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.

Denise Gutierrez

When I started my business, I was still in culinary school. Honestly, I was terrified. I didn’t feel ready- my culinary training had just begun, and I had no background in business. The risk seemed overwhelming. But as a passionate culinarian, I was always eating out, exploring new places. Sometimes, I’d come across restaurants with poor service or foods that didn’t meet expectations, and I’d wonder, how are these places still in business? Read more>>

Mariah Sanchez

I started my business, Memory Lab SoCal, at the end of the pandemic after quitting a full-time job that left me feeling unfulfilled. I wanted to pursue something that genuinely made me happy. Around that time, I began accompanying my brother, a photographer and videographer, to his events. Seeing the joy on people’s faces when their special moments were captured was inspiring, and it planted the idea of Memory Lab in my mind. Read more>>

Paty Fernandes

Working with music has always been my dream and my greatest motivation. From a young age, I knew this was the career path I wanted, and I’ve never envisioned myself doing anything else. My journey began by playing in bands and collaborating with different companies and artists, where I quickly noticed recurring issues, especially concerning how musicians were treated. It was surprising how often basic necessities were overlooked. These experiences led me to reflect deeply on what an ideal environment for artists should look like—one that truly allows them to perform at their best. In 2020, I launched my own project, Duet Paty & Leo, a voice-and-guitar duo. This gave me the freedom to establish conditions I consider essential, not by making extravagant demands but by prioritizing the basics that ensure respect and value for artistic work. Read more>>

Malaika Vida Butoyi

When I started the practice of acrobatics with partners, I came upon this phenomenon in which I would start to shake uncontrollably once presented with a different kind of challenge. We were going into foot-to-hand, and my partner was someone that I did trust, but since we were going standing with it, I got scared of the height. I started to shake uncontrollably, and he instructed me to stop shaking. I didn’t know why I was shaking, and so it was not a very effective directive to stop shaking. I needed to know why I was shaking in order to stop the process of my nervous system’s reaction to stimulus. Now, I teach in a way that acknowledges this kind of nervous system reaction. We take time to acknowledge and come back to baseline before we proceed. It’s a trauma-informed approach to acrobatics that builds trust that all your reactions are acceptable and allows people to go further than they ever imagined possible. Read more>>

Lisa Diane Kastner

I’m incredibly proud of all the amazing stories we’ve published. We have former New York Times bestsellers and award winning authors seek us out to be published by us and to work with us, as well as up-and-coming authors. Our team has worked incredibly hard to attract truly amazing storytellers and worked with them to make their stories the best they can be. Read more>>

Vimala Faith

I started Vimala Faith Photo out of a love for capturing feelings and emotions that are uniquely human and deeply moving. My art centers on how people move with and within the natural elements. I cherish the practice of sacred witnessing—by that, I mean honoring the preciousness and uniqueness of each fleeting moment. As a photographer, I have the privilege to truly see, witness, and hold space for people in their authenticity. Read more>>

Karel Psota
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One day in class, a guest speaker came in to talk about his career. He opened with: “Accounting is very boring, but it’s stable. Perfect for suburban life with my wife and kids. The world will always need accountants.”

Now, at 19, when you hear that… Your body can have an allergic reaction and your dormant risk-taking gene might decide to wake up.

That’s what happened. I quit college and convinced my family that I was going to try something different. I applied for small jobs in the music industry like mixing assistant or cue-sheet admin. But they all told me: “You should do your own thing.” A polite way to deny the job and delude me into making a company. Read more>>

Johnny Ruthless

My thought process behind opening a business was basically having somewhere to work and providing space for others in the same field to do the same from the beginning of my career I knew I would sought out ownership. It’s something I always thought was possible through hard work dedication and determination. Manifestation has also played a huge roll on everything I’ve accomplished from traveling the country to tattooing celebrities. I’m definitely not one that comes from money or privilege. Watching my parents work and never have ownership has also played a huge roll. Read more>>

Taylor Eaton

I actually started my pastry business when I was 15! Initially, I started baking snickerdoodles because I couldn’t find the brand that I wanted at the store. I brought the cookies to school and my friends couldn’t get enough so I started baking more and trying different recipes until finally I started selling my cookies for .25 and .50 a pop! Read more>>

Nili Hudson

I was raised by an amazing single mom that owned her own business. A high-end, glamourous women’s clothing boutique called The Pleasure Dome that catered to all of the major rock stars and movie stars for 20 years on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, from Janis Joplin, to Cher, to Barbara Streisand to Chaka Khan, on and on. I was designing, selling, purchasing, doing accounting, dressing the windows and anything that needed to be done in the shop for years before it abruptly closed when I was barely out of my teens. As the daughter of an entrepreneur who got up and went to work every day when nobody was directing them to, I knew that I could never be just an employee. I loved that I wanted to be successful like my mom and take over her business. Read more>> 

