We reached out to some of our favorite entrepreneurs and asked them to think back and tell us about how they decided to start a business. Check out their responses below.

Kim Plache | Founder & Owner of Inside and Out Pet Care LLC. Your one-stop pet sitter, we take care of all species of pets.

I was getting bored with being in the medical field, never reached my goal of becoming a business office manager for my local hospital because I didn’t have the work experience but I received my BSBS in Management. I always loved animals even though I didn’t grow up with them. Read more>>

Jacob Bryner | Visual Artist (mostly painting), Musician, and Podcaster

Ultimately I started my own business because I wanted to keep being an artist and be the one calling the shots. I’m very opinionated about how I want things to be done when it comes to painting, music, or podcasting so I prefer to start all those things from the ground up. Read more>>

Jason Marsteiner | Founder/CEO of The Survival University

My thought process behind starting my own business was quite simple. I grew up in a small mountain town where what people are calling “prepping” and “survival” , adventuring, “rewilding” and being outdoors was just a way of life. Read more>>

Brandy Carfagno | Jewelry Designer & Senior Clinical Administrative Coordinator

It all started when I was a little girl and I got into my grandmothers jewelry box. I fell in love with the brilliant colors and beautiful designs! By good luck, I bought a jewelry kit from a neighbor who was moving out of state. Lo and behold, it contained a jewelry makers dream, with plenty of supplies and tools. Ever since that day, I have been following my childhood dream and creating these dazzling dangles! Read more>>

Vicky Collins | Television Producer and Journalist

What was your thought process behind starting your own business? When I began my career in television news there was a typical trajectory. Most moved from smaller to larger markets until arriving where their talents would take them. Read more>>

James Lopez | Founder of the Exposure Project and Magician

The Exposure Project stemmed from my curiosity about the creative process in immersive theater and a fascination with the Spanish literature concept of Magical Realism. Read more>>

Aaron Shockley | Chef & Owner

My dream has always been to work for myself – but it took many years of soul searching to figure out the how and why behind that. When my wife Meagan and I had our first born son in February of 2020, everything changed for our family. At the time, we were both working full time jobs and scraping by paycheck to paycheck like so many others in our country. Read more>>

 Megan & Victoria Wallace & Kander | Owners & Dog Trainers at NoCo Unleashed LLC

We came up with the idea for our business at the end of 2020, after spending some time re-evaluating what we wanted out of our careers as dog trainers. Read more>>

Buck Adams | Entrepreneur – Social change activist

It was the only way I saw to have the freedom and potentially create the wealth to be financially free. Read more>>

Georgina Mendez | Restaurant manager and Mom

Well, being a single mom, the money was my issue. Read more>>

Megan Swensen | Hair and Makeup Artist

After a few years as a Cosmetologist in the salon and spa industry, I spent a season working at a spa that offered wedding hair and makeup. It was clear that there was a cool little niche market for mobile hair and makeup services in the Colorado area. Read more>>

Rashad Jackson | SlimTall Llc the company for tall & Slim

I saw a shortage in tall and slim wear. Read more>>

Rochell Malay | Creative Director. Speaker. Influencer. Boss

I wanted to give my community something unique something different game changing. I wanted people to walk into my store and have a one of a kind experience. I wanted to bring high fashion and create a dream where people feel like they are in Paris or New York. Read more>>

Lisa Marie Wright | Colorado’s Luxury Wedding Photographer

I had previously been a physician assistant for several years; however, after having my children, I decided to take a lifelong passion for photography and turn that passion into a full-blown career. Read more>>

George Rucker | Photographer & Brand Owner

I grew up in a place where there were little to no jobs available. So things weren’t easy but the ambition I saw my parents have to give us the things we needed or wanted inspired me. Read more>>

 Whitney Shea | Studio Owner & Pilates Teacher

I found Pilates at The Pilates Center (TPC) in Boulder as I was completing my B.A. in Integrative Physiology at The University of Colorado at Boulder. Although Pilates was very challenging for me at first, I quickly started noticing the positive impact it was having on physical and mental strengths. Read more>>

