The first step to starting a business is deciding to start a business. They say the first step is the hardest and in our experience this is especially true when it comes to starting a business. Getting over the mental roadblocks can be tough, often harder to overcome than the challenges you’ll face once you actually start the business. Fellow entrepreneurs share their thoughts below.

Stephanie Stimmler | Sustainable Style Expert & Wardrobe Stylist

Today we purchase over 80 billion pieces of new clothing each year. That’s 400% more than what we bought in the early 2000s. After two decades of global design experience in fashion and textiles I began to notice a gap within the market: People were not being educated on the environmental and social impacts of the fashion and textile industry. In many ways, neither was I. I felt called to learn, educate, and eventually guide consumers to buy more consciously; our purchasing power has an astounding impact. Read more>>

Devine Evans | Multi Award winning Producer, Songwriter, Composer

The ultimate goal behind launching my own Entertainment and Media company was to create a musically charged environment that would give up and coming Artists, songwriters and Producers an opportunity to grow and develop their gifts. In my life I have experienced so many tragic moments caused by the affiliation of people rooted in the entertainment industry for the wrong reasons. I wanted to create a safe space for my team to grown and learn and challenge each other to be great. Read more>>

Jeremy Clark | Motivational Speaker, Mindset Coach, & Author

After years of schooling obtaining undergraduate and graduate degrees in business, I naturally presumed my combined higher education would guarantee me innumerable ways to be successful in life. I was always told growing up that I would be set once I get my degree and a high-paying job to support myself. Well once my degrees led me to the lucrative corporate career path I felt disillusioned and dissatisfied with unrewarding work. Read more>>

Michael Hersh, MD | Physician Coach, Gastroenterologist, Entrepreneur, Founder and CEO

It is so interesting to think about this. If I am being honest, I only ever wanted to be a physician. And if you told a younger version of me that someday I would be an entrepreneur, I would have told you that you were crazy. But as I progressed in my medical career, I felt less and less fulfilled by my day-to-day work. I had spent the greater part of thirty years preparing for a career as a gastroenterologist, but roughly ten years into my journey, I couldn’t imagine spending the rest of my life doing the same thing over and over. Looking back, I was extremely burned out, but I didn’t recognize it at the time. Read more>>

Matthew Faulkner | CEO, Producer & Troublemaker

For the first 10 years of my professional career I worked for someone else. I was trading my freedom for security (or so I thought), but in 2008 when the economy crashed I had a rude awakening. Leaving your livelihood in the hands of someone else is only a facade of security. In actuality, my life, wealth, and happiness were most secure when I bet on myself. You of course have to follow up that bet with a borderline psychotic work ethic and a relentlessness that would never allow you to give up. But if that’s you, you’re meant to be a builder, not a worker. Read more>>

Lorene Lolo” Fisher | Founder

Since I was young, I dreamed of owning my own dance studio. I called it the “super studio” because I wanted it to be so much more than a dance studio, more like a community center. I wanted it to be transformative. As a multiracial Black girl in a lot of predominately-White spaces, dance was a place for me to really explore my identity and it gave me opportunities to travel and learn about other cultures and ways of movement and wellness along the way. So as you can imagine, the dream of that dance ‘super’ studio evolved over time. Read more>>

Roberto Mejia Jr | Entrepreneur/Small Business Owner

The idea started with my first class at CSULA in the Fall of 2018. It was an elective-Food Justice under the Asian American Studies department. I learned about Food Insecurity- yes thats a real thing. What I learned that here in LA, access to healthy food, whether it was geographically, economically, socially or culturally, was scarce. I thought, wait eating Costco hot-dogs three times a week isn’t secure aka good for me? Well as delicious and affordable they were, sadly, no, it was not a healthy way of nutrition. LA is a big melting pot for different styles of cuisine. But how much of it is actually good for you? So, the seed was planted there. Read more>>

Jessica M | Holistic Skincare Guru

I’m glad you asked that question. My thought process behind my brand was to have more POC in the skin care industry that creates cultivated science-based skin care for melanated skin. I believe that there’s no other way to better cater to your needs than actually using items that we’ve designed with you in mind. There’s a special place I hold for making sure our needs get fulfilled when we’re searching for skincare that is created naturally and produces excellent results without chemically made large factory-made products that are solely made for Monterey gain and not meeting the needs of their consumers or taking the time make products with others in mind during their formulating process. Read more>>

ATTINSHUN | Songwriters, Producers, Artists & Musicians

As a band we were already creating magic together so we decided to create a band that shows our individual talents while also showing our talents together as ATTINSHUN. Read more>>

Gamaliel Cardona | Owner

We wanted (Luis & Gamaliel) to start this business mainly because Louisville has no Puerto Rican restaurants or food trucks. We began by making food for a few people to have an idea of what they said was working and what was not. We did that for a couple of months until we figured out what worked. After a couple of months, we raised enough money to buy a trailer; from there, the rest is history. Also, besides bringing Puerto Rican food to Louisville, we wanted to bring something unique, which in this case is our “tripleta”. Read more>>

Olivia Cuartero-Briggs | Film, TV, and comic book writer, and founder of Storrior Box.

