It takes a lot more than an idea to build a business, but there can’t be a business without the idea. So we asked folks who’ve built wonderful businesses to tell us about how they came up with the idea in the first place.

Tierra Dionna | Entrepreneur, Speaker, Educator

Time and boredom lol! that’s right its amazing what can happen when you mix time with a little boredom. For the first time like many others during the pandemic time stood still. Time is a treasure and being one of the most valuable resources that we often not have enough of, I happen to have more of it and took advantage of it. I wanted to still be productive. I begin to ask what can I do with this time. Yarn came to me. Read more>>

Jimmy Arca | Independent Animator & Illustrator

In 2020 during lockdown and I had a lot of time on my hands, I started experimenting with creating hand drawn animated GIFS on small pieces of paper. Sort of like when a lot of us would try making flip books on sticky note pads, except I was doing them on loose pieces of paper and scanning them into the computer to digitalize the animation. After a year of making these I had a lot of these pieces of paper accumulating in my bedroom and thought I should sell them as works of art. Read more>>

Sarah Hardcastle and Helena Carrothers | Owners of Hemlock Haus

We’ve been friends for many years and each have our own separate businesses (Bewitched Kitsch and Life Light Healing). We were discussing products we wanted to make that didn’t exactly fit the aesthetic of our own brands and decided to create a partnership. From there everything fell into place seamlessly. Hemlock Haus is more than a store. It is a space where community is built one step at a time and ensuring we continue to be a safe space for all. Read more>>

Dione “Honey” Simmons | Confectionery Artist

The idea for my business came about as a result of feeling a deep desire for a new avenue to be creative in. In previous I created some confectionery treats for family and really enjoyed so when the desire to find another creative outlet came I asked myself what would I enjoy doing and boom chocolate dipped treats came to mind first and that’s when Honey’s Dipped Delights was born!! Read more>>