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.

Noura Ismaeil | Somatic Practitioner & Creativity Coach

The moment I realized I was done trying to fit myself into boxes I never wanted to be in, in the first place. I dropped out of graduate school to become a licensed therapist to start a business instead because the restrictions and limitations of working in a clinical model went against every fiber of my being. This insight lead me to realize that I was drawn to grad school for the safety, but that safety would be a slow burn goodbye to my creativity, my freedom and my souls calling. There was less thought about starting my business and more of a knowing. Read more>>

Latalia White | Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

The idea to start my own business originated from my own growing realizations of how to be the best therapist possible. Prior to and early in the pandemic, I had no plans to start my own therapy business; I enjoyed working for practices who had staff to help with marketing, scheduling, and billing. However, something shifted in me as the pandemic continued and I could feel myself moving toward burnout. During this time I began to better understand my needs as a marriage and family therapist – and to be the very best therapist possible, I would need to control my schedule, my policies, my finances, and my offerings. Read more>>

Luke Peach | Content Producer & Real Estate Agent

After being in the creative production industry for almost 10 years, I realized my skillset in client communication, team management, and directing. I had a desire to create work I was proud of that simultaneously provided content my clients would be excited to use. I enjoy the freedom of creativity I have on a daily basis that allows me to take my business in directions I didn’t expect I could go while working for other agencies. Read more>>

Elizabeth Clandos | Humanitarian Designer & Social Entrepreneur

Olafilter came out of absolute necessity. It was the rainy season in rural Guatemala. The roads were washed out, there were life-threatening pathogens and parasites, and no one could deliver clean water in those conditions. It was scary. I remember standing in my tin-roofed, concrete-block house and trying to make a rational decision: Was I willing to risk drinking the water and getting sick? If I did get sick, could I even get to a doctor? The pathogens—and the problems they cause—are real. Infant mortality, waterborne diseases, childhood stunting, material poverty. It’s all there, being played out in villages where people have extremely constrained incomes. And as a double injustice, they have little money and they live in countries where water filters are extremely expensive. Read more>>

Sam Kornick | Colorado REALTOR®

Honestly, my mindset when starting my own business was a mix of frustration and determination. Since graduating from CU Boulder in 2020, I’d been working on political and brand campaigns, something I had envisioned for myself in college. While those experiences were valuable, I often felt stifled and unsatisfied in those roles. I realized I had an entrepreneurial spirit and a lot of ideas I wanted to bring to life, but I didn’t have the right outlet. Friends and family had been nudging me towards real estate for a while, but I wasn’t initially sold on the idea. I was kind of in a mindset where if someone said up, I’d say down. But eventually, I reached where I had to seriously think about my strengths and what I wanted in life. Read more>>

Natasha Ascevich | Owner + Creative Director

Starting my own business was motivated by a blend of personal values and professional goals. Since a young age, I’ve sought independence to make my own decisions and explore creative ideas without limitations. Specifically, the pursuit of financial independence, opportunities for creative expression, and achieving a balanced work-life dynamic were the primary motivations that inspired me to begin the journey of entrepreneurship. The desire for a better balance between work and personal life was the ultimate driving force that pushed me to take the leap about 6 years ago. My experience in traditional jobs highlighted the importance of flexibility, something that was lacking, particularly as a parent.  Read more>>

Andrew Bergeron | Co-Owner & Director of Business Operations

I’m a Revenue Analyst by trade and currently work in FP&A Procurement for a large meal kit company. While my career has enabled me to hone skills in budgeting and inventory accounting, which provided a great base to launch milieu fermentation, I was always left unfulfilled and wanting more for my career. I started homebrewing with my co-owner, Rob Bessett, in 2017 and while that provided a creative outlet and temporarily satiated my creative desire, Rob decided to make it a full-time career after receiving a Fermentation Science degree from Colorado State University. As a full-time brewer with a 5 year track record of winning awards with different Colorado breweries, we were inspired to think about how we could be part of it in our own way. Read more>>

Andrew Rapp | Owner of Rex Overland, a custom campervan builder

I had spent a good amount of time working for others, in the food industry, in college, and in my career. I always knew I prefered being able to truly be in control of my creative process as well as the timing on when I am working, so when I started this business it just made the most sense. I had taken a bit off time off to travel, and had a good conversation with a friend of mine who encouraged me to take the risk and gave me hope for creating my own success. Read more>>

Lisa Duran | Mobile Bar owner

As the owner of Savvy Sips mobile bar, my thought process behind starting my own business was driven by a passion for hospitality and a desire to bring a fun, unique and memorable experience to events. I wanted to create a business that not only provided high quality beverages but also added a special touch to any event, ensuring guests have an unforgettable time. The flexibility and creativity involved in running a mobile bar business were key motivators for me, as they allowed me to bring my vision to life and share my enthusiasm for exceptional service with others. Read more>>

