Starting a business can be terrifying. Weighing the pros and cons, the risks, and other considerations can be so overwhelming that often promising entrepreneurs stop before they even start. We asked some phenomenal entrepreneurs about their thought process behind starting their own businesses. Our hope is that by making the thought-process less intimidating we can help more folks think through whether they should take an entrepreneurial leap.

Lital Meloul | Herbalist, Empath, Reiki Practitioner & Lightworker

Honestly, I didn’t mean to start my own business. Lol! I always wanted to start my own business but I never knew what it would be. I have an extensive background managing businesses in the cosmetics world for Nordstrom, MAC Cosmetics, and Clinique to name a few for over 12 years and all of those years taught me so much. What happened was I was having a lot of anxiety and a lot of headaches and I couldn’t figure out what was triggering it all so it was just constant. Read more>>

Molly Hudson | Wardrobe Stylist

I worked in the retail and fashion industry for 15 years prior to becoming a stay at home in 2017. Although I loved my time home with my babies, I was always searching for something as a creative outlet and fulfill my passion for fashion. I knew I didn’t want to go back to the corporate world. I got inspired after meeting Annie Schmidt from SOS organization. She started her own organization company from the ground up starting with friends and Instagram. Read more>>

Merrill Keating | Author/STEMinist/Change Maker/Adventurer

My thought process behind starting my own business was driven by my passion for youth leadership, civic activities, and creating opportunities to inspire and advocate for education, health, gender equality, and other issues. As a young person, I faced challenges in my friendships with girls, and I wanted to create an environment where girls could use their voices to relate to one another positively while building self-confidence, and this would reduce interest in harming one another to gain the superficial illusion of competitive advantage. Read more>>

Kenney | Floral Designer

After 10 years of working numerous jobs for other people, I came to the conclusion that the only thing that would support the goals I had for the future I wanted would be by starting my own business. I always knew I wanted a family, and I wanted a career that would support that and allow me the flexibility of creating my own schedule and my own terms. Read more>>

Erica Jaramillo | Clay Creator & CEO of La Bodega Co

The inception of La Bodega Company began shortly after the arrival of my son in 2019. As a soon to be first time mom, I was seeking opportunities for a creative outlet and source of “me time” with my new growing family. In hopes of beginning my new hobby in the new year I purchased some clay and a pasta machine and starting playing with moldings and cutters. Read more>>

Ivy Salamanca | Certified Neurodevelopmental Pediatric Physical Therapist

I am a pediatric Physical Therapist and I have been practicing for a little over 11 years now. One day I asked myself… What if I open up my own private practice and not let the third party payer (insurance) dictate the progress and medical necessity of my clients? I want to make a difference- it sounds very cliche but I really want to make an impact in every child that I will treat in my practice. Read more>>

Shubhangi Pandey | Handcraft Jewelry Artisan

I have been keenly interested in art and craft since my childhood. In my early 20s, I was introduced with the art of quilling from one of my Aunts. That was the beginning and the interest only kept growing! I began to interest myself by quilling greeting cards and envelopes at first. Eventually, I started to develop liking towards quilling jewelry. I have been always interested in becoming a jewelry designer (Although I am a doctorate in biological sciences, that’s a different story!!). Read more>>

Veronica Urquhart Baxley | Authentic Self Advocate & Spiritual Healing Coach

So the decision to start my healing practice came from my own journey with healing. In the past five years I had to come to terms with how I was treating myself and others around me. This lead me to reach out for help by a trusted life coach friend. She helped me to realize that loving myself needed to be a priority and that forgiveness is a big part of that process. Read more>>

Howen Wu | Founder

I have many friends who own their own small local businesses, and they all complain about their own obstacles they face in their line of work that they wish had a simple and easy-to-find fix. So I started my own business that offers general fixes to all types of problems business owners face. For instance, our Start-up Package provides website development, logo design, and email marketing campaigns which is perfect for the aspiring entrepreneur who has their million dollar idea but doesn’t want to worry about the technical obstacles that come with starting an online business. Read more>>

