Are you thinking about starting a business? If so, we think you’ll enjoy reading about how these seasoned entrepreneurs thought about the question when they were in your shoes.

Melvin Mordi | Entrepreneur, philanthropist

I’ve always wanted to be my own boss, I dreaded the thought of being a 9-5 person depending on a company or entity Read more>>

Christine Shanklin | Owner / Professional Organizer

I have always wanted to be my own boss and start my own business. I knew that I was extremely organized and I could help other people organize their homes and businesses Read more>>

Amnah Almamori | Baker

Before I started amounas.sweets I had always enjoyed being in the kitchen and baking sweets for my family and friends. My thought process behind starting my own business was really to extend that out to my community. I feel so accomplished when I make sweets that people truly enjoy. In January of 2021 I moved to Plano, Texas from California and decided that a fresh start was the best time to start this new venture! Read more>>

Bradley Dillon | Journalist // Security Guard // Father // Content Creator

When I started New Fury Media, it was an idea I had that stemmed from the ashes of another music // gaming // sports publication that I had gotten my start at 18-24 months prior, in 2011. So it’s been really ten years since it really began. Everything was so different back then. I wasn’t married, I certainly didn’t have a child, and I had very little actual responsibility – so I wanted to take something I was passionate about and see what I could do with it. Read more>>

Malinda Kimbrough | CEO/Founder of Alice & Company Beauty Lounge

I entered into the beauty industry while in search of a career change due to teacher burnout. After seven years of being a kindergarten teacher, I decided that it was best for me to go a total different career route. Coworkers, family, friends and social media followers were in shock of my decision to leave a career that I absolutely loved. If I do say so myself, I was a pretty good teacher. However, once I got a taste of the beauty industry, I instantly fell in love. It was mind blowing how I was able to create a calming, therapeutic and peaceful environment, not only for my clients but for myself as well. All while still being able to have enough time and energy to enjoy this precious thing we call LIFE. Read more>>

LeAndra Polk | Owner: Crafts by Le

The thought process behind Crafts by Le was simple, in December of 2017 after making myself a holiday wreath for my favorite holiday (Christmas) I posted my creation on social media. Soon after I received several inquires about making similar wreath designs as well as custom wreaths for others. Over time my designs became more and more popular, so I decided that it was more than just a hobby and I should make this an actual business being that it’s something that I’m great at doing and I also enjoy. Read more>>

LaConya Murray | Chief Brand Attorney at Off the Mark IP Solutions

I made the decision to start my own law practice in high school. I knew I wanted to work with business owners but didn’t think I would fit in the corporate environment. I believe my focus was entrepreneurship because my friend group was so talented. I could see them using their talents to run their own business. I niched to assisting business owners protect their brand and content through trademarks, copyrights, and contracts because African American creators have a history of being taken advantage of in these areas. I realized early on this was mainly due to a lack of knowledge on what intellectual property is and the value it has. This is why education plays a huge role in our business model. In order to make an informed decision, you have to understand the basics. Read more>>

Vanessa Johnson | CEO

Our business actually grew out of a community organization that was designed to heal and bring resources to Black humans who are incarcerated in Texas prisons. As the CEO and co-founder of de facto books, I am an educator with 20 years of experience working with children and adults who have been disenfranchised by the system. Working and residing in the school-to-prison pipeline meant that many of the teens I grew up with went to prison, as well as some of my own family. Read more>>

Chauntology Speaks | Certified Master Life Coach & Transformational Speaker

The idea of starting a business wasn’t at the forefront of my mind when I started this journey. I was simply trying to give my passion – the thing I’d been naturally doing my entire life – a name. Women have always been drawn to me for guidance, inspiration and support and, using my skills, talents and expertise to positively impact their lives is one of my greatest fulfillments. Watching their self-awareness and emotional intelligence increase fuels me to do and be more… for them. Chauntology Speaks is more than a business. It’s a ministry. Read more>>

Kathryn Fell | Artist, Designer, Craftsperson

I have been creating art my whole life, but it hasn’t always been an easy journey for me. I went through college unsure of my skills and not trusting my artistic vision, and that doubt followed me for many years afterward. While I do have a creative day job, it still does not facilitate my love for draftsmanship or storytelling as much as I’d like. This resulted in me using my time after work to keep those skills fresh and focusing on art that made me happy. Miraculously, it made other people happy too. Read more>>

Karmin Lane | Owner & Lead Charcutier

My thought process was doing something that I LOVE and also being able to be there for my family. I was previously an administrator at the elementary school level, and doing that through the 2020 school year shook up my world. I was putting my all into the job, but forgetting that I needed to do the same for my children and husband at home. After much contemplating, prayer and wisdom from those around me I decided to leave education and stay home and start my own business. I knew what I wanted to do, but I also knew it was a risk and that I was starting from scratch. Read more>>

Samantha Norwood | Chief Editor

I wanted to do something to help other small businesses and entrepreneurs because I know how tough it can be when it comes to getting your brand out there. So I came up with Chic which is an acronym for Create Help Inspire Change a magazine dedicated to promoting & encouraging entrepreneurship Read more>>

Abbey Barnosky | Doula

I remember feeling unprepared and vulnerable during the birth of my first child. I was shocked by how little support and guidance I had from my hospital birth team. I was also shocked by how over-a-year’s-worth of studying and preparing suddenly left my brain the second active labor set in. I was unable to advocate for myself and that terrified me. I knew there had to be a better way! Read more>>

Sydney Baisden | Licensed Esthetician and Owner

Starting my own business has always been a dream of mine. I saw a need for skilled and experienced Estheticians, and decided to go for it. Many of my clients were tired of having to drive to the city for an upscale spa experience so I decided to offer it to them in their own neighborhood. Read more>>

Diana Barrese | Professional Organizer

My thought process behind Labeled was really based off my mom’s kitchen. She has so much Tupperware and she had this one cabinet that she just stuffed it all into and you always had to close the door really fast after getting something out of it because otherwise something was always bound to fall out. Not only was it messy but you had to dig to find a top that matched the container and nothing ever matched. I always keep that in the back of my mind when I’m putting together a new space because it is something that small that just makes things simpler. Read more>>

Klemen Vodopivec | Illustrator & Designer

Well, the start of my business happened very spontaneously. I was in the final year of college and came to an idea to show some of the illustrations on Instagram. I thought, maybe somebody will find them interesting enough to want one for themselves. I was playing basketball growing up so basketball and hip-hop influenced me heavily growing up so I started posting basketball and hip-hop illustrations. Read more>>