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.

Jessica Smith | Portrait Artist

Well, that was never the intention or necessarily the goal. I started painting portraits during lockdown. Everybody else was baking sourdough bread and I looked into what that entailed and decided I was not ready to partake in the sourdough lifestyle. So I decided to see if I could paint a portrait of someone. Read more>>

Lorena Cavanaugh | Home based Florist / Balloon artist

I consider myself as an individual with a great deal of creativity, boldness and sociability, Like many others who have ventured into the world of entrepreneurship, I am a firm believer of hard work and pursing something that one is passionate about, even if the fear of failure. Read more>>

Kelley Barnes | Founder & Copy Chief

My thought process behind starting my own freelancing business was to provide a voice for small businesses that didn’t have large marketing budgets to generate awareness for their goods and/or services. I’m happy to assist with bringing their dreams to fruition with my knowledge and expertise. Read more>>

Dustin Mathis | Basketball Skills Trainer

My thought process behind starting my own business was to provide a service and knowledge to the basketball players in my community to help them positively grow in their personal lives and assist them to accomplish their basketball goals. Read more>>

Toni Velasquez | Owner/Photographer

Starting my own photography business was a dream of mine for years. I have always been passionate about capturing meaningful moments and telling stories through my camera lens. After working for several years in the industry, I realized that I wanted to have more control over my work and my schedule. Read more>>

Zoey Sunshine Coley | Graphic Designer, Artist, Writer and Publisher

When I kept finding closed doors when seeking job opportunities, I made my own way. After calling countless publishing companies to try to get my husband into an illustration position and hitting walls, I said you know what I’m starting my own publishing company then, so we expanded our graphic design firm into a publishing company as well. Read more>>

Sara Pizzi | Freelancer Artists

As immigrant freelancer artists in NYC, part of my daily commitment is to amplify my network, discover new opportunities, collaborate in the creation of new projects. This was not possible during covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Read more>>

Alissa Olmos | Bakery owner

Colibrí Panadería was born out of the idea of becoming closer to my roots while doing something I’ve always been passionate about, which is baking. As a third generation Mexican American who isn’t fluent in Spanish, I wanted to learn more about where I come from and I thought, what better way to do that than through food? Read more>>

Claire Howell | Co-owner of Balcony Box

We started Balcony Box out of a passion to adjust the food system and ‘right some wrongs’ that we see there and in the business world at large. The timing of our business formation was very interesting because we were living through some of the food system issues that we had been hoping to change – Read more>>

Kalyani Vaddepalli | Cake Artist

I never thought I would start my own baking business. By profession, I am a software engineer. However, I always had the artistic side in me that shined bright in various ways. During my upbringing in India, I saw my friends make cakes in a pressure cooker with sand because there weren’t many ovens back in the day. Read more>>

Lacey Salas | Beauty Entrepreneur

I’ve always had people in my life telling me that I needed to start my own brand. Working in this industry, and having a naturally creative mindset, my peers and those I worked with who were also in leadership roles would constantly encourage me to start one. Read more>>

Viren Shah | Real Estate Broker

When I decided to come into Real Estate business back in 2006, I bought a one small home for investment purpose. I also figured out renting this home myself. The Real Estate market was crashing where I saw an opportunity to puchase more homes for investment purpose. This got me thinking to buy more investment homes for many of the investors who may want to diversify into Real Estate investment. Read more>>

Sister Shalom | Gospel Recording Artist

I’ve always aspired to start my own business, however, in the past there was never an opportune time to pursue my business aspirations. However, when I decided to pursue a career in music, it was around the time I finished my Bachelor of Business Administration degree. Read more>>

Emily Perez | Photographer

My journey started off taking pictures of close friends and family who struggled finding a photographer without ridiculous prices. While understanding the importance of capturing every milestone and moments of other people, I had came to my conclusion with my business. I want to continue to capture and create content that won’t be just captivating, but also affordable. Read more>>

David Baker | Freelance Designer and Co-Founder of Denton Makers

I take on too many projects at one time. My two most significant endeavors are my freelance business and the arts organization I helped found, Denton Makers. DM started as a passion project between myself and a close friend, Madison Mercer. We connect creatives to the community by collaborating with venues and events. Read more>>

Jimmy Choo | CEO of Grand Caliber

Throughout my professional journey, I have always had a strong aspiration to actively participate in the decision-making process of a company and play a pivotal role in shaping its future direction. The process of building something from scratch has always been immensely gratifying for me. Read more>>

DeShaun Walker | Podcast

My thought process was it was time. It was time for me to spread my wings, take a leap of faith and believe that everything I learned over the years from working on Podcast shows to working in the Media, I didn’t want to continue to work for companies who don’t appreciate you or value your worth so I felt it was the right time to start my own business. Read more>>

Kellie Garcia M.A., LPC-S, RPT™ | Counselor, Supervisor, and Registered Play Therapist

I started my business by taking a leap of faith. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor and a Registered Play Therapist and have been providing counseling services to children, teens, and families since 2013. I started off my career working with an advocacy center with a focus on children who have experienced abuse and neglect. I worked in that specialty for 8 years. Read more>>