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.

Grace Dille Krass | Founder and CEO of Maddon and Co

I have always been an artist at my core and drawing is something that I’ve done in my free time as far as I can remember. I had a friend suggest I should start marking greeting cards with my drawings and I loved the idea. I gave it a shot and started with just 6 cards, and it quickly blossomed into more. Read more>>

Ruthie Partin | Tattoo Artist, Fine artist, and Community Volunteer.

Starting your own business is a huge gamble! A bravery test unlike any other. Will the phycological and monetary gains come together enough to prosper and succeed? There’s only one way to find out and really that’s being able to take your dream and break it into short term goals that lead to the long-term goal. YOU CAN DO IT! Yes, it’s a lot of taking risks, being brave, confident, and hoping you’re doing it right. I knew when I set out to open Avant Garde Tattoo and Fine Art, that I was going to need the right location, in a growing community with accessibility, but that also needed more cultural value. That was six years ago now, and I’m thankful every day that my husband and I chose to build our art business in Gainesville, Texas. We were even lucky enough to lease a large building on highway 82, which intersects with i35. Our clientele travel to us as if we’re located in the center of a spiderweb and all the major highways lead right to the front door. We have level 99 clients that are amazing and willing to make long commutes to us from sometimes very long distances. They are the real most valuable players! Read more>>

Emilie Gosselin | Painter

I never thought I would be able to make a living from my art; it all started by chance with sharing my work on social networks. I received many positive comments as well as personalized orders from my network. Little by little (it all started in 2021), I created a website, started a professional Instagram account, and posted content. And the magic began Read more>>

Caitlan Cornell | Esthetician and Lash Artist

My thought process in starting my own business was first wanting to be able to create and adapt my own schedule and salary to work around planning a future for my family for when my husband and I want to start having children. I want to be able to be there for them, but also have a space where I can do what I love! I also wanted to be able to cater to my clients in whatever they need and decide on my own what that would look like. Working for myself, I am able to personally decide what products and technologies I want to bring in to the business and have a solid reasoning as to why I chose what I chose. I want to be able to give my clients results and make my business personal to them. Read more>>

Jeneice Chanzy | Veterinary technician

While working in the vet field for 3 years , I started to realize a lot of clients only came in for tech appointments and for basic stuff they were unable to do themselves at home . During the appointments where I was clipping their dog’s or cats nails , they would say it was hard to get their pet to the vet clinic or that the clinic stressed their pets out, especially if they had multiple pets or older pets. I began to think of ways I could help people with this same issue . Over some time , I made a list of services I would like to offer and prices . I knew I wanted my prices to be affordable for everyone . After that I found a website that I wanted to use and I started promoting my business . Read more>>

Annette Hogans-Ealy | Lip Care & Skin Care Creator

Ever since I was younger, I’ve always found myself into everything. Wanting to learn everything that seemed exciting and creative. My passion has always been people and serving others in any way that I could, whether it be through conversation or creating something special that I knew would bring them joy. I’ve always found joy in crafting and making things from scratch. I started a party planning business, which started off for just family and friends creating beautiful spaces all for that first look when they walked in and the way the client would light up with so much admiration is what brought me fulfillment every time. Read more>>

Alice Perez | BEST Certified Birth Doula

My desire is to help inform and support above all else. Experiencing two different births myself changed my entire outlook surrounding prenatal healthcare. After my second, I knew I needed to be involved. Insert The Purposeful Birth; Doula care. Creating this business gives me a hands on, integrated part in supporting birthing people to do exactly as their body was designed. Having a business model of my own, backed by certification, gives me the ability to create the space for true independence in caring for people exactly as they desire to be cared for, not how everyone believes they need to be cared for. Read more>>

Ami Trull | Photograhper/Videographer and Communications Coordinator for WISD

I had worked for a small photography studio for 9 years, and while that was an amazing experience and I had the opportunity to purchase it, I decided it wasn’t the right timing for me. At the time I was a mom of a toddler, and I knew taking on a large clientele and the overhead of an existing business would consume my time and energy, and I just didn’t have a peace about having that kind of pressure on me. So, starting my own business felt like the right thing to do. It was risky and I didn’t know if it would work, but looking back it was 100% the right decision. Read more>>

