How did you decide to start a business?

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.
I think, at best, it is an artistic idea and/or vision that inspires the creation of a new band, choir, or orchestra. In my career it always has been, anyway. For example, when I was still in high school in Austria back in the late 90s it happened by coincidence that several of my friends got interested in performing on historical instruments. Ernst Schlader, today one of the most sought-after historical clarinetists in Europe, had received a pair of original clarinets built around 1805 from a Benedictine monastery. Read more>>
I’ve spent the last 10 years working with adults to help them to identify limiting beliefs and transform their mindset so they could accomplish their goals. I often found myself thinking, imagine how different life would be if I had a chance to speak to these people when they were little children, before the world made them feel like they weren’t good enough. Read more>>
In a word, independence. I’ve always placed value on the ability to chart one’s own path and I think for most people this is what drives them to want to create their own business. Having the ability to say “I created that” is a powerful drug, especially when that creation provides value to customers and at the same time provides you and your employees with a common purpose. Read more>>
The thought process behind starting our own business was that I was tired of working for other people. I had been wanting to have my own business for some time, but it was not possible because we did not have enough money. I have worked in restaurants in the United States between 12 and 13 years. In Mexico I worked in the food industry as well, so my dream was to have my own food business. Read more>>
I saw so many amazing women: my friends, my yoga students, and students I work with struggling with body image. They’re missing out on aspects of their lives that could be tremendously joyful, fulfilling, and helpful to the entire world because they are insecure about putting themselves out there. Read more>>
I’ve always wanted to help others and be my own boss. I come from a long line of people that created their own businesses and it seemed important to me and my upbringing. And being your own boss teaches you a lot as well as give you the ability to help others the way that you see fit and are most comfortable doing. I also wanted to show my kiddos that it’s possible, and try to incorporate them into some of my work as well. Read more>>
I always wanted to work for myself. Especially being in the business of artwork, it only seems right to be the head honcho of your own ideas. Also, having a chain of managers never quite sat right with me. It was alluring to be able to create my own daily structure, or lack thereof, however I wanted. Read more>>
I have always loved the idea of taking a passion and running with it. That played a part in my decision to start my own businesses. I also wanted to set an example to my kids that you are capable of achieving your goals even through the midst of trials and hard things. I am a school teacher by trade. Teaching is in my blood and I love it! I initially opened my own music studio for children and started teaching a music program called “Let’s Play Music” so I could stay home and raise my own kids. I have been running a successful studio since 2006. Read more>>
We never intended to start Food Trucks Against Homelessness, it just organically unfolded. Our original intention was to feed our houseless neighbors through the holidays during the pandemic and to provide business to our local food trucks then this morphed into a weekly endeavor. We partner with Westside CARES to serve our houseless neighbors on Mondays. I have always been a “make it happen” type of person so that is what I did and am still doing. Read more>>
I’ve always known I would have my own business. As a younger person I sought out other small creative businesses as employers. I observed how they operated and how they did business. I loved working for these small businesses. I had deep admiration for the leaders in these businesses. How they were able to create a business out of their art and creativity. How they were able to build their business around their family and lifestyle. Read more>>
I started my career as a product developer in London for a high end British brand. I was working in their knitwear development department and was constantly surrounded by beautiful garments, think wool, cashmere, alpaca etc. It was basically my dream job, so when my husband and I decided to move back to Denver, CO, I panicked a little bit. There were hardly any Denver based clothing brands at the time and I just felt that my options for work (that I would actually enjoy ) were very limited. Read more>>
We have four boys and hiking in the mountains has always been something we’ve loved to do as a family. We wanted to bring the mountains to our front door and get our kids involved in running a small business. No better way to do that than to embark on a journey renovating a motel…anybody else agree? Adam works remotely as a small business technology consultant during the day and Kara is an herbalist and hardcore mom (when we aren’t moteliers). Coming from Nashville, TN we had a lot of learning curbs to a life in southern CO. Read more>>