Samantha Firestone

LEUXE was born from my desire to create the quality pieces I wanted and needed in my own closet. The versatile style staples that make getting dressed easy because they fit and feel just right, are elegant enough to be worn on their own or layered and can effortlessly be paired with anything.. Read more>>

Ferruccio Peruzzi

There wasn’t really a defined strategy behind it. I’ve been writing songs since I was a child, so I simply decided to keep doing what makes me happy and turn it into a career. At first, it felt like no big deal, but now I realize that staying true to yourself despite the risks is an incredibly brave act. Read more>>

Desiree Contreras

I had no thought process when I started my business. The truth is I got fired from my job, and I had no choice but to hustle. I was so distraught about getting fired that I decided to work for myself. I never wanted to get fired by anyone ever again. After I received my last paycheck, I had $14 left to my name. I had to make some bold and quick moves to survive. Read more>>

Sophie Edell

I have been making art since I was very young, but it wasn’t until I moved out of the city into the country during the pandemic that I began focusing on it as my business. As I was both living in a small space and relying on selling online, I had to adjust my practice to fit ease of shipping and scale of work. Therefore I began working with acrylic paint on paper up to a certain size, as it was easy and affordable to ship work on paper, and I was able to store them easily in my home. Every little choice we make impacts our artistic practice, and so instead of seeing these things as limitations, I see them as contributions to the final product, directly impacting the type of work I create today. Read more>>

Obi Onyenwe

Starting a business like ObiEatsLA has involved a combination of factors, such as a passion for food, a desire to connect people with local culinary experiences, and an understanding of the growing demand for food. The thought process included recognizing the unique flavors and dishes that Los Angeles has to offer and wanting to create a platform that showcases local restaurants and chefs. Read more>>

Kristen Sagona

My thought process in opening a coffee shop centered around the idea of creating a safe and welcoming space for the community. I envisioned a cozy environment where people could gather, connect, and enjoy quality coffee. This space might serve as a hub for social interaction, fostering relationships and supporting local culture. Read more>>

Debbi James

Starting my own business was both exciting and terrifying. The fear of whether I could make it work or wondering if I could really support myself and make a living was always there. But deep down, I knew that being in control of my own dreams and having the freedom to pursue my vision was worth the risk. It’s incredibly empowering to know that my success is in my hands, and despite the uncertainty, I’ve never looked back. Taking that leap was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. This version captures the fear, the empowerment of independence, and the validation of my decision. Read more>>

Troy Parrott

From a young age, I knew I wanted to start my own business. I didn’t always know what kind of business it would be, but I felt a strong drive to create something that was truly mine. This passion was deeply rooted in my family background. Although my family is small, almost everyone I knew owned their own business in some form. They may not have been wildly successful, but they had the freedom of working for themselves, and that left a lasting impression on me. Read more>>

George Caceres

I had always dreamed of opening a board game store ever since I was a teenager and was lucky enough to open one up in my early 50’s. My wife and I love to stop into board game stores whenever we travel and saw the board game cafe model for the first time in Seattle, Washington, a store named Meeples. It is a welcoming space with a small menu of food, serving beer and wine as well. The place is more about the game playing than the food and we really enjoyed the spot. In Philadelphia, we found a store called Board and Brew and they focus more on the food than the gaming, but had a large library of games to choose from. Skipping ahead a few years later, my wife found a neglected building in the Chatsworth area of California and we decided to open and run a board game cafe that fell somewhere between the two stores in Seattle and Philly. Read more>> 

Nancy Corona | Barber and owner

I love what I do, been in the industry for a long time, I get to meet people from different backgrounds and get to connect with my community it felt right to start a company of my own. I knew it would come with challenges and a lot more work but also so rewarding to build something from scratch. Read more>>

Jamie Loren | Principal Designer & Owner

Starting my interior design business was unplanned. In 2017, my husband and I bought a home I wasn’t crazy about but loved the neighborhood. Without the budget for a remodel, I began tackling DIY renovations, including removing a structural wall. At the time, I worked in business development at Princess Cruises, but after being laid off in 2020, my sister-in-law encouraged me to share my projects on Instagram. Read more>>

Robert Byrd | Film Write, Director and Producer

I moved to LA in 1998 because I wanted to be part of the film industry. Honestly, I was chasing a dream that felt impossible for a guy from West Virginia with no contacts or connections. Over the years, as I worked in the industry, I had the chance to watch others bring their visions to life. Then one day, while sitting on set, it hit me like a ton of bricks—the only thing holding me back was me. That realization was a game-changer. Read more>>

Joe Beard | Owner and Founder of The Marching Podcast

Since moving to California, there are not any black colleges here and I miss being around the band culture. I am also a huge sports fan so I figured that I could create a platform that discusses black college marching bands, similar to sports and help to bring excitement about black colleges to this area. Read more>>

