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.

Julia Hirt | Founder, Marguerita Kitchen

I originally started sharing cooking, food, and home lifestyle content online as a fun hobby. I’ve always had a passion for cooking and creating a cozy home, and I loved sharing that with others. When my close friends began hitting major milestones—getting married, buying homes, and starting families—I wanted to celebrate these moments in a thoughtful, personal way. That’s when I started putting together specialty gift baskets, filled with gourmet soups, sauces, and treats that I made myself. It was a way to combine my love for food and my desire to create meaningful, unique gifts. From there, Marguerita Kitchen was born. Read more>>

Natalie Felikian | Founder & CEO of LAV Salad Dressings

I created LAV out of a personal need. From a young age, I’ve always been passionate about wellness, and that passion shaped my approach to nutrition and lifestyle. I also have a deep love for cooking—spending time in the kitchen with my mom and creating healthy, new recipes has always been a source of joy for me. Cooking is my love language, and it helps me clear my mind when I’m stressed or overwhelmed. Read more>>

Paul Levine | Music Artist & Producer

I noticed I had tons of unused samples and sounds after making music for such a long time. I decided instead of them taking up space on my computer I should give them away for others to use. I started going through everything I had ever made. I sort sounds, sounds I’ll use for my projects, and sounds I’ll give to the community. After going through everything I realized that I had hundreds of samples and thousands of sounds to give away for free and for sale. I started packaging things and uploading them to my site ‘bootloop.shop’. I’ve been constantly working on samples, sounds, vsts, and sound designing tools since then. Read more>>

Amanda Broomell | Actor, Writer, Comic

I don’t believe in giving up. If we’ve done all we can to try and make something work, and, for whatever reason, we’re meeting resistance, maybe the door isn’t meant to open. We can spend our time and energy trying to beat the door down, but wouldn’t it be much easier and more pleasant to walk through the open doors? Read more>>

Rose Saban | Cinematographer

Being in a creative industry can be difficult because there isn’t a roadmap. There isn’t a way to know if you are on the right track to reach your goal. There are plenty of times I thought about giving up, and it’s usually when I feel like I won’t get another opportunity or set foot on another set again that I get my next gig. However, when I am at those low points, I know I can never give this up because I cannot see myself doing anything else. Maybe it’s not the most helpful advice, but it’s more of a feeling that this is what I’m meant to do. Read more>>

Jason Pettus | Barber/Hairstylist/Music Producer/Artist

I don’t acknowledge the thought of giving up anything that I want in my life. If one way doesn’t work then another way will is my motto. The goal is to NEVER give up! How to know when to keep going is when the stars are aligning the way God shows them to you. You can’t take the stars for granted. Read more>>

Kristina Daduryan | Software Quality Assurance Engineer and Consultant

It’s always easy to give up, especially when challenges seem overwhelming. Giving up can feel like the simplest solution when obstacles seem too great. But continuing, despite the struggles, is often the harder yet more rewarding path. Persistence is key in your career and personal life. Read more>>