Deciding to start a business is an unusual decision. It’s often considered irrational and yet for many it’s the best decision they’ve ever made. So we asked folks to think back to when they were starting their businesses and to tell us about their decision making process.

Nikolaus Libby | Watch Dealer and Watchmaker

I kind of started my own business on accident. My dad was an ebay seller and I started going to garage sales with him at 15 years old. I bought a few watches at garage sale turned them over for a profit. This really ignited my passion in watches. I was always self employed from this point until I lived in Europe a few years and worked for a large gray market dealer in Germany. Being there made me realize that the best option for me was self employment. This way I can make sure the customer is getting maximum value and has a great experience. Read more>>

MIke Ridley | Insurance and Financial professional

I came from a family who was self-employed. I had a fairly good understanding of the benefits as well as the responsibility, and was willing to take the risk. I wanted to build/own a business I could sell or pass down to my children. My philosophy was if I am going to work hard over the next 20-30 years, I would rather do it building an asset for my family as opposed to profiting someone else. Being a business owner has it pros and cons. It provides you some autonomy/freedom with your time, but at the same time you are never free from responsibility. It is not for everyone as you have to be willing to do what ever it takes, and sometimes that is not “convenient” Read more>>

Jon McCurley | Lawyer

I have a talent for client intake and relations. This gives me the confidence to believe that I could succeed at running my law firm, where I have greater control over the types of clients and cases I accept. I had intended to be a small-town prosecutor. That job search was frustrating and disappointing. Starting my law firm allowed me to create my path and pursue cases that I find interesting. Running my law firm provides greater flexibility and control over my work and schedule. Read more>>

Aliya Prasla | Founder

I was laid off from the job I had been working at for 11 years in February 2022. I was sitting in the car with one of my co-workers after we found out and he asked me “what do you think you’ll do?” and I immediately said “I’m going to sell chai at the Dallas Farmers Market.” I was planning on taking a few months off to take advantage of this break, but the wheels were already turning and I formed my LLC (chaiwalitx llc) five days later, and booked a sourcing trip to India for April of 2022. Read more>>

Jade Hartwell | Visionary & Founder

Let’s say this, the ministry started during the Pandemic. Just a group of young people noticing that there needs to be a bridge connecting the older generation with the new generation. Many don’t know, but this idea came to me in 2017 at the age of 16. A feeling comes to you when you know you’re ready to start. Words of wisdom, before you start make sure you have a great team and supporters. That will help you be successful when you start and continue to help you flourish. Read more>>

Shelby Stephens | Wedding Venue and Special Events Owner

When my husband, Caleb and I, were getting married I instantly became obsessed with weddings. During the time of our wedding, my mother bought a wedding dress boutique so I would work there on the weekends. Caleb comes from a background of construction work and I brought up the idea of building our own wedding venue. After months of research and looking for the right piece of land, we found 63 acres right outside of our town, New Boston. It was the perfect piece of property and meant to be transformed into something special. Read more>>

Mary Van Slyke | Esthetician

I have always loved helping people and skincare has always been something that has interested me. I have worked for other companies and franchises before and can see some flaws in the system. So I wanted to come up with a plan to implement my talents, passion, and helping others with their skin health. Thus; MJ Skin Bar was born! Read more>>

Dixya Bhattarai | Culinary Dietitian, Owner behind Indulge FW

I come from a family of business entrepreneurs but I never thought I would own a business someday. The process of starting my own business has been a gradual one. I started my website www.foodpleasureandhealth.com back in 2012 and started doing some brand partnerships and media work while working as a clinical dietitian at a hospital. I juggled my full time job as a dietitian and my very small business until 2017-2018. In 2018, I met with my business partner Hao Tran and we started doing our dumpling popup as Hao & Dixya, which further led to other opportunities such as the opening of The Table (which we closed at the end of 2022). Read more>>

Octavio Aguayo | Photographer & Videographer

I never really thought too deeply about starting my own business, rather, I took different opportunities as they presented themselves at my previous jobs and found that my hobby aligned with many jobs out there. In addition to the opportunities, I did a lot of self-education when it came to the subject, what makes great photographers great, what helps with creativity, what helps them achieve the best results, etc. and upon seeing that I could also follow those examples, I little by little started offering my services and seeing how that went, kind of like testing the waters. Read more>>

Kylaa | Owner & CEO of xKlusive Kollections by Kylaa

QUESTION #1 Starting my own business was something that I always wanted to do. I had a strong desire to be my own boss and have control over my career and financial future. However, it took me some time to figure out what exactly I wanted to do. I was inspired by different aspects of my life, such as my daughters enthusiasm for my work, my passion for flair and beauty, and my interest in creating my own products once i had an idea for my business, i started researching and learning as much as i could about the industry and what it takes to start and run a successful business. Read more>>

Christina Ibarra | Doormat Maker

Honestly, you could say there was a lot and nothing going on at the same time, COVID time. The extra spare time gained due to the pandemic allowed me to go back to something I always enjoyed but never had time for, crafting. It started off with vinyl designs on cups, shirts and paper flowers until we landed with our doormats. How doormats? My mom was looking for a doormat to spruce up the front door. While on the hunt for her mat, we noticed one common trend: all the doormats were in English. So, with the extra time I had, I decided to just make her the doormat in Spanish. Something she could understand and something that we hoped would catch the eyes of whoever was visiting and make them ask, “Where did you get your doormat?”. Read more>>

