Thinking through whether to start a business – whether to take the risk, whether to go out on your own – isn’t easy. So we asked some entrepreneurs we admire to tell us about how they thought through the process of starting a business.

Peter Hansen

After two decades running hotels, bars, and restaurants in New York and LA, I noticed real overlap between what those properties needed and what private homes needed too, real upkeep, commercial-grade systems, someone thinking ahead instead of reacting. When a personal connection opened the door to our first private client, it clicked immediately. Read More>>

Tiffany Stoker

I didn’t realize I had my own business until I had to file my taxes. It never occurred to me to ‘work’ for myself, I just had the mindset of wanting to love what I do ever since I was a little girl. Read More>>

Michelle Crosby

I was exploring ways I could better serve my aesthetic patients. I was learning about functional medicine and how it relates to aesthetics. I love to teach and much of my feedback and reviews state how well I am able to explain things to my patients. Read More>>

Joe Bando

I didn’t start Sacred Strength because I wanted to own a business. I started it because I reached a point where I couldn’t keep compromising on what I knew produced the best results for people. For years I worked inside someone else’s system. Read More>>

Chi Tran

As a director and producer, I started Plus Seven Productions to tell Asian-fronted stories that can resonate both online and in theatres. Regardless of genre, whether it be horror, comedy, romance or drama, Asians have been underrepresented in mainstream films for way too long. Now, with the added bonus of your own platform and being able to self-publish movies, shorts, stories, etc. Read More>>

Shant Varozian

It started on the course. Weekend rounds with family and friends, and I kept noticing how good those moments felt. Golf, cigars, and good company. That combination kept showing up every time we got together, and I started to realize this could be something bigger. I hadn’t seen a clothing brand that filled that space, not the way I envisioned it. Read more>>

Jason Frost

My thought process was pretty simple: I wanted to spend my time creating things that would outlast me. Growing up, I was surrounded by construction and architecture through my dad, who spent decades designing and building homes. That gave me an appreciation for how thoughtfully designed spaces can shape the way people feel. Read More>>

Katri Randall

My thought process was less about coming up with the idea and more about recognizing its potential and believing in the impact it could have. My background is in PR and marketing, and early in my career I worked as an executive assistant to a CEO, where I gained a behind-the-scenes understanding of what it takes to keep a business running. Read More>>

Naomi Poshneh

I’ve always been super passionate about brows and making people feel confident. I started The Brow Fixx because I wanted to create a space that felt elevated, welcoming, and focused on natural results and real connection. Read More>> 

Munif Ali

People often ask me what made me decide to start my own business. The truth is, I don’t think I ever woke up one morning with a dream of becoming an entrepreneur. My dream wasn’t to own companies. My dream was to create opportunities that I didn’t see growing up. Read More>>

Paul Leonard

I didn’t set out to build a luxury lifestyle company for pets and their people. I set out to solve a problem. That problem had a name: Cavalino. He wasn’t just my dog. He was my companion through military service, personal hardship, recovery, and some of the most defining chapters of my life. Read More>>

Ammiel de Leon

Spring Oven Bakery is a summation of my baking journey that started in 2014 as a self-taught home baker and went on to honing my skills through apprenticeship with Bad Butter Chicago (formerly Dan The Baker Chicago), attending bread school at San Francisco Baking Institute, and professionally baking at Bouchon Bakery in Yountville, Eataly in Century City, and Poppy Cake Baking Co. in Sierra Madre. Read More>>