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.

Hollie Guidry | Florist & Event Professional

When I decided to start my own business my main reasoning was to utilize my skills to benefit me and my family. I have worked for many other flower shops over the last decade and helped them to grow so I knew I had the ability to be successful. Now that I have my own brand I have the freedom to design things in my own style and with products that I love. Working for myself allows me to choose jobs that are good for me and gives me more free time to spend with my children. Read more>>

David Brown | Practicing Farmer

All my businesses that ive started when farming were driven wanting to be my own boss. But also growing up with cows, sheep and working for farmers i had an drive to do those things. So i bought cows which was a disaster, which in turn i purchased sheep to help pay for the cows, which in turn i bought a baler to put up hay for our own livestock which led to custom haying and then custom cutting grain, which led into building a custom combining business, and in the middle of that to help with the sheep cost we started a small sheep feed lot. This will be my 10th year farming, 2024, and one step has led to another where now i no longer have cattle, though i do miss that operation but i have around 800 ewes, a custom haying business,custom combining business, and a custom sheep feeding feedlot. Read more>>

James Stevens | Photographer

Essentially growing up with a camera in my hand I knew I wanted to do something with photography full time at some point in my life. After working underneath a full time photographer for several years I felt it was time to finally branch off and start my own business. Having the opportunity to work with so many amazing clients and use my creativity every day is exactly the dream I hoped for. I get to be out and about in a new location almost every day, no two shoots are alike and it allows me to see some of the most beautiful and unique properties Colorado has to offer. Read more>>

Beth Porter | Certified EPT™ Practitioner with a Focus on Trauma-Healing & Living an Aligned Life

Earth & Ether was born from my desire to share the healing modality (Emotional Polarity Technique™) and the transformative tools that have guided me through my darkest moments, allowing me to lead a purposeful, soul-driven life. Integrity in my practice and business is very important to me especially since the nature of my work deals with the delicate realms of the human psyche. Despite advice from industry mentors and coaches to take shortcuts and disregard my inner compass, I remain committed to what I believe is essential. I take pride in my courage to remain true to my values and prioritize organic growth over artificial success. Read more>>

Steve/Jeremy Gardner/Deslauriers | Owners/Operators (Steve-master plumber/Jeremy-master hvac mechanic)

After working for numerous companies in Northern Colorado, we became tired of greedy, dishonest practices. We wanted to do business the RIGHT way! We strive to provide quality service at a fair price to everyone; with customer service being at the forefront of everything we do! Read more>>

Rob Healy | Founder of Twisted Foot, LLC

Believe it or not, open heart surgery at age 37 had a lot to do with it. I was a senior copywriter for a big ad agency in the Southeast, with clients like the Carolina Panthers and Snyder’s-Lance. However, I wasn’t properly managing the stress and my mitral valve exploded. I awoke from the surgery to find I now had a mechanical heart valve and would be on blood thinners for the rest of my life. Naturally, that meant alcohol was off the table. I asked if cannabis was a possibility and every one of my doctors told me it was fine. Read more>>

Ariel Elich | Photographer

For the majority of my life, I’ve been self-employed. At the age of 22, my sister and I ventured into joint ownership, purchasing a sailboat to launch a charter business in the Caribbean. Upon my return to the United States, the idea of working for someone else had lost its appeal entirely. The prospect of starting my own business was and some days still is daunting. I am often plagued with fear and doubt, but it’s this very fear and uncertainty that propels me forward. I’ve grown accustomed to setbacks, viewing them as opportunities to learn and try again. Failure can be your best teacher. Read more>>

Jerrica Thurston | Entrepreneur and Advocate

Someone once wisely said that successful businesses are built on offering a solution to a problem. Throughout my entrepreneurial journey, I’ve ventured into several businesses. These range from a photography business creating stunning portraits, to handcrafting unique gifts you might see on Etsy. My most recent and passionate venture, however, draws from personal experience – advocating for my children who are on the autism spectrum. As a photographer, I noticed my clients not having time to display their portaits in their home. I found they were only sharing their images from their session with me on social media platforms. Jerrica Thurston Photography is a full service business. Read more>>

Kelsey Converse | Elopement Photographer & Business Coach

I’m from a family of entrepreneurs who all pushed me to go into the corporate world. After 8 years of misery, I realized that it wasn’t the company, or the leadership that was making me unhappy, it was simply that I wanted more control over my own life, success, and direction. When I left, I wasn’t exactly sure what passion I wanted to pursue, so I tried a multitude of things. I worked at a gym, had a travel blog, and dove into photography. Ultimately, photography won and I realized that all of my passions of travel, being in the outdoors, and photography could create my dream job as an adventure elopement photographer. Read more>>

Meredith Steele and Kristen Fogarty | Co-Owner & Artist

Kristen and I were working as individual artists for awhile before we teamed up. We wanted to pursue bigger projects (i. e murals & installations) and working together made it possible and way more fun. Sharing the work load and collaborating throughout the creative process has allowed us to achieve things that would have been a lot harder on our own. Read more>>

Amber Lester | Doctorate prepared Family nurse practitioner

For the past 6 years, I’ve been practicing as a family nurse practitioner in the Denver area. Some may view nursing as a profession filled with opportunities, but I believe it’s much more. It’s an art, a delicate balance between care delivery and the creation of personalized solutions that go beyond the standard quality of care, driven by critical thinking. I have worked with many providers, and I have found that if I want the job done right with intention and thought through care, I needed to do it myself. The healthcare system is failing, and I want to be one of those providers that still shows up and delivers quality of care to my clients. It is what my clients deserve. Read more>>

Bozhena Evans | Owner and Mental Health Clinician at BE Therapy

I feel really proud of my clinical mental health skills and wanted to have control over my own practice and ability to support others’ mental health needs. Read more>>