Sarah Osuorji | Embroiderer & Speech Language Pathologist

I bought an embroidery machine to leisurely monogram clothes for my kids. Who doesn’t love a cute monogram? As a mom to three little ones, my life is chaos (in the best way) and embroidery was a fun, creative outlet. During the ice storm this year, my family and I were cooped up all week so I decided to pick up a cocktail napkin to test out some designs. While I intended to focus on clothing, I embroidered a new napkin every day, posted the finished products on social media, and by the end of the week, I had friends (and friends of friends) asking me to create custom sets for them. Read more>>

Christian Leal | Meet Christian Leal | Owner & CEO of Spinny Brand Co., Owner & CEO of Spinners Toys & Collectibles, Event Coordinator, Graphic Designer, Podcaster

My name is Christian Leal, from Grand Prairie, Texas, 26 years of age and I am the owner of Spinners Toys & Collectibles. I was born with brittle bone disease, also known as Osteogenesis Imperfecta, and yes, I have been confined to a wheelchair my entire life. I attended the University of Texas at Arlington, and Graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and Management in 2021. I started off as a regular Funko Pop collector back in late 2015. I got my first pop from my mom for Christmas, and that was the official start to me collecting. It became a hobby for me and I went wild (like all new collectors).  Read more>>

Elicia Castaldi | Founder & Creative Director of Girl w/ Knife

I never set out to be an entrepreneur when I graduated from RISD. I’ve always done my best work, and I’ve been lucky that opportunities came my way. I rose to whatever challenges were put in front of me, I worked wildly to meet deadlines, but never looked too far ahead. When I did, it seemed futile and felt like wasted energy. In my years as an author/illustrator, I found that things change on a dime, things stall, projects die. I’ve learned that you can’t wrap your heart up in a specific outcome, or else you’ll live in misery. Read more>>

Amanda Victoria | Indie Pop Artist

I avoided going all-in on my music for so long. I had a full-time job at an amazing sync licensing company for 2 1/2 years before quitting in August 2022 to rely on just my talent and skills. I’ve always wanted to be a full-time artist, but I dealt with copious amounts of imposter syndrome. In a way that pushed me to go all-in even more. I didn’t want to call myself a musician anymore unless I could stake my livelihood on it. I don’t necessarily recommend this path for someone as new as me, but it’s what I needed. Read more>>

Adrianna Aguirre | Photographer & Public Health Professional

I decided to start my own business because of my kids. I wanted to show my kids they could be successful in whatever they choose to do in their life. Whether that be attending college or becoming an entrepreneur. As a young teen mother, I was already labeled as a statistic and put in a bubble to never even finish high school. And now here I am years later a college graduate and an entrepreneur. I know that I am my kid’s biggest role model, I wanted to give them a chance to see they can be successful in many ways. Read more>>

Pete & Jennifer Simpson | Co-Owners

Our concept was born out of the idea that our town needed an elevated lounge experience that served high quality wine and beer (and now craft cocktails) in a beautifully curated space. We wanted to assemble the best service staff possible and be a very welcoming place for everyone that visits and lives here in Washington County and Brenham. We were able to find an underutilized building in our historic downtown that was ripe for a transformation, and we opened our doors in November 2021. Read more>>

Jessie Nair | CEO/President

As a child, my singular goal was to become an attorney. At 24, I made this lifelong dream come true. After a decade and a half, I found myself becoming disillusioned with my career. Like many, the pandemic unexpectedly gave me a chance to pause and re-evaluate my life choices. I found that I was no longer happy and yearned for a change. I spent the next couple of years pondering what opportunities I should pursue. I researched various avenues and decided it was time to start working for myself. Read more>>

Jaedyn Hobbs | Salon Owner, Eyelash Extension and Salon Service Specialist

The thought process I had behind starting my business was providing a genuine and quality service that is worth your time and money and one where my clients trust I have they’re best interests in mind. I’ve worked in multiple multimillion dollar beauty service industries, that experience coupled with my experience while in school to get my license solidified my opinion that the cosmetology industry is heavily influenced by the prioritization of financial gain and product sales rather than customer satisfaction and quality of service. Read more>>

Dr. Artelia Wadley | Chiropractor

My thought process behind starting my own business came from several different things. When I was doing undergrad at UNT and received my Bachelors in Business Administration in the professional field of Entrepreneurship and Strategic Management, my intentions was to always have my business. What I didn’t know was the kind of busy or the industry I would be in when that time came. After graduating from chiropractic school and working for several types of clinics such as: accident and injury, workers compensation, and general practice. Read more>>

Nate Williamson | Nature Enthusiast & Marketer— in that order!

I started my own business about three years ago working remotely as a marketing and social media consultant. My dream had always been to create something. That people would remember, something to leave an imprint. I figured “Hey, you’re doing this for other people and garnering big numbers— why not start building something for yourself?” Read more>>

Trinette Pierre | Executive Coach & Leadership Development Advisor

TRImani Consulting, LLC was started because of my passion for helping leaders excel and be successful in their professional responsibilities. Throughout my 30+ years in the workforce, I have practiced in the realms of business, healthcare, education, etc. Regardless of the role I held, one thing remained constant: My love for listening and giving assistance to those who needed advice on how to improve their professionalism and grow their leadership prowess. Read more>>