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.

Joy Broils | Founder/Owner of Hustle & Ground

My idea for Hustle & Ground came about in an unusual way. I was in a car accident in the fall of 2021. I ended up with whiplash and a moderate Traumatic Brain Injury (a double concussion) from that accident and had 7 months of recovery. During that time, the doctor said I had to limit myself to 2 hours of work a day in order to heal. I had to figure out how to pause and unwind almost overnight. As I recovered, I started sharing my story with others and realized how many people have a hard time slowing down and pausing even though it is needed more now than ever before with the increase in stress, anxiety, and burnout. Read more>>

Alaina Nunez | Birth Photographer and Doula

It was around the time my 2nd child was about 6 months old. I would always pose my kids and take pictures of them, and that’s when the thought came to me. I would have loved to hire a photographer to come to my house and take pictures, instead of having to go to a studio like Sears (nothing against Sears but that is all I knew about). Being a parent of little ones, I was quite the germaphobe and the thought of taking my new baby into a studio like that did not sound appealing. So, I thought, maybe other moms feel the same way. When I started my business almost 15 years ago, my tagline was “traveling portrait photographer, I bring the studio to you”. Read more>>

Luka/Isa Gidwani Monterrubio | VENITULZ

I started off by selling clothes on depop in 2018, and during that time, I met many people who made and sold jewelry. I really love to express myself through accessorizing and knew that I wanted to pursue crafting my own jewelry and accessories, but did not know where to start. Then, in 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and I had a lot of time to myself and to explore my creative needs. So in December 2020, I finally purchased some simple tools and beads and as I improved my jewelry-making skills, I decided to start selling my creations through Etsy. I am largely inspired by things that I love such as the colors purple, black, and white, myself, animals, eyes and tears, stars and space, anime, abstract shapes, and my QTBIPOC and Latine communities. Read more>>

Alonis Ingram | Black Owned Small Business Advertisement

The idea for the collective was birthed from her experience with helping a friend prepare to launch her online business. While thinking about ways to market and advertise her friends products, Alonis had an idea to create an online event for her friend to showcase her business. While working on that project her ideas began to expand beyond just her friends business and she began thinking about all of the other businesses she had heard about on campus. That’s when it clicked, we needed a space where all of the Skegee-preneuer businesses could be found, something like a visual directory that could be accessed by anyone, anywhere, anytime. That is how the collective was born and how the flavor Skegee was shared with the world. Read more>>