Our city is home to so many incredible businesses and so we asked the founders how they came up with the ideas for their businesses and have shared their responses below.

Lauren Farricker | Founder

I have always been an animal lover growing up with pets. After college, I started a dog walking and pet sitting business that supported the Greater Seattle area. Caring for hundreds of dogs and forming bonds with families was so rewarding. I was also fortunate to adopt one of my “clients”, Pixie, who has been with me and my husband since 2010 and turns 14 this year. From the pet sitting experiences and becoming a first-time dog owner, I came to realize there are very few authoritative and modern sources of information for today’s dog parents – whether they be about products, training, lifestyle, travel, or adoption. Additionally, there are too many amazing people doing good in the dog community whose stories just don’t see the light of day. Read more>>

Hannah Claire Kheang | Owner & Creative Director

I wanted to create and be apart of something that inspired people to be the best version of themselves. My workouts, gym sessions, and the lifestyle fitness gave me, led to the birth of Nexlvl. Working out made me better and built the foundation of being my best self in every aspect of life. It taught me a healthy mindset, work ethic, discipline, patience, consistency, health, self-love, self-care, and self-improvement. I wanted to transcend the same energy into a brand. I merged fitness and clothes together, two things I’m passionate about and two of many ways I express myself. I think the clothes you wear represents you, what you’re trying to convey, and who you are. Nexlvl is an identity. Read more>>

Ethan Wong | Menswear Writer, Photographer & Digital Media Consultant

A lot of it stemmed from the fact that I felt that there were stories and experiences in the menswear world that weren’t being told. I got my start collecting vintage menswear from the 1920s-1940s and I couldn’t find anything about it, whether it was about the pieces themselves or the fun little community around it. So I started writing and photographing my experience navigating that world. Soon, I began documenting the events I went to on my blog, whether it was a gathering of similarly dressed friends or a big event like the Dapper Day events at Disneyland and LACMA. Eventually I started to get more into contemporary menswear and bespoke tailoring. My blog then became a diary of sorts, following my interests in both vintage and modern clothing and how I developed my own personal style. Read more>>

Michele Lynch | Transformational Spiritual Coach & Choreographer

My idea for my business came through a dream I had. At the time of the dream, I was working as a professional choreographer and also getting my Master’s Degree in Depth Psychology. Getting my degree consisted of completing fieldwork – which was going to be studying dreams. Once I got my degree, I was planning to leave my 25+ years of dance and choreography experience behind me. And then I had a powerful Dream: in this dream, I couldn’t get home – I was blocked by a young impish boy. I needed to get home to do my fieldwork – but, no matter what path I took – this playful boy would block me. I decided to work with the dream like I work with choreography for characters in a musical. Read more>>

Greg Lawrence | Psychedelic Integration & Transformational Coach

It was more of an inevitability than an idea. Psychedelics, in combination with psychotherapy and coaching, helped me turn my life around. Not too many years ago I was an angry, impatient person who was carrying around a lot of unresolved childhood trauma. Psychedelics provided me with seemingly life-changing epiphanies, but I found that within a few weeks that the insights I gained hadn’t led to any substantial changes in my life – I would be right back where I started. Then I found out about integration; the process of taking the lessons learned during a psychedelic journey and integrating them into my life. This was a game changer for me. I soon became a regular in the Los Angeles psychedelic community and was asked to lead community integration circles. Read more>>