Sean Ray | Real Estate Agent/Investor

At the time that I decided to become a real estate agent I was desperate and I wanted to be in control of my success versus having someone else tell me my worth. Going from low income job to low income job takes a toll on you. To feel like you are worth so much more than what you are getting paid yet at the same time getting laid off or fired over very ambiguous reasons beats up your self worth. I figured if I was going to fail anyway it will be on my terms. I made a decision to live out of my car and accept rock bottom to build up from a base that I decided and that I was in control of. Sink or swim it was all on me. Read more>>

Amanda Schumack | Herbalist & Truth Seeker

Prior to starting Heavenly Herbal House LLC my husband and I suffered with several different issues; physically, mentally, and spiritually that kept us stuck depending on physicians, prescriptions, and ultimately led to horrible poisonous addictions. Constantly searching for a way to live a normal life and be a functioning member of society was always met with perpetual failures. I could never find any sort of comfortability or consistency in my life with the options that were provided to me, there was always a trade off which more often than not would result in awful side effects that were worse than initial struggles. Every day was filled an extreme desire change, and not just any change, an escape from the vicious cycle of depending on an unnatural toxic lifestyle. While in the middle of this battle we decided to rededicate ourselves to God through Jesus Christ. Upon our submission to Christ we started reading the Holy Bible every day and seeking out more natural God given remedies. Not long into this search of a natural approach we stumbled on a tree in the coffee family that was praised in south-eastern Asian countries for its many positive benefits including reducing pain, increasing energy, aiding in focus, and giving an overall positive mental boost called Mitragyna Specisoa also known as Kratom. This tree had been used in traditional medicine overseas for several decades however we had never known about it, it was like a hidden secret here in the states. We ordered some and immediately following our first dose we instantly fell in love! Just a small amount of this tea was able to knock out the majority of our struggles we had been enduring for YEARS. It was miraculous that this naturally occurring, God given tree had such GIANT benefits for us both. A small amount of the tea was able to dramatically change how we felt mentally and physically. For the first time in several years, we finally had a positive outlook on life, and knew we had to share this good news with as many people as possible. Read more>>

Brandon Reed | Coach & Personal Trainer

I felt like I robbed my community with my criminal activity and just wanted to give back. I wanted to make a difference and give back. I thought fitness was the perfect way give back. Read more>>

Isabel Burton | Pastry Chef

It was a dream of mine to bake for people and make them happy through my baked goods. I love creating new products and having others enjoy how they taste and look. How they are displayed on the table and the creativity of themes used to show them off. Read more>>

Haixi Ren | Fashion Designer

I started REN HAIXI as soon as I graduated from college in 2020. I wanted to build a luxury brand, which focuses on sustainability, innovation and inclusivity. I am extremely interested in art history, my research of abstract expressionism has been a major inspiration for my first few collections. Unique textile designs and sensual silhouettes have become REN HAIXI’s signature design language. I would say my brand is now known for creating zero-waste couture. Read more>>

michal kolath arbel | Founder, CEO & Survivor

OH it’s all started when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and lost one nipple after unilateral mastectomy surgery at the end of my chemotherapy so I think the process of losing my nipple was, in a way, the beginning of my business I felt so ashamed and so uncomfortable that I had to find myself a solution. Second stage was research and clear understanding that I need exactly. I had a list of requirement and from displaced I created an action list. For example I wanted the nipple to be exactly like my remaining nipple so I understood very first that I need to be a professional prosthetic artist in order to make the best matching nipples possible . I had to test hundreds of materials because I wanted them to be as soft as possible and as accurate as possible.. Read more>>

Don Reaa | Owner/Found

When Don retired, he and his wife would go to the grocery store – she would go pick up all groceries and he would go to the meat counter. He found that there was often limited industry information given to customers and that Fort Worth was in need of a premium butcher shop that offered high quality prime & premium choice proteins as well as a team that could educate the customers on where they were sourced as well as what goes into making prime products. When discussing this with a group of other industry powerhouses, the 4 of them came together to create The Meat Board. Read more>>