Starting a business can be terrifying. Weighing the pros and cons, the risks, and other considerations can be so overwhelming that often promising entrepreneurs stop before they even start. We asked some phenomenal entrepreneurs about their thought process behind starting their own businesses. Our hope is that by making the thought-process less intimidating we can help more folks think through whether they should take an entrepreneurial leap.

Briana Thompson

I created Spiked because there was a significant void in the wellness space that left a gap for people of color to feel authentically seen and celebrated. I wholeheartedly believe that health (not being skinny) is the greatest form of self-love and, more importantly, the greatest equalizer available to us in this world. Most other paths to achievement or elevation require an external person or factor, whereas health and wellness rely on personal discipline. The way we show up for ourselves in health and wellness typically fosters a confidence that allows us to apply the same discipline and intention in other areas of our lives. Therefore, I aimed to create a genuine space in an industry that oftentimes feels superficial. Read More>>

Etysha Mixon

Starting my own business was deeply personal and rooted in my desire to create something meaningful for both my family and my community. The inspiration behind Tee’s Tea LLC comes from my parents. As they’ve aged, they’ve faced various health challenges and, like many seniors, have been prescribed numerous pharmaceutical drugs. It was disheartening to watch these medications often cause more harm than good. Take, for example, a common pain reliever like Tylenol—while it might help with a headache, long-term use can lead to kidney and liver damage. Read More>>

Monique ‘moe’ Alcalá

There wasn’t really a thought process when I first started this little micro bakery – meaning I have never truly had this grand idea of starting my own business or anything – I simply just wanted to bake & share that with others.

It stated with me taking leftover baked pie that I had made for my boyfriend’s birthday to work and the feedback was incredible. People came up to me and said they would buy this – I was just excited that people loved what I baked and wanted to keep sharing that with others. Read More>>

Abraham Baeza

The inspiration behind starting my own business begins from my experience with the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). EOP believed in me when I was uncertain about my future and lacked clarity on what I wanted to do. In 2013, they offered me a special admission slot, an opportunity for students from historically low-income, educationally disadvantaged, and first-generation college backgrounds who don’t meet regular CSU admission criteria. This was my access to higher education, allowing me to transition into a four-year university straight out of high school through their summer transitional program. Read More>>

Liticia Reeves

The thought process behind starting my own business is rooted in risk-taking, wellness, and betting on yourself. My wellness journey began as a massage therapist, where I quickly learned that true self-care goes beyond physical treatments and pampering—it’s about investing in yourself and creating an environment that nurtures the body, mind and soul. Read More>>

 Nazneen Shaik

My thought process behind starting my own business was never about making money or turning it into a career—it all started as a personal passion. When I moved to the U.S., I faced immense challenges, from cultural shocks to language barriers. I was isolated, with no friends or family around, and writing became my escape. I started documenting my experiences, especially my pregnancy journey, in a diary as a way to express myself. Read More>>

Annmarie Tereza

For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of starting my own business as a voiceover artist. After dedicating 18 years of my life to being a nurse, I found profound joy in helping others during their most vulnerable moments. I cherished being the reliable person that people could turn to in their time of need. Yet, despite the satisfaction my nursing career brought me, I always sensed that a vibrant creative outlet was missing from my life. Read More>>

Maya Aoun

As a kid, I’d spend hours watching the Food Network, completely mesmerized by the way chefs could turn simple ingredients into something amazing. At home I had a chef of my own, my Lebanese grandmother, who brought the Food Network to life—habibi style! Seeing the care she put into every dish and how food had a way of bringing people together while simultaneously sharing our Lebanese culture was something I knew I wanted to do too. Read More>>

Shawn Chavez

We all like to lead with our strengths. But, how we arrive at those strengths is where the real story begins. My strengthening journey began in 2013. While trekking through Argentina, which was supposed to be a trip of a lifetime, I suddenly began to experience debilitating fatigue, brain fog, and GI distress. I pushed through my discomfort for the duration of the trip but immediately met with my doctor upon returning home to New York City. Inconclusive results led to weeks, and then months of testing and specialists visits only to result in more questions than answers. No matter where I went doctors couldn’t understand how I went from being a healthy 34-year-old to someone who needed help walking up a flight of stairs in a matter of months. Read More>>

Melissa Arcos

When I became a mom, I quickly realized that the balance between working and mom life was going to be a challenge. My number one priority was my babies, but I also love to work. How could I strike that balance?

