Starting and growing a business is hard, but often deciding to start the business in the first place is even harder. We asked some successful entrepreneurs from around the community to open up to us about how they thought about starting a business.

Abby Quintero | Photographer & Videographer

I was only about 1 year fresh living in Northern Virginia and 8 months into my bartending job – it took for me to be ugly crying in my bedroom talking to my new boyfriend about how I moved from Texas to start my new life and I was so sick and tired of this revolving cycle I chose. Read more>>

James Piatt | Industrial Designer & Artist

Over the years, my business has evolved from my personal need to bring my ideas to life and my passion for manufacturing products. The process of conceptualizing an original idea, developing it, and finally seeing and touching the finished product is my driving force. I started my business unofficially in 1999 when I collaborated with highly skilled craftspeople in Los Angeles to create a lamp. Read more>>

Shennie Smith | Psychotherapist/LMFT

I have always loved supporting and helping others, and realized that it came naturally to me so why not start a business doing it! Since I was young, probably in my mid-teens, I have known I would open a private psychotherapy practice. When the time came, I felt like the 10+ years of thinking and dreaming and planning made it quite seamless, as I’d done my research and gone through all the steps in my mind multiple times. Read more>>

Avissa Mojtahedi | Owner and Principal @ Avissa Design Inc.

Growing up, I was always inspired by my parents who were entrepreneurs and ran our family business together. I started working at a boutique design firm while in high school and ended up staying there for 10 years. I knew I had to complete my architecture degree and gain as much experience and knowledge before taking a leap and doing my own thing. Read more>>

Vinny Margott | pizzaiolo

When we decided to start our own business, we knew we wanted to partner with a reputable company to help us achieve our goal. Our vision was to open a boutique craft food franchise that would not only be established in other areas but also be new to our local community. We wanted to build a brand that would be recognized and trusted by the people in our community. Read more>>

Jackie Tempera | Writer & Brand Storyteller

I’ve been obsessed with writing since I was a kid. I always loved to express myself this way — whether it was poetry about what boy sat next to me in math class or a list of the meals my mother made that I liked vs. the ones I deemed “yucky.” (Sorry, mom). Read more>>

John Handem Piette | Filmmaker & Assemble Studios founder

Starting my own business was actually more of a struggle mentally than you might think, to feel like it’s what was right for me. The idea of having a “Business” seemed antithetical to the pursuit of my artistic dreams and being a successful filmmaker. After many years of being a hired gun as a director or videographer or editor or all of the above, and some prodding from my older cousin who happens to do my taxes, Read more>>

Frank Mortimer | author of Bee People And The Bugs They Love

It started both organically and out of necessity. I am a beekeeper, and as I got better at keeping bees, I got more honey. And, even though my family and I eat a lot of honey, as a certain point I had more honey than we could eat, so I started selling it. I also started using the beeswax from my hives to make lip balm, candles and hand cream. It was the same with these products, first I’d make it for my family, but soon I found that others really wanted locally produced handmade products. Read more>>

Beth Bell | Founder + President Green Product Placement & IATSE Film & TV Professional

In the spring of 2011, I had a “lightbulb moment” That spring, a fated online conversation with Morgan Spurlock led me to what I am doing today, what I consider to be my calling and my passion, and something that uses skills from all of my life experience that I’d had up until this point. Read more>>

Morgyn Danae | Dance & Somatic Recovery Coach, Spiritual Guide, Women’s Core/Pelvic Specialist

The idea to start my own business began in the late 1990’s at the age of 27 or 28. It was a period full of synchronicities and the offerings that would be a part of the foundation of my business all showed their roots around the same time. It initially came from a sense of a calling by Spirit to teach bellydance as a healing art as it had been such a lifeline for my own healing and a joyful passion that I wanted to share with other women, Read more>>

Lindsay Butcher | Photographer

I began my photography journey about 12 years ago, after I bought my first camera on a whim. Actually, I was more so encouraged by my husband’s younger brother, Tim. I’d always been interested in film photography, but never dove in because I lacked the skills and tools to do so. So when I leaned into digital, a whole world opened up for me. Read more>>

Kate Devine | Writer, Teacher, Creator of Mood Barre

I’ve always wanted to, planned on, maybe even knew I had to work for myself in one way or another. My first foray into business was a vintage clothing shop, which I started on my laptop when I was 23, the day after I was laid off from my one and only 9-5. I pursued an MFA in creative nonfiction, and spent my 20s supporting myself with a collection of assistant, teaching, and freelance writing jobs. Read more>>

Elizabeth Gramby | Owner, Table 304

I wish I could say that starting my business was a long term goal with a thought out plan but It started very small and kind of unexpectedly! I feel like the best things start that way. My daughters and I had always kind of joked/daydreamed about having “my own place” so I guess the thought was always there. Like a dream you think will never really come true. I had worked part time for a long time, mostly focusing on family. Read more>>

