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.

Navelle Stevenson | Basketball Savant

My initial thought process was to use basketball as a mentoring tool to reach youth in the community. I’m from Brooklyn, NY Coney Island area and I was inspired by the men in my community that used basketball to reach the youth. Basketball changed by life in many ways. I learned over the years that the same principles that I learned playing and teaching basketball also applies to life. I found that basketball and sports in general builds character. Read more>>

Soverign Anthony | Artist, Content creator & influencer

To show and Spread the good news of God threw me and knowing that he can do it to anybody else and beside that to get my family out of Proverty and to make a generational impact Read more>>

Jon LoDuca | Founder and CEO

I started my first business in 1993. It was a .com and I built it for the same reason I’ve built every business since…We saw a market opportunity and thought we could serve others. But PlaybookBuilder has a funny sort of heritage story. When it was created in 2009 I was already running an intellectual capital development firm that I had started many years earlier. Read more>>

Logan Brown | Mobile Bar Owner

So my mom and I truly believe that 9-5 are the reason so many people are unhappy and drag through life. We didn’t want to be chained behind a desk, and knew that we had so much creativity to offer. We started thinking about ways to hone that in while also doing something we enjoy, and that’s how we landed on the Mobile Bar Service Read more>>

Drew Davis | Entrepreneur & Sales Trainer/Consultant

My primary professional goal is based on the number 1 core value we espouse at my company: Have a genuine concern for the wellbeing of others. With that in mind, my goal starting my company was to help as many people as I possibly can and bring more value to my clients than anyone else can. Read more>>

Wellington Marinho | Architect | Interior Designer | Furniture Designer | Lighting Designer | Photographer.

Back in college, the dream of being an architect and making a difference in the world was always inside my head. I had great mentors that gave me not just a “good job” but also fair critics of my work process and way to think. Before finishing my graduation I was 100% sure about what type of work I would finally make happen. I decided to work for the environment, people, and well-being of my future clients. Read more>>

Ashley Huston | Mad Baking Scientist

As a single mom in a world that is in an economic disaster at the moment unfortunately the normal 9-5 just wasn’t cutting it anymore. Im always looking for new ways to use my talents and improve both my daughters and I quality of life. I knew that I wanted the opportunity to grow a college fund for my daughter to set her up for success and future financial security. Read more>>

Tosha Rae Jackson | Nail Artist and Entrepreneur

I wanted to start my business because I love the idea that I’m in complete control of my own success and the outcome. I’m really good at holding myself accountable. I know myself very well and I believe in my abilities to make it the best it can be! Read more>>

Haylee Byrd | Entrepreneur & Permanent Jewelry Artist

We came up with the idea to start Wishbone Jewelry LLC after realizing we wanted to work towards building something meaningful for ourselves and build not only a business but relationships with our community through our craft. I thrive more in an environment where I can create my own schedule and reach my own goals so becoming a business owner was the right fit. Read more>>

Vanessa Camara | Hand Painted Art, Jewelry, and Home Decor

I had been wanting to start a business with my artwork for a long time, but I had been mainly focused on digital art for years, and didn’t get back into painting until 2018. At that time I was painting as a hobby, and it wasn’t until 2020 that I started selling some of my artwork. The first thing that I sold was a set of hand painted coasters that had dot art mandalas on them. Read more>>

Austin Patry | Food Entrepreneur

When my business partner, Sophia Karbowski, and I went to the grocery store for a snack, we would avoid the “center of the store”. This is the area of the store with common sweet and salty snack items, but we could never find something that was truly nutrient dense, genuinely clean and convenient. We would always end of in the produce section of the store buying fresh fruits and veggies, and in the nut butter section of the store buying some fresh nut butter. Read more>>

Michelle Dudash, RDN | Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Chef, and Founder of Spicekick Seasoning Mix

On one late-summer weeknight of 2019, I was cooking dinner for my family using a basic taco seasoning packet because my daughters loved it. I was amazed how it was ready in 15 minutes and all I had to add was meat and water. What I didn’t feel great about were the fillers, sugar, and other mystery ingredients in it. I thought there had to be a better way. That is when the idea hit me for Dash Dinners, what would be renamed and rebranded two years later as Spicekick. Read more>>

Passion (Nicole) Simmons | Owner and Creative Director

There’s a quote that says, “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” I think this best describes my motivation behind starting my own business. I’ve always had a niche for planning and decorating. There was just something about piecing all the elements together and seeing the final outcome that excited me! I also seemed to be pretty darn good at it:-). Read more>>

Trace Schwerman | Doctor of Physical Therapy

I am Trace Schwerman, PT, DPT, ECHM and owner of Enduring Home Solutions. This business was born on my living room couch. My sister, who is an occupational therapist, and my mom were visiting for the weekend and we were discussing our recent challenges trying to help aging family members and patient’s we have been working with. Read more>>

Larissa Marple | Educator, Entrepreneur, & Event Planner

There were a lot of considerations that went into starting my own business, but ultimately the reasoning stemmed from two main factors. Primarily, I was looking to make more money. I work full time in education, and while I truly love my job, the pay does not match the lifestyle I want to provide for myself and my family. So, instead of leaving a job I am passionate about to work in a different industry full time solely to make more money, Read more>>