Fitness has alway been a huge part of my life. I played sports growing up and through high school. I went to the gym and ran all through college and my young adult life, personal training from the age of 22. It was just something I always loved! Entering into motherhood, fitness was my recharge, my sanity, and my therapy. Once I had my second baby, I quickly realized that getting my workout in was going to be a challenge! I was early postpartum with my second, and I was looking for ways to incorporate my kids in to my fitness routine. I also was one of the first people in my friend group to have kids.  Read More>>

Beatrice Hernandez

Starting my real estate business was driven by my passion for curating exceptional experiences and connecting people with their dream homes and investments. Coming from a background in both the entertainment industry and luxury wellness, I’ve always understood the value of presentation, storytelling, and relationship-building—qualities that naturally translate into real estate. Read More>>

Christopher Henley

Graduating film school we knew we could be very successful moving to LA and starting from the bottom and climbing the ladder of the film industry but the biggest problem is we would be making other people’s movies not our own. So my business partners and I all looked at each other and said, why not just start our own production company? Knowing the challenges of making it big in the industry, Lot1 Productions was co-founded with a vision of bringing more creative freedom and control to up-and-coming filmmakers in the Greater Los Angeles Area. Our ultimate goal is to diversify the entertainment industry by creating a platform for creatives to bring their ideas from thought to reality. Read More>>

Ami Coulibaly

After an especially grueling time working in corporate, I sat down with my best friend, and we both arrived to the same conclusion: when there’s a lack of opportunity, create your own. Stifled by corporate environments, and as a natural artist, I felt like starting my own business was the best way I could combine the passions I have for Film & Television with the skillset I acquired over my career. Read More>>

Kyle Hamon

Peacekeeper Projects didn’t really start out intending to be a business. Woodworking began as a covid-born hobby – starting with a platform bed and drawer camping set up for the back of my 99’ Ranger. But the satisfaction and immense joy I experienced during that build was unlike anything I’d experienced from any other creative pursuit and it was through that realization that I continued to prioritize and pursue the craft. Read More>>

Megan Brebner

I’ve always been a Type A personality—structured, organized, and goal-driven. At the same time, I thrive in environments that offer a casual camaraderie, support, and a sense of belonging with quality people. I found it difficult to find this perfect balance in the industry I worked in before transitioning to travel, and found it even more challenging with the onslaught of COVID. With my nearly insatiable drive to learn more and grow, I felt there had to be a better direction for me in the workforce. The idea of starting a travel business came to me when I was actually planning my honeymoon! I absolutely LOVED planning travel for myself and my family, and I wondered if I could turn that passion into a career and create trip itineraries for others. Read More>>

Qiaosen Yang

Starting my own business was never something I had always dreamed of, nor did the idea originally appeal to me. After completing my graduate degree, I began working as a graphic designer for a well-known Chinese media corporation. It was an ideal job in everyone’s eyes, especially in the highly competitive Chinese job market. Everything about the job seemed great—good pay, lovely coworkers, and a superb working environment. However, I found myself stuck in a cycle of repetition, as the nature of the work required me to produce designs that were merely “good enough” for the company. That was not what I wanted, nor was it the reason I had chosen a creative career in the first place. Read More>>

Chris Mccoll

We founded Our Spot Coffee & Goods for a few specific reasons:

1. We wanted to live a life of alignment – as close to 100% as we could get – and a business we could take pride in would be a foundational component for us to prepare for family and foster community
2. Our previous coffee business and partnership became very misaligned, and we knew we had all the skills and experience to do it on our own
3. Our potential for being and facilitating changes we wanted to see in the coffee industry couldn’t be fully realized unless we coud lead authentically Read More>>

Sandy Tran

Starting Brows by Sandiee was inspired by my passion for beauty and the desire to help people feel confident in their own skin. I’ve always had an eye for detail and a love for the artistry behind brow shaping, and I saw a need in my community for high-quality, personalized brow services. I wanted to create a space where clients could relax, feel pampered, and leave with brows that make them feel their best. Being able to turn that passion into a business allowed me to combine my creative side with my desire to empower others through beauty. It’s been an amazing journey, and I’m excited to keep growing and offering even more services to my clients! Read More>>

Rumi Currie

So here is background on my story! I was an athlete in my younger days. Being around athletes made me want to study sports medicine in college as I was also inspired to go into a field where I could help people. However, one of my friends suggested I go into nursing so that is how got my start in the medical field. During my time working as a medical technician and nursing assistant in various settings, I saw people suffer from daily pain which made me feel helpless because I could not do more than just giving them medication. Read More>>

Isaac Jimenez

The idea for the company sprung from a want of myself and the people around me wanting to tell stories by and for the communities we come from. But doing so in a non-biased or watered down way. So much of the latino stories that are shared are funneled in such a way that they are palatable or as a means to reach a broad audience, about a plight of a people, of our people; and while that rings true, it makes it so that our stories and its characters are not multidimensional people. I want to see my world, my aunts’s, uncle’s, my cousins and myself represented on the screen for what we are. People. Read More>>

