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.

Angie Hawkins | Author and Speaker of Running in Slippers

Initially, it was intuitive. I wanted to write a book, but I didn’t know why, and I didn’t know what it would be about. My intuition wanted me to write a memoir. I wanted to hide because I was afraid of allowing myself to be seen. Read more>>

Natalie Ballad | Founder & Owner at OJALÁ

I started my travel fashion brand OJALÁ because ever since falling in love with traveling and seeing the world, I’ve struggled to find stylish, yet practical clothes for my trips. For years I put up with wrinkles and lack of pockets and wore shorts under skirts to avoid compromising my style, but it was not ideal. Read more>>

Alita Haytayan Guillen | Talent/Executive Communication Coach, Podcast Host, Emmy-Award winning TV Journalist

As I transitioned from being a television news anchor and reporter to a media consultant to Fortune 100 executives, professional athletes and top Hollywood talent, I saw that top performers, like many of us, were in need of learning effective communication skills in order to connect with the public. Read more>>

Eric Tjahyadi | Managing Partner

Bone Kettle is an elevated chef-driven Southeast Asian restaurant, an idea that seemed super unlikely even in LA’s vibrant food scene when we started. Years ago, most of LA’s Southeast Asian food businesses were moms and pops businesses geared to service a particular community and limited to those communities. Read more>>