We reached out to some of our favorite entrepreneurs and asked them to think back and tell us about how they decided to start a business. Check out their responses below.

Leonel Severino | Director & Actor

I started my own business with a simple goal: to help people like me avoid scams and find success. I want to be a trustworthy guide for future filmmakers, especially within the Latino community. I believe that a higher power has placed me in this position to support and uplift others. Together, let’s embark on a transformative journey, where trust prevails, dreams flourish, and the spirit of community shines bright, leaving behind an inspiring legacy for all. Read more>>

Steve Deering | Writer, Director, Producer, Filmmaker

There wasn’t any conscious thought process behind starting my own business, if my efforts can even be called that. But I suppose any writer or artist is a brand of their own, and thus, a business of their own. I was just plugging away, working on my own career as a writer and filmmaker. Eventually, my efforts snowballed a bit, and others got caught up in my work and my goals. Read more>>

Victoria Moore | Tap for All Inclusive Dance Expert / Be the Difference – Make the Difference Inspirational Speaker

In 2017 I came to the realization that the the dance form I had devoted my entire career to was THE most exclusive dance genre there is. I had seen dancers with disabilities perform lyrical, contemporary, ballet, jazz, and even hip hop, but tap was never in the mix. When you think of a tap dancer you probably envision the brilliant tap dancing of people such as Gregory Hines, Savion Glover, Gene Kelly, and Eleanor Powell. Read more>>

Dr. Julie Shaw | Certified Grief Educator & Grief Wellness Community Builder

I simply want to help others who are grieving. We will all experience loss of some kind in our lives and we will all experience death of someone close to us. I do know we can grieve other losses such as a friendship, our identity, career, relationship etc. After the death of my sister I found community spaces to be very healing where I could spend time and talk freely without judgement to other people who understood grief. Read more>>

CJ Nussbaum | Thrift Enthusiast

One of my favorite quotes is “Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely” by Auguste Rodin. I’ve always tried to keep that as my mantra throughout the years. As cliché as it sounds, life is too short to be afraid to try new things and start new projects. There will never be an absolutely perfect time to begin a new journey, so might as well take the leap of faith! Read more>>

john Green | Entrepreneur & Vintage Clothing Collector

The thought process of me starting my own business was i always wanted to run something that i was totally in control of. Its cool to work for people but its so much gratifying to be successful by your own means. Read more>>

Paulina Pinsky | Writer, Educator, & Writing Coach

Writing is but a fraction of what it means to be a writer. Not only do you have to conjure words out of thin air, but you have to figure out how to sell, market, and deliver whatever it is you do. Being a writer requires becoming an astute business person. And most of the time, writing may not even be what you get paid for. Read more>>

Coty Hayford | Photographer& Entrepreneur

My thought process behind starting this business was big. It was during covid, and I had a huge desire to start taking pictures, but for some reason, I was scared to do it. I was afraid of what people would think. Where would I get a camera? It was a lot of hows. I then began to realize I had a gift. Why not cultivate it and use it? I did not want to sit and let my gift become an idle. Read more>>

Shamel Jones | US Army Recruiter & Artist & World Traveler Content Creator

Being active duty US Army takes a lot of out me. I grew up always expressing my creativity. I thought the military suppressed that creative side but I was wrong. I started my business as a form of expression to release all the built up creativity. I had to self-reflect and realize it never went away. I saw an old childhood friend of mine making a rug on instagram. It was really cool and I thought to myself, “I can do that…” so I invested into all of the products and started making rugs. Read more>>

Zuma Quintero | Music Producer, Dj and artist

I really had no idea what I was going to do with my life when I was in school. I met a few musicians and found myself tapping into the songwriting world and later on producing and djing. I honestly don’t like the business side of the industry but over time I have learned how to mute the noise.  Read more>>

Kariji Jones | Music Producer

The thought process behind starting my business as a music producer was influenced by my deep-rooted love for music and a clear understanding of my unique skill set. As a music producer, my role is to shape and guide the music to its fullest potential, and that’s a responsibility I take very seriously. Read more>>

Stephanie Colantonio | Holistic Reproductive Health Physician, Herbalist & Mentor

I was in a major moment of transition and pause when I first started thinking about starting my own practice as a reality. It felt foreign. We don’t learn about the business side of medicine during our formal training during school or residency. At the beginning of the COVID pandemic I took time off from work to move to Madrid to be with my partner at that time. During this period of rest and quiet, I spent a lot of time in nature and reflection. Read more>>

Marlana Tucker | Mentor/ Artist/ Host/ Model

I want to be able to create jobs for my community at the same time inspiring people to explore entrepreneurship. Read more>>

Jasmine Sykes | Global Executive Publicist

My business came about with my passion for writing and marketing. JMarie Media was founded in 2012, starting my career off as an editor for my magazine, JMarie Magazine. The magazine was created to become a platform for entrepreneurs in the Midwest region to showcase to the world what they had to offer. The goal was that the magazine would eventually expand nationally. That included doing live interviews via social media and Youtube. Read more>>

Megan Sousa | Actress, Comedian & CEO of Laugh Your Truth Productions

You really have to be determined to make it work. You have to make a decision to do a thing and pull the resources together. I really believe in my brand, team and vision. It’s definitely one brick at a time mentality. Read more>>

Jennifer Aos | Sustainable Interior Designer

I only source products and materials from other companies who share my values. I go to great lengths to assure that the company I am dealing with has ethical standards regarding the environment, animal cruelty, employee wages, quality products, fair prices and eco-friendly materials. Read more>>

Manolo Langis | Architectural Photographer

While working as an architect, I was also involved in the visual aspect of project presentations, showing the vision of a home through my strengths of 3D and graphics. As I always had a camera in my back pocket, I slowly transitioned to architectural photography, merging all my talents in a more artistic manner. Read more>>

Christopher Pappas | Songwriter / Producer

I wanted to share the experience of writing a song with anyone who felt inspired to do so. I believe there’s a creative side in all of us, and those who want to explore that side through music should have a space to do so; and I wanted to create a space for them. Read more>>

John Mercado | Writer & Producer

My thought process was basically I was tired of working for others. I have been working since I was fourteen years old. I’ve had many jobs and one thing they all have in common is I made someone else a lot of money. I knew I would have to work harder than I have in my life but freedom to do what you want is going to cost you. None of the successful business people in the world have taken short cuts. It’s a truth most learn the hard way. Read more>>

Saadia Khan | Founder & CEO

Indus Threads is driven by a mission to make a global impact for women. I wanted to create a revolutionary brand on a mission to empower women rock their confident selves – one affordable statement piece at a time. We create and curate globally inspired accessories that you have never seen before.  Read more>>

Simon Sacal | CEO of Solely

The story of this business goes back more than 20 years when we realized there was a big confusion between better-for-you “healthy” snack foods and good-for-you real foods. First, we started by identifying the huge need around ‘good-for-you’ savory snacking, so we invented a technology to create our own patent to create a fat-free chip, then everything started to evolve towards fruit, and we then created a second patented cold-pressing process to transform whole organic produce into single-portion jerky. Read more>>

Lamont Pete | Executive Producer for Television & Films

Starting a business in the entertainment industry can be exciting and rewarding, but it also comes with its own set of challenges. It’s important to have a genuine passion for the entertainment industry and a good understanding of the field you want to enter. Having expertise in areas such as music, film, gaming, or event management can greatly contribute to the success of your business. Read more>>