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.

Cory Watson | Founding Member and Lead Vocalist/Guitarist for Black Tie Dynasty

The idea of the band becoming a business evolved over time. It started out as something we enjoyed. We quickly realized that it required a savvy approach to “survive” and “cut through” the competition. This started with the branding of the group. One example is that we had professional photo sessions in real studios and thought thru the concepts for these photo shoots. This helped set us apart form other groups because we looked different and represented our sound in our look and appeal. Read more>>

Erica Jacobs | Founder of Project Mommy Tribe

I never intended to start a business. Being a kindergarten teacher for ten years was my career, being a mom was my life. I originally started Project Mommy Tribe as Facebook community to connect moms to one another as well as resources. I began the Facebook group in 2017 after my twins were born. Read more>>

Tyler Jefferson | Network & Influencer

Walking With Legends was born 2 years ago in 2020 while I was driving one day at work. The idea sparked from me knowing that I have a greater purpose in life. Of course I wasn’t for sure what that was at first but I knew it had to be something different from working for somebody I don’t personally know. So I decided to start writing down my identity, goals, and visions on paper and when I tell you that was one of the best moves I could ever make in my life for myself. Read more>>

Joseph Bickham | Part Owner, CEO

Fuel City was founded in 1995 by Dallas entrepreneur John Benda. His background was in retail and food service. The vision was to create an elevated one-of-a-kind experience that drew customers from near and far. It is hard work starting a business and it takes a lot of risk, but it can be very rewarding if things go well. Read more>>

Lorena Soto | Waffle Master

So I’ve always wanted to start a business for as long as I could remember when I was younger I would go to Sam’s club and purchase candy & chips and sell it at school to make money since I wasn’t old enough to get a job. This showed me I could eventually start my own business one day if I really wanted it bad enough. After many conversations with my husband I decided I wanted to stop talking about it and just do it. Read more>>

Chinyelu Ginigeme | Professional Make up artist / portrait photographer

I will say to meet a need . Two out of my theee businesses(make up and photography) are professional services and it’s directly meeting a. need and getting paid for it . Read more>>

Blake Hannah | Creative Agency, Branding, Logos, Websites, Photography

As a kid, I thought a lot about work and how I would spend my life. I hated the idea of answering to a boss, going into an office every day at the same time, and essentially being a slave to a corporation. They would own me and dictate my hours, my pay, and what direction I would go. I wanted to help people, use my creativity, and be free to pursue opportunities that made life exciting and adventurous. I didn’t understand entrepreneurship yet but instinctually I started to become an entrepreneur. Read more>>

Elvira Jasarevic | Doctor & Children’s Book Author

Physician are not taught/trained to think about business. The expectation is usually to go out and work for the hospital or an established healthcare facility. Every knows most Physicians are bad at business and sometimes I wonder if it’s purposeful. Read more>>

Toby Lynch | Business Owner & Coach

For the past 8 years, I have been a varsity football and track coach and in 2020, just like all of the other coaches and athletes in the world, I lost my track season. I was hurting inside, but I knew my guys were pretty shook up about not being able to finish what we started. That’s where it all began for me. Read more>>

Jamie Goode | JME Studios | Fashion & Commercial Photographer | Glamour Portrait Photographer

I remembered being a little girl watching my grandmother and my mom put on their make up and their jewelry and my grandmother putting on her red lipstick and fixing her hair in curlers. I learned then that women were beautiful even as a little girl, I just I wanted to be beautiful like my grandmother and my mom that’s how I got to where I am today, Read more>>

Jennifer Swoope | Real Estate Agent

I wanted to create an additional source of income and I had been working in the Real Estate Title and Mortgage industry during my entire corporate career. I was always fascinated and passionate on all things real estate related so I decided, this would be a great opportunity for me to capitalize on it. Read more>>

Ms Abigail Bouska | Teaching& Preforming Artist

Personally I would not say that I have started my own “business” quite yet, but at this time I am in the process of starting my own “brand’. I took on the name of “Ms Abigail” very early on in my career around the age of 19. Starting as a dance teacher for little kids, all the other women I worked with and trained under where all married, or about to be and had the students referring to them as “Mrs. So and so”. Ms Abigail sort of started out as a joke because I was so young and very clearly single; but it grew on me. Read more>>

