but an integral part of my custom creations. Read more>>

Chris Elliott | Eleven10 Moto Garage Founding Member and Director

The goal was to create a hub for the community of vintage, classic, modern classic, and retro styled motorcycle enthusiasts here in Phoenix, but it turned into much more than that. The riding scene here is very segregated. A lot of the different types of motorcycle owners tend to stay in their own groups. We wanted to provide a place where all of these people could come together and hang out regardless of what they ride, or even if they ride. Just a place for motorcycle enthusiasts of all kinds. We welcome people from all different walks of life. Read more>>

Lindsay Laguna | Lead Designer & Owner

I really liked the idea of working for myself. I was working at Bloomingdales in NYC before. It was a very fast paced environment and there was a lot of goals to meet. It was corporate/retail so I had to be on time, I had to clock in and I didn’t feel like I was truly “free.” I craved more freedom. Once Covid hit, I was furloughed and I was actually able to put my all into this business. By the time everyone was going back to work, I had created a product I was confident in, so when asked if I wanted my job back, I took the risk and said No. During my time working at Bloomingdales, I was always beading though. It wasn’t something I decided to take on as a “hobby” during the pandemic. It helped my anxiety and keeping my hands busy. I’ve been beading ever since I was a little kid, so it truly has been a dream come true to now have the freedom of working for myself doing what I genuinely love to do. Read more>>

Maria Lourdes Aviles | Owner/Manager

That this country opens the doors for people to reach their goals and be successful. I received my passion from my ancestors in the culinary industry. What better way to learn a comfortable living for me and my family doing what i love the most. It allowed me the flexibility to be there when needed due the flexible work schedule while providing for them. With my families help we reached that dream of mine of owning my own restaurant. After opening our doors over 34 years ago our place is still family owned and operated. Since the thought entered my mind i never doubted that success would follow. Read more>>

Adriana Bitonti | Owner and creator of Adria Rose Creative

I have always had the urge to become an entrepreneur and just couldn’t find what made me the most happy. I spent years in the medical field but wasn’t sure that was the end all be all for me. When my mother passed in 2017 I knew I wanted to continue her legacy and share her story in a way that would help others and bring me closer to people all while showing off something I would love to do. I had the idea to start my business as a way to display many emotions and feelings in someone’s home and candles are one thing that always bring people relaxation and joy. You use candles for so much in life weather it be for fun, birthdays, memorials, honoring those and more. It felt perfect. Read more>>

Keysha Donald | Candle creator and co-owner of Smells Like Dessert Candles

We started this business to combine our two favorite things: candles and desserts! I remember always seeking out candles, body sprays, and even body wash that smelled like desserts and I was always disappointed in the choices out there, so we wanted to fill that void in the market Read more>>

Mark & Melissa Hollander | Owners of La Belle Vie / The Cafe at Frenchtown

St. Charles, MO is about twenty miles west of Ferguson, Missouri and, as you may recall, was the center of a nationwide discussion on racism in our country in 2014. The impact of this was felt all across our region and country and it truly stirred something inside of my wife and me. We felt strongly that we needed to open or create an environment where people were able to sit across from one another and have difficult but meaningful conversations. We started the search for a location to open a co-op working space, a diner, a coffee shop – SOMETHING. We knew that when we found the location, we would know what to do with it. We put in a letter of intent or a request to lease thirteen different locations and all of them fell through until January of 2020 -more than five years later and right before the COVID pandemic – when we found our location and started to create the space that we knew were called to create. Read more>>

MoShai Gibbs | B2B Marketer | Ardor Hair Co. Founder & Co Owner

Ardor Hair Company started because myself and two college friends was looking for a hair brand that catered to us! After years of wearing various hair brands, we all had a passion for extensions and thought it would be something we could give the world. After a year of research, product testing and more we were able to launch Ardor. Read more>>

Liza Wilson | Crochet Enthusiast, Small Business owner.

It is a question that is asked of me a lot. I never thought of this as a business. It all started After my oldest son RJ was murdered. Then We had Covid and the lockdowns. The loss was so great, I really did not want to keep on going. Read more>>

Joe Spector | First Responder Resilience Training CEO

The starting of my business was less of a thought process and more of an evolution. After retiring from the fire department in 2017 and having my own mental health struggles, including a near miss with suicide, I started sharing my journey and the tools that led to my recovery and trying to create awareness. That led to a lot of people opening up to me about their journey, sharing their own struggles and encouraging me to continue on the path. That transitioned to me starting a podcast and just kind of making it my mission to speak vulnerably and authentically to first responders, parents, and human beings in general to try to normalize this type of dialogue. That led to fire departments and other organizations asking me to speak publicly and create training, and that’s what led to me converting my experiences in my content into this entrepreneurial venture. Read more>>