The Early Days: why did you start a business

Are you thinking about starting a business? If so, we think you’ll enjoy reading about how these seasoned entrepreneurs thought about the question when they were in your shoes.

Aracely Salas | Chandler

The thought process behind starting CEL SAL was the ability to have more control on what I was bringing into my home while giving myself a creative outlet. CEL SAL is an eco-conscious home fragrance brand that focuses on not only aesthetics but also using high quality clean raw materials. Read more>> 

Ashley Brown | Owner | Photographer | Filmmaker

I wanted to serve others in an unconventional way.

I wanted to tell the stories of real people.

I wanted to spread joy.

I knew that by working for myself, I could stay true to these values without compromise. In previous experiences working for others, I sometimes found that the core vision could get lost in the day-to-day grind. By owning my own business, I’ve been able to control the narrative and make decisions rooted in what matters most to me—authenticity, creativity, and impact. Read more>>

Jesuton Donkor | Owner/Founder

Freedom and independence as well as upholding and handing down a legacy to my seeds and their seeds. Read more>>

Mariya Jenkins | Co owner, Mobile Dessert Truck

My younger sister Brianna really took after our Father with the cooking and baking skills. When we were younger Daddy would call us in the kitchen and say ” Here watch me cook this, so you can do this one day” I was 100% uninterested and so was my twin sister. But Brianna would watch and she enjoyed it. As we got into our teens she literally started cooking and baking on her own and bringing dishes to church or to our brother & his co workers at the furniture store he worked at. Brownies, cookies, cakes. By the age of 17 Brianna had it down packed and our family was always asking her to cook certain things. Fast Forward into adult hood, She became the cook of the family events and holidays. Read more>>

Shalynn Robinson | Co-owner

I am one of five children and my husband is one of seven. We also have five children ourselves, so our house is constantly filled with lots of family gatherings and mouths to feed. Cooking is our passion and we love to challenge ourselves by creating new things in different ways with quality ingredients and seasonings. When I got let go from my job in 2020, due to Covid, my husband and I decided to bottle up our blends to sell at local farmers markets and festivals. Little did we know that 4 months later, we would have the opportunity to be in H-E-B (one of the fastest growing grocery retailers in the DFW area). Read more>>

Kyra Dodd | Credit Expert & Strategist

After going through a high risk pregnancy that resulted in having my child 2 months early, followed by coming home to an eviction notice followed by a repossession. Paying someone a lot of money that did not turn out how hoped…I learned the laws and truly learned the value of credit. I saw how it started changing my life and knew this is something my community needed. Read more>>

Ashley Johnson

Our thought process behind starting this business was initially was just to make income. We knew how to cook and just had a hustle mindset about it. After the first year we noticed the impact we had made and how we was dedicated and our perspective changed. We realized this can change our whole family dynamic and help leave behind a legacy. Read more>>

Kanetia Durden

I wanted to start something that would generate wealth and be a foundation for my children. Read more>>

Mike Rhyner

I was retired… I wanted something to do, but I didn’t want another job…doing something similar to what I had been doing and doing it with no regulation, nobody telling me how to do what I knew how to do, nobody telling me when to do it or not do it sounded like fun…starting from the ground up, finding an audience-new or not- in a different format was a daunting task…but I’d done it once; I knew a little something about it. Read more>>