Decision Makers Series: to start or to not to start

Deciding to start a business is an unusual decision.  It’s often considered irrational and yet for many it’s the best decision they’ve ever made.  So we asked folks to think back to when they were starting their businesses and to tell us about their decision making process.

Cullen Haskins | Founder of Check Your Flies

I started Check Your Flies because I wanted to sell my flies and new others did as well. The artisanal side of fly fishing gear is one great thing about the sport. There is a connection between you, and the fish, especially if you can tie the fly, build the net or fly rod on your own. I thought, why not create a fly fishing website where anyone can buy and sell handmade fishing gear. Ultimately creating a growing fly fishing marketplace to support small businesses. Read more>>

Helina Zewdu | Flower preservation Artist

My name is Helina, I am a lover of flowers and a preservation artist. I know this is not a well-known profession and I would say Modern floral preservation is still in infancy stages of worldwide recognition. To understand my thought process behind the creation of For.Ever Blooming, you must understand I have been obsessed with the preservation of memories since I was a kid. In tandem, my love of plants and flowers has only flourished further and further as I got older. In fourth grade I started to save flowers from all occasions. Read more>>

Denise Day and Lauren Beno | Co-Founders of Town Hall Collaborative

As best friends and entrepreneurs, we always knew we wanted to do something on our own and together. While the conversation and desire started pre-pandemic, we became serious about venturing out on our own when COVID rocked our world. After spending some time ideating and dreaming, we landed on creating something that felt the most natural to who we both are and what we care deeply about – bringing people together while supporting and empowering women and other marginalized communities. Plus, we wanted to create a space where we could have some good old fashioned fun! Read more>>

Mia Finkle | Professional Organizer

Organizing spaces is something I have always loved and found so much joy doing. There are a whole lot of people out there that do not enjoy the process of organizing ,but they love the results and the outcome. I saw this gap and wanted to help people get to an organizational goal that they could not achieve on their own. Read more>>

Nita Brown | Founder, Designer & CEO

MansaWear originated out of her passion for fashion, creativity and of growing up surrounded by gorgeous Ghanaian fabrics, which were transformed into exquisite, timeless pieces for her mother. Named after my grandmother, Nana Mansa[1], MansaWear’s clean and simple silhouette is influenced by my grandmother’s philosophy of simplicity, tradition and forward-thinking perspective on life. The line’s tailored and minimalist style complements the bright, bold and sassy colors of the fabrics. MansaWear creatively and skillfully uses the classic Ghanaian outfit, a skirt and top known as Kaba ne Slit, as the base of its design platform. Read more>>

Shelby Milleson | Small Business Owner

I first of all wanted to start my own business I could do on my own time because I was not able to get a job at the time. In 2020 I was in a serious life threatening car accident with my newly wed husband of 41 days. He did not survive, sadly. I was left with a severe head injury, a compound femur fracture, and many other internal injuries. One of the biggest side affects I felt initially, it had gotten better, but won’t go away, is fatigue. Read more>>

Carolina Ortiz | El taller deco manager

1..We believe that the most obvious answer could be the pandemic, but in our case, that time was the stage to create the company and reinvent ourselves from scratch using technological tools in our favor. We believe that the most challenging part was the inexperience, Juan worked several years in the research sector and, Carolina lasted a few more years building the company on her own when we wanted to make furniture from recycled materials; Read more>>

Jake Sharpe | Rapper

Since I was a child,I’ve loved music and specifically rap music. My dad first introduced me to rap music when I was like 3. He used to play artist like Eminem, 50 cent, and Ludacris and I would try to rap along, not knowing the actual words. He always thought it was cool and he would push me to rap in front of people and I fell in love with the feeling of being able to give joy to people by just by doing something I love. Read more>>

Ethan Miller | M.U.A., Entrepreneur, and Beauty Influencer

I’ve always loved the art of makeup. However, it was really when I started studying makeup at the professional level that I began truly understanding the industry and its many flaws. Although I do not have the financial resources or the massive influence to create a great ripple in this broken industry, I knew one thing to be absolutely true: I have never found a beauty sponge that I believed to be good enough or cost-effective. In addition to this, I’ve also had a lifelong dislike for the lack of body positivity in the industries of beauty and fashion. Read more>>

Katey Wheelhouse | Yoga Instructor, Thai Masseuse, Body Product Creator

I began Wheelhouse Wellness after I was diagnosed with Psoriasis. I was going to doctors that were prescribing steroid creams and light therapy treatments. After doing some research on natural treatments, I developed a combination of Coconut Oil, Shea Butter and tea tree oil that really calmed my skin. This got me hooked on making my own body butters and then I started making a version with Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Vitamin E, Rosehip Seed Oil and Sea Buckthorn Oil. Read more>>