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.

Kate Porter | Spa Owner/Esthetician

I wanted to start my own business because I am very passionate about my industry and my clients and their personal skincare journeys. I love helping people feel beautiful and comfortable in their own skin. It’s so great to see someone transformed by taking time to care for themselves and listen to my advice and trust the process. Read more>>

Aimee Wingen | Chef/Owner

Our business was born out of the pandemic but also out of the process of grief. When my daughter was born in December 2019 and immediately diagnosed with a terminal genetic disorder our lives were turned upside down. They were again flipped when Covid hit in 2020. Although my daughter only lived for 8 months she inspired me to take comfort in the slow, arduous process of baking sourdough. Something I had done at my previous job before Covid. Her medical schedule throughout the day was very regimented and so was the sourdough. It kept me steady, gave me something to focus on amiss the uncertainty in the world and in my life. Then, there was the need. The need for a bakery in the town of Livermore. We started passing out loaves to our friends who then told their friends and neighbors who wanted to buy the bread and it took off. Read more>>

Ashley Baylor | Founder & CEO

My thought process behind starting my own business was, “I can’t allow other families to experience what me and my family experienced.” Hi my name is Ashley Baylor and I’m the founder and CEO of The Baylor Strong Project LLC. My dad was diagnosed in February 2019 with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He lived a few months past a year of his diagnosis. His oncologist and primary care physician were phenomenal. They took great care of him. Yet, there was so much that was missing from his plan of care that I believe would’ve been beneficial for him. I, also, believe there were resources my family weren’t privy to. Four years later, we’ve learned so much and I decided to create a business that caters to the needs of the caregivers. People forget that patients aren’t the only ones who have to adjust quickly after a diagnosis like cancer. The families have to transition immediately and often times, no one is around to walk them through that transition. We’re left trying to figure things out on our own. I don’t want families to do this fight alone. Read more>>

Lonnie Busch | Writer, Illustrator, Sculptor, Painter, Animator & Video Editor

Survival. For myself and family. I was easily working 60 to 80 hours or more a week. During the day I was the art director of a small design studio. In the evenings I did my freelance illustration projects, sometimes working until 2 or 3 in the morning. Illustration was my true love, and at the time, I was just rolling with whatever work came in. The illustration work continued growing, while my duties at the studio during the day became more demanding as well. I worked every night, then all day, and every weekend. It was when my baby son started crying when I held him that I knew this wasn’t working anymore. I loved working at the studio, and it was a secure steady paycheck. But the freelance illustration was what really excited me, so I took the plunge and never looked back. And I’m thankful I made the right call. Read more>>

Alex Amick | Founder + CEO Vibe Nutraceuticals

Honestly, I never set out to start my own business—it sort of found me! My journey began in big Pharma, where I quickly realized the gap between Eastern and Western medicine was more like a canyon. The supplement industry wasn’t much better; in fact, it sometimes felt like a wild west of false promises. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands. With a background in herbalism and wisdom passed down from generations of medicine women in my family, I knew I had something valuable to offer. I scoured the market for the best suppliers, determined to create products that were both clean and effective—no fillers, just pure, trusted herbal formulations. In a way, my business is like a love letter to those who want to bridge the best of both worlds, and I’m thrilled to be the messenger. Read more>>

Shuang Qin | Cinematographer

Since I was born in a small city in China, it wasn’t until I was 18 that my city had its first movie theater. So, before I went to college, I had hardly ever watched any movies. It wasn’t until I was 21 that one day, I watched a movie called In the Heat of the Sun, which was the directorial debut of Jiang Wen. I was deeply moved by the film, and for the first time, I realized that there was something called cinema in this world, a medium through which one could vividly express their thoughts and ideas. That night, after watching the movie, I secretly made up my mind: I wanted to make films. However, I had no experience or degree in film production, so I decided to go to the center of the film world—Los Angeles—to study filmmaking. I started applying to film schools in the United States and was successfully admitted to Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, where I began formally learning how to make films. Read more>>