Kelly Peterson Frazier | Professional Photographer and Designer

What was your thought process behind starting your business?
I love art. I love looking at the world in creative ways. I love challenging myself to get better. And that all started in high school, leading me to take classes and seminars in photography and even submitting my work to contests with a few wins on my belt. By the time I had gotten to college, I had a makeshift website and social media portfolio that I found myself telling people about. People were interested—to my surprise sometimes. So, I took photos for people for free for a while until I realized that my talent was turning into a skill. Read more>> 

Rachael Ortega | Psychic Medium, Animal Communicator, Mentor and Teacher

For a long time I ignored my gifts. After my husband passed my gifts began to open up more. I felt I had been given these gifts for a reason and that I wasn’t honoring God by hiding the gifts He gave me. When I finally started to embrace and use my gifts, I saw how much healing it brought to the people I was interacting with. It was a really beautiful thing. I knew this was my calling and I had found my purpose. I got connected with my mentor and I started offering readings to people. At first it was just for people I was close to. Eventually I felt called to come out in the open so I joined a few networking groups. It was my “coming out” of the spiritual closet. Read more>>

Karin Lazarus | Founder and Owner of Sweet Mary Jane

I’ve been baking since I was eight years old, when my mom gave me a Sunbeam Mixmaster® and a Betty Crocker cookbook. My mother kept our family’s pantry stocked with homemade sweet treats all the time. Watching her bake I knew I wanted to make things on my own. In the summertime, while other kids set up lemonade stands, I opened a cookie stand. Baking, I saw, was not only fun but profitable. Best of all, it made people happy. I have always wanted my own bakery. The idea of opening a cannabis bakery came to me after I entered my Chocolate-Filled Pandan Dumplings recipe in the Scharffen Berger’s Chocolate Adventure Contest and won the grand prize. This gave me enough startup money to open my bakery. I chose to go with a cannabis bakery rather than a traditional bakery because I liked the idea of combining a plant with so many health benefits with beautiful baked goods. Read more>>

Maggie Emerson | Money Mentor & Profit Strategist

This business began because of a long line of learning from other business’ I ran. The one that inspired Beaucoup Babe the most was my business where I hand made seed bead earrings. When I first started making earrings, I would charge what I thought was ‘fair’ without any consideration of my time, costs and skillset. This mindset set me up for some struggle in my financial world until I learned how to price my products in a way that would not only allow me to pay myself a livable wage, but also open me up to becoming a profitable business. Read more>>

Matt McCune | CEO McCune Financial Group

During my career I have held positions in different industries but nothing ever felt like a good fit. I realized not so quickly that the job wasn’t the problem, it was the lack of balance and collaboration. When Covid started, it became apparent that I did not control my own destiny. I started searching for a career that would give me the ability to take things into my own hands. I was able to obtain my insurance licenses and start McCune Financial Group from the comfort of my home. Read more>>

Krisanna Bonebrake | Self-taught artist

I’m really inspired by women and our relationships with our bodies. As someone who is chronically ill I often think about how we perceive our bodies to betray us and how we could sometimes be perceived as betraying our bodies. I like to emphasize these musings with repeating themes of butterflies and metamorphosis in my work. Read more>>

Stephen Baron | Owner & Operator

It just kind of happened organically. I had been a teacher for nearly half my life, more recently a Junior High electives teacher. During that time I developed curriculum for 8 different electives courses and the school I was working at wanted me to transition to a full time English teacher. Considering all the work I had put in developing the electives program, and effectively would have to start over, I decided it was time to change directions. Read more>>

Adriana Pulgar | Reiki Master, Yoga Instructor & The Emotion Code®

The idea for my business began during a difficult time when I was struggling to conceive a baby. The frustration, anxiety and emotional stress associated with this process led me to seek alternatives that could help me manage my situation. I began researching different holistic healing methods and realized their potential. This journey introduced me to various modalities that significantly aided my emotional healing, making me realize that others could also benefit from these approaches. The knowledge I gained and the gap I identified in the market inspired me to create my own business. This venture allows me to develop my unique style and connect deeply with my clients, providing them with personalized and impactful healing experiences. Read more>>

Andie Gamel | Photographer

My thought process behind starting my own business was mainly a source of creativity. I have tried many different creative outlets including making things with a Cricut, making my own stamped rings and even trying to use procreate to create digital artwork. I quickly found out I can’t draw, the Cricut was way more difficult than it appears to be and stamped rings were barely a creative outlet for me. Hahahah! I always came back to photography. I knew from a very early age that taking photos was possibly one of my favorite activities. I was gifted multiple cameras through my teenage years that always got put to use, I can’t say my photography was spectacular back then but it was something! I remember in 2022 I sat my husband down and said I was ready to take photography seriously. Read more>>

Holly Cummings | Owner

When I decided to start Dainty Permanent Jewelry, my thought process was deeply rooted in the desire to build a community where people feel truly valued, loved and cared for. I wanted to create a unique experience that not only addresses the needs for my customers but also fosters a sense of belonging and connection. My goal was to offer something distinctive when we started back in 2019 that goes beyond the transactional, focusing on genuine relationships and memorable interactions. Read more>>