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.

Dustie Northey | Owner and Maker

When I began leathercrafting, initially I had no intention of having a small business. I was standing at a department store, trying to decide between two different bags. Each had aspects I liked, and didn’t like. I have always had the “I can make that” mentality, so it occurred to me that I didn’t have to choose! Read more>>

Patricia (Trish) Connelly | MSAc, Dipl Ac (NCCAOM), LAc

For many years I suffered with ongoing illness. By the time I was in my 30’s I had already had a stroke and my health was declining rapidly. I was on 13 medications and yet nothing Western medicine did was helping me. I had finished my bachelors in psychology and my teacher advised me to go do Student of the day tour at SCNM. Read more>>

Ralph Robles | Owner/President

We wanted to start an entity that would support the community businesses Read more>>

LaShanae Johnson | Health & Wellness Advocate

Natural living has always been a cornerstone in my upbringing. My mother never liked taking pills when she would visit the doctor , so I would try to conjure up natural remedies in our kitchen to try an assist in her healing. As well as myself. I’ve Always been passionate about creating & helping others so creating a business built on health and wellness was a no-brainer. Read more>>

Deidre N/A | Business Owner

We are a family owned business and our thought process behind starting our own business was that we truly love being able to offer an amazing service and product directly to the community while connecting with the locals and all that that entails. We enjoy having customers continue to shop with us for 15 or more years in our retail showroom and we especially love when we do multiple weddings in a family or do a baby shower for a couple we married. Read more>>

Stu Chapman | Creative collaborator

I wanted to create a unique environment for a project that would inspire creative humans to interact and contribute a part of themselves through the process of art, in particular film photography. Read more>>

Angel Hernandez | Software Engineer & Founder of A&F Web Dev

My thought process behind starting A&F was born from my experience at a large web hosting company. During my time there, I noticed a common practice of using cookie-cutter templates for all their clients’ websites. It bothered me that hard-working business owners weren’t getting the attention and custom solutions they deserved. Read more>>

Amanda Durocher | Host & Creator of New View Advice Podcast

I launched the New View Advice podcast in 2021 because my passion is helping people heal from trauma, including infidelity, grief, bullying, relationships, and so much more. I was inspired to start the New View Advice podcast because I repeatedly saw so many heartbreaking stories in the news about people struggling with their mental health and healing from trauma. Read more>>