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.

Rachel Schultz | Owner, Beautiful Mud Pottery Studio

I started working with clay in 2006 and found a passion for it and for how it provided a space to connect with people in a unique way. In 2015 I began teaching ceramics classes at a local studio, but it was my students who prompted the dreaming of opening my own studio space that is now becoming Beautiful Mud pottery studio. This space is intended to be a blessing to my community and use clay as a vessel to connect people and help them feel seen and cared for. I love the idea of making beautiful things out of mud while journeying alongside people. Located in the heart of Fort Collins, Colorado, I hope to create a space for people to connect with each other and tap into their own creativity. Read more>>

Elizabeth Slossberg | Owner and Founder

That is such a fun way to start as I was never cut out for the hospitality industry, “or so I thought”. I am first generation Greek and my father and grandfather (Papou) owned restaurants my entire life. My sister and I worked every day… and I thought I wanted nothing to do with it. I was going to be a lawyer…save the environment. I moved to Aspen to see snow for the first time at 21 years old. I planned on staying for three months. I started working in hotels, then ran a catering company, took over as Special Events Director for the City of Aspen, then started my own event planning business EKS EVENTS, 22 years ago. My Daddy would say in Greek “serving and taking care of people is in your blood”. Oh he was so right. Read more>>

Jenn Rodriguez | Interior Designer NCIDQ, LEED AP, ASID | Business Owner

I have a degree in Interior Design and it has always been not just a career but a passion of mine. Through a few transitions in my life and my kiddos getting older, I felt the timing to make the leap was just right. I had a friend of mine (now business partner) that was also in the same boat with a degree in Interior Design as well. We started talking about taking the risk and starting UmmaCasa Interior Design (although that name had yet to come into fruition). We both had a passion to bring Interior Design to the community of people who do not know how helpful an interior designer can be and all that we can do, but also want to make it affordable and accessible to those who think it may be a luxury service and would not understand the benefit that we can bring to their home projects. Read more>>

Ronald Isaacson | Catalyst-Consultant-EcoSculptor-Musician-Wordsmith

I am a serial Entrepreneur. I descend from generations of entrepreneurs. My parents, grandparents and relatives followed their passions, starting, owning, and operating their own business. Growing up I was surround by people like that; people whose close friends and acquaintances were also entrepreneurs. Hence my thought process. The decision to discover and follow my own path was a normal and logical evolution. I am an Artreprenure. Read more>>

Lina Kaplun | Photographer & Small Business Owner

Ever since I was a little girl I’ve always known that I’d be happiest working for myself. As I got older I felt myself feeling like I’m stuck in a dead end job not really knowing what to do with myself, as I’m sure many of us have felt before! I knew something had to change and it had to change fast. So I thought of the one thing that actually made me eager to get out of bed in the mornings and that could become lucrative over time would be; for me that was photography. Back in high school I would dabble in it and it always got me so excited to see how the pictures turned out and how my models got excited too! It seemed to me that this was a door opening for me and all I had to do was walk through it with an open mind ready to start something great for myself. Read more>>

Becky Beckingham | Owner and lead floral designer.

As a young girl, the annual planting of “the garden” was always special time spent with my dad. Now my dad’s garden wasn’t your ordinary garden, my dad’s garden contained gravy plants! That’s right, gravy plants! My love of mashed potatoes and gravy was indescribably large, therefore, dad made sure I was the one to drop the gravy seeds into the perfectly straight row he had hoed just for this special plant. I’m not sure when I chose to not believe that gravy didn’t actually come from a plant, but I do know that my dad and I to this day still joke and smile about planting those magical seeds. Read more>>

Nancy Richards | Hostel Owner and Operator

My husband (at the time) and I are extremely hard workers. We were always spitballing business ideas, and were inspired to try to go into business for ourselves. A hostel for the Vail Valley was about the fifth business idea we had considered, and was the first project that we actually completed a business plan for. We saw a niche in the market that had not been meet. Affordable lodging in an expensive ski town was the challenge we would try to overcome. We also saw where other resort towns had accomplished this task, and felt “If they could do it, so could we!” Read more>>

Jordan Clark | Founder of Dooeys House Shoes

In 2017 I moved to Amsterdam knowing I wanted to make a career change. I had enjoyed my time working as a management consultant and loved my colleagues and clients, but didn’t feel fulfilled by the work. I looked back and recognized I was the most energized by my work at the startup I was at early in my career. I bought a journal and started writing down business ideas. And after a few months, I realized that I couldn’t find a stylish yet supportive house shoe to wear as I was spending a lot of time working from home so I jotted this down. I couldn’t stop thinking about this as a business idea and immediately started researching how shoes are made and developing conceptual designs. Seeing what I wanted to set out to create, I established an LLC and got to work. Read more>>

Amber Porath | Mouthy Mama & Custom Merchandise Creator/Designer

I spent 15 years in the apartment industry. By the time I left, I was a software trainer for the largest management company in the US! I absolutely loved my job but I couldn’t handle being away from my son all day. So I decided to be a stay at home mom! I just didnt like the idea of not having fun money. I wanted to be able to buy my son toys and continue my fast food addiction! This seemed like the perfect opportunity to set my own schedule and have that extra income. I never Imagined it would grow to what it is now! Read more>>

Cansu Floyd | Geomicrobiologist & Small business owner

Hi! My name is Cansu Floyd, and I have a PhD in Geology. Though I started my career in academia, and currently have a day job in Westminster, CO, in biomining industry, I have a small business making genuine gemstone jewelry and selling rocks. Let me tell you how it all started. I have always been drawn to anything about rocks since I was a little kid. I used to collect bags full of rocks whenever we went to the river or beachside and fill my entire room with them. I loved reading and learning scientific facts about them. Besides my passion for science and rocks, I loved going to local crafts stores in Istanbul, Turkey (where I’m originally from), and getting anything I could craft with. Eventually, I discovered my passion for jewelry making at a very early age. Read more>>

