The first step to starting a business is deciding to start a business. They say the first step is the hardest and in our experience this is especially true when it comes to starting a business. Getting over the mental roadblocks can be tough, often harder to overcome than the challenges you’ll face once you actually start the business. Fellow entrepreneurs share their thoughts below.

Savannah Strebor

When I created Savannah Strebor, I wasn’t just picking a business name, I was saving myself. I knew I didn’t want to change my first name, but my last name? It never felt like mine after receiving it. It didn’t carry me forward or reflect who I was becoming. So, I built something new — on my own. Read More>>

Aimee Daniel

I think the desire to start my own business stemmed from three main reasons.
The first is just a love of what I do and a desire to work more closely with homeowners for a more personalized and client-centered design process.

Secondly, I saw a niche and need in the market for an independent landscape designer who is flexible in the way we collaborate with landscape installers, builders, architects and interior designers. Many companies in the area offer a full-service approach to design build, which is nice for a one-stop-shop approach, but can be limited due to a long and arduous design drawing phase, additional markups for overseeing projects and all encompassing installation scope. Read More>>

TaCarla Googe

What began as a simple desire to earn extra income for a family vacation evolved into a full-fledged mission to empower others through financial literacy and entrepreneurship. I initially got into tax preparation because I wanted to create opportunities for my family—specifically, to take them on a vacation we’d remember forever. At the time, it felt like a side hustle. I started by helping close friends and relatives file their taxes and form their small businesses, using the knowledge I had gathered through personal experience and relentless self-education. Read More>>

Felix, Gene , Lee, Oh, Co-founder of DAYGUARD | Brown ’26 2) Co-founder of DAYGUARD
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DAYGUARD is an all-in-one nutritional support jelly stick for drinking—think of it as AG1 for people who drink. Packed with electrolytes, B-vitamins, and antioxidants like turmeric, Korean pear, and DHM—ingredients that have been used in Korean culture for thousands of years and heavily backed by Western science—DAYGUARD replenishes nutrients that alcohol depletes and supports recovery. Simply take one stick for casual drinks and two sticks for a big night, before your first drink. It’s not a hangover cure, but more of a comprehensive support and protection for your body and wellness, just like insurance for when you drink! Read More>>

Devan Yielding

My thought process behind starting my own business was heavily influenced by watching my father’s relentless work ethic. No matter how hard life got, he always found a way to keep pushing forward — chasing any opportunity or business idea he believed in. Growing up with that kind of role model inspired me to follow the same path and build something of my own. Read More>>

Angel King

I would say my thought process was it was a call! I’m of faith I’m a Christian and beauty is something that the Lord called me to. I always had a passion for make up and wanted to start a make up company but I never started it. After submitting my life to the Lord after He came and got me at one of the worst times of my life. He ended up calling me to make up and hair. I believe He was calling me to do the service and that’s when I started working toward a beauty bar! Today my mind is I want to provide a good service and grow letting the Lord be the foundation. And be a blessing to others. Read More>>