Starting and growing a business is hard, but often deciding to start the business in the first place is even harder. We asked some successful entrepreneurs from around the community to open up to us about how they thought about starting a business.

Marquitta Beasley

The thought process behind starting my own business was to create a stream of passive income that allowed me the flexibility to still be a stay at home mom to my two boys . I started my businesses based on logic , necessity and my kids . It was vital to me that I didn’t just throw them in a day care to enslave myself at any 9-5 that I would have possibly hated . Read More>>

Adrian – Shadow Vasquez – Ochoa

Believe it or not, Seven Sins Printing wasn’t something we meticulously planned from the start—it developed organically, and then it became a thing out of necessity for ourselves. To either go back out and hunt for day to day jobs or grind it out and make this work.

My partner, Shadow, and I have always been passionate supporters of live music, regularly attending shows in the DFW music scene during our short time in it. Over time tho, we started noticing a recurring issue at merch booths: small impression size, low-quality prints, inconsistent color replication, and frequent complaints from bands and fans alike about the difficulty of getting merch quickly and reliably. Read More>>

Heather Jefferson

My thought process behind starting my own business was to leave a lasting family legacy to generations to come. I wanted to establish a business that would not only provide financial security but also serve as a source of tangible inspiration and most importantly a practical blueprint for others in my family to follow if they choose to pursue entrepreneurship. I wanted to display to my family members a lot of the attributes that helped build my business and what is needed to keep progressing within my business everyday: resilience, independence, innovation, dedication, networking, listening to customers, continue to keep learning, strategic planning, and perseverance – just to name a few characteristics needed to be an entrepreneur. Read More>>

 Brandee And Jerome Collins

For Jerome and I the thought process behind creating Polar Bear Roofing & Solar was stepping out on faith and investing in ourselves. Recognizing that we could educate our family, friends and our community about the industry was a huge passion that we were striving to bring to everyone. With my husband and I both having a sales and marketing development background we knew we could create a great business for ourselves. Read More>>

Angel Leviege

The thought process behind starting my own business was to have generational wealth. I wanted to show my child that anything is possible. As a single mother I have always had to work hard. The key to being successful is hard work and dedication. For this reason, if you going to work for someone you should definitely work for yourself. Starting my own hair business was just a hobby, overall I grew a passion for the hair industry. Read More>>

 Chrisshele Griffin

MsChriss BAKES started out of a genuine love for baking, something that has always brought me joy and unleashes my creative side. Over time, friends and family began raving about my desserts, encouraging me to take it more serious and look into starting a business. I paid attention to how my baked goods made people feel — the smiles, the nostalgia, the excitement — and realized this wasn’t just a hobby, it was a gift & something very special! Read More>>

Trevor Lamb

When I was a kid, my dad gave me an old JVC camcorder, and from that point on, I filmed everything—mostly skateboarding sessions, pickup basketball games, and random moments with my friends. Over time, I found myself picking up that camera less often, but that’s also when I started making music. My journey as an artist gave me a good sense of content and storytelling. I feel like being an artist really helped when it came time to capture one. Read More>>