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.
Lovely Laban | Founder and CEO of Skin by Lovely
Starting Skin by Lovely was about creating a place where people could reconnect with themselves and ignite self-love through personalized aesthetic care. While working as an aesthetic laser nurse while obtaining my Master’s in Gerontology, I quickly fell in love with the way aesthetic treatments could transform not just appearances but also confidence and self-worth. I wanted to build a space where patients could feel supported, listened to, and empowered to take care of themselves. Read more>>
Sarah Hasenfus | Lifestyle Branding & Portrait Photographer
There’s a lot of history behind this, but in short: photography saved my life. I never imagined it would become my career — in fact, I was set on becoming a botanist. But everything changed after a softball game in college when I suffered a traumatic head injury. The blow left me having to relearn how to walk and talk. When I attempted to return to school the second time, my neurologist recommended I take “easy classes.” That’s how I ended up in black-and-white film photography and American Sign Language. I fell in love with both and eventually changed my degree. Read more>>
Ruby Valenica | Brand & Website Designer
There wasn’t a formal thought process when I started my business; it really began as a creative outlet. After spending years working in accounting, I realized I wanted to tap into a different side of my brain, the creative side. It all started simple, I began by making invitations for kids’ parties for my family. From there, I discovered calligraphy, first by hand and then digitally on my iPad. Read more>>
Sabrina Carmen | Singer-Songwriter, Voice-Over, Music Educator & Co-Owner Of Blue Box Music
I grew up in an artistic family, where creativity and entrepreneurship were encouraged. My dad always said if I pursued a career I loved, I would never work a day in my life, and from a young age I took that to heart. There have been seasons in my life where I have worked for others, but ultimately, I always knew I would work for myself. I’ve worked for myself as a singer, songwriter, and voice-over artist for many years, and now my husband and I also have our own music lesson studio, Blue Box Music. Read more>>
Amalika Ranasinghe | Senior Executive and Funder, Change The Cycle Inc.
In June of 2020, I had an “aha” moment. While working as a Senior Director at a medical group, I felt incredibly empowered, and I wanted young women around the world to experience that same sense of empowerment. This led me, along with my husband Chamil Hettiarachchi, to found Change the Cycle Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting young women in pursuing STEM education. Read more>>
Tomas Skaringa | Wedding Photographer
Starting my own business as a wedding photographer resulted from a deep desire to connect with people who are in love and want to celebrate their unique stories. I understood that each couple has a beautiful narrative filled with emotions and moments that deserve to be captured. By stepping into this role, I get to witness these heartfelt connections and immerse myself in their joy and excitement. Read more>>
Jane Yuan-smith | REFIND Founder
I’ve always been drawn to the circular economy, especially buying and selling luxury items like handbags, shoes, and clothes. I loved finding deals, selling things I no longer needed, and embracing the sustainability of it all. Read more>>
Jonathan Shrednick | PICKLEDUDE
I first started to make pickles for myself because at the moment, my life was a little unfulfilled. So were the selections of pickles at the supermarkets. When I brought my concoction to my job, my co-workers were like, ” these are the best pickles I ever had”! When I started making pickles for them and they started bringing it to their friends and family and they were saying “these are the best pickles I ever had” I knew I was into something special. Read more>>
Preethi Srinivas | Founder & CEO, Befriend Cows
The idea behind this non-profit arose from the growing disconnection between people and animals in today’s society. While many people feel connected to pets and community animals, there’s often a significant gap when it comes to farm and wild animals. This disconnect isn’t just about proximity; it reflects a broader lack of awareness and engagement with the natural world. Read more>>
Chris Delhomme | Communications Creator
It was the perfect recipe of timing, circumstances and God. I’ve spent my career doing in-house communications at major companies like NBC, Comcast and Paramount. Major shifts in the business, my desire to live/work in both LA and New Orleans and divine intervention led to the perfect storm that is “Delhomme Communications.” Starting my own business allows me to be tri-coastal with clients on both coasts and the Gulf Coast. It’s also the ideal opportunity to expand my purview- entertainment, television, music as well as non-profit, lifestyle and travel. Read more>>
Carolyn Comas | Mental Health Therapist
I wanted to be in more control of me. For so long I was working for others and representing their visions. While sometimes my visions would align with theirs I knew I had something more and special to offer. Starting my own practice gave me the freedom to market myself to the actual demographics of people I wanted to work with and to help. Read more>>
Sara Sabokpey | Founder/ Dentist
You know, I’ve always had entrepreneurial tendencies. Even before I became a dentist, I knew that one day I’d want to start my own practice. But the actual decision? That came in a moment I’ll never forget. Read more>>
Lucia Andrade | Intuitive, Thread Reader & Natural Medicine Student
My thought process behind starting my own business was deeply influenced by my 20 years of experience in the medical field. I saw firsthand how conventional medicine, while essential, often missed a more holistic, in-depth approach to healing. I realized that true wellness goes beyond treating symptoms; it requires addressing the mind, body, and spirit as a whole. This led me to explore how intuition could play a role in healing and transformation. Read more>>
Rinat Tattarin | Tattoo Artist
Hi. I’ve always been drawn to drawing, for as long as I can remember, I always had pencils in my hands. As I grew older, the interest never faded, and in 2000 I saw the movie *From Dusk Till Dawn*, where in the final scene Clooney’s tribal tattoo appears on screen. Lol, but at that moment it made a big impression on me. I became obsessed with the idea of giving someone a tattoo. At that time, in my city (Tomsk, Siberia), tattoo culture was practically nonexistent, and there was no one to ask. Read more>>
