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.

Payton Newton | Florist & Owner of Borrowed and Bloomed

My business, like most businesses, started because I saw a problem. I was working as a wedding coordinator at the time. As beautiful as all the florals were, there was an issue that happened at about midnight after every single wedding. It was when I approached the bride after every guest left and asked her, “what would you like me to do with your bouquets?” Read more>>

Billy Weems Jr | Creative Entrepreneur & CEO

I’ve always knew I would do something big. After working for other brands and companies I’ve always felt as I could do better. When I got let go from my last job I remember falling to my knee saying God I just want to work for myself. If I was going to work that hard for someone it was gonna be for myself. Most people are working a job that fits their financial needs and I need what I needed to bring in to be okay. So that made it simple for me. Read more>>

Ian Wortham | Designer & Illustrator

While I don’t have my own business in the traditional sense, I do sell my own art and work on commissions frequently. I just haven’t been able to settle on one specific category I want to make a brand for and pull the trigger. I’ve got plans for specific fan merch of niche nerdy video games, apparel of my own stuff, and recently I’ve been getting into rug making lately and would like to create my own little shop for that once I’ve overcome some of the learning curves (it’s super fun to make rugs). I’m all over the place. Read more>>

Janella Shirley | Candle Creator & Attorney

Candles bring me so much joy and peace! Every morning, I light a beautiful candle, grab a hot cup of coffee, wrap myself in a soft throw and write in my journal to center myself and prepare for my day. It was during one of my morning sessions that my candle company, LR² Luxe was conceived. LR² stands for Light.Relax.Repeat, and that’s exactly the experience I seek to inspire with each candle I create. I created LR² Luxe to share the joy that the warm flame and lush scent of a beautiful candle brings me. Read more>>

Antoinette Perry | Entrepreneur/Fitness advocate

I work hard 40-50 hours a week for a company that doesn’t truly value me, and heavily underpays me. Waking up having to report on their time for their wages. I then have to go be a wife and mother to 3. I’ve watched this cycle go on over and over with my mother, grandmother, aunts, uncles, etc. I wanted…. No I needed to break this cycle. It started to feel like a curse and the only way out was to free myself and own my own company. I love being a wife and mother, but working for someone else is draining. Read more>>

Princess Veasley | Systems Strategist & OBM

In 2020 I was laid off from my job as an Area Manager. I was then faced with a choice to either find employment or pursue entrepreneurship. So I took a chance on myself. I decided to use everything that I did, the experience that I gained over the years, my gifts, and my strong suits to help entrepreneurs excel in their businesses. Read more>>

Antonio Barnes | Creative Portrait Photographer

I realized early on that I had an eye for capturing the moment back in high school. I would ask my sister for her camera just so I could play with it and learn how to get the right angles and try to capture things in my own unique way. Over time, I started being able to brainstorm creative ideas for photoshoots in my head before even shooting. When I went off to college, I had developed a good eye to create, but I didn’t have a camera of my own. Read more>>

Kareem Mossad | Global Business Market Leader

My thought process was wanting to give back. I have learned many things in the business world (and life) through my unique journey and experience, and I wanted to start sharing that with as many people as possible. Read more>>

Tanae Dumas | Licensed Esthetician | Brow Artist| Sugarist

From the time I was a teenager until currently today I’ve always been complemented on my brows. My friends and family would always come to me to either shape or fill in their brows, coworkers would complement me, even men would notice how great my brows were! It wasn’t until my husband advised me that my hobby could turn really turn into a business and that’s exactly what I did. I immediately enrolled into school, became licensed and the rest will be history. What better way to do something I love, be able to create my own schedule and continue to enhance the beauty of others with my talent. Read more>>

Chef Sheena SheWins | An award winning chef/personal chef/health conscious motivational speaker/healer

Corporate america wasn’t fulfilling and felt way too demanding. I was on a spiritual awakening of self discovery and my purpose was being revealed to me. Eye was shifting into a new way of eating and my passion for cooking/entertaining/educating started to become more prominent in my everyday life. Eye made the decision to walk away from the 8-5 and dedicate my happiness to doing what eye love. Cooking, educating and entertaining. Ohm Woke was bearthed. Read more>>

