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.

Dani Lemaster | Community Advocate, Podcaster, Content Creator, Model, and Designer

Starting my own business seemed like an unobtainable reach for so long. I would burn out at job positions that I was holding, and would find myself starting over again and again. I really needed to heal my relationship with abundance and what that really looked like for myself. Read more>>

Jeff Rummer | Owner and Marketing Engineer

We recognize that Starting a business is a full family decision. The risks, the time commitment and the priorities that have to shift impact everyone in our family. A big driver for us starting Colorado Railbike Adventures was to create a business that aligned with our values and supports a learning environment for our kids. Read more>>

Dustin Olde | Business Owner

I have always liked being able to navigate my own way through my work. In the past I’ve been at at jobs where I’ve seen processes and cultures that have been inefficient or toxic, and I’ve convinced myself that there are better ways to run a successful company.  Read more>>

Paige Schmidt – S.C.U.L.P.T. | Fitness Specialist

I have been in the fitness industry for almost a decade. I have worked in many different settings including wellness centers, corporate gyms, privately owned gyms, you name it. It was great in the beginning of my career because I was able to gain a ton of experience from working with individuals who had various goals and limitations. Read more>>

Julia Duckworth | Wedding & Elopement Photographer

I started out working as a photographer under a few different companies but I always knew I wanted to be my own boss. I finally took the leap in 2022 to go full time into my photography business knowing that it would be a rough start but that I knew i could make it to the top. Read more>>

Kalei Kochevar | Photographer & Business Owner

The thought process behind starting my own business was, why not? Life is so short to not do the thing you love doing. During COVID, with all the spare time I had, it really helped me get to know myself more and the hobbies I enjoy. Photography has been around me since youth due to my father always having his camera around snapping pictures. Read more>>

Robert Bean, Lila Morency n/a | Story-driven film production company

I, Lila, was a fashion designer for nearly a decade, initially attracted to the beauty and creativity of the sector, but when entering the ‘real world’ after fashion school, I realized there was a mismatch with my values at a moral and sustainable level, as well as with my strong desire to put something out into the world that was making it a better place instead of feeding this consumeristic machine. Read more>>

Maria Dastur | CEO/Founder Second Half Consulting – Empowering Women Through Pivotal Career Shifts

From a very young age I was drawn to helping people. I would befriend the lonely kid in the corner and always stop to help anyone that needed saving. Nature or Nurture? My parents were models of service to others. My mom was a social worker and my dad ran a school for adults with intellectual disabilities. Read more>> 

Vadim Elkind | Video Producer

I’ve always been interested in the arts. Filmmaking, in particular, satisfied all of my creative cravings, because it brings together photography, music, theatre, literature, fine arts and so much more. As a medium for artistic expression, it’s a limitless cornucopia of creativity! Read more>>

Olivia Rodriguez | Owner of Pretty Parties

My true love for parties and party planning is what inspired me to start my own business. My thought process for starting my own business was to provide party rentals that not only I would love but also weren’t common in Denver. I truly believe in the importance of every single detail in an event, and I understand how significant it can be to find the perfect add-ons for your party. Read more>>

Eric Smith | Head Coach of Wyoming Premier Hoops

Well I always knew I wanted to coach basketball, I have been around the game since I was two years old. My goal was to share the knowledge I have for basketball with the kids in my town. The opportunity presented itself so we created Wyoming Premier Hoops an organization for the youth to be able to travel and play against other teams in the region. Read more>>

Jordan Priestley | CEO | Teacher | Educator

My journey to starting my business was never in a paid capacity. I first started making tips and trick posts on a blog to share with teachers across social media. This was around apps, ideas to try, software they make like and freebie resources that can help in the classroom. Read more>>

Ally Thomas | Crochet Artist & Potter

When I was in college, I was a double major in biology and studio art. I took a variety of different art classes, but I mainly focused on ceramics. Once a semester, we would throw a student ceramics sale on the quad. The students participating would all volunteer for hours, but I usually chose to work the entire sale.  Read more>>

April Cardenas-Hager | Fashion Buyer and Product Development Specialist

Very[Si] really starts with the reason I tried cannabis in the first place. I had been dealing with anxiety and depression since I was young with many life variables factoring in. After meeting with therapists, trying different medications, and even testing some out-there therapeutic methods, I tried the power of flower. Read more>>

Danelle Sandoval | Crochet Artist & Instructor

I was a stay at home mom married and pregnant with my 4th child. One day randomly my husband decided he did not want to be married to me any longer as he had found someone else. I became single mom of 4 all under the age of 8. I was devastated and did not know what to do. Read more>>

Karen “K” Abate | Founder & Principal Interior Designer of Nomada Design

After years of climbing the corporate ladder and being in the ever-changing world of tech, I decided it was time for my creative side to take the lead. In May 2023, after being laid off from yet another tech job, I wanted to pursue something that fueled my passions rather than just the urge to “keep climbing”. Read more>>

Ayo Stephens-Coltrain | ChefJoy – the funniest and prettiest chef you’ll meet

I wanted to engage in more intimate dining experiences. I liked interacting with clients and providing them dishes they loves or never had before but they soon became very happy with trying. Read more>>

Brooke Moore | Beauty By Brooke LLC Salon Owner

I knew from a very young age how big my passion was for hair & the beauty industry. I was always the girl in class with her hair done, always wanted to do my sisters hair & makeup, it’s always been apart of who I am. I was an apprentice for over a year after finishing my schooling at the Aveda Institute of Denver, I was very eager to learn everything I could. Read more>>

Kayla Gray | Creative Portrait & Wedding Photographer

I’ve always been drawn to photography, ever since I was a little rascal snatching my dad’s iPhone 3 to take blurry dinner table photos. It wasn’t until I took a photojournalism class during college that it clicked: people actually do this for a living? Oh — people actually do this for a LIVING! Read more>>

Lily Tomasula Martin | Marriage and Family Therapist

The most rewarding aspect of being a therapist is the opportunity to work with a diverse range of people. I founded Petal & Pine Therapy to focus on clients whose challenges align with my expertise. While I may not be the perfect fit for everyone, I excel in supporting high-achieving women, couples, and individuals navigating significant changes. Read more>>

Abdulsamad Saliu | Creative photographer

Starting my own photography business, Damas_visuals, was not a decision made on a whim but rather the culmination of years of passion, dedication, and a deep-seated desire to tell stories through the lens of a camera. My journey into the world of portrait and editorial photography began as a hobby, but it quickly evolved into something much more profound and meaningful. Read more>>

Ashley Rodriguez | CEO/Owner & Executive Supervisor

I thought I would never be an entrepreneur in private practice because I did not like the concept of Math. I am gaining a new respect, but you could not convince me then. I was deathly afraid of messing up something like taxes and losing it all. Reflecting, I find it interesting that, throughout the years of graduate school, several people I met would ask me or tell me about starting my practice. Read more>>

Kelsey Schwartz | Therapist

I wanted to be able to have the freedom of flexibility for not only myself but my clients as well. As a clinician at mental health agencies, you typically are required to get a certain number of clients and billable hours in the week, and that never jived with me. Read more>>

Anthony Adamsky | Stained Glass Artist

I always knew I wanted to do something in the creative field. From a child, I was constantly drawing and creating that I thought I would want to do something like that in the adult life. I put myself through 4 years of architecture school then dropped out because I didn’t want to be behind a computer forever. So then I decided to start my stained glass journey and now 4 years later I love it. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Read more>>