Cager Kajur | Master DNA Trainer, ISSA

My thought process behind my business “Eikonic California LLC” aka CagerKajur.Com is that I want to empower people to be the best versions of themselves from the inside out. EIKONIC is the greek word for image & likeness of God. As a Master DNA Based Fitness Trainer, I want to unlock the God-ness in everyone I train – causing them to unlock peak performance and excel under pressure. Read more>>

Bessy Centeno | Owner of Bessy’s Boutique

The thought process behind Bessy’s Boutique was rooted in my journey as a single mother with a deep love for fashion. When I opened the boutique in 2001, my goal was to create a space where I could balance my career aspirations with the flexibility to be present for my children as they grew up. Now that they are adults, Bessy’s Boutique has evolved into a cherished oasis where I can both work and unwind. It’s become more than just a business; it’s a testament to the dreams I had for my family and a place where my passions and my desire for a fulfilling, relaxing and creative environment have beautifully converged. The boutique stands as a legacy of resilience and creativity that I hope continues to inspire. Read more>>

Thebfly.co | Girl Empowerment Movment

Elyana Violet created TheBFly.co created with the vision: to empower young women to use their influence for meaningful change. A girl empowerment movement founded and run mostly by young women who launch the nex generation of talented activists in various industries, including entertainment, fashion, music, and social media. Read more>>

Keith Kaucher | Custom Coachbuilt Car Designer

I had been working a full time job , plus my business at night and on weekends, I had landed a couple very good design contracts with two major aftermarket wheel manufactures with a royalty based salary, and I was making more money with my business so I decided it was time to leave my job. I saved money and paid my rent for six months in advance, so when I left my nest was well feathered, so I could start my business without having to worry about money. Read more>>

Dana Devaughn | Artist/Painter/3D Artist

I’ve always wanted to own something that I can proudly call my own and incorporate my passion into it, especially with my art so I decided to start my own business out of it calling it Drippin-in-Art. Read more>>

Ella & Greta D’souza & Quintini | Founders

After working in the event and production industry for quite a while and producing many events in LA we noticed there was a gap in the market in the rental space. A lot of the options for rental furniture were bland, boring and low quality. We attended many luxury parties and brand events daily in LA and wanted to bring a new look and fresh perspective to that. Having experience in designing and producing custom furniture abroad, we decided to create a line of outdoor pieces that would appeal to the LA marketplace. We also expanded the business to offer home furniture for stagings, photoshoots and parties. Read more>>

Gershom Sikaala | Dr. Gershom Sikaala author

our reflections underscore a profound truth about purpose in both life and business. Understanding your “why” is crucial; it serves as the foundation for meaningful pursuits. When you articulate a mission that goes beyond personal gain, such as eradicating poverty or uplifting your community, your efforts are infused with purpose and passion. Read more>>

Kevin Watkins | Photographer & Cinematographer

I worked in corporate America for little over a decade and I could feel the creative side of me dying. I don’t believe people were created to sit at a desk for 8 hours a day in a world this big. I created my own business as a creative outlet but not just for myself I encourage other creatives to be apart of my brand and utilize this creative space that I’m still cultivating. Read more>>

Carla Ramirez Mcgregor | Founder & Curator

I spent the last 10+ years working in corporate America. Having been in Austin, TX it’s hard to avoid the technology bubble and it’s many interesting avenues. My formative career experience was recruiting for tech companies design, engineering and product management teams. Companies such as The Knot, Realtor.com and other inspiring companies that showed me e-commerce was a viable avenue for business. Read more>>

Dr. John Bergman DC | Chiropractor & Educator

Starting my own business was a process that took many years. I had to teach myself about marketing, business management, money management, and most importantly communication. I attended many seminars over the years to get the training I needed to become a master in my field. Endurance is the key to starting your own business because you will always encounter obstacles along the way. My passion for my patients is what drives my endurance. I love helping people and I love my patients. Read more>>

