It takes a lot more than an idea to build a business, but there can’t be a business without the idea. So we asked folks who’ve built wonderful businesses to tell us about how they came up with the idea in the first place.

Antonio Lobato

My journey to developing/creating Sutra Salon has been deeply rooted in three decades of professional and personal growth. For 20 years, I worked as a stylist, helping clients discover their unique beauty and boost their confidence through creative and thoughtful transformations. During this time, I developed an intimate understanding of how physical appearance and self-expression are tied to one’s sense of identity and well-being. Read More>>

Zaida Marin

ZY Design was born from a deep desire to reconnect people with nature — not just aesthetically, but energetically and emotionally. My background in interior design and glazing taught me the power of light, space, and form. But it wasn’t until I was diagnosed with Lupus and PCOS that my personal healing journey truly began — and I realized our environments can do more than look beautiful — they can help us feel better, think clearer, and live more purposefully. Read More>>

Justin Juárez

It might sound like something straight out of a startup playbook, but the idea for my business came together in a way that felt both natural and inevitable. After college, I dabbled in media and digital advertising until landing a job in the marketing studio of a boutique Southern California luxury real estate brokerage. They specialized in representing historical and architecturally significant homes. Read More>>

Cheryl Samson Ramirez

The Pilipinx in Wellness podcast has always been a collective front from its origins. The idea spawned in a UC Irvine Kaba alumni chatroom within the Clubhouse mobile app. and was birthed from discussing not only grief and loss during the Covid-19 pandemic, but also Asian hate crimes. Riann De Los Reyes of Rifill Candle Co. and Cheryl Samson Ramirez are co-founders of Pilipinx in Wellness with support from founder of SoCal Filipinos, Jason Lustina. Read More>>

Ilona Tombu

My name is Ilona Tombu. I am a Russian language teacher with a background in elementary education as well as in teaching Russian as a foreign language.

I was born in Tallinn, Estonia, in a Russian-speaking family.Here in the U.S., I became a mother to two daughters.

The idea of starting the school came to me with the birth of my children. It was very important to me that my daughters received a solid foundation in the Russian language—that they would be able to read, write, and communicate well in fluent, beautiful Russian. I wanted them to be able to speak with their grandparents and use Russian within our family. Read More>>