Victoria Gibbs | Online Health & Fitness Coach

Growing up I actually never had the thought to start my own business. Everyone in my family works at typical 9 to 5 job until they’re 65 and retire! I thought I was meant to do the same thing. I went to school at Texas Tech University and got my degree in personal financial planning, because I love money and working with people. Turns out I was really good at it and I really did enjoy it! But let’s just say learning about it and actually working in the real world are two very different things. Read more>>

Lizett Munoz | PMU Microblading Artist

Starting my own business I wanted to make an impact in peoples lives and change their daily routine of no eyebrows. I wanted to give everyone a chance to feel beautiful and save time. Starting my own micro-blading business is very competitive, and the thought of what most people think that I just tattoo someones eyebrows on their face, I’m sure they thought I was crazy. Read more>>

La Bronaca Bradley | Bodyworker & Intuitive Healer

Originally, I considered massage therapy as a side hustle when I was still working in corporate. I hadn’t really considered starting my own business at that time. I ended up losing my job June of 2015 and I knew that I didn’t want to continue working in corporate America. I was burned out, dissatisfied, and depressed. I went through a spiritual awakening during this time, I knew I had to do something different, something more aligned to my purpose. Read more>>

A. Brytney Reaves | Consultant & Legacy Developer

I knew what my Passions were from the beginning and I wanted to use them to help people around me. So I game planned the best and effective way to make my Passions my business and so my company was created. Of course I considered my considered my target audience or my Market. Read more>>

Vanessa Veloz | Community Curator

Summer of 2020 was filled with intentional alignment for the BLM movement. Personally, I witnessed loosing friends and gaining a new mindset towards my creativity. No Hush has been a movement that builds bridges for young adults to tap into passion projects that reveals purposeful outcomes. As I navigated the entrepreneurial journey as a person of color, I realized the process of getting told no and doubting my potential needed to be represented in a community perspective. Read more>>

Stephen Abdul | Content Creator & Visionary

Well, honestly, when the pandemic was in full swing back in late 2020, I was quarantined and on medical leave from work. I did have COVID-19 at the time so it wasn’t much that I could do in terms of getting out even working. While I was just sitting around at home, I thought about the creative experience I had with art, photo, and digital design in the past and figured, “Why not start up photography as a hobby?” Read more>>

Yvonne Olguin | Balloon Stylist

I have ALWAYS been so fascinated by balloon decor. Balloons are present at almost every event we attend. I started seeing the want for balloon garlands at event the simplist of parties and I thought to myself, “maybe I can do that.” I started watching YouTube tutorials and instantly become so impressed with the techniques that the artists used and quite honestly techniques I would of never thought existed. I quite frankly had been practicing the techniques without material until I joined my friends balloon class and that’s the moment that I found some initial confidence to start offering my balloons to my friends. Read more>>

Jamilee (Jay) Bates | Epidemiologist & Business Ownee

I wanted to created generational wealth for my daughter, I s as Leo wanted to create something within my immediate family that we could all benefit from. Hence, the name of my business 213 Sparrow St Solutions; specializing in all services. Read more>>

Bobbi Rivers | Ceo, Founder Aumour Kiddie Boutique

I started Aumour Kiddie Boutique to offer more to our children. I believe that my child deserves the finer thing in life High-quality, fashionable clothing, that still allowed them to be free and be kids. We wanted to bring comfort and moveable fabrics to children while they play and enjoy daily activities. Every piece is designed to combine both casual styles with a pop of color that can be worn on any occasion. We’re a place that understands that when children are looking good, they are feeling better and excelling no matter where life takes them. Read more>>

Jasmine Calvert | Waistologist

When I started Waist Jewels, I wanted to share my passion for fitness, womans health, and physical training with women in central Texas. I would often hear celebrities, athletes and regular folk brag about woman in LA, Atlanta and other metropolitan areas (specfilly their apparencies) and I wanted to hear my cities name on the list. My desire was to provide a great quality product at an affordable price, but most of all I wanted to provide a product that I, myself would be proud to purchase. Read more>>

Yasmeen Eesa | Eesa Law Firm, PLLC

Lawyering is not a profession for me, but it is a life. Attorney’s job is to defend people and achieve justice to create a better life. When you work with a law firm, most likely, you will have to follow orders from the owner or the manager of the law firm, and this process will kill your passion. I decided to open my law firm because I want to care more about my clients and their rights, not what the law firm owner wants or decides. Owning a law firm will give you more opportunities to have compelling cases and determine your strategies for helping your clients. Read more>>