Are you thinking about starting a business? If so, we think you’ll enjoy reading about how these seasoned entrepreneurs thought about the question when they were in your shoes.

Victoria Lee & Jeffrey Kwok | Owners of Portrait Space

Hi there! We’re Victoria Lee and Jeffrey Kwok, the owners at Portrait Space (https://www.theportraitspace.com/), located at 110 W. Green St. Pasadena, CA. We are a self-portrait photo studio and event space, and offer a unique experience where you provide the creativity, and we provide the rest. You take the photos yourself by looking at a live-view of yourself on a monitor and a wireless remote that triggers the camera. After, you take home studio-quality photos that are ready to share, immediately. While we’re not professional photographers, we realized we both shared a love for capturing happy memories through photography. During our travels together, we would always jump at the chance when we saw a photobooth somewhere to get photo prints. Read more>>

Emily Gay | Sexuality Educator & Intimacy Coach

My inspiration of starting my own business in sexuality education was born (pun intended) from my days of training to be a birth doula. My fascination with the connection to our bodies and the miracles they can perform naturally led me to wanting to support people through the birthing process. As I stepped into this magical role, I quickly realized that I was shocked, not at the birthing process but rather the lack of knowledge surrounding our reproductive systems and how to support them both physically and mentally. This led me to think about sexuality education as a whole. What has it been teaching us, what is it lacking and how is it evolving to fit into today’s highly charged and rapidly changing sexual landscape? Read more>>

Candice James | Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant

During a time when I needed an immense amount of postpartum support, I did not know that companies like my own could exist. I thought, how amazing would it be to have someone come into my home and help me with breastfeeding. I dreamed of having a support person that was available for ongoing questions and support. I felt so lost. My breastfeeding journey with my first child was traumatic. I ended up in the hospital due to complications. Once healed, I couldn’t stop visualizing how I could create a business to help others from my experience. I feel that the most successful businesses are those started by an owner fueled with passion and a strong mission. I also believe that each and every person on this planet should be able to do something that they love every day. Read more>>

Caleb Hansford (CDUPR3) | Music Producer / Entrepreneur

My process was to see what was lacking in music and how I could contribute to making a difference. I moved to Los Angeles in 2015 as a drummer with much experience but wanted more out of music. I wanted to challenge myself and see if I had the skill and creative mind to produce and artist develop. I felt music was lacking creativity and had become stagnant so I journeyed to find my sound in which I combine storytelling within a mainstream (R&B, Pop, Hip Hop) production using orchestral hits with dramatic synths and strings.The intent is to pull every emotion out of the listener. Read more>>

Lyndon Enow | Singer/Songwriter & Entrepreneur

The decision to embark on the exciting journey of starting my own business was deeply rooted in my passion for singing and songwriting, which has been a profound part of my life. As an only child, I’ve always turned to writing to process complex situations and emotions, and it was through this self-soothing process that I discovered the power of music. My love for music led me to dive into singing and songwriting, and I quickly realized that I wanted to take this passion to the next level. I wanted my music to not only be an expression of my innermost thoughts and feelings but also to resonate with others and connect with them on a profound level. This burning desire to share my music and create a brand that embodies this passion led me to establish my own record label, which I proudly named ‘acrnmco.’ Read more>>

Brian Shim | Web Developer, Blogger, and YouTuber

I was previously director of engineering for a major consumer electronic music equipment brand. It was a good job, but I had a desire to return to designing things rather than managing logistics, personnel, schedules, manufacturing, and so forth. I also wanted to be able to set realistic schedules with enough time to do the highest quality work, and not rush things out the door half-baked. I was also after a better work-life balance. Finally, all of our products were made in China of course, and I didn’t want to contribute to that system anymore. I had been doing web development as a side hobby and started taking on some nonprofit clients (churches) and they seemed to like my work. Read more>>

Max Shamooil | Founder & CEO

After working in apparel industry for 30 years and having to come up with new samples on a regular basis, I had decided to try and bring in a product that once it was done properly, there would be no more changes and every new production would follow suite. Read more>>

Gage Hulsey | Vintage & Gypsy Jazz guitarist/multi-instrumentalist, Carnivorous Plant & Aquatic Life Breeder & Retailer

Fortunately, there wasn’t much thinking when I started playing guitar, banjo, and shamisen for a living. Then there was even more “not much thinking” when I decided to invest a significant amount of resources into growing, breeding, and selling carnivorous plants, fish, and shrimp on the side. My high school, Long Beach Poly, and jazz band director, Chris Stevens, really set me up for success by allowing students entry into the jazz program without auditioning. I did not play any music when I signed up, so I wasn’t about to land any audition! Furthermore, we were allowed to keep any pay we received from gigs booked through the school, as clients would call looking for cheap bands for local events. Read more>>

