We reached out to some of our favorite entrepreneurs and asked them to think back and tell us about how they decided to start a business. Check out their responses below.

Tahia Lameer

I didn’t originally plan to start a consulting business, but my career naturally led me there. After years in corporate roles, I found myself wanting more ownership and impact in the work I was doing. When my position shifted internally and compensation changed, it became a moment to reassess. Read more>>

Kana Kaminaga

Looking back, I’ve grown by learning how to honor the vision behind a project while bringing my full self into it. I’ve learned that when each person steps into their role with clarity, the entire project comes together more fully. Whether I’m on set or hosting a conversation, I approach every project with the same mindset. I begin by understanding what we’re creating together. Read more>>

Jess Perna

I started my wedding art business because I saw a need for museum quality artwork to commemorate weddings and I knew I had the skills to create art of that caliber. I also enjoy getting out of my studio and joining in a wedding celebration to entertain the guests. I like the immediate live feedback on my paintings. Read more>>

Jacob Klentner

I grew up watching my parents run their own businesses, seeing firsthand what it looks like to be your own boss and dictate the terms of your own life. Coming from that environment, I always knew an office job career wouldn’t fit. Read more>>

Alliya Cunanan

Growing up, I never envisioned a career in the beauty industry – it wasn’t part of mine nor my family’s blueprint for me. My journey began in food service and customer-facing roles, where I honed skills like patience, empathy, and understanding. But it wasn’t until a friend introduced me to microblading that I discovered my true passion. Read more>>

Virginia Kamhi

I would have to say I just fell into this business of being an artist. I had always loved art and had taken some art classes in college, but it wasn’t until I retired from teaching elementary school that I actually had time to devote to making art. Upon retiring, I took up pastels and quickly fell in love. Read more>>

Joel Wetterstein

I started as an actor, but I was never great at auditioning. At some point I realized I was spending more energy trying to be chosen than actually creating, so I began making my own films. That decision pushed me into technical roles out of necessity. I started in sound because of my background in music, then expanded into editing, camera, and lighting. Read more>>

Matheus Macedo

For my horror/scifi podcast SessionsX, I was a writer who had to submit work to platforms and got rejections so I decided to make my own and put it out there myself. Read more>>

Peter Joseph

Starting my own business wasn’t a single moment decision — it was the result of years of watching how confusing, impersonal, and transactional the insurance industry had become for everyday families. I was working closely with individuals navigating Medicare, health insurance, and financial protection planning, and I kept seeing the same pattern: people felt overwhelmed, undereducated, and often pushed into decisions they didn’t fully understand. Read more>>

Tessa Brand

Knowing that I wanted ownership over my time, the freedom to build a family life with flexibility, entrepreneurship felt like the best path. I was driven to build something of my own—investing my energy into a vision I believed in, rather than channeling that effort into growing someone else’s business. Read more>>

Michelle Ye

The process of starting my own business was a natural pathway from what I was already doing! I loved photography and modeling, and I took jobs that aligned with it- from there, it snowballed into something I now do full time! Read more>>

Jenn Lynette

Starting Rise Up Media & Hospitality wasn’t a random leap — it was a very intentional evolution. I’ve always been deeply connected to people, community, and storytelling. Read more>>

Paloma Castro

I’ve always worked remote, and I’ve always been very interested in wellness. Remote work is such a gift, but it comes with its challenges, and I felt them firsthand: the loss of human connection, not feeling seen, blurred boundaries between work and home, and always feeling “on.” I realized that keeping up with my own mental health and wellness took even more effort than before. Read more>>

Natalie Gonzalez

My thought process behind starting my own business honestly came from knowing I was meant for more. I’ve always been very intentional about the spaces I’m in, and I knew I wanted to create a salon that actually reflected my values. Integrity, beauty, growth, and empowerment. I wanted to build something elevated. A space that felt inspiring. Read more>>

Angelica Querubin

My journey into starting my own business really came from a combination of passion and motherhood. I’ve always been deeply passionate about aesthetics, the artistry behind it, the science, and the confidence it can give people. But the moment that truly shifted my mindset happened during one of the most vulnerable and beautiful seasons of my life: postpartum. Read more>>

Jessica Jacoby

For most of my career, I had always worked for large companies, schools, and group practices. I learned a tremendous amount from these experiences as a whole and am so grateful for the opportunities I had. Read more>>

Nicola Morgan

Vampire Surf Club started with a sunburn. My partner and I were on a surf trip to Maui, surfing Honolua Bay on one of those perfect days, glassy conditions, uncrowded, and the perfect size. We’d been in the water for hours when I looked down and realized my legs were badly burned. Read more>>

Jean-Pierre Hubschman

My decision to start Horizon Surgical Systems was not a sudden leap, but the natural evolution of more than a decade of work. While I was a faculty member at UCLA, I had the opportunity to incubate and lead a robotic surgery research program. Read more>>

