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.

Gabrielle Johnson | certified dog behavior consultant

I had recently started dog training full-time, and the environment I worked in was incredibly unhealthy. It was taking a considerable toll on my well-being. Finally, enough was enough, and I quit. That night, I posted on my social media that I was accepting new dog walking, pet sitting, and dog training clients. I was flooded with work immediately! I had spent years building relationships in the local dog community. The job I’d held before the terrible one was managing a team of dog walkers for a company that invested in the community. Read more>>

Ryan Ellis | Owner

I always knew I wanted to start a business but I had a hard time determining what that business would be. I dabbled in a few ventures related to activities I enjoyed doing, but they generally had high start up costs or required working weekends when all my friends were doing the activities I enjoyed. I realized that my passion was small business and maybe there was a way I could run a business helping small business owners. After working in a bike shop I realized that there were a lot of marketing strategies I was doing that didn’t necessarily require a lot of money and were making a significant impact on my employer’s bottom line. Read more>>

Aaliyah Shambe | CMO and Head of Artist Development

When I was in high school, there was a lot of pressure to figure out what your next steps in life would be after graduation. What would your career be, etc. In the beginning, I thought I wanted to be a geneticist and go to an Ivy League to follow that path since I had a genuine albeit light interest in that subject. However, my English teacher my sophomore year had opened my eyes to the fact that whatever I was truly passionate about, I should go for in trying to make it my career. I’ve always been passionate about music, entertainment and the arts, however I still did not see how exactly I could make a living off of my passion for music- until I decided to research record labels and the music business in detail those early years of my highschool career. Read more>>

Crystal Sullings | Board President

Colorado Firefighter Calendar was created as a fun way to raise awareness and funds for children who have suffered a traumatic burn injury. We help neonates, infants and children up until age 21. Through our educational programs, sales of our calendars and special events we donate funds to pediatric burn centers and burn camp programs in the Rocky Mountain Region. Read more>>

Katrina Hughes | Strategy Leader and Hospitality Enthusiast

For as long as I can remember, I knew I’d be an entrepreneur. Until a couple of years ago, I didn’t know what that would look like, and it continues to evolve. I come from a family of business owners; my grandparents owned a local print shop in Denver, Mountain States Printing, where I spent a ton of time growing up. I can still smell the fresh cut paper! My dad was also a general contractor, working for himself wherever he moved, creating works of art in the form of log cabins and beautiful homes that I always admired as creative genius. Read more>>

Jolie Epp | Small Business Owner, Coffee Shop

I had always dreamt of having a small business. When the opportunity came up to purchase a coffee shop I jumped at the opportunity. I was a stay at home mama that also homeschooled her kids and wanted to do something on the side that would allow me to do it with my kids by my side. Read more>>

Lorraine Simpson | Travel Agent , speaker and On Air Travel expert

I was widowed at a young age and with four children and no savings I not only had to make a living but I needed to do it with flexibility and aty my own schedule. My youngest turned two just two weeks before my husband died of a heart attack following a long battle with cancer. I looked at what my skills were vs what I thought would be a business I knew enough about to get me started and I knew I could learn the rest along the way. Travel had always been my passion and I had been a traveller at all levels of the financial scale so I thought I would be able to speak about any form of travel to a potential client. Read more>>

Bianca Davis | Owner & Director

Starting my own business was a decision driven by the need for flexibility in my schedule to accommodate my children. As an independent stylist, I have the freedom to set my own hours and prioritize my family while still pursuing my passion for styling. However, being in shared space with other entrepreneurs who didn’t share the same vision as me started to negatively impact the experience I wanted my guests to have. It became clear that I needed to create a space where stylists could have the flexibility and work-life balance they desired, while still providing exceptional services to our guests. Read more>>

Lindsay Zi” Hugh | Multimedia Artist”

I wanted to create a vehicle that allowed me to work on different types of creative projects of my choosing. I don’t like to feel confined in work, and I have very massive goals that I don’t imagine would come to fruition if I just stayed in “regular employment” long term. I was that kid who had a ton of special interests, so, I’ve gotten professional gigs through my business doing video editing, graphic design, visual art, photography/videography, music production/score, VJing (video dj), and event planning/coordination/operation. Essentially, my business if just the offering of various creative services by me personally. Read more>>

Johnny Freeston (Managing Director),Rachael Cooper (Harpos FC Women’s Team Co-captain + Leader), Shaina Swain(Harpos FC Women’s Team Co-captain + Leader)

The Harpos FC W team was started based on a set of three guiding principles: the game, the community, and the moment. At the heart of our program, our north star is ultimately the soccer. Our core team is composed of a special group of women who are passionate about playing soccer and committed to staying together as a team as we start a new program with Harpos FC. Our ultimate goal was to create the most enjoyable, meaningful, and successful soccer experience for our current players and to lay the groundwork to bring in new players to grow the program. Furthermore, we aimed for our team to be a part of a broader community. Read more>>