Alex Watson | Model & Mindfulness Guide

I had a dream to create moments of heaven on earth. To give people the space to unfold and come home to themselves through intentional mindfulness practices. Together, we can cultivate stillness, connection, and blissful inner peace— by tending to our inner garden our external world will blossom to its fullest potential. Read more>>

Keith (trippy) Taylor | Pole dance professional & Kinesiologist

I’ve been in the pole dance/ aerial arts realm for over 9 years now. Opening my own studio has always been a dream of mine. I’ve always been passionate about pole dancing ever since my very first class. I wanted to provide a space unique and dedicated to pole dancers within the community. My vision for the studio ‘Opolence’ was to be a one stop shop. Providing structured classes for all levels, health and wellness services like stretching, and also doubling as a rental space. You can rent the space for anything you can imagine.. host a book club, have a photoshoot, host a workshop, the possibilities are endless. The name choice was derived from the word opulence which means luxuriousness. Which how I want everyone to feel internally when they enter and exit the studio. I want everyone to feel welcomed, confident, empowered, rich, and happy when they step foot through the doors of the studio. I chose the location of Burbank Ca because there is a lack of pole studios in that immediate area. Living in the valley often times studio classes are fully booked or you’ll end up traveling far to other studios across LA. This location is great for pole dancers and aerialists living in the valley. Opolence is a community and resource space for polers, aerialists, dancers, and creatives. Opolence is a versatile boutique style studio that offers classes, private rentals, wellness services, and more! A safe place for people to express themselves, feel safe, feel good, train, teach, learn, and even shop. Read more>>

E-roc Young | CEO/ Entrepreneur

Independence is very important for regular people, but extremely important for minorities. Starting your own business is the start of independence. Being a business owner gives you a sort of freedom. The freedom to make a honest, living and take care of your family as well as the freedom to help others in your community by supplying jobs. With supplying jobs, it becomes a valuable resource for the community and it allows you to invest back into your people. Read more>>

Kimberly Bowman | Clinical Nutritionist & Researcher

As a former NCAA Division 1 athlete, physical fitness, wellness and nutrition have always been my passion. While competing in swimming at The Ohio State University and trying out for the Olympics I had an opportunity to learn from some incredible sport Dietitians and Physicians who really taught me the value of how critical nutrition is for successful performance at an elite level. Quality food intake to support recovery from training and competition performance is an essential part of competition at a high level in sport. While competition as a student-athlete I studied health science – this is primarily where my love for proactive healthcare and nutrition started to develop. After trying out for the Olympics on two separate occasions, I decided to retire from swimming and focus on my studies in nutrition and physiology. I went on to complete a Masters and work for Soccer Canada (Women’s National Team) where I learned about using data and analytics to longitudinally monitor athlete health status. This learning experience with a National team is where my thought process began in applying proactive monitoring and preventative healthcare to the general population. I started business (nutrition private practice) to make the resources I was using with elite athletes (Ie. analyzing hormones, nutrition deficiencies, metabolism, genetics etc.) and apply this into the non-athletics world to help people with the early-detection of chronic diseases. My goal is to motivate, educate, and empower people to take charge of their health (just as an elite athlete would) so they can achieve optimal mental and physical performance and maximize longevity. Read more>>

Jayce Bartok | Actor, Writer, Producer & Director

Well…my partner and I, Tiffany, my better half, were nuts and wanted to make a documentary film about people deeply changed by Elvis Presley. We learned we had to create an LLC to make the film. I had always that that if I had a band – I’m a bedroom guitar player – it would be called ‘Vinyl Foot”. Tiffany – a filmmaker as well – said that’s so weird, but I’ll agree if you add an ‘e’ to the end of ‘Foote”, like Horton Foote, the playwright. We both trained as actors, and that’s my day job. So we ended up making the documentary film about Elvis culture and had a grand old time in Memphis, TN. The film is called Altered By Elvis, and Vinyl Foote LLC became our production company since 2004! 5 films later, and numerous small production jobs, we are fondly known as VF. I do get quite a few pieces of mail and calls asking of we sell vinyl flooring or record albums! Read more>>