Kathia Rosa | Psychologist

Since I moved from Puerto Rico to Texas I had been looking for organizations that worked with the LGBTQ+ community, and the Spanish speaking population giving them counseling services or mental health specialist specialized in working with this particular community. Every-time I stated that I was a psychologist within the hispanic community, people would asked me if I had a practice to which my answer was no. After a hard long thought process I came to the conclusion that my main purpose in life is to facilitate people with the necessary skills to endure whatever is going on in their lives without affecting their mental health. Read more>>

Adrienne Stamp | Event Director & Artist

The answer for this would be quite long but to summarize: a community that believed in me (ie, great support system affirming and urging me), 10 years of experience already in the event industry and increasing number of private clients asking me to help them outside of my full-time gig. Read more>>

Charissa Stevenson | Massage Therapist

I have always want to own my on business. I did a lot of e-commerce will I was going college. All the book I read about business help understand that good business was a passion and a need. I fount mine when I decided not to go back to OU but to massage school. I have always been passionate about helping people but I was going to school for MIS. Read more>>

Brandi Soto | Entrepreneur

It started as BeautyBee House but with hashtags and my main focus being clay earrings, it evolved into Clay Caviar by BBH. I use to be a cake decorator and I was booked and busy. Then in 2017 I became very sick in August, it wasn’t until November that they finally figured out that I had Multiple Sclerosis. I tried continuing the cake thing for about a year but I couldn’t keep up and being on a time schedule while trying to figure out how to live with my “new normal” body was a lot. Read more>>

Lisa Harris | Entrepreneur

We (myself and Mary) are a mother-daughter duo who started making smoothies and juicing for our own weight loss and health goals. After noticing that the cold-press juice and smoothie options were limited, The Juice was born! The Juice – Smoothie & Juice Bar was formed to bring health-conscious choices to Denton that also taste amazing. The handcrafted juices are made with love, no added sugar, and organic produce. The juice options on the menu at The Juice focus on wellness while being delicious! Read more>>

Callie Johnson | Owner & Lead Baker

I discovered my love for baking at a very young age. I can remember my mom placing me on a chair and spending time with her baking during the holidays. Those memories of happiness, joy, and love are why I make confectionaries today. It was only when I had my daughter who is autistic that made me take the next steps in my baking career. Read more>>

Jill Byrd | Wedding Coordinator

I married a minister, thirty-three yrs ago, who was already having to help coordinate the many weddings he was officiating at our church and elsewhere. He asked me to PLEASE help him and I began working for our church as the wedding coordinator. I didn’t really have to think about it much. Read more>>

Briana Smith | Founder and Owner of shetriedHER

I originally started my business after asking God for something to do outside of corporate America that I was passionate about and could make money doing. In 2016, He let me know I would have a t-shirt line, but I initially rejected this, as I felt the market was saturated. Fast forward to 2021, I was finally ready to face my fears and start the business. Read more>>

Erin Montgomery | Owner/Operator/ Hairstylist

I had always worked in a big open commission based salon. I think, especially in the beginning, COVID was super scary. I didn’t enjoy the big salon environment anymore. My clients didn’t either. I opened my one room suite in September of 2020 as a way to keep myself and my clients safe. It was a big order of being able to control the controllables. Read more>>

lexis King | Dallas Braider

My thought Process behind starting my own business was to make more money while doing something I like to do on my own time. I first started braiding when the pandemic hit, and I wasn’t able to work. I already knew how to braid, so i posted on my instagram story ” Im doing $100 Box braids and hair included” and I got my first client. After my first client, most of my clientele would come from referrals. Read more>>

Thomas & Pamela McCoy | Zippy Apparel Printing, LLC

The thought process behind starting a business was that I was always a hustler on the side by selling and buying for others on several platforms. My husband and I asked ourselves about what legacy will we leave behind? A legacy that would inspire young people to start a business from the ground up without it costing a lot of money. Read more>>

Ryan Thomas | 27Strong President

I asked myself why has Mental health become so popular over the last decade. It is my humble opinion that when GOD started being excluded from schools and businesses, people lost easy access to that peace that surpasses all understanding. I proceeded to think of ways that I could reintroduce GOD to a hurting world in a subtle way. I then decided that I would let my actions of love speak louder than I could ever say. I could take a Reactive & Proactive approach to make a positive impact in communities. Mental health is reactive and education is proactive. Read more>>