Madeleine Foy | Artist

I originally started investing in collector’s crystals and gemstones (as well as connecting with them spiritually), which of course led me right into the world of gemstone jewelry. It’s an extremely saturated industry, and there are so many style possibilities, so it took quite a while for me to truly find a gap in the market. As a consumer I noticed that amongst the various styles of gemstone jewelry, most pieces were larger and sometimes even bulky for the average daily jewelry-wearer. Read more>>

Taylor Bunn | Executive Director, Educator, & Community Advocate

Like many entrepreneurs who start nonprofit organizations, we wanted to give back to our community in a meaningful way. Our co-founder, Corey Johnsen, had recently sold a business and chose to devote 10% of his earnings to charitable causes. We discussed making donations through his family foundation but ultimately decided to start a public charity that could have more of an impact than periodic financial contributions to worthy causes. Hope 4 All was born through Corey’s financial capital and my nonprofit expertise. Read more>>

Detra Harrell | Esthetician & Make Up Artist

My thought process behind starting my own business was “I might as well!” I felt like I kept getting shut out on a corporate level, so I wanted to at least try and go for it! Read more>>

William Leach | CEO of Mindstate Group and Best-Selling author of Marketing to Mindstates

My thought process behind starting Mindstate Group was not typical. Many entrepreneurs have the same story behind their start-ups. They either saw a need in the marketplace or they were solving a problem that they personally had. I had a different experience. For me, it was throwing myself into two unique passions of mine.., behavioral science + marketing. My day job was working for Frito Lay in their consumer insights & marketing department, and at night I was obsessed with reading anything that had to do with behavioral science or neuroscience. Read more>>

Bryson Storie | Fly Fishing Guide and Instructor

When it came down to starting my own fly fishing guide service, location, of course, was a big factor. People tend to associate fly fishing with trout in Colorado and Montana, or bonefish and tarpon in the Florida Keys. Even with the incredible resources (water and fish) in these well known areas, it can be difficult for a new guide business to break through due to the saturation of fishing guides. While researching many areas, Dallas-Forth Worth was thrown into the mix. Read more>>

Itai Koriat | Founder of Rolada

My thought process behind starting my own business, Rolada, was centered not only on my passion for filmmaking but also on my desire to provide a platform for others to share their creative visions! After creating a short that had unexpectedly turned into a music video, The potential, and opportunity to pursue my passion as a career grew ten-fold. I strongly believe that everyone has a unique story to tell and should have access to an easy and straightforward way to do so. Read more>>

Vanessa Elizalde Gonzalez | Nail Technician

My thought process behind starting my own business definitely took a lot of thought . I am a mother of 3 boys and felt like I was missing out on a lot of school events and time . I knew that one day I wanted to work for myself but I always worked a 9 to 5 because comfort is a hard think to shake ! until one day I sat down and thought to myself if I don’t let go of the fear that I’m not going to make it on my own then I’d never be ready . Read more>>

Taylor Cook | DFW Wedding Photographer + Videographer

I’ve always wanted to be my own boss. I’ve loved photography for years and was the friend who ALWAYS carried around the camera growing up and who took all the photos. It took me time to accept that I am a creative, for fear of seeming “irresponsible.” Once I accepted and embraced that I am a creative and could build my own business where I get to be creative, love on people, and make a living… I pursued it 100%! Read more>>

Jake Hunsinger | Country Singer

I wanted to play my brand of country music, so my only thought process was how to make it profitable as an independent artist. The art always existed and if I didn’t start this business, I would still be creating. All business strategy at the beginning came down to being profitable with a clear growth trajectory without compromising on my artistic integrity. Read more>>

Missi Kennedy | Owner/Stylist

My main goal in life is helping others. Always has been. I have been a hair dresser for 30 years, and worked in many different styles of shops through out those years. However the beginning of Care Cuts llc came purely for my need to help those in the special needs community, who are unable to help themselves. Most of us take lots of things for granted on a daily basis. Read more>>

