Readers often email us asking us for advice about new businesses they are thinking about starting and we often find that many of them don’t have a framework for thinking about a more fundamental question: why should or shouldn’t you start a business?

Below, you’ll find how successful entrepreneurs from across the city thought about this very question when they were considering whether to start their businesses.

Brandon Romas | Co-Owner of Urban Trivia Game

We initially started Urban Trivia back in 2017 to break up the monotony of the nightlife scene in the DFW among other events. Then during the pandemic we had to pivot to doing them on zoom. We got hundreds of people on zoom and it gave us the thought to create it as a card game. We launched the card game December 2020 and has been so blessed to work with fortune 500 companies such as Apple, the WNBA, and Toyota. Read more>>

Terrell Bowser | Entrepreneur/Author/Life Coach

The thought process behind starting my business was that at that time I was going through a major transition in my life and my current job (which I still have now) wasn’t resonating with me like it had been. I had recently missed an opportunity that I had been trying to get for some years like over 10 plus years and when it presented itself to me, I was going through some legal things which hindered the process because my court date got pushed and they weren’t able to hold the job till the outcome of court which ended up being in my favor. Read more>>

Nathan Coffin | Insurance Restoration Specialist

I started out as a very young entrepreneur and although I don’t like being tagged an “entrepreneur” I guess thats the best way to identify “the start”. I was probably 9 or 10 years old when the passion for sales and business started. I used to cut mushrooms (Fomes and shelf mushrooms) off of trees with my dads hand held saw, clean them up and bring them to the neighborhood girl who was great at painting scenic photos on the bottom of them. A tree or mountain was great little trinket for me to sell door to door. Read more>>

Haley Spikes | Mom and Entrepreneur

I’m a stay at home mom and I absolutely love planning my kids parties. I had several people tell me that I should start a business for my balloons but I wanted more. My husband and I decided to turn it into an event rental and decor business! Read more>>

Marsha Telfer | Restaurateur

Owners and husband/ wife duo Adrian & Marsha Telfer established Reggae Jerk Hut in 2022. Adrian is an Army veteran who once served in the US Military as an Infantryman. Although Adrian loved serving his country, he also has a passion for cooking traditional Jamaican dishes. Marsha who’s family is from Haiti, loves to cook her family’s delicious Haitian recipes but with a twist. Their passion for food and community was the driving force when opening Reggae Jerk Hut. Read more>>

Dominique Tomaino | Business Owner

My friend Lauren and I both moved our families from California to Texas around the same time, so our families were celebrating Easter together. As we were talking about preparing for the holiday, we realized we wanted more toys that focused on the meaning of Easter to give our children, and decided to make them ourselves! Read more>>

Daniel Yanez | Artist

Starting my own business was one of the most scariest things i’ve ever done. I had no reference to start with, I did not know a single business owner. So to say the least I had no idea what i was doing or where to start. The only thing i knew was that I had to start to get what and where i wanted. I had this crazy notion that I could be a great artist and in the beginning I was some what delusional. I thought i was good and would be successful right off the jump. Read more>>

Tiffany Hill | Owner of The DRIPBaR Snellville & Breast Cancer Thriver & Advocate

As a Breast Cancer Survivor, I wanted to focus more on affordable preventative care for the community. I feel that preventative care comes in many forms including the proper vitamin intake as well as eating healthy and getting the proper amount of exercise and rest. I want to make sure we introduce the community to the many different types of preventative care but first starting with the vitamins and nutrients needed to heal your body. Read more>>

Stephen Edwards | Licensed Home Inspector License # 26105

When I started my business I had recently been laid off. I work in IT and several large company’s in that field had done thousands of layoffs. When a job posting would go live it would have 500 applicants in the first hour or more. I seemed impossible to make it through that many people applying for every job. I decided i could go broke applying for jobs of I could go broke betting on myself. Looking for ideas on what kind of business to start I came across the Pillar To Post Home Inspectors franchise. Read more>>

Stephanie LeSage | Optometrist

I was feeling burn out and like my professional and intellectual growth was stagnant where I was working. For a career that could last 30-40+ years, I felt like I was too young to feel this way. I figured that if I was going to work this hard, I might as well work for myself so I can structure my clinic and treat my patients the way I believe they deserve to be treated. I wanted a challenge to help me grow both personally and professionally. Being a small business owner is the ultimate challenge! Read more>>

Marci Serota | Special Education Consultant

I am so lucky to live in a city that has so many choices in terms of private schools that cater to children with learning differences, special needs, and neurodiversity. That said, trying to figure out how they differ, and where your child is likely to thrive both sociallly and academically can be overwhelming. I have two boys who are neurodiverse and have learning differences, and have had to move schools a few times over the past 15 years as their needs changed.  Read more>>

Gabriel Duran | Associate Professor/ Founder of FDCLA and Vivid Vita Events

The primary motivations for starting FDCLA and Vivid Vita Events stem from a commitment to cultural representation, community engagement, and the preservation of traditions. FDCLA was established to ensure that the rich and diverse stories of the Latino community are told and celebrated, providing a platform for Latino filmmakers to bring their unique narratives to a broader audience and promoting cultural understanding and appreciation. Read more>>

Samantha Cutler | Baker Extraordinare

Originally I just loved baking and making cakes. My mother made character cakes for all of our birthdays and so of course I learned from her. When she had health issues I took over the task, but my friends were jealous and wanted cool cakes too so I started making cakes for them. Eventually I had a very expensive hobby which was not tenable so I told people I wouldn’t keep being able to do it. Their response was you should sell them since they are awesome.  Read more>>