Thinking through whether to start a business – whether to take the risk, whether to go out on your own – isn’t easy. So we asked some entrepreneurs we admire to tell us about how they thought through the process of starting a business.

Claire Alba | Designer & Creator

I have always created things that I wanted for myself and then offered it to other people. This began when I was in college and hand-painted glassware, that I sold at a gourmet food shop. I then made a feature-length video documentary on the history of salsa music (I was obsessed, dancing all the time and working in video production). And many years later, admiring a necklace that a friend of mine was wearing, I decided to begin making ceramic jewelry (which I still do) and expanded naturally to my housewares products. The Layer, which I’ll expand on – was also something I wanted for myself. It’s a simple and ancient model – necessity (or desire) is the mother of invention. Read more>>

Jack Curran | Freelance Videographer/ Photographer

When I was a freshman in high school, I picked up a camera and started filming sports. I was inspired by a former sports videographer from the school I was planning to attend who then recommended that I join the digital media class and provided me with a camera. As my audience grew, I realized that I needed to focus on quality over quantity and not fall into the trap of creating short-form content that is so common on social media. I made sure that I loved each photo or video I posted on my page before ever publishing it because if you love what you create, there is no better job. This is when I found my workflow and my art, which helped me connect with several businesses and companies to earn new audiences and start making an income from my work. Read more>>

Crazy Bear Lesia Yachtorowych | Co-Owners and Partners

Living in a small town, miles from any major city, has many advantages as well as some disadvantages. There are very few job opportunities, so you have to be creative in your thought process and delve into what makes you happy and earn some income. Coming from a business management background, both my wife and I felt we could successfully operate our own small businesses while enjoying what we do. Read more>>

Ashley Nguyen | Yoga & Meditation Teacher | Self Discovery Guide | Software Engineer

When creating Awake In Wellness, so much of my own story is the foundation for all that my business offers. Growing up Asian American, I was constantly told who to be and what would make be successful. It was at the point in my early 20s starting my corporate career in tech that I realized that this path wasn’t honoring who I am to my core. By turning inward through yoga, yoga nidra and meditation I was able to tap into my own intrinsic worth and realize I am worthy of following my own dreams and desires. I had been “awakened” to what really matters to me. Awake In Wellness strives to guide others to “awaken within” to live in their most authentic light with self-love and self-compassion. Read more>>

Cynthia Sass Sass | Licensed Holistic Esthetician

I’ve always been of the entrepreneurial mindset. So, my thought process behind starting Tru Skincare and Skin by Tru was my need to do things in a very particular way, my way. Building my own business was the only way to provide precisely what I knew was needed to be successful and serve in a truly meaningful way. Read more>>

Teresa Wong | Entrepreneur, musician, teacher, author

Before I started my private music teaching studio, I was working on my phD in historical musicology and teaching music history course at the university, while at the same time working as professional pianist performing with orchestras and ensembles. Read more>>

Bryan Goldfeder | BGOLD Glass Artist

Glass blowing is an ancient medium that has been a profession of my ancestors for thousands of years. The approaches have changed with modern technology in a fashion that creates the opportunity for small scale opperations like BGOLD Glass. When the opportunity presented to by some old gear, I jumped right in with the mission to create Art and teach this amazing craft. Read more>>

Kelli Foster | CEO, Bohemia Healing Spa

As a massage therapist I was already providing a service to the community. I am also a spa customer myself. I noticed a disconnect in the high end spas in my community, they were providing the atmosphere and ambiance but the treatment was always lacking. I wanted to fill a need for both. I wanted to provide a balance in a healing treatment as well as an overall indulgent high end experience with atmosphere, ambiance as well as an excellent healing service. Read more>>

Katy Goggins | Mom, jeweler, mental health nurse practitioner

Making jewelry was something I used to do with my mom from the time I was about 11. The bead shopping, learning new techniques, and making things I loved to wear brought us closer. In the 7th grade, a friend asked me to make her a blue bracelet and offered to pay $5. Throughout college I worked on learning new skills from my mom and soon I had enough work to try my hand at farmer’s markets, rodeos, and craft fairs. I was always flattered when someone wanted to wear what I made. Since then, the materials and techniques I lean toward have shifted with my age, but the idea is still the same: make things I’d wear in hopes that others want to wear them too! Read more>>

Genaro Barron | entrepreneur, actor

I think the idea originally started coming to life around the pandemic. Like a lot of other people, I came to the realization that work or a 9 to 5 removed us from our family and time to create. We noticed there was a possibility to make your own schedule or work from home. I think I had a lot of time during the pandemic to think about what I wanted and did not want to do for income. So the idea of a podcast and a clothing line started to get thrown around with a brother of mine. I wanted to have a platform to inspire and motivate people of color. Make something that was authentically for us by us, something we could be proud of. Read more>>

