Many books on startups and business talk about how there are right and wrong reasons for starting a business. So, we asked a handful of successful founders about their reasons and the thought-process behind starting their business.

Talia Yarbrough

My thought process behind starting my own business is:

1. I have a great mission to solve a big problem. Too achieve this level of impact and movement, I need to start my business.

2. I want to pave my own way and create my own success and legacy

3. I am following my calling and purpose. Read More>>

Sarah Memmer

I took my knowledge in social media, marketing, and PR, and built a new formula—one that actually drives sales, builds a real community, and lands national press without chasing journalists. All from organic social media content. Instead of begging for media attention, I figured out how to make the media come to my clients. And that’s what I’ve been doing ever since. Read More>>

Taylor Marie Contarino

I’ve always wanted to be my own boss, and I’ve always desired to be a leader in creativity, art, media, and entertainment. I’ve always been a hardworking, energetic, and passionate creative, and I’ve always believed that my discipline and unrelenting spirit is what’s going to help me get to where I want to be, doing the things I love, and live the life of my dreams. I’ve always dreamt of paving my own way in entertainment and media, and I believe that now is a stronger time than ever before, as I prepare to graduate from USC with my second degree, my Master’s Degree, and prepare to excitedly journey out into the world on my own accord. Read More>>

Solomon Ngo

I started Solgo Atelier with a clear vision: to create beautiful clothing that reignites a love for fashion, boosts confidence, and brings joy to people’s lives. With 20 years of experience in different areas of the fashion industry, I collaborated with well-known brands but often felt that those roles constrained my creativity and vision. I wanted to establish an American mid-range contemporary clothing brand that enhances work-life balance through stylish fashion. Read More>>

Mimi

When my kids got a little older I decided I wanted to do something FOR ME. Something I am passionate about. I wanted to have an identity besides being a wife and mother. I wanted to show my kids that you can have a life and a career. You can do anything you put your mind to! I thought carefully about what I wanted to do. I’ve always been good at drawing, and I love doing makeup. So, when I got microblading done on my own eyebrows, that was it, I knew that that’s what i wanted to do! Read More>>

Autumn Ellison

My thought process behind starting So.Fvshionable was driven by my love for fashion and the need for a more intentional shopping experience. I started So.Fvshionable in 2015 as a fashion blog, focusing on styling advice based on different occasions. As the community grew, I noticed how overwhelming shopping could be, with people struggling to find pieces that fit their lifestyle and events. Read More>>

George Foreman III

I’ve always believed that creativity is a form of survival. Whether you’re in the ring or in the studio, you’re trying to express something, prove something, or heal something. After opening Craft Boxing Club in Calabasas, I was blown away by how many artists, musicians, producers, and creators were walking through the gym doors — not just for physical health, but for mental clarity and inspiration. I realized that creativity wasn’t just alive in Calabasas — it was thriving. It just needed a home. Read More>>

Tyler “Seps” Seppala

Starting and owning a business is something I wanted to do from a very early age. Financial difficulties in my household, stemming from layoffs, taught me that there really is no “safe route” in life. I quickly came to the conclusion that if I was going to pursue something, it may as well be something I’m passionate about, where I can make my own rules. Read More>>

Raquel

The thought process behind CTM was that I wanted to build a community that felt like a sisterhood, where women could come as their authentic selves and find a sense of belonging. I envisioned a place where women from all walks of life could share their stories, and through these stories find commonality while uplifting, supporting and inspiring other women. Also, I always had it in my heart that through this nonprofit we would be able to give back to our communities- through donation drives or even hands on support. Read More>>

Lucy Pennell

I feel like the business has kind of started twice! Lulupots was born during my undergrad ceramics program. I had an excess of inventory from assignments and testing that I needed to clear my shelves, so I created my instagram, made a logo and began selling my pots online! I graduated during the pandemic, so my junior and senior year were made up of online assignments and self-taught studio time (my professor was immune-compromised and so higher level students such as myself had almost an entirely self-taught experience for those last 2 years). I was dying to learn more and had so many ideas that I wanted to explore that I think that is where the seed was planted for lulu pots 2.0. Read More>>

