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.

Meg Edwards

The pandemic was a scary time for all of us, filled with so much loss, fear, and uncertainty. My family had moved to Longmont, Colorado from Cave Creek, Arizona just two years previously. Fortunately, my family stayed healthy and my child’s Waldorf school created outdoor classrooms so students could resume school in August 2020. It was clear to me how greatly meditation and mindfulness were supporting me during this tumultuous time. Read More>>

Kathy Sietos

I decided to create Green Light Reiki from a deep desire to help others access their own inner healing, wisdom and knowledge. We are often so incredibly disconnected from our own inner clarity and peace and when space is held for us to quiet down we can start remembering who we really are on a soul level. Read More>>

Chase Rohlfs

While having my own business as a Personal Trainer, I also used to sell in-home fitness equipment for a few years and saw that many folks don’t know where to start when it comes to using their new equipment. As a mobile trainer, I can help these folks maximize their return on their investment. Also, by coming to my clients, program adherence improves because there are less excuses for missing a workout session and as a results driven trainer, adherence is everything! Read More>>

Heather Terry

I must admit, I’m a bit of a rebel. It was when I was working in Dubai for a Fortune 500 company that I felt compelled to simply opt out. I was tired of tracking cash flows and profitability as metrics of success. I was interested in people and our purpose in life, not how we were best used for corporate benefit.

Funny enough, I had a life – changing surgery around the same time which lead me to a Chinese Medicine doctor. It was then, during the course of my treatments and the conversations that occurred therein, that I decided to upend the career I had poured myself into for more than decade, and start over — this time with people as my focus, not profits. Read More>>

Sarah Korsen

I’ve always loved planning parties for myself, my family, and my friends, but I never imagined turning that passion into a career. After several years in the corporate world, I began to feel unfulfilled and ready for a new direction. That’s when I was lucky enough to intern with an amazing wedding planner, and as I had hoped, I instantly fell in love with the world of weddings and events! Read More>>

Vickie Autry

I have always been up for a new adventure. I have owned multiple businesses during my career. I love providing a service that makes people happy. Read More>>

Leanna Racine

Even before Physical Therapy school, I felt drawn to pelvic health because of the way it touches some of the most essential functions of our lives—bladder, bowel, and sexual health, as well as its pivotal role in the pregnancy and postpartum journey. I never envisioned myself as an entrepreneur, but as I worked in different clinics and observed the ways pelvic health care was delivered – often rushed, within busy unspecialized clinics, or with less experienced pelvic therapists. I realized that starting my own practice was the best way to provide care in the way I felt patients truly needed. Read More>>

Teegan Sierra

Being a stay-at-home mom, I wanted a way to pursue my own vision while still keeping family at the center. Coffee became my comfort in the hardest moments, and from there, the idea for Cleo Noir naturally bloomed. Read More>>

Imaan Ennis

Honestly, starting Matrescence never felt like a business decision—it felt like a calling. Growing up with a single Black mother in a country that was not hers, I saw how much she sacrificed and how little support she had. Later, when I moved to Colorado and had my own pregnancy, I realized I was living some of those same struggles, even with the support of my husband. What struck me most was not just the lack of resources and knowledge that they even existed, but the lack of community. So many Black women here are transplants without family nearby, and it leaves mothers carrying their postpartum journey in isolation, at a time when they need connection and care the most. olorado.com/meet-imaan-ennis-mother-birthworker-change-agent

Cherese Douglas

Honestly, I just fell into it. I’ve always been a creative person. Over the years, my hobbies have included writing, television production, 3D modeling, Photoshop, photography, and many more. I’ve never been tied to just one thing. I still do quite a few of them on the side for fun. I’d taken up watercolor as a hobby and coping mechanism for my Major Depressive Disorder. Well, one of them. I also take medication and go to therapy. I started with watercolor coloring books, then looked up tutorials on YouTube and joined Skillshare.  Read More>>

MIlton

I decided to start my own business because, after working for the same company for over 20 years, I felt stuck in the same routine. I was tired of working for someone else and realized I needed a change. More importantly, I wanted the opportunity to really explore my full potential, challenge myself in new ways, and create something of my own. Starting this business was a way to break out of that cycle, take control of my future, and push myself to grow. Read More>>