I am a working dramatic writer now, but when I was starting out as a screenwriter, there weren’t a whole lot of low-cost options for learning the craft, other than just writing or picking up a book. And beyond that, it was extremely difficult to find up-to-date resources on how to build a career as a writer in the entertainment buisiness. So, I decided to go to graduate school. NYU Tisch, to be exact. Today I have that career, but I still have over 200,000 dollars of student debt for a two-year degree. No artist should have to carry that type of financial burden. Read more>>

Ellie Kelsey | Registered Dietitian

There wasn’t too much thought! And, I think that’s what has helped me. If I knew all of the ups and downs that were to come, I might not have went for it. My business story started with working in systems that did not align with my ethics. I had tried to change the systems by advocating for my clients, sitting in on meetings I was not initially invited to, and spending “too much” time with my clients. I had tried to work my way but the environment would not allow it. Read more>>

Brad & Tim Clemens | Influencers & Content Creators

Craft Grooms wasn’t conceived of as a business, but rather a way for us to showcase our projects to friends and family. Unexpectedly, it just took off! Our followers started growing, and people simply became more and more interested in not only what we were doing, but how we were doing it. Read more>>

Margie Bradley | Author & CEO of Grandma Etta’s Quilting Inc.

Under normal circumstances I would have been overwhelmed with the composition of a business plan. Location, budgeting, prospective clientele, as well as other logistics. One day while in my living room, I stitched together a quilt as a birthday gift for a friend. To their amazement and satisfaction, they suggested that I contact local media outlets highlighting “hand stitched quilting…a lost art”. That conversation and just a few months birthed Grandma Etta’s Quilting Inc. Read more>>

D. Alexander Ward | Author and Editor-in-Chief of Bleeding Edge Books

Having been involved in the inception, creation, editing, and publishing of several well-regarded anthologies for other publishers, I wanted to try my own hand at it where I could sort of steer the ship and have more creative control of the books. The indie publishing market, much like the big publishing houses, focuses a lot on traditional formats like novels or even collections by well-known authors. I wanted to take Bleeding Edge Books in a different direction and focus on formats that are often overlooked, deemed not profitable, or not given the proper attention when it comes to production quality. Read more>>

Sebastian Curi | Artist.

When I jumped from being an animator working in production companies to a freelance illustrator and later on to set up my own studio the key driven factor was freedom. Freedom to explore work outside the usual standards, to bring more of my voice to the work, to create a cycle between personal work and commissioned work; where the personal work drives the commissions. Read more>>

Nina Hama | Gallerist @ Hama Gallery

First of, I want to apologise for my English, I hope you can correct any grammatical errors in my answers. I’ll write from the heart and would like to receive a copy of the interview before publishing it. My answer to this question: I come from what you could call an art family, I have two uncle who are artists and as a young’n I spent quite some time in their studios and at their exhibition openings. My dream was either opening up a gallery of my own one day or to become the head of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Read more>>

Rahiel Desta | Jewelry Designer

I’ve enjoyed making jewelry for myself for years. I thought about creating a line to sell, but it wasn’t until recently that I decided to turn it into a business. Read more>>

Sunny Ferguson | Multicultural Skin Therapist

I thought it would be a great idea to create a unique skincare and beauty studio that would make people feel welcomed, seen, heard, pampered, and, most importantly, comfortable. A space where they wouldn’t feel shame for having skin issues or feel as though they are merely a transaction. And most importantly, a place that was inclusive to any and everyone. So I decided to open GB Aesthetics. I took everything I’ve learned throughout my years in hospitality, customer service, and cosmetology to create a beautiful space and memorable experience. Read more>>

MonaLisa Miguel | Founder & Creator of Whipped Studios

Where I come from and how I grew up, there were never talks about owning your own business, creating self-wealth, or carving your own path for yourself vs someone else’s vision of what you should do or where you could go. The best I could do is go to school, graduate and get a job, working for someone else that would give me stability and consistency. It’s exactly what I did. I worked hard, always giving it the ole’ 150%, pushing myself to greatness. Read more>>

David Emmanuelle Castillo (Cualliyolteotl) | Anti-Racist & Racial Equity Consultant.

The thought process behind starting my business is rooted in the mission and vision. The mission of Equitable Systems Consultants, LLC., is to create the next generation of systems thinkers through servant leadership and The Five C’s of Critical Care (Rolón-Dow, 2005), Critical Faith (Lee & Givens, 2015), Critical Hope (Andrade, 2009), Critical Love (Sealey-Ruiz, 2020), and Critical Reflection (Howard, 2003). Intentionality is the best word to use to when it comes to the mission. Read more>>