Jill Spector | Artist & Art worker

I launched In Favor Of, my artist-owned consultancy, in 2017 so I could remain part of a creative community and make a living. I wanted to offer something that I felt I was not, at that time, offering working alone in my studio making sculptures. How could my time in the studio, my creative time, produce income? Read more>>

Mandie Kuo | Illustrator

As far as I can remember, I have always been a child who could never put down her paintbrush. Doodling has always been my way of expressing my creativity and observations of the world. Although I knew I had a passion for art, I never considered pursuing it as a serious career when I was young. Gradually, I stopped drawing when academic pressures piled up. Read more>>

Neil & Kristen DeLaCruz & Erickson | Owners, N.E.A.T. Thrift Store

Neil was between jobs and had a little money saved up. He was thinking about opening his own business. He had worked at my restaurant, which was a detour for me from decades of owning thrift stores. After many discussions with me about the ins and outs of the resale business, he decided to open his own thrift store. Read more>>

Tiffany Yang | CMO and Cofounder of Sweety Ice Cream

Our family was about to shut down the family business when Sean, Stacey, and I started thinking about possibly taking it over. Mochi Ice cream was really having a moment and we felt like we had a really good product from our family recipes that we wanted to share with the world. Read more>>

Jacquelyn Aleece | Owner/Founder of The Wedding Plan & Company

Two things motivated me to start my own business. The first thing was that I really didn’t like the structured and slow paced environment of corporate America. The thought of living 30 to 40 years stuck in a cubicle only allowed to talk to others in meetings or on a lunch break was really not well suited for my very energetic personality. Read more>>

Culture Power45

We created Culture Power45 as a way to releases rare Vinyl and Tape Music rarely heard. We wanted to create a platform for for our sounds, our story. Black Culture of Art and Sound. Just create regardless of any obstacle, it no such thing as a financial challenge when you are truly creative. You must work regardless of the circumstances or else its a waste of life. Read more>>

Elham Farhand | Business owner House of Doh

My children were young and loved playing with play dough. I didn’t enjoy the regular brand of play dough. It tried out and had a smell to it. I started researching the best recipe to provide my children with the tool they need for independent sensory play. I wanted cleaner and better ingredients as well as a play dough that wouldn’t dry out when use. Read more>>

Mia Taylor, INHC | Integrative Health & Wellness Coach

I started my business as a gut-specializing health coach during my 13-year career in Marketing. I could very well have continued down that path but when I got sick in 2015, I spent a lot of time focused on my own healing journey, which I became very passionate about. Read more>>

i.ko Wilson | Co-founder

Several years ago, I co-founded a social app called Pen Pals with my friend, Bryan Johnson. We starting seeing the growing trend on social media was altering the way we communicated with each other and wanted to build a platform where meaningful conversations were the “reward,” as opposed to likes and views. In just a few months, we gained one million users exclusively through organic traffic and word-of-mouth. Read more>>

 Sergio Sanchez Selva | Set Designer

After a couple of years working for an Architecture Firm in Dublin I decided that I wanted to shift my career to the Film Industry, where each project represents a different creative challenge. Read more>>

BALAZS TITKOS | Furniture Designer

I decided to start my own business because of my passion for art and design. I wanted to take my 20+ year furniture design background and create pieces that were contemporary and unique. My focus is on creating high quality pieces that “wow” people and make them feel good about having these items in their space. Read more>> 

D. R. Sara | Technology Entrepreneur, Startup Mentor & Strategic Advisor

My desire to solve a problem that I personally encountered while shopping for fashion online drove my decision to start my own business. I noticed a lack of efficient and comprehensive fashion search platforms that could help shoppers quickly find what they’re looking for based on their preferences and budget. Read more>>

M. E. Goodwin | Artist

It’s in my DNA I think. Growing up, my father had multiple businesses in addition to his career as a Systems Analyst so the idea wasn’t completely foreign to me. I’ve always wanted something of my own. As a creative, the administrative and technical aspects that come with setting up and operating a business can be less than desirable but I get through it. Read more>>

John Jung | Co-founder at Brick Work

I met by partner Alex while gathering a team to advise clients on how developers determine a viable new multifamily project in Koreatown and was shocked that it would cost thousands in consultant fees to determine. There wasn’t an easier low cost solution and saw the opportunity to create one. Read more>>

Orin Abrams | Services Industry Consultant Extraordinaire

I started my first business back in 1994. At the time, I had grown a Hotel f & b Lease Operations Company from one to five locations, in California & Texas. So, I had a proven track record, knowing that “I could do this”. When an opportunity presented itself, I went for it, At Your Service Hospitality, Inc.  Read more>>

Jesse Jones | Chef/owner, author and guest speaker

I wanted to run my own business, after 25 years of working for other chefs and businesses, I wanted to be my own boss, also wanted to develop my own brand and style of cooking , which is a modern approach to southern with a emphasis on French cooking, I wanted to provide good food and service to the community. Read more>>