Kimberly Carbajal

I started my own business because I envision a future where I am my own boss and can build something meaningful for my family. My motivation comes from the hope that, by the time I have children, I will be able to dedicate myself fully to my business while creating stability and flexibility for my family. Read more>>

Elya Moline

My background is in education, and I’ve always loved the arts. Even as a classroom teacher, I intentionally integrated art into my lessons because I saw how it increased engagement, built confidence, and helped students connect more deeply to what they were learning. For me, art and education have always gone hand in hand. Read more>>

Eileen Yanez

Starting my own business really came from a place of needing another creative outlet outside of teaching. As much as I love being a teacher, pouring into students every single day requires so much heart, energy, and structure. I needed another avenue of inspiration something that felt softer, more creative, and deeply personal. Read more>>

Alina Tokar

I started my interior design business almost by accident when I remodeled my own home. At the time, I was working for a large furniture company, so I came into the industry with staging and real estate experience, but full remodels were something completely new to me. In the beginning, it was really just fun. Read more>>

Ms J7

When I first made the decision to step outside of the traditional 9–5 structure and pursue my own path, I remember my entertainment attorney at the time questioning my choices. They asked not only why I wanted to start my own business, but also what my long-term plan would be once my body was no longer able to perform or Coach. Read more>>

Andres Villarreal

When I first arrived at college as a freshman, I didn’t have the same mindset as most students. While many people were focused on meeting new friends, going out, and enjoying the beginning of a new chapter, I was hungry to start building something of my own. Luckily, my brother was already at the same school. Read more>>

Ashley Glass

The thought process behind starting The Hood Hippies was simple: to inspire and hold space for artists and creatives to create unique and revolutionary work, as well as provide access to art education, mentorship and resources to underserved communities who have been historically excluded. Read more>>

Rania Alomar

I always wanted to start my own practice – since architecture school that had been the ultimate goal for me. In many ways, I think that’s a common aspiration for young architects. Read more>>

IRKO

I set out my goal to deliver top notch audio engineering services for producers, artists, musicians and the like. Specifically the thought process is to deliver top of the line mixes to the music I choose to work on. Read more>>

Elinor Bawnik

I did not initially plan to start my own business. My background includes working in programs and group practices, environments I valued for their collaboration and shared commitment to client care. Working alongside thoughtful, like-minded colleagues toward a common goal was deeply meaningful. Over time, however, I witnessed significant shifts within the mental health system. Read more>>

Matthew Stein

Honestly, a lot of it came down to wanting to cut through the red tape. I felt like things could be done better, faster, and in a way that actually made life easier for clients instead of more complicated. Read more>>

David & Sailor Money

Well, I’m an actor and for the past 3-5 years, the industry has taken some hits, as a result, opportunities have really slowed down for me. In the back of my mind, I was always dreaming up ideas of a side hustle that could supplement the slower seasons. Read more>>

Josette Pelatan

Starting my company wasn’t a conventional business decision. It was survival, purpose, and truth colliding at the same time. I am the daughter of pieces of stories I will never be able to know the full truth about. From my mother’s side, it seems that I am the product of abuse and rape. Read more>>

Sumit Singh

Robin and Lily began as a very personal creative project between my wife, Niharika Singh, and me (Sumit Singh). Both of us have always been drawn to storytelling and imaginative worlds, and we often found ourselves talking about the cartoons and stories we grew up with in the 90s; the ones that made childhood feel adventurous, mysterious, and full of possibility. Read more>>

Phil Giangrande

Well, while I was a host and producer in radio, I saw a real need. Business owners looking for new clients would come to me to do a show hoping that listeners would call them. Now, while they did get some calls, I noticed the real opportunity was with the relationships that were formed with guests that would come on the shows. Read more>>

Jairred Lambert

Life provided a bit of a perfect storm: I was unable to continue working in restaurants (I have a degree in Culinary Arts from Le Cordon Bleu and 15 years experience working toward my dream of opening my own restaurant); I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease and continue to have chronic symptoms; and I saw a glaring market opportunity in seasonings. Read more>>

MIKA MARTIN

IVE ALWAYS HAD A STRONG PASSION FOR COOKING AND BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER OVER FOOD. OVERTIME, I NOTICE THAT MANY EVENTS NEEDED RELIABLE CATERING THAT OFFERED BOTH QUALITY AND A PERSONAL TOUCH. I STARTED THINKING ABOUT HOW I COULD COMBINE MY HOME COOKING SKILLS WITH MY INTEREST IN HOSPITALITY. Read more>>

Kim Blake

I didn’t start The Art of Ceremony because I had some perfect business plan. I started it because I was trying to create a life that felt more meaningful, more beautiful, and more true. It began with a deep love of adornment — the feeling that what we wear can hold memory, intention, and energy. Over time, that opened into something much bigger. Read more>>

Kelsey J. Patel

While we were deep in Covid/19, my husband and I started looking for opportunities outside of Los Angeles to create something meaningful and special. We weren’t set on a hotel, but rather open to the idea of whatever found us and called to us during that time. Read more>>