Taylor Slocum | Colorado Portrait & Wedding Photographer

I had a passion for photography growing up, my dad bought me my first digital camera at about 8-10 years old. I took that thing with me everywhere and took pictures of EVERYTHING! From there, it blossomed into covering sports for my high school yearbook & taking my friends’ senior photos. Along this journey, I swore up and down that I would never make it a job & I liked it being my hobby because I didn’t want the money to ruin it for me… Turns out, it was a great idea to turn my passion into my job, and I love it that much more because I’ve always had that deep rooted love for photography. As an adult, I’ve realized it is so much better to work for yourself for so many reasons- creative freedom, scheduling is easier, I have the ability to take on what I want to, I only have to worry about myself and my own clients, among so much more. Read more>>

Emily Gruenthal | Photographer & Marketing Specialists

Starting my own business, kind of came out of nowhere. I was a lost college student, trying to figure out which path to take. I ended up taking a couple art courses my junior year. I took an entry-level photography class not thinking anything of it. Next thing you know I’m graduating college with a bachelors in art and design with an emphasis in photography. When I first started, I looked at it as a side hustle, or a hobby. It wasn’t until someone actually offered to pay me for my first shoot is when I realized I might be able to do this full-time. I have been a photographer for eight years now and I honestly honestly can’t imagine my life any other way. I haven’t only done photography but I have incorporated other side gigs like social media management, marketing, and graphic design. I am very blessed that I get to use my creative outlet as a full-time career. Read more>>

Aimee Bearden | Functional medicine nurse practitioner

I don’t like how we are limited to seeing patients for just 15-20 minutes in the conventional medical setting. I wanted more time with my patients because it is absolutely necessary for a more holistic approach to health care. Read more>>

Maya Sol Dansie | Founder & CEO, Cultural Broker, & Life Therapist

In my own lived experience as a 1st generation, Spanish-speaking Mujer in Boulder County, I experienced a huge gap in services, visibility, and experiences that were relevant to my identity. This was true in community events, leadership positions, mental health & therapeutic services that considered Indigenous practices; inclusion to my Spanish-speaking self, and overall access to resources. I have I lived in the ‘in-between space’, being told to “check your activism at the door.” Read more>>

Alexis Sohlden | Owner & Operator

Starting my own business has been a lifelong journey I have been on that I didn’t really know about.

My grandparents lived through the Depression. The way they lived and what they valued rubbed off on my parents and then me. We weren’t a throwaway family. Everything served multiple purposes and we held onto things just in case we’d need them one day. Once something was no longer useful to us as a family, we either recycled it, donated it, or sold it. Read more>>

josh hailey | Owner of Josh Hailey Studio: Art + Photography biz

I actually think I started my business just out of pure insanity. I was 23 and had worked over 10 jobs in the last two years and just had an opportunity to rent a room and decided what the hell, let’s just go for it that was 20 years ago and I’m so glad I made that decision. Read more>>

Seojung Lee | Artist, Designer, Educator, and Womanist

I started my own business right after graduating college because I want to pursue MFA program at CSU as a full time students while building up my experience as a graphic designer. This is my portfolio website that showed my design works. (https://seojung.myportfolio.com) My ultimate goal is being a tenured professor in higher education. I started to work with my friends’ and families’ branding project and it expanded to have a local silk screening event as an artist. For example, I designed illustrations with Adobe software based on client’s goal. I transfer my designs to silk screen by using emulsion and UV exposure machine. In a local silk screening event, I made a t-shirt/print for people with this technique. This link is a collaboration video with Colorado State University to explain my silk screening works. Read more>>

Cassandra Severino | Designer and Leather Crafter

I knew I wanted to run my own business quickly after having my first job at 14. I wanted to be in charge (lol) and do things “my way”. Those were the initial thoughts anyways. Growing a little older I realized how much I value being in control of my schedule and my growth. Something about the terrifying nature of being solely responsible to create what makes your livelihood I find exciting and inspiring. As I got in to my early 20’s and started my handbag business, it grew into being more about utilizing my creative side and bringing a sustainable and beautiful product into the world that serve as option for someone seeking a high quality leather bag that is actually helpful to the environment and like something you won’t find elsewhere. Read more>>

Molly Fehr | Owner + Founder | Pacha House, Pacha Social Media and Bootsy’s Basecamp

My entrepreneurial journey hasn’t looked like it does for most, and that is something I am most proud of.

I never intended on becoming a business owner, after watching both my parents run businesses as a child it was never something I wanted to take on myself. Read more>>