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.

Haley Ballenger | Cofounder of Fort Worth Community Collaborative

There really wasn’t much thought behind it, ha! I’m lucky to have a large group of mom friends and it just so happens that our kids are stair-stepped in age. We would swap our kids’ clothes with as they outgrew them, and eventually it led to an even bigger swap with members of a Facebook group. Things really took off from there. Read more>>

Alex Bourdeau | Co-Founder, Day1Fans.com

I always had ambitions to start my own business but I never knew what form it would take. One day in 2021 a good friend and fellow Texas Longhorn fan called me up right after his first daughter was born. “I have an idea” he said. “You know how you have to put mittens on babies to keep from scratching themselves?” I immediately understood this need because I had to deal with similar scratching issues when my first daughter was born 3 months prior. Read more>>

Lisa Montano | Small business owner

When I began making badge reels, I never imagined it turning into a small business. It was something that I was doing for fun. My youngest daughter started her own small business and that is what made me consider starting my own. I wanted to do something that no one was doing in my area. I wanted to bring something fresh and creative to catch people’s attention. Read more>>

Rajat and Vibhor Kanungo | The Sportz Box

Being part of cricket fraternity in DFW for last 10 years, we learnt how people struggle to get the right gear and in right pric. Mostly, players in the region buy the gear online or from India or Pakistan without even trying it and often remain unhappy. Read more>>

Randy Castillo | DATS ENTMT Co-Owner

From the on hands experience of helping my Father run our Family Business to my Brothers running it after my Father’s passing, my early childhood was school, hobbies and working with my family. After I graduated high school, I tried to do the 9 to 5’er … it wasn’t my thing. Read more>>

Shaterria Johnson | Serial Entrepreneur

I wanted to show my children and family how to be successful as a young black serial entrepreneur. I started out baking as a hobby. Me being a new wife and mom, I believed I had what it would take to be able to successfully be at stay at home parent. Read more>>

Charlie Michael Baker | Influencial Best Selling Author And Teen Entrepreneur

I started my business Kozi (getkozi.co.uk) off the back of my neurodisity – based book Charlie Baker: Autism And Me (https://charliembaker.com/my-books). Kozi is a sensory weighted product brand that specialises in weighted blankets. Weighted blankets are a proven help for anxiety, autism and adhd which fits in well with my neurodiverse background. Read more>>

Richard Capp | CEO & Co-founder

In 2008, I was 28 years old, broke and working a job that didn’t inspire me. Bryce, my younger brother, started doing some graphic design as a freelancer and we decided he needed some help with sales and accounting. I probably didn’t give it much thought. We were young and naïve but it made sense to team up and just start!! Read more>>

Paddy Coppin | Owner of DivaRides

When starting Divarides, I had one thing in mind. To provide excellent customer service to our community and the women in it. I wanted to create a safe mode of transportation that would allow those women and their families to not only be comfortable but have peace of mind and stellar service as well. I wanted them to be happier as they exit their Divaride than when they entered. Read more>>

DUSTIN HENDRICKS | OWNER/OPERATOR OF WARROOM STUDIOS

MUSIC HAS, SINCE A VERY YOUNG AGE, BEEN THE BUG THAT BIT ME. AFTER SOME COLLEGE AND MANY FAILED JOBS, MY FATHER AND GRANDMOTHER SAW THAT I HAD A PASSION FOR RECORDING MUSIC. I GRADUATED AT THE TOP OF MY CLASS FROM MEDIA TECH INSTITUTES, AND STARTED WORKING FOR RECORDING STUDIOS. Read more>>

Erica Chiles | Wine, Charcuterie, & Sneaker Enthusiast

The thought process behind starting The Sommelier in Sneakers came during COVID. I had a corporate job that I had been doing for a couple of years and though I really enjoyed my job, I wanted to have a creative outlet. I started my career after college in the wine & spirits industry and as a “sneakerhead” with significant knowledge about wine, the winemaking process, and the industry, The Sommelier in Sneakers just came to me. Read more>>

Dennis and Sonja Johnson | Former Federal Executive and Human Resources Consultant

My wife Sonja and I have worked for others for our entire careers, and we felt a strong desire to be our own bosses. We spent a great deal of time researching and thinking about what kind of business we wanted to own. We realized that we had limited experience in many of the types of business that interested us. Read more>>

Richard/Donna Dean | Owner/Operator

We did not really set out with intention on staring our own business. My husband would always grill or smoke different meats for friend’s or parties we were invited to. People would wait in line for his ribs and always tell us we should really consider starting our own bbq business. We blew it off year after year. Then in 2014 we actually thought about it. Read more>>

Mahfuzur Rahman | Cosmetic and Family Dentist

I have had the blessing of practicing as a dentist for almost 8 years now. During that time I practiced mostly as an associate dentist at other offices until last December when I started my boutique private practice in Frisco. Private equity has been changing the landscape of dentistry in the US and small privately owned offices are slowly becoming a rarity. Read more>>