Jenel Stevens Thompson | Stuntwoman, Martial Artist & Certified Fitness Coach

I wanted to be independent, work for myself and give myself the opportunity to grow as a business woman and entrepreneur. Working for a company was a great start for me, it gave me the resources, knowledge and experience I needed to branch out on my own. Read more>>

Kipper | Antique Restorer and Custom Furniture Designer

When I first came to America, I worked in an antique shop. What annoyed me was that there was such an emphasis on making a sale, and not a lot about the knowledge in what they were selling…so I made it my business to open up that part of the business. Read more>>

Nicholas Lee (PARTNER ONE) YingQi Chen (PARTNER TWO) | Hitorii Design

Work is where we end up spending the most of our lives, but working for someone else has many trade-offs. Most companies are hyper focused on profits, see employees as disposable labor, and have poor management with no accountability.  Read more>>

Reuben Shaw | Creative Tailor and Designer

I approached my business the same way a screenwriter, producer, or director would a film project. I wanted to create a world and build stories around the characters that inhabit that world. I find that in life the way people dress is their way of telling a story and often that story is influenced by their own environment.  Read more>>

Jennifer Campos | Holistic Esthetician

Always keep the end goal in mind. Crafting something beautiful is a means of spreading positivity in the world. With a dose of optimism, it conveys a simple message: life has value. My aim was to develop something genuine, starting from nothing, witnessing its growth, while enriching people’s lives. Read more>>

Sam Bergan | Owner of BookHouse Hawaii

I started BookHouse because I wanted to make friends with other book lovers! I was working in an event venue, and my boss and manager of the space, Michelle Carmack, gifted me a section of the venue to set up a pop up version of my shop to get it launched.  Read more>>

Arianna Arnett | Wedding Content Creator

I got married almost exactly one year ago, and fell in love with the wedding industry during my two years of being engaged and sharing my wedding planning journey to social media. I had the most amazing photographers and videographers for my wedding, but while I waited for my professional gallery all I had to look back on from the day were the blurry iPhone photos and videos that my guests had taken. Read more>>

Farnaz Esnaashari | Founder of The Pitch Docs

Our industry is changing at a rapid pace, faster than most of us can keep up with right now. With major Studios on pause, and massive layoffs in effect. In the face of all of this change I wanted to create a space where we as creatives can unite, give back, and have some fun creating.  Read more>>

La Taunya Green | CEO and Founder

My business started 18 years ago, I was on a family vacation in Paris and while sightseeing on a fiery traveling through a canal I noticed homeless people sleeping on the concrete platform that separated the water from the walls. The images of those people never left my head. Read more>>

Mason Maengkom | Commercial Fashion and Still Life Photographer

My thought process didn’t have an end goal (i.e. starting a business). I enjoyed making photographs whether it was portraiture or product imagery. Did I know I’d go into commercial photography? No, but I knew there were people out there willing to pay for it. Read more>>

SARAH HOGENESCH | Organizer/Owner – Los Angeles CoEd Soccer

We are Chris and Sarah, the founders of LACES. We started Los Angeles Co Ed Soccer because we love the game of soccer and love the way soccer brings people together. This league is all about having fun, making connections, and good friendly competition. Read more>>

Michael Zislis | Restaurateur, hotelier, and philanthropist

Born and raised in Southern California, I have always been fascinated by the food and beverage world. When I was only 13 years old I brewed my first beer for a science experiment at school. By the time I was an economics major at the University of Southern California, I was a master brewer.  Read more>>

Brittany Furnari Kesoglides | Owner of Nose Best Candles

Nose Best began during the pandemic, with no career opportunities in sight and while I was in my early twenties so it felt like a time to reset and go against the grain. Along with my best friend and co-founder Cristian, we decided to pool together our goverment stimulus checks and start up a little candle side hustle that in the years that have passed became full time jobs and resulted in becoming a storefront in 2021. Read more>>

Cynthia Garcia Sanchez | Founder

Personal style is a form of self expression for Maria Consuelo Designs. This line was created to honor our culture in a way that is forever. Maria Consuelo Designs was created for discerning women who treasure their cultural upbringing. Read more>>

Devin Petersen | Creative & Reiki Master

I’ve always been a free spirit and have had an entrepreneurship mindset. I am an artist, and a deep thinker. When I was 25 I created my own clothing line called Astrae Apparel, screen printing my watercolor illustrations onto organic cotton and silk garments. This evolved into creating a line of printed bohemian pants and dresses. Read more>>

Erin Jellison Rusler | Yoga Therapist and Ayurvedic Practitioner

The underlying idea of starting my own business is to pursue my passion while also helping others and making a living. My business plan is rooted in my desire to bring love and service to people, and this is the vision that guides me. Read more>>

Jeri Evan | Designer + Illustrator

I got my start in Creative Marketing in a corporate setting in 2018, and wasn’t feeling fulfilled creatively in any way despite the job title. I was able to transition to working as a Freelance creative in the music and entertainment industry in early 2020 pretty organically after being discovered online.  Read more>>

Michelle Angenent | Owner and Founder of 417 Press

As a freelance graphic designer, I fell in love with letterpress printing in the early 2000s. I took a letterpress printing course and began searching in earnest for a press that I could I purchase and install in my garage. In 2013 I convinced a printer that I could restore and run a 17 x 22 Chandler & Price platen press and a year later I was experimenting with print projects. Read more>>

Chenjie Zhang | Landscape Designer & Environmental Artists

My profound passion for nature is the driving force behind my aspiration to become an environment artist. Since a young age, I’ve been deeply involved in studying and creating art with an Eastern aesthetic and perspective. Read more>>

