Starting a business is a commitment and requires dedication, resources and sacrifice. We asked some of the rising stars in our community how they thought through the idea of starting their own businesses.

Veronika Mark | YouTuber & English Teacher

I always wanted to work for myself, even as a little kid. When I was in elementary school, I remember telling my parents that one day I will have my own business. I didn’t know what kind of business, of course. I just knew that one day it will happen. Read more>>

Emilie Waight | Credit Repair Specialist

I have always loved to help others. Rather it be holding a door open, directing someone in the right direction or sharing a motivational thought with them. When I lived in Texas, I worked in the oil and gas industry making 6 figures. I had 5 credit cards, a off-road utility vehicle, a truck and car at some points. Read more>>

Carolyn Q. Barber | Co-founder

Elena and I always wanted to have our own makeup brand. Back in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, we had a successful beauty boutique (Elena was the owner and I was the store manager), that carried indie/”hard to find” brands. Those “indie” brands back then are now huge multi-million dollar companies. Read more>>

Deborah Chandler | Special Education Teacher, Game Designer and Executive Director of From The Scroll LLC

This company was birthed during my years of single parenting 2 young boys in the 1970s & 80s while I searched for ways to strengthen our Bible study. Since we loved playing board games, we began modifying those games by adding principles from the Bible. As we played them, we noticed that our relationships were deepening, and we bonded as a family. Read more>>

Nico Lightbody | Triathlon & Trail Running Coach

The thought process behind starting my own business was to align my work with what I am passionate about, maximizing the athletic potential of others. The business I started is called Tri-Body Training a multi-sport endurance coaching team that specializes in triathlon and trail running. I started the business in 2020 after serving 10 years in the Royal Canadian Navy. Read more>> 

Cody Little | Owner and Guide of Tsé Kóóh Outfitters

The thought process behind starting my own business began when I was eight years old, straddled, one foot on the strainer the other on the IK that was quickly “tacoing” itself under my feet, in front of my very eyes and would surely blow up at any second. Scared and crying I knew in that moment what I wanted to do with my life. Read more>>

Jake Early | Artist / Printmaker

At risk of sounding cliche, I genuinely chose to start my own business (for the second time) simply to pursue my dream of making a living doing something I love to do. I started my first graphic design business when I was 25 years old and about 18 months into the venture, the building I rented burned to the ground. Read more>>

Nicole Ferguson | Reiki Master & Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique Practitioner

I have been a school psychologist for 14 years and over a year ago experienced an awakening that changed the trajectory of my whole world. While I had been of service professionally to the public’s youth, as a result of my awakening, I wanted to have a more profound impact on facilitating change in people’s lives. Read more>>

MJ Heart | Professional Yoga Teacher & Holistic Healer

After dropping out of art school, I pursued another avenue of interest and graduated from massage school in 2008. Coming from a family of strong business ownership, it made the most sense for me to work as an independent contractor immediately. I offered my services at various wellness centers, spas, and did in-home visitation building up my own clientele. Read more>>

Amanda Ferguson | Nonprofit Founder

The surprising thing is that Bottles For Bill kind of started by accident. I knew I wanted to do something to contribute towards heat relief efforts after losing my brother, but didn’t know where to start. I bought a $4 case of water and invited other to do the same on social media. Read more>>

Leslie Huffman | Autism Teacher Mentor and Owner of Not a Typical Teacher

I have always had creative outlets. Creativity is truly my love language and my form of self-care. I have always had multiple creative outlets: making jewelry, painting, or design. I started Not a Typical Teacher by creating interactive lesson plans for teachers. Read more>>

Stephanie Kirby | Shadow Work Coach

I started my own business for many reasons. Firstly, many of my family members work for themselves and it always seemed to make sense to me that if you’re going to devote so much time of your life into work you should ultimately be doing it to benefit yourself as well. Read more>>

Tatiana Quintero Garcia | Chef & commercial engineer

My thought towards my company began, because there was no Colombian food in the city where I lived and I started making empanadas for my friends, they began to order empanadas to buy and so I said… why not try to sell to more people. Read more>>

Jada June Totten | Social media influencer & owner of Rodeo Trippin

My thought process behind starting my own business was finding independence and responsibility not to “grow up fast” but to better myself. I want to be able to be on my own feet after college. Along with developing my own style and brand that I love. Read more>>

Marian Tiloo | Photographer

Starting my own business was an opportunity to share my creative side with the world. I’ve always loved photography and my friends actually suggested sharing a photo that I took on social media.. Read more>>

Carol-Anne Myers-McCormick | Wild Creator & Photographer

Well I will start with this… I never thought my passion for photography would flourish into this wild adventure it is today. Allowing me to provide for my babies and travel (two very things that ignite my soul and passion in life)! Read more>>

Tierney Milne | Artist, Designer + Art Director

I started my professional design, illustration and Art Direction career working for Lululemon full-time, not even dreaming that it would be realistic to start a business and work for myself as a freelance artist. After a year of juggling personal client work in the evenings, Read more>>

Ozilla Radio | All encompassing EDM radio show

The thought process behind starting Ozilla Radio was kind of two-fold. For one, it was simply to provide a diversified voice within the electronic scene in Hamilton, Ontario. This was done by our ‘Host Nights’ where one of our hosts would play their favorite tracks from the last week or two, Read more>>

One Fam Community Outreach | Non Profit Organization

Creating our nonprofit, One Fam Community Outreach, was inspired by a group of individuals with a passion to give back to the community. Our thought process behind starting One Fam Community Outreach was to create a nonprofit that focuses on strengthening families within the community; By engaging, inspiring, motivating & empowering individuals & families within the community! Read more>>

Jordan Olson | Business Owner

Quality of life. My time means a lot to me and how I spend it counts. I enjoy family time and I want more of it Sony thought process automatically goes to working a bunch and hard to having to then having the freedom of being able to not have to work so hard, create a cash flow so I can be with my family and obviously my future family. Read more>>

michelle lawanda | artist

My thought process of starting my own business was my daughter. I started my business in order to leave my legacy behind for her, so she could share my journey with her children and my grandchildren. Read more>>

Mike Caplanis | Retired ad guy and visual artist

My business was jump started by retirement. I’d spent 36 years in advertising and had always done editorial illustration as a side hustle—books, magazines, newspapers, etc. Retirement, along with showing and selling my work at various galleries threw my path forward into sharp focus from then on. Read more>>

Andrea Martinez | Digitizer & Small Business Owner

Being a parent of three children with autism can be challenging, but also incredibly rewarding. It is difficult to balance the needs of my children with the demands of a traditional job. Their diagnoses came along with a rigorous therapy schedule that did not mesh with a traditional 8-5 job. Read more>>

Angela Rodriguez | Energy Healing Practitioner

The work I do literally took hold of me the moment I chose to learn Reconnective Healing. The only thought I had was that I needed to do this work to help others in the way it has helped me. I guess I would call it more of an inner knowing than a thought. Read more>>

Ben Sargent | Printer

My own business–a one-man letterpress-printing shop–was sort of inevitable. My father and his brother got into letterpress printing when they were teenagers in 1926, at a time when it was promoted as a hobby for adolescent boys. Read more>>

Nick Guerrieri | CEO & Founder of CHELLY

Typically as you read in older business books about starting a brand. There is a substantial amount of market research, focus groups, branding exercises etc. My story is a bit different as we did not do that in a substantial way. It all started out in my home kitchen. Read more>>

Craig Weyer | Artisan Coffee Roaster

Being able apply our work ethic and drive in order to self-determine our success or failure. We desire to be authentic in a craft and honor what inspires us: Faith, Family and Freedom. Read more>>