Xiqian Chen | Theatre Producer & Director
As a theater producer and director based in New York City, I’ve had the privilege of working in mainstream Broadway theaters for almost five years. During that time, I observed a significant gap—while New York has a large and vibrant Chinese demographic, their stories and cultural experiences rarely represent the city’s most prominent stages. This lack of visibility sparked something within me. I realized that these audiences deserve to see themselves, their histories, and their unique immigrant journeys reflected in the art around them. Read more>>
Maiara Walsh | Writer/Director, Actress
I decided from an early age that I wouldn’t wait by the phone for other people to decide my creative fate. In such an unpredictable industry, it was important for me to commit to a work ethic that would eventually allow me the creative freedom to build projects from the ground up. The moment I realized that spending hours alone writing in my room, envisioning stories and characters in my imagination, could be part of my career path, I knew I would never stop. As someone who loves many facets of the arts, filmmaking became the medium through which I could express all of my passions rather than “picking a lane” like so many people along the way urged me to do. Read more>>
Joyce Souza | Digital Marketing Agency Owner
Throughout my career, I worked in traditional 9-5 marketing roles and never considered starting my own business. Primarily, I underestimated my abilities. However, when I lost my job during the pandemic, I decided to explore entrepreneurship, an unfamiliar path for me. Read more>>
Natasha Edwina | Mind-Body Wellness Consultant, Therapist, Coach
I started my business first and foremost because I was working in the mental health system and saw a lack of efficiency at solving problems and creating solutions that were sustainable yet deeply healing. I yearned to work with clients on a deeper level in new ways, ways I had used for my own healing. Mostly the work I was hired to do was just scratching the surface, and I saw a need for integrating the whole body, mind, and spirit into evidence-based practices. There is so much we can do before turning to medication, and this has always been my philosophy. Read more>>
Sharon Raijman & Yurii Barybin | Co-Founders of beTRUE Podcast Studio
Starting beTRUE Podcast Studio was driven by a blend of passion, opportunity and the desire to create a safe space where creativity could thrive. Podcasting has become one of the most popular media outlets for influencers and creatives from every industry so we decided to transform one of our studios into a high-quality experience for podcasters at every level. Yurii came to see beTRUE Studios as a venue for his upcoming event and during that visit I showed him the middle studio which was under construction. Read more>>
Tosin Toromade | Visual Artist
The inspiration behind starting my own business stemmed from a desire to create something meaningful beyond the traditional 9-5 work structure. As a visual artist, I have the opportunity to leverage my talents to provide value for others seeking to express themselves within the creative industry. Art offers me the freedom that many aspire to, allowing me to contribute to a space where creativity and self-expression thrive. Read more>>
Frank Solman | Entrepreneur
I always had a leader type personality. In order to lead to success it’s a must to own your own business. Through out the years owned and lead people to success in different types of businesses. Owning a business is like owning a piece of art which has different meanings from different angles. Read more>>
Nabeel | Entrepreneur
Coming from a business oriented family I tried my hands on different industries as my family was involved in Healthcare, IT, hospitality, etcetera. I found my happiness and comfort in Events and Film Making. Read more>>
Last Bite Boys | Content Creators
Last Bite Boys started from our love of exploring new foods and having a passion for being creative. Our goal is simple: stay true and authentic to ourselves, while enjoying and sharing all our delicious food experiences. We visit food spots often, new and old, and instinctively have always let the camera eat first. One day when going through our camera rolls, we realized we had tons of footage of food and drinks that we wanted to save but didn’t want to keep stored on our phones. Read more>>
Erica Chan Stenvall | Content Creator
First off, thanks for having me! I am very excited and honored to do this interview with you. I do content creation on YouTube and Instagram, but my content is more geared towards Instagram noaways @ericaychan. I share my lifestyle through pictures and videos on social media. The thought process behind starting my own business was very simple because creating content is something I enjoy doing regardless of the situation. I love to do it for fun. I enjoy putting different outfits together and taking pictures in different places and cool hidden little spots around the world. Read more>>
Joey Flores | Y Combinator-backed Entrepreneur and Artist
Since I was a kid, I have lived and breathed art and creativity, and I know how difficult it is as an artist to find success. I’ve founded two businesses, a streaming music startup called Earbits that was aimed at helping bands with marketing, and Inversion Art, which helps visual fine artists with investment and operational support. Both of my startups were trying to solve problems that I have had personally as an artist, and that I saw other artists struggling with. There are too many artists and creators out there with great talent and products who struggle to navigate the business landscape. Read more>>
Mariah Morgenstern | Filmmaker, Producer, Director, Entrepreneur
Before launching New Royalty in 2021, I spent about three years working as a freelance Producer. It allowed me to really learn and grow, but I often felt frustrated by the limitations of my role on set. I didn’t have the right amount of authority to influence the culture or make sure people felt valued in the way I wanted. I noticed that many film sets had a recurring issue—people felt overworked, and underappreciated, and, as a result, the environment wasn’t as enjoyable as it could be. I think filmmaking is the most magical art form and we truly have the best jobs in the world. I didn’t want the crews I worked with to ever forget that or feel jaded because of the circumstances surrounding set. Read more>>