Starting a business is a commitment and requires dedication, resources and sacrifice. We asked some of the rising stars in our community how they thought through the idea of starting their own businesses.

Shaahin Cheyene | Entrepreneur, Investor, & Inventor

I wanted to get rich as fast as possible. I started my first real business when I was 15. My mindset was get rich or die trying. I burned all my ships. There was no going back. Fortunately for me after a series of major failures I had a hit and I created the largest formulated supplement of all time with revenue exceeding a billion dollars. Read more>>

Leah Mizrachi | Accessorie Designer

Back in 2021, I was faced with the decision of moving back to NYC (post covid) to return to in person work as a handbag designer at Madewell, or quit my job and start my own building business in Los Angeles. It was a hard decision to make. I was unsure if I wanted to close the door on my NYC chapter. In the back of my head I knew that if I didn’t do it now, I never would. So, the decision became clear to me pretty quick. JUST DO IT!!! Read more>>

Sang Lam | Independent Artist

During the gap between animation jobs, I would make art for myself. Small, cute, cozy things that just make me happy. When I put them in front of people at local art fairs, seeing everyone’s genuine positive reaction is what kept me creating more. One person told me they have crippling anxiety but looking at my work calms them and puts them at ease. Read more>>

TooLit Thc | Artist & entrepreneur

The process behind starting my own business began when I decided I wanted to create more for myself. I saw that there are tons of people out there achieving their goals and becoming their own bosses and I honestly am not meant for a 9-5 I’m meant for more I want to see more of this beautiful world and enjoy this life to the fullest and that’s something you can’t achieve with a 9-5. Read more>>

Bergamot Quartet | String Quartet

We didn’t initially conceive of Bergamot Quartet as a business. We’re a string quartet: two violins, a violist, and a cellist, and while this has changed in recent years, we weren’t taught in music school to think entrepreneurially: that came later. It began as the two violinists (Sarah and Ledah) being excited about performing 21st century classical music, while noticing a dearth of opportunities around us both to perform and to hear that music in our local community. Read more>>

Tiffany Woerz | Adventure Elopement Photographer

Growing up I would watch the show Shark Tank a lot with my parents and I always felt so inspired and energized after watching it. I remember thinking how cool it would be to start my own business, but I didn’t know what it would be. Even as a kid I was a huge dreamer, and I had a ton of aspirations and visions for my life. I even wrote a bucket list of 100 things I wanted to do at age 12. Read more>>

Rachel Lark | Writer, Musician, Producer

I think most artists don’t start their business with entrepreneurship in mind. They just start sharing stuff, and then they think, oh, people like this, I should probably charge money so that I can spend more time creating. And then you wake up one day and you realize that you’re spending about 10% of your time making art and about 90% running a small business. Read more>>

Vera V. | Life Coach, Influencer & Entrepreneur

I have a vivid memory of telling my 5th grade best friend, “I want to be entrepreneur when I grow up.” English is my second language that I started learning in 4th grade, so I did not know what entrepreneurship truly entailed at the time. All I knew was that an entrepreneur is a person who worked for themselves. Read more>>

Wendy Ford | PR Agency Founder & Publicist

If I am honest I wanted to start my own business to not have a boss haha! Also because I was feeling very uninspired in my first jobs and knew right away this was not for me. I always felt like so many details were missed or overlooked and everything could have been more efficient. I wanted to create a space & business where I could help other businesses and artists by getting them more exposure and growing their brand. It was something that made me excited and the client excited. Read more>>

Chelsea Fierst | Artist, Interior Stylist & Designer

When looking to grow in my career as an artist and interior stylist I never found an obvious next move so it felt necessary to create my own. My art practice felt separate from my design practice so I created Fierst Studio as a way to combine the two. Through Fierst Studio I am able to explore visual concepts and identities through art and interiors while working with interior designers, brand merchandisers, and private clients on painted commissions, interior identity development, and interior installations. Read more>>

April Prater | Co-Owner

In 2020 when shelter in place was issue due to the pandemic, we wanted to do something to show hospitality and kindness to our family and friends. And since we weren’t able to have anyone over for a meal we would make things to leave on their porches. At first it was cookies, biscuits, pumpkin bread, stuff like that. Then Kris thought of making ice cream and leaving pints as gifts. Read more>>

Daniela Rodriguez | CEO & Co-founder of Neems Jeans

Neems was born out of a lifelong journey of frustration with finding jeans that properly fit my body in a way that made me feel confident. As early as I can remember, I would go to the mall, try on dozens of jeans, and be so incredibly disappointed and confused when not one pair fit right; Read more>>

Devanshi Padsala | Brand & Web Designer

My thought process behind starting my own business, Gulabi Mango, was to be able to bring my passion for design and branding to the forefront, and to help businesses create a unique and meaningful brand that would connect with their ideal clients. I have always been fascinated by the power of design to tell a story and evoke emotions, and I wanted to use my skills and experience to help others achieve that for their own businesses. Read more>>

Jiny He | Artist, Creative Founder and Small Business Owner at Numbat Love and House of Mykorisa, Color Educator

I see my business as a platform to introduce whimsical yet meaningful illustrations into our everyday lifestyle. I love my day job of designing color palettes for animation and there’s joy in seeing the fruits of your imagination materialize on screen. I’m lucky to have been doing this as a profession for over a decade now. But there is always a sense of bittersweetness when thousands of beautiful artworks flashes for seconds then usually never see the light of day again. Read more>>

Kate Isler | Entrepreneur, Author, Gender Equality Advocate

I am a fierce gender equality advocate, entrepreneur, partner, mother, friend sister and author. I worked for many years in technology, and it gave me the opportunity live and travel all of the world. Several years ago I was in Eastern Europe when I first learned about International Women’s Day (IWD). Read more>>

Nicole Lanzafame | Educator / Entrepreneur / Influencer

The thought process behind “Nicolucha’s Handmade with Love” self-care products & shop, is the intention to bring – healing, growth, empowerment & most importantly, “Bringin’ That Sexy” back into your daily Self-Care routine. Read more>>

Stephanee Beggs | Registered Nurse & CEO of RNExplained

My business began unintentionally as I was studying for my boards exam (NCLEX). Covid had caused a shut-down and I had nobody to study with, so I began to create videos and study sheets to teach myself the best way I knew how. From there, the basis of my business began to form, although I had no idea it was forming at the time! Read more>>

Liz Carrara | Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian

Access. Starting an outpatient nutrition counseling practice allowed me to bring eating disorder treatment to my local community. A suburban community that lacked specialists yet had a great need for care. Starting my practice also offered the opportunity to raise awareness amongst other local healthcare professionals and school administrators about the need for eating disorder prevention, education, and treatment. Read more>>

Heather Perren | Co-Founder of Lagreeing at Home & Senior Master Trainer for Lagree Fitness

In 2020, the world shut down and it opened up a new world of opportunity for me that I never could have envisioned. I was an elementary school teacher, a mom to triplets, and a part-time Lagree Fitness instructor prior to the pandemic. In March of 2020, when places worldwide shut their doors, I had no idea the door that was about to swing wide open for me. Read more>>