Anthony Kossoian | Business Partner

The thought process behind starting our business was a shared vision among my partners and me to provide our community with the best and authentic clothing and sneakers. We wanted to create a space where people could find not only our own brand but also some of the most limited and exclusive items from other top brands. Our goal has always been to offer a carefully curated selection that represents the culture and resonates with those who appreciate authenticity and exclusivity. Read more>>

Talisa Tuman | Child Development Specialist & Circus Artist + Instructor

I started two businesses – ParentingResources.com and CirqueParty.com – with the overarching goal of bringing joy and education to families. My professional and academic background is in Early Childhood Education and over the years, the most critical need I’ve found has been to make the knowledge of child development cultivated in academia be accessible to parents, especially new parents, particularly those looking to prevent cycles of family trauma from continuing through their children’s upbringing. During the pandemic, I wrote, recorded, and published the book Parenting Compass For Navigating the Early Childhood Years, and started my consulting/coaching business, ParentingResources.com, to meet that need. Read more>>

Sara Price | Owner of Shorebird Coffee

Hi, I’m Sara Price. I own Shorebird Coffee, which is a coffee cart I operate out of a big blue ’91 Dodge van. I moved to Los Angeles in 2010 and worked toward becoming a film and television writer. After a decade of working to get a foothold, the business started receding and jobs were scarce, I was having a hard time just sitting at home and writing alone. I took a trip with a friend to New Zealand and Australia last summer and we had the best time adventuring around and finding cute coffee shops; little cabins, a small cafe on a cobblestone street, beach coffee spots with binoculars for whale watching. I was so inspired. I’ve always loved coffee and wanted to create something in LA that was unique and different. Going to get coffee should be part of the adventure! So, I bought the van off Craigslist. I pulled out all the carpet and created a seating area, our version of a little cafe. Read more>>

Rah Willz | Content Creator, Graphic Designer & Creative Director

I always knew I wanted to do something with writing-whether it was writing a book, screenwriting, or journalism. I started by creating a website and doing interviews, but I quickly realized it wasn’t bringing in revenue. So, I pivoted back to my roots in drawing and taught myself Photoshop. That’s when I combined my writing and creative skills to become a content creator, focusing on both visual and written content for others. Read more>>

Jessika Fuhrmaneck | Creative Wealth Builder

In 2020, while everyone was watching tigers on Netflix, I was studying wealth. I was curious about how money would move around the world if many working class people are at home on unemployment. I learned that the rich got a great deal richer, and I discovered most of that money moved from the middle class to billionaires. Read more>>

Marta Han And Zsofia Jamieson | Founders of The Fertility Class

The inspiration behind THE FERTILITY CLASS came from recognizing a major gap in fertility solutions. While conventional treatments often rely on medication and holistic approaches emphasize nutrition, acupuncture, or supplements—all very valuable in their own right—one key element always seems to be missing: movement. Read more>>

Kerrilee Gore | Writer/Creator/Producer

As a former performer and a person who loves to create shows, I realized how super challenging it is for an artist to afford to rent a theatre or space without compromising their art. Often theaters are union, which I greatly respect, however, if you are developing a new concept or are new to the art world, it is virtually impossible to afford to put on a show with the union restrictions. Even non-union venues can be prohibitively expensive. Read more>>

Slater Cane | Creator of Wild Cane Supply Co.

The idea behind creating Wild Cane Supply Co. came about naturally. It all started about six months into the pandemic when I found myself barely working at my restaurant job. With some unexpected downtime, I decided to make myself a leather belt. Once it was finished, I had the thought: why not make a few more and see if others might want one? Read more>>

Maria Paula Quesada | Producer & Director

My producing partner Gabby Fiszman and I met Freshman year of college and immediately clicked in a personal and professional level. Our similar taste, interests, work-ethic, sense of humor and backgrounds as latina women have made it an incredibly fruitful and easy collaboration and friendship for the last four years. When we graduated film school in the middle of the Writers Strike and getting any work seemed impossible Gabby came up with the idea to make our own jobs on our own, by starting a production company. Read more>>

Drew Yacu | Relationship Coach

Suffering, as is most often the experience that moves me into growth. I’m apparently thick headed enough that the Universe has to knock me on the head to get my attention. My life wasn’t working and I realized the common theme was me. Read more>>

Shawn Gibbs | American Fashion Designer & Founder of Noir Sainte

I’m a creative—always have been. I’ve had a bunch of side hustles over the years, but as you grow, it just makes sense to level up and start your own thing. I’m in tech sales, and I’m good at it—I can sell water to a well. If I can help corporate America pull in millions every year (that’s literally my quota), then why not put that same energy into building and pushing my own product? Read more>>