Daija Moore-Evans

I wanted to help small business owners with their social media presence. There is so much clientele and money on social media and there are great businesses who are missing out because they don’t promote themselves online. Read more>>

Dan Evers

As an artist and designer, starting my own business gave me complete freedom in choosing the creative path…to validate my work if accepted by the public, or to select a new direction if needed. Read more>>

Joshua Runnels (J.ARTiz)

The pandemic is what truly helped spark the desire to start my business. After over eight years of understanding what my passion and purpose is, I decided to create an innovative style of being a creative while also contributing to the community. My company’s brand and motto is ART and EDU, (Short for education). Art and culture and education about art and culture are really important aspects to me and it is what sharpens and shapes are communities. 2020, i began my solo artistry career alongside with an art based education initiative, focused on helping inner city youth identify purpose and their roles in community. Read more>>

Emery Lee

The process was kind of inevitable for me. As I was finishing college, I ultimately came to the conclusion that the only work I could stand to do was creative work. My disability makes it difficult to work consistent schedules, and I really struggle with tasks that don’t excite me, so I knew I’d never last trying to pull off a nine-to-five office job, but writing has always been a big part of my life, so even though it’s not seen as a “safe” career, it really posed the most reasonable way forward for me. Read more>>

Quilan Cue” Arnold”

onCUE Chronicles creates, unites, and empowers healthy and wealthy artists through dance-centered products. My thought process behind beginning this business is multi fold: Read more>>

Kevin Katich

The music industry is incredibly broad, especially if you are a freelancer who has developed a number of skills and has multiple interests. I’m a drummer, percussionist, audio engineer and songwriter. I have worked as a professional drummer and percussionist for nearly twenty years, and the frequency of work is unpredictable and thus, so is the pay. I have been a working freelance drum teacher for 16 years, 11 of which I also worked at School of Rock West LA part time. Between working as a drummer/percussionist, audio engineer and teacher, my most consistent income has always come from teaching, hands down. About four years ago, I decided to prioritize the teaching business for that exact reason, which has not only created a far more financially stable and fun life for me that is less stressful, but it’s also positively effected my work as a drummer/percussionist. Prior to prioritizing Kevin Katich Lessons, I would take every paying gig I could get. Now that I have financial freedom, I’m able to be a lot pickier about the gigs/recording sessions I choose to do. This has enabled me to specialize in rock, metal and reggae, the three genres I’m most passionate about and it has enabled me to start getting back to writing my own music, which ultimately means that I’m playing music for all the reasons I pursued music in the first place. Prioritizing this business has been liberating in more ways than one! Read more>>

Graciela Corona

Since middle and high school, I have had a passion for all things aesthetic. Growing up in the Tumblr and Instagram era inspired me to look for beauty in the ordinary, whether it be cafes, sunsets, or people in cities. I could only reblog so much of other people’s art until I wanted to create my own. I was able to start with taking iPhone photos, but I wanted more. I signed up for digital photography in high school and have never stopped shooting since then. I was able to take more photography classes in college as well and even learned to develop my own film. Once I realized the passion I had could also help me pay for school, I started to do freelance photography. Now as a graduate student at USC, my photography freelance business has helped me so much financially and creatively. Read more>>

Ashley Slaughter

Giving back to others in need, when you have the means, is an effective way to make your local community and the world a better place. I grew up volunteering in my community with this mindset and believe that we all need this more than ever now. Read more>>

Miyuki Lopez

When I was supporting students at a company I used to be working, I noticed a gap between the company’s support system and the students’ ideals. I felt that within the constraints of a large organization, there were limitations to what could be done. This realization made me want to directly help more international students, which led me to start my own business. I had enough experience to be independent, and I had a fairly clear idea of what I wanted to turn into a business and how I wanted to develop it. The challenges were getting recognized and researching the methods to establish a company in California. To address recognition, I created an Instagram account. Since gaining recognition takes time, I simultaneously promoted the company while going through the process of setting it up. This approach worked well for me. Read more>>

