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.

David Dylan Thomas | Founder, CEO, David Dylan Thomas, LLC

I had been doing talks and workshops for a while, but my employer was taking most of the profits from that while I was drawing a salary. Eventually the math started to work out where while the amount they were making off each event was a pittance to them, it would mean real money to me, to the point where I was really leaving money on the table by *not* going out on my own! Read more>>

Rafael Aguilar | Innovative Designer, 3D Printing Specialist, & Consultant

My thought process for starting my own business was rooted in practicality, opportunity, and empathy. I recognized the need within my school community, especially among students whose projects relied heavily on 3D printing. I made an early investment during my first year of college, which heightened my awareness of the increasing demand for 3D printing services.  Read more>>

Becky Anzaldo | Founder of Playa Yama

Playa Yama started with the idea of making clothing to comfort people through the highs and lows of life. It has always been a passion of mine to start a clothing brand since I was a young girl, obsessed with reading fashion magazines and shopping with my mom. Read more>>

Diana Rodriguez | Founder & CEO

It was 2011, I was helming Capitol Latin at the time and I was a bit frustrated about the quality and fragmentation of creative services in the Hispanic Marketing world. Sure, there were a lot of independent and skilled freelancers, but I couldn’t find a one stop shop with the criteria I was looking for. Read more>>

Blake Dye | Creative Director

I used to work for someone else’s goals for 8-10 hours a day and didn’t feel invested in my work. However, even when I worked two jobs, I still managed to find time for my passions and noticed progress. Gradually, I realized that I had the necessary soft skills to start and run my own business, thanks to my experience in the workforce. Read more>>

Jessica Foster | proprietress, confectioner & chocolatier

I had the wonderful opportunity to live in Spain for a stint when I was 18-19 years old and after growing up in a small town on the central coast of CA and not having been exposed to many different cuisines, my mind was blown. Read more>>

Zac Curhan | n/a

It was driven by a combination of passion, opportunity, and a desire to make a meaningful impact. I wanted to create something that I loved and used and would also benefit and heal people from the inside out. Also, I identified a gap in the market for a healthier energy nutrition product tailored for the outdoor community. Read more>>

Michael Cioni | CEO, Entrepreneur, Filmmaker

I find that when I speak to other entrepreneurs, the thought process behind starting it is not often denominated by logic or rational thought. On the contrary, passion is one of the most plentiful ingredients when contemplating starting a new business and can mask the guardrails that help ensure we’re engaging in safe passage. Read more>> 

Jay Ternavan | Founder and CEO of JayWay Travel

I’d been living in Europe for a few years and had been arranging trips with friends and family who’d come and visit me in Prague, then we’d go somewhere else. Croatia was off most Americans’ radars at the time (pre-Game of Thrones!). Read more>>

Elizabeth Grace Wakefield | Actor & Co-founder of Seven50ml Productions

We started Seven50ml Productions during Covid! Everyone knows the toll the pandemic took on the Arts industry, of course, so we decided to take the work and the art and the craft in to our own hands. We (Gretel, Willa and I – my co founders) wanted to take control of a world that felt wild and incontrollable, so we used Seven50ml as a platform for what we felt needed voicing. Read more>>

Raquel Ferraz | Founder and Creative Director

I graduated in fashion and soon started working in the clothing industry. The paths led me to discover the world of denim, and at a very young age, I immediately fell in love with it. At that time, I was working in a factory and got to know the countless creative possibilities of this raw material, its history, its fame, and the reason why the world of jeans has so many passionate individuals, be they creators, collectors, vintage dealers, brands, or consumers. Read more>>

Morgen Stern and David Turpin | Co-Founders

We’ve always been moonlighting with our own creative projects and we felt it was time to pursue it independently. While David spent time making prototypes for games, Morgen made a variety of short films and wrote a bunch of original scripts. Read more>>

Susan Goldberg | Founding Rabbi

I grew up in Echo Park Silverlake and there was no Jewish spiritual community here. When my journey began to become a rabbi I knew that I wanted to focus on these very east side neighborhoods where I grew up. I began by helping to revilatize historic Jewish temples in Highland Park and Koreatown and knew it was time to focus on starting a community in Echo Park Silverlake.  Read more>>

Bonnie Harris Hayden | Pom Pilot and CPC (Chief Pom Creator)

I didn’t actually set out to start a business. It unfolded organically, which has been a wonderful surprise. BEHOLD THE POM began with a promise. And one cotton pom pom. Read more>>

Debby Holiday | Singer/Songwriter/Producer

Well, I started Mocha Music because I wanted to control the music I shared with the world. I love rock n’ roll, dance music, pop, country, soul – you name it ! And I want to create ALL of those styles. So having my own label gives the opportunity to just – be … me. All of me! Read more>>