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.
Megan Kranzler | Co-Owner of Bright Side Coffee Co.
Throughout the last 10 years, we had both worked and managed coffee shops, been sales reps for prominent brands in the industry, and worked on the distribution side as well. This felt like the perfect set up to create a coffee-centered business together using our unique experiences and shared skill sets. During our time in the industry, one thing we constantly heard from the general consumer was how intimidating the craft coffee scene was, often times making local coffee shops unapproachable for newcomers. Read more>>
Kelly Block | Owner, Tape and Twine
My husband and I had been running a shipping and fulfillment from our house for the past 5 years. We were ready to move out and realized the need for a shipping and small scale printing shop in Erie. When we started look around we had a hard time finding a location. Once we found our current spot we knew it was meant to be. It is the perfect location, easy access for our customers and the best landlords ever! Read more>>
Alexandra Hansen | Entrepreneur & Artist
I’ve started a few businesses and my intention behind each of them boils down to the same thing – love. I know that sounds corny, but it’s true. When I started my coffee company I started it because coffee equals community. And it was a great way for me to reach a lot of people within our community and to do my small part in making them feel welcome and loved. Same intention when my husband and I opened our small tap house. It was so I could give back to a town that had been so integral in raising me. Read more>>
Leilani Henry | Speaker, Author, Artist, & Leadership Consultant
Running my own business provides the freedom and flexibility I need to thrive despite long hours and, at times, revenue uncertainty. As an entrepreneur, I reach a wider variety of people and organizations. I value bringing the joy of life into everything I do, no matter the circumstances. The accountability I find in being my own boss allows me to embody my message in my day-to-day actions. It’s important to me to lead by example. Read more>>
Patrick Farrell | Chef/culinary missionary
Starting a meal prep/catering/personal chef business built on the foundation of my passion for cooking wholesome, made from scratch, and love based meals for all to be able to enjoy! After working in the restaurant industry for over 10 years, 6 of fine dining in Beaver Creek, Colorado. then working as a private chef in Nashville for a country musician and his family for a year and half, which after led me to returning to Boulder, Colorado and working as a sous chef. Read more>>
Warren Boone | Cofounder, Aprèsbros
Erick and I talked about what we now know as Aprèsbros for years before finally taking the leap. We saw that one-piece skisuits were gaining in popularity, and we had an affinity for skisuits ourselves, but we didn’t see the skisuit on the market that we wanted. For several consecutive seasons we said more times than we can count, “Why don’t we just make one?” Read more>>
Brittany Naujok | Curriculum Designer & Teacher Author
My name is Brittany, and I am the owner and operator of The Colorado Classroom. I create resources for teachers to use in the classroom to help their students learn, practice, assess, and grow within their knowledge. I had been a sixth-grade teacher for about a decade when the idea of a business was presented to me by a colleague. I loved presenting at Professional Development Seminars and sharing my resources, forms, and ideas with my fellow teachers. I was going through CDs like crazy, handing them out by the handfuls at schools. This thoughtful colleague, Carolyn, suggested I sell my ideas, forms, and resources instead of just handing them out. So, the idea of a business began. Read more>>
Elisa Malangone PhD | Spiritual Medium and Transformational Coach
My mediumship and coaching practice uniquely unfolded from divine intervention. When your business is more like a calling, your thought process becomes more of an energetic blueprint one surrenders to more so than a strategy one implements. The Universe is pretty much your co-creative guide to the whole process. I truly believe Spirit was essential in bringing many non supportive circumstances in my life to the light of day which allowed me to realize and partner with my purpose. Read more>>
Wild Roses | Band
We never knew where it would take us when we signed up for a talent show at our college in the spring of 2020. But here we are–close to three years later–Wild Roses, an established Nebraska rock band. At the start, we focused more on scheduling shows and driving hours to meet and rehearse over that summer, but it soon became clear that it was going to stick. With time came a logo as well as t-shirts and other merchandise, bigger and better equipment and–most importantly–people that enjoy our music. Read more>>
Martha Whitlock | Baker
After 9 years in the Army, I decided it was time for a career change. Getting out of the military can be a big shift and I’m still figuring out what I want to do next but have always had a passion for food, especially baked goods. I grew up in New England where there are many excellent, family-owned bakeries. As a kid, my mom would take my sisters and me to Sunset Bakery on Fridays for our after-school snack; it was allowance and bakery day! My parents instilled a love of food in my sisters and me. We would go on road trips to New Haven for pizza or visit different maple sugar shacks in search of the best syrup and pancakes. Read more>>
Sonia Berlingeri | Knitting Instructor
I love knitting! Ever since I was a kid, I enjoy sitting quietly making things for my family. In 2017 as I worked part time in the event planning industry, I started to donate items to fundraisers that I supported. Based on how well they were received, I decided to register the name Sonia’s Knits Colorado to give the items a more professional feel with a company label. Little did I know this would turn into a business doing something I love. Read more>>
Eric Paicurich | Woodworker & Small Business Owner