Carrie Katz

Starting my own business, Outdoor Movies by You, has been a test to myself, a way to prove that I am meant to be an entrepreneur. I’ve always had my own businesses, but in 2010, I decided to challenge myself in a different way. Read More>>

Diana Amaya

My throught process before starting my business I was a little nervous but I was all in. I always liked the idea for working for myself and having the flexibility with my own schedule. Being a cosmetologist was something I always wanted to be since I was young Read More>>

Joe Sutlive

It all started from this simple desire to make people’s day better. Around Christmas, when I’d get a decent bonus from work, I’d take a chunk of it and head to a local Walmart. I’d look for families with kids and just quietly hand them a $50 bill. No cameras, no announcements, just a small gesture to hopefully take a little weight off their shoulders. Read More>>

Jeffrey Men

As a first-generation Asian American, with my family from Taiwan and China, I grew up in Dallas, Texas, surrounded by the values of hard work and perseverance. My path wasn’t a straight line—I explored different creative fields, from modeling and interior design to working in my family’s travel and cargo business. My move to Los Angeles was initially sparked by a small role in a Netflix movie, but once I arrived, I found myself drawn to the city’s deep connection to mindfulness, sound baths, and crystal healing—things I had always been passionate about. Read More>>

Geobirttie Wise-Odugu

As a little girl, my mother’s close friend Ms. Eloise Brown use to spray a little perfume on my wrist and apply lipstick and blush each time we visited her. She would then put me front of the mirror and say, “”look at my pretty girl””. Those moments caused me to fall madly in love with the art of makeup, perfumes, fragrances, lotions, and anything that I perceived as beauty, and how it made ”People” feel. This created an awareness of how I and others smelled and looked. There was only one problem, I had sensitive skin. I quickly learned that many of the skincare products that I loved, irritated my skin. Read More>>

Denise Quiroz

The thought process behind starting my own business was because I was working for an agency that I was not able to perform actual therapy with my clients. My caseload was so unrealistic the number of client’s that I needed to see weekly. I felt as thought I was doing a disservice to my client’s because I wasn’t able to provide them with the therapy they deserved and needed to make a difference. I truly enjoy therapy and wanted to have more control over my client’s, the type of treatment they were getting and the hours and flexibility that I could work. I was just fresh out of a divorce and I needed more fliexiblilty to be able to pick up and drop off my kids from school and their extracurricular. At that time, my job was not allowing me to do so. At the time, being a single mom also motivated me to really pursue my dream of opening my own private practice for mental health. Read More>>

Rachel Lithgow

I had enough saved to figure out my next move, and I wrote three books in two years. My first is being published on November 11th (“My Year of Really Bad Dates” https://www.amazon.com/My-Year-Really-Bad-Dates/dp/B0DXD6FLJF/). After October 7th, and the ugly divisive presidential campaign in 2024, I was shaken. I saw a tremendous need in the civil society space. I decided to use my skill set (use it or lose it!) to help citizens of every race, religion, and ethnicity level up. Now instead of writing, educating, and raising money for exhibitions that few people can experience, I do all those things for small, unknown organizations. I can’t fix everything, but I hope my choice shines a light on a few organizations that make the world better and more inclusive for society’s most vulnerable. Read More>>

Claudia Botero

Starting a business was always in the back of my mind. One of the biggest influences in my life was my dad. He was a businessman who always told me that business was something beautiful—challenging, but incredibly rewarding. That stuck with me.

After a 25-year career as a TV news anchor and investigative reporter, I knew it was time to follow my dream. I wanted to create something that not only filled me with passion and love, but also made a difference in the lives of others. That’s how CB Designs was born. Read More>>