George | Artist, Director of the Making Friends Department, Owner of Sacred Gem & Tree

Meet George, the creative force behind Sacred Gem & Tree, a captivating venture that specializes in handmade jewelry, eclectic art, and funky high fashion. George’s artistic journey, ignited during the pandemic, has evolved into a mobile celebration of creativity, setting up shop at music venues, markets, and festivals across the country. Beyond the world of art, George deals blackjack for Frickfrack Blackjack, a unique traveling casino that operates on a no-cash barter system, infusing an element of thrill and camaraderie. Recently, George has expanded horizons into live painting, adding a dynamic layer to the artistic repertoire and allowing the creative spirit to flourish on a broader canvas. Read more>>

Dani Sullivan, LCSW | Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Educator and Author ; CEO and Founder of Intentions Therapy

I established Intentions Therapy in November of 2020 after working as a social worker for over 8 years and a therapist for 4 years in treatment centers, crisis response, and community mental health environments. When establishing my business in Florida, I knew that I wanted to focus on serving the LGBTQIA+ community and I was thrilled to be able to use my own identity-informed and interdisciplinary therapeutic approach in working with clients. I was most excited to work with clients who were willing and excited to make changes in their lives and engage in an intentional therapeutic relationship. Read more>>

Rick Garcia | MMA Coach Rick

I was involved in Mixed Martial Arts for around 11 years when I decided I wanted to make my own impact on local fighters and underprivileged kids. So I opened up my own gym and have been going strong since 2017 Read more>>

Micah Jefferson | President: Restoration 1 of West Denver & Restoration 1 of Aurora

I spent over 18 years working at a telecommunications company. I had worked my way up from an IT developer to running IT and Operations departments. I was pretty burned out and trying to determine what to do next. I spoke to my mom about it and she suggested I speak with an entrepreneurial coach. After going through a thorough vetting process, I landed on opening up a restoration company for a couple reasons. It’s always been my nature to help people in times of need. And the restoration industry is fairly recession resistant. It sounded like both a challenging and fun venture. I do not know if I ever really calculated how much risk there was in opening my own business, I just knew I wanted to do something different and owning my own business was both a source of pride for me as well as a way to provide a good future for my family. Read more>>

Alan Skowron | Guitar/Music Instructor & Musical Artist

My initial thought process for wanting to start my own business was the idea of working for myself and having an opportunity to develop and grow my own music studio. Read more>>

Morgan McNeece | Music Producer

I have worked my entire life with the past 20 years always working for someone else to help fulfill their dreams and fill their pockets. When I became an independent contractor and created my own business, while it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in life, it allowed me the freedom to spend more time with my kids and work when I want to work or how much or how little that I want. While I know that the more time and effort I put in the quicker the business grows, I also know that work-life balance is very important and working for myself, the biggest motivator has always been freedom. Read more>>

Rob Peterson | Paint Denver

Entrepreneurship runs through my veins! My mom, two stepdads, and a whirlwind of businesses—my childhood was a crash course in the art of enterprise. Then, in a twist of fate, my boss converted me into a 1099 role post-08 recession. It was like being pushed into the entrepreneurial pool, and you know what? Instead of treading cautiously, I decided to leap in with a spectacular cannonball! Read more>>

Derrick Merwin | Outdoor Enthusiast & Content Creator

I enjoy my day job and still have it to this day, but I wouldn’t be doing it if I wasn’t getting paid for it. I’m very passionate about the outdoors and inspiring others to get outside and recreate responsibly. I am an avid hiker and backpacker and i have always loved capturing photos and videos on my trips, so I thought that I should share my favorite places with others to help them get out and explore too. This started as a passion project but has blossomed into something that I could see myself doing full time in the future. Read more>>

Sandra Lin Cue | Owner and Tattoo Artist

It was really important to me to create a space that would allow myself and other artists to grow and flourish. I am a strong believer in fixing another woman’s crown. I am not competing with the world, I am only competing with myself. So I wanted to create a space where other female artists could come and have a safe space to grow and create incredible art. Grow as their own business owners as well. Everyday I push myself and the other artists in the shop to be better than they were the day before. To strive to always improve themselves and others around them. I am also incredibly lucky to have found my person in life that has helped me grow this shop, this business, and this brand. We have spent many sleepless nights building this dream. Read more>>

Anneliese Farmer – Smith | Immersive Event Creator & owner of Elevate Immersive

I have been in the theater and immersive event world for quite some time working for other companies but never had the confidence to go out on my own.. however, seeing the success that my effort, creativity and proof of concept was giving other immersive cocktail experiences made me realize that I had the confidence and know how to do this on my own, and better! I strive to create an event company that treats their employees fairly, pays fairly, and did not take advantage of their workers. Read more>>

Amber Roper | Author, Trauma Specialist & Neuropsychologist

After surviving a random attack and sexual assault from a stranger while jogging on my neighborhood trail, I was diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder and didn’t leave my house for three months. I was in a deep, dark state of depression, anxiety and hopelessness. The pain felt unbearable at times. Being raised in a God-fearing household, I knew down in my soul that I could find hope in His word. However, getting to the point where I understood and thirsted for God’s word felt unattainable. My Bible collected dust at times. Until one day, God lovingly spoke to me. He sparked my creativity and inspired me to rewrite scripture with my own name in it. Suddenly, I was reading love letters written by the hands of God and I began to feel a change. Read more>>