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.

Ayaan & Eshaan Magoo

As two high school students, we noticed that a lot of teens around us were struggling with stress, anxiety, and pressure. They often did not feel comfortable asking for help. We wanted to do something about it, something that felt more relatable and accessible for people our age. Read More>>

Stefanie Kincaid

I started my chiropractic business in order to help people get out of pain. At the core is the desire to provide relief and healing through non-invasive, drug-free methods. Read More>>

Sandra & Araceli Barrientos & Sierra

From the beginning, our heart was to create something bigger than just a waxing studio, we wanted to build a space where women could feel safe, confident, and empowered. Both of us, Araceli and Sandra, have been through personal journeys that showed us how powerful it is when women support women. We knew we wanted to pour that into our business. Read More>>

Anthony Ngo

Being Oak Cliff natives for the last decade, we realized that there was a void in comprehensive, specialized pediatric dental care in Oak Cliff. As locals, we believe that when we pour back into our community – by creating places like clinics, shops, and small businesses – we help our families grow and thrive. Our hope is for &Smiles to do exactly that. Read More>>

Curtis Ludwig

For years, I told my wife that when I “retired,” I wanted to be a bartender on a beach—serving drinks, meeting people, and creating great vibes. With Sip Social Dallas and our custom Italian-made Piaggio Ape truck, I’ve brought that vision to life—just with a mobile twist. Now, I can set up my beach bar anywhere in the DFW metroplex and deliver that same laid-back, elevated experience to a wide range of events—from weddings and engagement parties to corporate functions and brand activations for companies like Pilates studios and liquor brands. Read More>>

Trae Swift

The Vision Behind My Business: Texas Made, Texas Raised

My journey into entrepreneurship began with a desire for independence and a passion to create something meaningful—something that reflects where I come from and what I stand for. “Texas Made, Texas Raised” isn’t just a brand; it’s a statement of pride, culture, and identity. I wanted to build something that people from my state could connect with, something that felt authentic and homegrown. Read More>>

Briony Copeland

Travel changed my life—not just through the places I’ve been, but through the person I became. After years of working as a flight attendant, I realized I wasn’t just living a travel lifestyle—I had a gift for helping others do the same. Read More>>

Tiana Reeves

It was really a combination of a few things that aligned at the right time. I had started consulting for a small business to earn extra income, helping them improve their operations. Their customers—also small business owners—started noticing the results and began asking for help too. But I quickly realized that many of them couldn’t afford a full-time consultant. What they really needed was knowledge—tools they could apply themselves—with occasional coaching to refine and adjust. Read More>>

Marcin Gorski

Honestly, it wasn’t some big, flashy “aha” moment. It was more like a quiet feeling I couldn’t shake—this sense that the way we show up for each other matters more than we realize.

I’ve spent more than half my life in hospitality. Literally, over 18 years now. I’ve seen first-hand how small gestures—a warm welcome, remembering a name, solving a problem before it is voiced—can completely shift someone’s day. That kind of care leaves a mark. And at some point, I started wondering: why does that kind of intention feel so rare outside these walls? Read More>>

Anita J. Williams

The thought process behind starting my business, Excellence Rising Academic and Athletic Development, goes all the way back to words I wrote in the spring of 2016: “Excel Beyond Expectations.” At the time, I didn’t know how significant those words would become. That summer, I underwent an emergency surgery due to a life-threatening bowel obstruction. I had never had a major surgery before—not even broken a bone. That procedure not only saved my life but also became the starting point of a long and painful recovery process—physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. Read More>>

 Cedric “Cnote” Buard

It really started as a passion project. Back in the day, I was the friend with the camera—the one who’d stay up late helping people shoot their music videos, not for money, but because I genuinely loved the process of bringing stories to life on screen. At the time, I didn’t think of it as a business. I just knew how good it felt to help someone’s vision come to life through visuals. Read More>>

Cherie Turner

Mommy Scrubs was born from my own experience as a breastfeeding mom working in healthcare. I quickly realized how inconvenient and uncomfortable it was to pump in standard scrubs, not to mention how much time it took to change in and out of them just to use my pump. I knew I wasn’t alone in that struggle, and I felt called to create a solution. Starting Mommy Scrubs wasn’t just about filling a gap in the market, it was about supporting moms like me who are doing their best to show up for both their families and their careers. I wanted to design something that gave women back their time, privacy, and confidence during a demanding season of life.  Read More>>

Sacha Whitfield

I woke up one lovely morning getting ready to start my day in property management and thought to myself
“Why not dive into a field where the stakes are as high as my heels and have as much chaos as a reality TV show?”
I also craved independence and the opportunity to shape my own vision.  Read More>>

Poseidon Neptune

The truth is, my original thought process behind starting Omnithreads completely failed. My first idea was to create a spiritual clothing brand that unified people from different faiths (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, astrology, and sacred geometry) all under one roof. I thought I could create a neutral space where people could share spiritual ideas without judgment. But reality hit me fast. Those groups didn’t coexist the way I envisioned. The religious conflicts I was trying to dissolve ended up creating even more division.  Read More>>

Lindsay Ponce

In 2018, I struggled with postpartum depression, and in an effort to process my emotions, I picked up a pack of paints from a thrift store. That was the moment my journey as an artist began. Painting quickly became a way for me to express what words couldn’t. I started with portraits of people, feeling a deep connection to each one as I painted—like Abraham Lincoln, who also battled depression. Read More>>

Melanie Valadez

When I first started my business I started to have second thoughts about what I was gonna get myself into, I am involved in school a lot, my schedule is always packed 24/7 but I’ve always wanted to do a side thing because I think it’s beautiful that we can be so creative and show it off. Having to commit to this business takes a bit for me personally, but I’m up for the challenge. Read More>>

Brittany Zachary

I fell in love with photography early on, especially in college where I took photography classes. But honestly, it started long before that. Growing up, my family couldn’t afford a professional photographer, and it always stuck with me. I knew I wanted to create something that not only allowed me to follow my passion, but also made photography accessible for other families. Starting my business was my way of honoring that by offering beautiful, meaningful photos at a price point that doesn’t leave people choosing between memories and money. Read More>>

Andrei Tone

What was your thought process behind starting your own business?

Starting Tone Films in Plano wasn’t just about launching another video production company — it was about filling a creative and strategic gap I saw in the industry. I noticed that while many Plano video production companies focused on visuals, few were telling compelling, brand-elevating stories that actually drive results. I wanted to change that. Read More>>