Holly Garcia | Corporate Recruiter and Business Owner

Throughout my entire life I have always felt like I was meant to do more. Not in a sense of becoming the president or solving life’s problems but wanting to do something further than being complacent in a 9-5. A lot of this changed when I met my boyfriend (now husband). He has inspired me to pursue that urge to do more. I grew up with wonderful and loving parents, but they were the typical 9-5, hardworking type of people. Read more>>

Megan Ha | Owner & Florist

To start off, surprisingly I didn’t always have a passion for flowers. Prior to starting my flower business, I was in a bad relationship with this one guy. After acknowledging the many issues in the relationship, I ended it. And not long after, he attempted to reconcile by leaving gifts outside my door, including a really beautiful bouquet of flowers. While it was a pretty gesture, I knew the flowers were meant as an apology, and not given from a place of genuine love. Obviously, I did not take him back, but I did take in the flowers. I had kept the flowers for about a week and noticed how they brightened up my space. Read more>>

Richard Duque and Theo Willliams | Co-Founders of The Regal Edge

Our thought process was really quite simple: Make money for yourself, not for anyone else. When working for a salon, the company takes a portion of the revenue you make for the shop. Often times being an unfair percentage such as 60/40 in favor of the company. Looking at this from the company’s point of view, it seems like a great deal. However, from a stylist point of view, we see it as if we do all the labor, the company does nothing, and we still get less than half. Read more>>

Coleman Morris-Goodrick Lesley Brandt | Coleman & Lesley -Partners Marfa Coffee Co

We moved to Far West Texas with the intention of ‘lying flat’ stepping away from the daily grind and spending more time doing what we love. Our families encouraged us to start a small scale roasting facility were we roast coffee in small batches. Our aim is to find balance in practicing our craft while fostering and creating relationships and creating life experiences outside of work. Read more>>

Akkaraj Ak | Stylist, Designer, Food Critic

I actually started AkStylez by accident and necessity. I had just moved to LA from Texas and was quickly losing all the money I had saved because LA IS SO MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE THAN TEXAS to live in. I had 0 money but a LOT of clothes so I decided to go sell at this famous place that bought clothes called Round Two. I took all of my best pieces and waited in line for them to tell me “nothing you have will sell here, it’s just not our style.” Read more>>

Heidy Miller | Social Media Marketer & Owner of From Bland To Grand Social Media Agency

Starting my own business was never my plan. I actually went to college for an education degree to become an elementary school teacher and worked as a preschool teacher while pursuing a degree. I grew up in a Hispanic household where I was told that the only path to success was getting an education and a reliable job. So starting a business never crossed my mind. It wasn`t until 202o when the covid pandemic happened and everything was shutting down and being a teacher became emotionally and mentally hard. Read more>>

Julie Dickens | Owner and CEO

In July of 2013 I decided to open JDM School of Dance. I wanted to offer girls an environment where dance is taken seriously, but with an emphasis placed on fun, creativity, and building community. I wanted to create a community for moms to give them opportunities to meet and form meaningful friendships. For me, dance has been a constant since age two. Read more>>

Alpa Arora | Founder, Good For All Yoga / Yoga Programs for Children (PreK – 12th)

My first memory of Yoga is when I was about 7 years old – my mother practicing it daily with a local group in our community in a northern suburb of Mumbai, India. And I was first formally introduced to the practice at the age of 17, And now 26 years later, at the age of 44, I now know that more than helping me maintain my physical health, it has taught me how to tap into my inner strength, resolve, and an encompassing love. Read more>>

Kayla Otte | Boutique owner and Social Media Manager/Specialist

Starting The Cosmic Bluebird Boutique was the easiest decision for me, but the hardest to build. Business is not for the weak, but worth it. Starting this journey, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to merge my passion of Western Fashion into something successful. As someone who has always been drawn to the western industry, fashion and the rodeo atmosphere, I knew that I wanted to create something unique that would not only benefit the community but also provide for my family. Read more>>

Greg Satterwhite | CEO – www.OuthousetTickets.com

I always had an entrepreneurial sprit! In college, I worked for an apartment locator to earn a little extra cash. Got my real estate license, then showed other students around town to find apartments (Gig ‘Em Aggies – Texas A&M). Later in life, while in grad school at SMU, I heard about a company called Moveforfree.com (basically a moving company joined with an apartment locator to move you for free based on commissions from the apartment referrals). Read more>>

Alicia Garner | Eclectic Business Enthusiast and Project Manager

I have always wanted to embark on an entrepreneurial journey. As a mother of an impressionable ten-year-old, I always wanted to exemplify the idea that only you can put limitations on what you can accomplish. My parents were born and raised in Jamaica. They came here over 40 years ago to provide me and my younger brother a better life. While growing up, my parents would take us to visit our family in Jamaica. Read more>>

Sana Ali | Jewelry Curator, GIA Diamond Graduate.

Working in an industry that constantly evolves, My passion for creating custom engagement rings led me to establish a unique space where my clients can freely express their desires. After working in a traditional retail setup, I had so many consumers constantly applauding me not only for my jewelry curation skills but also for my eagerness to listen to their needs / or not be pushy in their decision-making process. Read more>>