Well, the passion for creation has always existed in me. Since I was a kid I wanted to create content that was just as good as the things that had entertained me for so many years. Making a living doing what you love and creating things that you cherish gives you a higher sense of being, at least in my opinion. I remember as a child I’d see people so upset or sometimes unfulfilled and I always had a sort of fear of feeling the same way. Read more>>
After graduating art school with a degree in metals/ jewelry design I proceeded to work for a couple of small jewelry businesses based in Philaldephia. Both of these buisnesses focused on producing handmade jewelry for wholesale accounts primarily. I worked directly with the owners and a small team of jewelry makers. I enjoyed the relationships and steadily honed my production skills. Making jewelry for a particular price point was a lot different then making jewelry for art school critiques. Read more>>
Drawing inspiration from the Danish tradition of Hygge, my goal is to reflect how the simple act of lighting a candle can change a mood, brighten a day, and be a reminder that you can find comfort even in uncertain times. The Lys Collective is a product of my desire to create a cozy home and share my own small way of coping. During the pandemic and while spending a lot of time at home, I began using candles to separate my day. Read more>>
Being that the F&B industry is one of the last few meritocracies standing in our current economy its nature is progression. You start in the BOH as a dishwasher and learn skills such as time management, organization, and cleanliness, every successive position afterwards compounds skills that were formerly taught. Therefore, opening my own business was the natural next step in my journey to creative freedom and financial independence. Read more>>
Honestly? I wanted to hit the road in an RV and travel with my family! And you can’t do that without some way of making your own money. So while I had a degree in Leadership and was planning on getting into education once my daughter was out of diapers, I axed that whole plan. Instead, I started looking up ways to make money for yourself and stumbled on the whole blogging/content creation thing. Read more>>
I was INspired to start INpowerment INnerprizes because I witnessed the monumental transformation that took place IN my own life from decidINg to go withIN myself and take the time to get to learn, love and INjoy all that I am from an INner perspective. There is a huge gap IN education when it comes to learnINg how to navigate life from INside of ourselves and understandINg and dealINg with our emotions. We’re taught that life is just something that is happenINg to us, out of our control, outside of ourselves, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Life is really happenINg INside of each and everyone of us, we are IN fact creatINg our own reality. Read more>>
I am neurodivergent and I’ve had desk jobs in the past. When I found audiobook narration I knew I never wanted to sit behind a desk for someone else ever again. I’ve been doing theater since I was 8 years old and it’s been my dream to perform for a living my whole life. But, being onstage rarely pays well enough to exist without a second job, so when I found audiobook narration I had the best of all possible worlds – performing for a living, being with my family, working from home, being in charge of my own schedule, and finally making enough money to live on from an artistic endeavor. Read more>>
I’ve always wanted to start a creative business and it’s been a goal for a long time to become an artisan in handmade markets. It wasn’t until my son was born that things started to fall into place. I started exploring beadwork and illustration during the long hours of the night in the early months of motherhood. It immediately sparked a feeling I hadn’t had since being a little kid, creating in my mama’s studio – that feeling of pure, unadulterated joy and freedom to explore the possibilities of my own imagination. It wasn’t long before I took advantage of this restored feeling and started Sugar Mad. Read more>>
I’ve always had jobs where I’m busting my butt to help someone else’s business become successful. I figured if I’m so used to working hard for other people why shouldn’t I redirect that energy towards my own dream. I find it so much easier to work hard when it’s for my business. Read more>>
We both suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder related to combat in Iraq, and have found the VA system to be lacking, not to mention slow. We wanted to help other Veterans suffering from PTSD through outdoor activities which has been key to healing our mental health. So we decided to start an offgrid homestead to host veterans, and offer guided hunting, fishing, hiking trips to the Colorado mountains. Read more>>
Growing up, like the majority of us, I was imbedded into the system of Go to School, Get good grades, get a good job. There was a huge part of me that liked the idea of that. Meaning what I would look like in the eyes of others. But, deep down, that just wasn’t me. I wasn’t built to hold a 9-5 job or work for someone else. Read more>>
I had been in the medical field for over eight years and was starting to loose the passion. Felt kinda lost with what my life’s mission was. I always wanted to start my own business but didn’t know what it would be. I took my love for gorditas and ran with it. Read more>>