It takes a lot more than an idea to build a business, but there can’t be a business without the idea. So we asked folks who’ve built wonderful businesses to tell us about how they came up with the idea in the first place.

Kelcie Ottoes | Copywriter & Content Strategist for Sustainable Businesses

To start with, I’m a copywriter who helps sustainable businesses communicate complex information through relatable stories to create the urgency and agency for action. A copywriting business isn’t a new thing, it’s been around for a long time. But the moment I learned that someone could make a living writing stories that aren’t books… every lightbulb in the world went off at once in my head. Read more>>

Melba Tellez | Founder, Mujeres on the Rise

I started Mujeres on the Rise after realizing how hard it was for me to establish my career as a Latina. I am the youngest of three daughters, and I saw my mother and sisters hustling left and right to make ends meet. Naturally, I inherited my family’s work ethic, and I grew up believing that your work should speak for itself. But in college, it wasn’t long before I realized that hard work alone is not a guarantee of success. Success is not only measured by what you know; it’s also measured by who you know. Unfortunately for me, I knew no one. Read more>>

Alex Blomstrom | Small Business Owner & College Student

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was sent home from college and finished up the semester virtually, like so many students across the country. With quarantine and an increase of time on my hands, I was searching for a new hobby to pour my time into. I started playing around with the Cricut my brother and I had gotten our mom for Christmas, and I fell in love with the process of creating apparel and bringing concepts for shirts to wear to life. Read more>>

CJ Gerber | General Contractor

Right out of college I began working for a General Contractor that specialized in the remedy of construction defect issues. I was trained and specialized in working with engineers to find and resolve issues with original construction. It felt great to take something that was incorrect and make it right. I got to see people who were left in shambles and very frustrated made new, made whole again. What a feeling that was! Read more>>

Dr. Akala Lemus | ovvner + curator ov posi+ivity at www.PositivePackages.com and owner and founder of AK Apothakary www.AKApothakary.com

I am originally from Golden, CO. I had been in Austin since 2012 pursuing a career as a NUCCA Chiropractor. After owning my own practice, Hands On Holistic Healing, for a few years, I started practicing in a much less conventional way in 2016 by making house calls. I helped my clients by teaching them how to help themselves – breaking the cycle of co-dependency many health providers create. Read more>>

Bron Lowe | Wedding, Elopement and Portrait Photographer

I’ve always loved photography. From a very young age I remember grabbing my mom’s camera all the time and taking photos of the mountains, animals, and nature. I absolutely loved it. After high school I worked for a racehorse breeder and they asked me if I could take some photos of their yearlings for a magazine and I was hooked. I started practicing, learning editing and advertising for sessions. I started with families and shot my first wedding in 2014. I now do a mixture of weddings, elopments, families and boudoir Read more>>