Carolina Navarro

Creativity has always been a big part of my life, thanks to my mom. She was a talented seamstress who not only made beautiful dresses and costumes for me but even created outfits for my Barbie dolls. She was the one who inspired my art projects at school, always making sure I had the tools and encouragement to bring my ideas to life. Growing up in that environment shaped the way I see creativity—not just as an outlet, but as a way to make moments special and meaningful. Read More>>

Gilbert Holguin

I’ve been a lifelong VW fan, especially when it comes to the iconic VW busses. One day, I came across an ad suggesting a bus could be used as a photo prop, and that immediately sparked an idea. I let the thought simmer, did some research, and realized we could create something truly special—a vintage VW photo booth experience like no other. Read More>>

Michael Mccaleb

I had just quit my management job with The Improvisation, and I wanted to go a different direction. A friend had me help him film an event, and I really enjoyed the documentary process. Making films of any kind is a very personal process. Especially if you do both filming and editing. I knew I had a certain direction that I wanted to go, and that I definitely did not want to work in Hollywood anymore, so it was just a natural progression. Read More>>

Jessica Hunter

My thought process behind starting Journee’s Roses was deeply personal and purposeful. It all began with the birth of my daughter, Journee, and my desire to create a lasting legacy for her. I wanted to build something meaningful that not only reflected love and beauty but also showed her firsthand what it means to be a business owner. Read More>>

Steve Morris

The question assumes there was a thought process. Actually, my business owes more to happenstance and opportunity. I was an aspiring screenwriter, with just enough success and encouragement to keep writing but not enough to eat. My four year old jumped on my bed one morning and demanded soccer lessons = and not with me in the backyard. So I found him a class, and within the first few minutes of watching the coach browbeat the kids and humiliate the parents, I realized that there had to be a better way. So I took my high school soccer skills and read a few manuals and gathered my son and a dozen of his friends and brought them out to the local park, where we ran around and played once a week for six months. Read More>>

Alec Gillis

I had been in the film business for 7 years before I felt I had enough working knowledge of it to start my own company. I had been working under Stan Winston (ALIENS, PREDATOR) and had expanded my skill set under his guidance, but I knew I needed to strike out and become my own artist. Read More>>

Blanca Osorio

It all started when we got a cat – Rupert! We wanted to give Rupert some outdoor time, but we wanted to do it safely. I had lost my childhood cat for letting her out on her own, so this time I wanted to walk my cat with a leash. I tried different harnesses, but he wasn’t walking comfortably in them, as most harnesses are made for dogs, not to mention they all looked pretty ordinary, Read More>>

Jacinda Jordan

Having other side businesses before and being a single mom at the time, I knew I had to have a side hustle to make ends meet. Since Covid drastically changed my other side hustle of sewing, I was looking for something I could do that would not only scratch the creative itch, but also help my household. Read More>>

Michelle Bendetti

I was never planning to start my own business-I was in the corporate world-newspaper and media advertising for 25 years-I decided I needed a change so I became a certified fitness and spin instructor. One day I walked to a nearby candle shop to ask about having some containers that I had filled-I had them fill up my containers a few times-then I started looking into videos on how to fill a container with wax, watched videos, joined groups and pages on facebook and started doing my own container filling. Friends and family started asking me to fill their containers-and that really was the start of my official candle business. Read More>>

Diana Lua

At Tang & Java, our passion for high-quality, locally sourced ingredients and artisanal craftsmanship inspired us to create more than just a coffee shop—it’s a cozy, inclusive space where every sip and scoop tells a story. We wanted to offer specialty lattes and handcrafted gelato that balance bold flavors with mindful ingredients, like less sugar and dairy-free options, making our menu accessible to everyone. Our thought process was simple: bring people together over exceptional coffee and gelato, support local farms, and create a warm, welcoming atmosphere where every visit feels special. Read More>>

 Jenn Spain

My single motivating thought has always been “I want to create art for a living”. That has been my inspiration, purpose and drive for everything I do. Being a working artist has always been the dream and it is a fierce and steady incentivizer. Read More>>

Brittney Holmes

Photography has been an integral part of my life from an early age, influencing both my academic pursuits during my undergraduate studies and later shaping the foundation of my own business. The motivation behind starting my own venture stems from a deeply personal experience. Like many who have endured the loss of a loved one, I sought a meaningful outlet to process and channel my creativity. This led me to establish a platform, Atelier Holmes, where I could not only express my artistic vision but also pursue purposeful and intentional creative endeavors and relationships. Photography has afforded me unique access to events and individuals that I might not have encountered otherwise, Read More>>