Abby HONDO” Alem | Founder

I’ve always had a favorable strength of mixing of intuitive feel with analytical to articulate keen perspectives on how we move as people and why we connect. I’ve always had a knack for being able to connect with people and amplify a message. Read more>>

Makee W | Small business owner & Artist

It started with the simple idea of working for myself and not for anyone else anymore. Considering all the factors: working for myself, working from home, and working with my hands, I decided to open my own Etsy shop featuring handmade crochet flowers. Read more>>

Kristi Eisenberg | Professional Organizer and Relocation Specialist

Starting “Neatly Nested” was an organic blessing that took shape over time. What was once a friend asking me to help organize her pantry, because she had seen mine, turned into multiple friends asking if I could help them with their spaces. One friend tells another friend and so on. Read more>>

Hien Truong | Artist, Designer & Illustrator

Phở Luv is a celebration of my Vietnamese American culture. The brand is a combination of the 3 things I hold near and dear to my heart (and stomach) art, comfort food, and being able to give back to the community. “Phở” is a well loved Vietnamese noodle soup, which was the inspiration for my first character art. Read more>>

Sabrina Bennett Tobi Guillian | Yoga Instructor/ Studio owner

Hello! We are Sabrina Bennett and Tobi Guillian. We are the creators and owners of Cedar & Sage Wellness Studio in Yucca Valley, Ca. Also happen to be sister in laws! This studio was birthed in the summer of 2016 from a dream to create a space for holding health and wellness classes for our beloved community of Yucca Valley. Read more>>

Jennifer Wharton | NYC-based low brass player. Leader of Jennifer Wharton’s Bonegasm.

I started my own band fairly late in the game. I was 39 and didn’t think anyone would be interested in 1) playing with me or 2) hearing what I wanted to do. My thought was that I hadn’t challenged myself in a long time and if I was going to do it, I would have to do it my way. So I formed a band with four trombones and rhythm section. Read more>>

Angela Pacheco | Photographer, Producer, Podcaster

After earning my Bachelor’s Degree in Commercial Advertising; Professional Photography from the prestigious Brooks Institute of Photography Santa Barbara, I moved to LA and worked for several photo studios and photo agencies. But my goal was always to start my own production company. Read more>>

Alex McCormick | Baker & Student Athlete

I started baking at a very young age alongside my mom. It was a fun hobby to get into and I began to experiment with different techniques and treats. Cakes, cupcakes, and cookies became my go to and I would bake for all family events, holidays, etc. As I got older, friends and family would ask to buy goods from me for their own events and when I was in sixth I came up with the idea of Alex’s Sweet Treats. Read more>>

Joe Barbagallo | Owner of BarBHouse Productions and Producer

Entrepreneurial Journey. Thought Process Behind Starting a Business:
The drive to start a business was always inherent, sparked by an entrepreneurial spirit from a young age. Read more>>

Lauren DeGregorio | Owner/Founder of O’playsis

The thought process behind starting my own business stemmed from taking critical time to work on myself, and my mental health issues back in 2020, something I had been dealing with my entire life. I was 34 at the time and made the conscious choice to leave my teaching career of 16 years, I was done working for corporations and dealing with the bureaucracy, but I was now faced with, “I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up”. Read more>>

Dr. Jackie Kickish | Doctor of Physical Therapy |. Certified Prenatal and Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist | Mom of 3

Once I became a mother, everything I knew about health and fitness changed. On my postpartum journey, I felt lost and alone. There was not much out there regarding education on how to properly rehab your body after having a baby, or in my case, after having twins. Read more>>

Genevieve Anderson | Founder WUNZ Apparel in Action, Co-Founder Make It Work

Abby Cooper | Queer Events Producer

To put it simply, I was looking for something that did not exist and so I chose to create it. When it comes to queer events for lesbians, queer women, and gender expansive people, there aren’t many events that overlap with electronic dance music, much less bass music. I love experimental bass, dubstep, and drum n bass and I love attending raves. Read more>>

Wendy Gladney | Coach, Consultant, Author and Speaker

I have been in business since 1992 and when I first started it was because I was fulfilling a need for a friend’s business. I have always been good at organizing events and functions but I did not know I could get paid for providing such services. Read more>>

John S. Couch | Artist / Writer / Designer

After I left Hulu in 2021, where I led product design, I decided that having my own consultancy (Galvanize Studios) would be a nice change as I’d be able to work with many different companies in varied arenas. On occasion, I’d join the company for a stint but ultimately, at this juncture, I’ve found that working for myself has been very freeing. Currently I’m consulting for Amazon Prime Video and really enjoying it. Read more>>

Sally Falkow | Brand strategist

I needed to work to provide for my family but I also wanted to be there to raise the boys. I believe strongly in the value of a mother being there for the first 5 years, at least. So I figured out how I could use my abilities to start a business and work from home. Read more>>

Iantha Ussin | The New Teachers’ Teacher

I was a middle school English teacher for 15 years. Somewhere around year 10 of my career, my focus began to shift. I was still very much committed to teaching my students with a spirit of excellence, but I couldn’t help noticing other teachers in the building who either didn’t have the same commitment because they’d grown weary of the profession or because they hadn’t been equipped with the necessary tools to reach that level of commitment. Read more>>

Kyle Camerer | Photographer & Cinematographer

My thought process behind starting the Flash Truck started with I was laid-off from the company that I moved to San Francisco for from Minnesota. I was a photographer in Minnesota before getting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work for one of the most influential brands (at the time) and decided to put my photography career on pause and moved out west. Read more>>