Janelle Pegram | Designer & Business Owner

When covid hit in 2020 I was a brand new mom. My son was born in February and by March we were in full lock down. I was a teacher working from home and feeling a little lost. I was a mom, stuck at home and didn’t feel like I had anything that was mine anymore. We had lost our daughter the year before during heart surgery and this boy was my rainbow baby. I felt like I was supposed to be happy but couldn’t find the old me anymore. I felt like I was on autopilot most days just trying to get through. I’ve always been a creative and always wanted to have a business of my own but didn’t know what I would want to make or sell. When I would nurse my son I would watch tiktok and suddenly saw all these people sharing tips and tricks for how to draw and make their own stickers. Read more>>

Amanda Romero | Full time momma & part time small business owner

I began creating my business during covid, after having my 4th child. My baby was just a few weeks old and I found myself online shopping, a lot! Things that caught my eye at the time were like those mom brand shops. I liked shirts that had little clever sayings like, “Tired as a motha” or “Ain’t no hood like motherhood”. Everything was so relatable, but not quite my style. I would always tell my husband about ideas I had for shirts designs or tell him things I would change on something I seen that wasn’t my style to make it my style. He finally asked me why don’t I create my own stuff? I remember him telling me, “if all fails, you’ll just have a lot of shirts for yourself!”. Read more>>

Baramee | Cinematographer

I’ve always been a creative since I was young. During my college years, I was offered a lucrative opportunity to work at a hotel and so I took it. I worked in the hospitality business for 15 years. During the last three years of working in the hotel, the stress began to really affect me. I felt stuck and realized I had to change my situation. I tapped into what inspired me the most ,which was filmmaking, and began taking the business side of filming more serious. It got to a point where the filming became more lucrative than the hotel. I realized the time and effort I was putting into the hotel would be more productive being put into myself. Read more>>

Tomo Honda | Baker/Wife & Mother

In 2002, my husband’s job brought our whole family from Japan to California. As a cooking and baking enthusiast, I was very excited to be in Los Angeles since it was known for a melting pot of all kinds of international cuisines. I have been learning various kind of dishes I never experienced before. After scouting around Los Angeles for some time, I realized that I couldn’t find Japanese style breads I love anywhere near by. This led me start baking breads again. I shared a variety of Japanese breads to my friends and neighbors from time to time and to my surprise, the feedback consisted of my bread having a softer, sweeter, and richer taste. My friends and neighbors wanted more, and I saw this as an opportunity to perfect my different kinds of recipes. Read more>>

Sandra Corcuera | Tv & Radio host, Therapist, Singer-songwriter

I’ve always wanted to venture into entrepreneurship. I’ve tried many things in various fields, abandoned some projects, started others—both solo and with other people. It’s been a journey of trial and error, primarily about getting to know myself and figuring out what I enjoyed and found most engaging enough to turn into a sustainable business over time. I usually have multiple projects in progress, and the level of attention and energy I give to each one depends on how I feel at the moment. I’m super creative, and new ideas pop into my head daily, sometimes creating a bit of a jumble, haha. Read more>>

Lukas Geppert | Film Composer

To become a professional film composer in Los Angeles has been my dream since I was a kid! Ever since I started to play piano when I was five, I loved playing and listening to film scores and I am super happy that I could make this passion to my daily job now! As film composers we are all driven to tell a story and to create emotions – and that’s what I always wanted to do – to tell the story and to evoke emotions with music. Thus, I knew I had to put in all the time and effort to make it from Germany to Los Angeles. Read more>>

Jean Von Harlow | Creative Designer

My thought process was all over the place but I remember one of the top reasons why I wanted to start my own business was to make opportunities for me happen on my own timeline while also building my confidence and helping my family build a better life. Read more>>

Shelley Johnson II | Creative Director | Curator | Entrepreneur

Hi Shelley, what inspires you? I find inspiration in a multitude of things, and it truly ignites my creative spirit. As an artist, I see myself as a conduit for something greater, a vessel of the divine. From the vibrant hues of a painting to the intricate textures of the world around me, every element serves as a catalyst for my imagination. Even the melody of a song or the symphony of nature’s sounds can stir something deep within me. But one of the most extraordinary sources of inspiration for me lies in the nostalgic memories of my childhood. I firmly believe in the power of embracing our inner child, and for me, it’s a constant reminder of the unfiltered joy and curiosity that resides within. Read more>>