Kirjah Hoops

When I considered starting my own business, a crucial thought process for me was – to keep the plan & simple – focusing on understanding my motivations and defining my ultimate goals. Asking myself “Why I wanted to embark on this journey?” and “What do I hoped to achieve” helped me maintain focus and drive. Ideally, your business should align with your dreams and aspirations, reflecting what you truly want to do with your life. Read more>>

 Luis Marin

My first thought behind starting my own business was the fear of being capped and limited in how much I could make and grow. I realized that working for others often restricted my creativity and knowledge because many employers believe their ideas are the only right ones rather than learning from the value others bring. I didn’t want to be stuck in this cycle, so I decided to break free by starting my own business in media creation. Read more>>

Jonathan Cottrell

When reflecting on the thought process behind starting our own business, especially GYM Bar, Erik and I drew on our diverse experiences and passions. Both of us have successfully launched and managed businesses before, but this venture is our first in the hospitality industry, which brings its own unique challenges and rewards. Read more>>

Jazmine Alexa

In order to talk about my thought process behind starting Jazmine Alexa Photography, I feel I have to talk about how I found photography and why I fell in love with it. I haven’t always been a photographer, I actually only picked up a real camera for the first time about 2 years ago. I had been working as a medical assistant through the COVID-19 pandemic and found myself needing a creative outlet. After lots of reflection and thinking about what that would look like, I remembered an experience I had when i’d worked with a photographer during a really vulnerable time in my life, she encouraged me to exist where my feet were and made me feel seen in a way id never really experienced before, I thought I might work towards evoking that feeling in others too. Photography was almost an instant passion, not just because I got to be artistic but because of the gratitude I always received from the other side of my lens, no matter the subject, the experience and photos they got out of our sessions always seemed to leave a big impact. My gift seemed to be that by the end of sessions it would feel like i’d been friends with my client for a lifetime and somehow always ended up in deep heart to heart conversation. My love of photography was born when I understood its capacity to produce such a deep emotional response from the people I was photographing. The images I was taking weren’t just pictures; they were priceless, frozen glimpses of a person, family or couple’s essence that would be passed down through time. Read more>>

Takia Tizzi” Green”

The thought process behind starting my company Majestic 9 Films and Majestic 9 Productions had been a dream of mine from the moment that I knew, I wanted to be in the tv/film business. I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur, and I knew that whatever career I pursued would be the type of business that I would own. There were plenty of entrepreneurs in my family so I grew up with great examples of business ownership. Read more>>

Liyah Jammeh

Starting my own business, DVN ALN, stemmed from a profound desire to make a tangible difference in people’s lives through natural healing. I recognized the increasing need for holistic health solutions and the growing interest in natural supplements. My thought process revolved around the belief that true wellness comes from understanding and addressing the root causes of health issues rather than merely treating symptoms. Read more>>

Elizabeth Munro Farrugia

I’ve always loved running the show. I started practicing in Florida 11 years ago and almost immediately began running a law firm for another set of attorneys. It was tough, but I learned the ropes pretty quickly and found that I had a knack for being the boss. Read more>>

COOPER PHILLIP

I started my business because I genuinely wanted to share my knowledge and experience with singers and artists, particularly from my home country, Russia. Initially, I had no idea that my insights were so unique and needed. As a child, I was diagnosed with asthma and turned to singing in hopes of alleviating the condition. Through singing, I discovered proper breathing and phonation techniques, which not only helped me heal completely but also empowered me to help others overcome similar challenges. This journey inspired me to start my business and share these life-changing techniques with a wider audience Read more>>

Al Hallak

In 2013, I founded a startup company in Burbank, California, to offer production services, mainly as a producer. My goal was to be part of the early stages of film and TV project development. I was fortunate to work with many industry professionals over the years and contribute to the success of numerous projects. Read more>>