During the pandemic like most people did, I dove more into my hobby. Which for me was woodworking. Both of my Grandfathers were into woodworking, one as a hobbyist like myself and one owned his own hardwood flooring business here in Denver. I started making stuff for my wife around our house and people started asking where she got some of the items. Which led to me making items for friends and family. Eventually with a lot of support from family, friends, and most importantly my wife they convinced me to pursue this and make my items available to everyone! Read more>>
Kerri & Krista Brown & Ginsberg | Co-Owners KZ Cozy
The whole concept began during Covid. We were both at home with 3 kids each, multiples pets & most days felt like a circus. We initially had this idea for an insulated Cozy to prevent iced coffee from dripping and keeping it colder longer. At the same time, we brainstormed and also came up with sewing matching dog bandanas. Read more>>
Sonya Kobayashi | Artist and CEO of The Mad Haberdashers
This business has been coming to life over the last 6 years. I go to a lot of live music, concerts and festivals. Everyone loves to dress up and wear daring and unique things! As an young artist brand new on the scene almost a decade ago, I loved to see people being unapologetically themselves. Beautiful souls wearing sequins, costumes, high platformed shoes, inventive makeup, fairy wings, crazy hats – whatever they felt like to express themself! Read more>>
Rachel Settle | Graphic Designer & Polymer Clay Earring Artist
To get to the thought process behind starting my current businesses, I have to go a ways back and give some background on how I got here. It wasn’t such a simple beginning, and it was definitely a long and winding road to figure out exactly what my “calling” was. To be completely honest, I’m still not sure I’m “there” yet. But I have learned to trust the process! Read more>>
Phil Walton | Snap AR Creator Ambassador & Author
I spent ten years working as a 3D animator and then as a freelance creative before I discovered Lens Studio, an AR development software from Snapchat. Augmented Reality (AR) was a technology that traditionally required some serious programming skills, but with Lens Studio I found it was very user friendly for someone with an art background. Not only was it something that I could not only build amazing AR experiences with, but marketers for brands and businesses were exploring this emerging technology to reach their customers– and hiring folks like me to build them. Read more>>
Lyndsay Hope Pullem | Owner/Operator of L.H.Bakeshop
I was laid off from my Executive Pastry Job after the pandemic. I had nothing to do and no income. People had been asking me for years to start my own bakery business. I saw other people doing food businesses out of their homes early on and thought I should be doing this too. There was a market for cakes still and especially vegan items. I wanted to have something to do to stay busy, feel purpose, as well as make money and serve the community. Read more>>
Chris Siess | Feather Fashion Designer and Fly Fishing Guide
My feather fashion business, Pretty Fly Designs, was born out of a friend’s request to make a pair of feather earrings. I never expected such a request, but being a fly fishing guide and fly tier, I had lots of feathers and knew how to lash them to a hook. My goal was simply to create something that would appear fashionable. The first pair was not much to behold. Simple, small and olive, and certainly not the cleanest looking earrings I’ve ever tied. But both my friend and her mother were impressed, so they asked me to make another pair. Weeks later, some of her friends requested more. Read more>>
Tony Trujillo | Farmer
In 2019 I started to put together a five-year plan to start a farm. I had gotten my Master Gardener Certificate and was looking for a farm to volunteer at or do an apprenticeship, but all of that changed in 2020 when grocery store shelves went empty. I thought to myself for the sake of my family and community I need to start the farm now. I talked to my parents, who had an acre of land, and they agreed to let me use their land to start Trujillo Family Farm. We start with growing vegetables for our family and also sold the excess to our local community are farmer markets. Read more>>
Melissa Norwood | Pyrography Artist & Painter
When my husband and I bought several acres of land, we knew the potential to start our own business was definitely a possibility. My husband, Victor, bought a sawmill early on because we knew we wanted to harvest some of the Eastern Red Cedar off of our farm to help build our retirement home. While Victor and our son, Gavin, were using the sawmill to make cedar boards, I was interested in making walking/hiking sticks. Our farm produces many natural, vine twisted sticks and of course they were so beautiful I would work diligently taking the bark off of them, sanding them and coating them with polyurethane to sell in vendor events. Read more>>
Kashish Sachdeva | Activist
Currently Informed is an organization created to raise awareness and enocurage people to take action. My thought process to create this began as I was just scrolling through Instagram. I began to notice that every story I clicked on was reposting the same headline yet no more discussion or action was followed on the topic. It became a reoccuring pattern for every newsworthy event. This frustrated me, I wanted people in my community and nation to take more actions towards issues as important as the overruling of Roe v. Wade. Read more>>
Melissa Farkouh | Co-Owner and Operator The Goatery at Kiawah River
The business found me. I was volunteering and helping a friend. We were making cheese and learning the world of livestock management together. I found myself super excited to go to work every day! Finally, we had the chance to buy the farm (we were leasing) and move to Kiawah River. It was a PERFECT and unusual match. Combine opening a farm in the time of covid. We were open for 3 months before the covid shutdown. I was so concerned about the supply chain and access to things like veterinarian care. Read more>>