Joel Williams | Entrepreneur, Family Man, Hunter

Our first goal was to create a brand of more affordable camouflage clothing and to help inspire those who wear it. at the same time I knew that for this to succeed in a highly competitive market we needed to create a brand with an identity that would separate itself from the others. Read more>>

Diakeim Lyles | Casting Director, Acting coach & Certified Entertainment industry covid compliance officer

The Pandemic! When the pandemic started in March of 2019, it quickly changed the entertainment industry, especially the casting side of the industry and I had to make an adjustment fast or I wouldn’t survive. Read more>>

Zach Forner | Founder & CEO

I learned over time that it’s riskier to work for others. Why? Because if their motives, values or corporate creed changes and you happen to not agree with those changes, then you have to go find another place to work. Having said that, I do believe there are good people to work for, I just never found any. To be fair, it took me nearly 20 years of working experience to learn that I didn’t make a good employee. Read more>>

Mitch VanAcker | Real Estate Agent and Entrepreneur

We kind of came together at the perfect time to start this. Mitch was looking for something to work on so that he could practice Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator while i wanted an excuse to learn more about social media marketing. Read more>>

Emma Kumley | Movement Educator, Studio Owner

I opened The Movement Studio, a boutique pilates and GYROTONIC® Method fitness studio, in the fall of 2018. It had been my plan for a while, but it took time to actualize because of all of the logistics necessary to open a business, including finding a location, purchasing equipment, etc. Read more>>

Matt Greene | Co-Owner

Gus and I have been childhood best friends since we were in diapers and as you can imagine, many conversations have come and gone about starting a business together. With military parents, we both travelled around a lot in our early years but never lost touch. Read more>>

Dana Foreman | Photographer and Nurse

In the beginning of this journey, I pondered what goals I had for my photography endeavors. After purchasing my first DSLR camera and winning my first national photo competition the following year, I listed my goals and decided that I would be patient in achieving the goals that I set for my “Gypsy From Nowhere Photography.” I committed to turn my photography into more than a hobby. Read more>>

Brenna Nelson | Photographer

I officially started my business, BEN Squared LLC, in August 2020 as a way for me to transition from doing photography as a hobby and really start to make a name for myself within the photography industry in Denver. Read more>>

Justin Douthat | Owner of Colorado Springs Pressure Washing, LLC

It was simply the right thing to do. As a former ship’s officer and first class maritime pilot, I had spent my time in various waters around the world navigating and operating ships. Read more>>

Jazlyn Smith | Owner of L.U.M.E

When I decided to start my businesses I wanted to make sure that i had a purpose. My purpose is to make sure that my brand was more than just products. I wanted to create a lifestyle brand where I could branch off into different areas to help people. Read more>>

Bridget McKee | Holistic entrepreneurship

After my medicine healed my golden retriever, I knew I needed to get it out into the world! I was driven and excited to help humans help themselves and their furry friends. Learning all the ins and outs of business has been one of the hardest and most rewarding jobs in my life. Read more>>

Ana Maria & Elena Otamendi & Lacheva | We are a duo! Ana María Otamendi and Elena Lacheva. Ana María is Associate Professor of Collaborative Piano at Louisiana State University, and Artistic Director of the Collaborative Piano Institute, and Elena is Professional in Residence at LSU, and Program Director of the Collaborative Piano Institute

Since there isn’t a single summer program in the United States that is devoted exclusively to this highly specialized field, we created the Collaborative Piano Institute at Louisiana State University to put the spotlight on the needs of the next generation of inspiring collaborative pianists. Read more>>

Simona Cora Salardi | cover artist

I opened Cora Graphics ten years ago. I had taken several graphic design courses and worked as a graphic designer and web designer as a graphic studio but editorial graphics has always been my highest aspiration. Read more>>