Harshika Vanjani | Software Professional and Cottage Baker

I have a deep love for baking and to top it my family has sweet tooth and so I love making baked treats for them. I love looking at new trends in the baking world and experimenting on my own with flavors, recipes and techniques. I love doing seasonal treat boxes, baking gourmet cupcakes, fusion brownies, chocolate truffles and cakes. Baking helps me unleash my creativity too so when I’m free and not working, i am in the kitchen baking. Read more>>

Zach Schutze | Persistent SOB

I am a disabled veteran, and unfortunately my military skills don’t have a lucrative civilian application. I didn’t transition well. Like so many others I had difficulty with alcohol and drug use, homelessness. I struggled with college and never completed a degree despite years of trying and accumulating nearly as many credits as a degree requires, which left me (in my opinion!) very undervalued by employers. The last time I was employed was at the start of COVID, I was making $9 an hour selling car batteries. Read more>>

Nate David | Realtor

My thought process behind starting my own business in real estate was to take advantage of the opportunities that were available in the market. I realized that real estate offered great potential for both investors and those looking to buy or sell a home. I wanted to create a business that could help people navigate the complexities of the real estate market and get the best possible outcome from their investment. Read more>>

Jenny Le | Owner of Roots

It was Summer 2019 and I was sitting at the dining room table with my husband and childhood best friend, looking through my dad’s handwritten cookbooks. My dad loved gardening and cooking with a passion, and created several handwritten journals with recipes he created and loved. Read more>>

Natalia Veronica Jones | Artist & Designer

I have always loved sketching and drawing since I was a child growing up in New Orleans. When I decided to start my own business, I knew it would somehow incorporate art. After studying Fashion Design, I also began showing my original artwork in various art galleries. While it was great being able to bring my art to individuals, I wanted to create a line that made my art accessible to more people. In that moment I decided to start creating handcrafted products that featured my original gallery exhibited artwork. Read more>>

Daisy Williams | I am a Registered Nurse and Owner of A Nurses Touch Spa in Fort Worth

I have been a Registered Nurse for over 14 years. At the beginning of my career, I started in oncology as a chemo-certified Nurse in Cheyenne Wyoming. I took great pride in comforting people during the worst time of their lives. I was grateful to be a bright light in an otherwise extremely dark time for these patients. While there, I had a patient who had lost all of her hair due to chemo treatments. I noticed that her brows were done every morning before I arrived. Read more>>

Chris Oyeku | Founder of MixerCloud

Hello Readers! Today, I’d like to share with you my thought process and motivations behind starting my own business. Technology and networking have always had the potential to make a real impact on people’s lives, and that’s exactly what I wanted to do. I’ve spent the last ten years of my life working in the IT industry with various companies from Verizon, Deloitte, to Google which is where I am currently. Read more>>

Karma Hunter | Entrepreneur & Founder of Tite N Tidy Cleaning

My thought process behind starting my business was finding a way to add value to society. I also wanted the flexibility & freedom of working my own schedule while creating financial opportunities in urban areas. Read more>>

Trisha Mitchell | Entrepreneur, Author, Writer

I started baking sweet potato pies for church events. Everyone kept encouraging me to sell them. But, I couldn’t envision it being profitable. As a licensed nurse, I was accustomed to receiving regular income. But, once my children became older I decided to give it a try. I started by visiting local beauty and barber shops. Once a month, I would receive pie orders and deliver their pies straight from the oven. Soon, word got out about how great my pies were. Read more>>

Hannah Wagenmaker | Small Batch Potter

I have wanted to pursue pottery (ceramics) since I was 13. Like many people my first exposure to pottery was in Junior High (I was bad at it but was one of a few students who stuck to it enough to make something identifiable). I didn’t touch clay again until my last year of college, I found myself again one of few who stuck with it enough to make something decent. I realized I may have a niche: Read more>>