The first step to starting a business is deciding to start a business. They say the first step is the hardest and in our experience this is especially true when it comes to starting a business. Getting over the mental roadblocks can be tough, often harder to overcome than the challenges you’ll face once you actually start the business. Fellow entrepreneurs share their thoughts below.

Sonja Lilljeberg

When I had to return back to massage school after moving states to gain a new license there, I knew that when I returned to being able to massage again that I didn’t want to continue working for someone else. The idea of giving away my time & effort to someone else didn’t make any sense. I knew that I would rather have my own hours, my own schedule and my own pay. I knew if I was able to charge what I was truly worth in both skill and knowledge that I couldn’t go back to working for someone else. Read More>>

Jim Floyd

I have been fortunate to have owned several businesses and the appeal has always been the same. Independence. Living in the mountains makes a local owned business especially convenient as the commute to Denver becomes more difficult each day.
While working for a local tree service 15 years ago, I noticed a substantial waste of trees simply being chipped up and disposed of. So the opportunity seemed clear. I could begin to salvage the logs and start a firewood business. Before long, one thing led to another and soon I was cutting trees, and mitigating properties as well as distributing firewood. Read More>>

Olivia Braciszewski

I’ve had a deep love for photography for as long as I can remember. It started with a mix of passion and purpose. I love adventure, the outdoors, and capturing raw, authentic moments—so combining those things into adventure elopement photography just made sense.

I saw a gap in traditional wedding photography, where couples who wanted something non-traditional—like climbing a mountain or exchanging vows under the stars—weren’t getting the experience they deserved. I wanted to give them something different. A way to document their love in the most epic, meaningful way possible. Read More>>

Alex

Growing up, I have always been more business-minded, probably around 9 or 10 years old when I started my first “business”. My mom and I would sit down at home and create stress balls using balloons and flour, and I’d go back to school and sell them to kids on the playground. I continued doing things like these as I got older, selling rocks I tumbled, trying out e-commerce, and even forming an esports team in 2020. In high school, the decision to go all in on my business didn’t become clear until my senior year. I had been scrolling through Instagram and saw a football hype video for Legend High School that resonated with me. I figured that since I also have a camera, I should give it a shot with my school! Read More>>

Brian Passenti

That’s a great question, and my journey into starting my own business was quite organic. Honestly, it wasn’t a grand plan from the outset.

For a while, I was creating custom training plans for local athletes on spreadsheets, simply giving them away because I enjoyed helping people. My wife, however, noticed the significant amount of time and effort I was pouring into this. She was the one who really sparked the idea, suggesting, “You’re putting so much work into this, you should really start charging for it.” That conversation happened in the summer of 2018. Read More>>

Aakanksha Punj

Starting my own business was a really intentional decision. While working in agency settings with court mandated clients, I often found myself pushing for more client-centered, trauma-informed care but the traditional structures only allowed so much flexibility. I wanted to create something different. A space where healing didn’t feel boxed in or too clinical. I wanted to blend both Western and Eastern practices, offering something that traditional clinics often don’t. Read More>>

Brett Buckles

I grew up learning the trade while working for my mom who is a master jeweler. I went a total different direction with my education and career but continued to dabble in beadwork all along. Just before the Covid pandemic I asked to go remote with my corporate job and was told, “no.” It was at that moment I decided I would give jewelry a try and see what I could build for myself. I invested the small amount of savings I had in building a micro jewelry studio and started my business soon after. I began creating a retail line of jewelry to sell as well as spread the word that I was available for jewelry repairs, restrings and custom work. Read More>>

Veronique Porter

Entrepreneurship kind of found me! Before founding my business, I spent almost a decade in International Development, focusing on health, education, and gender projects in West Africa. But as a Black woman, I spent a lot of time having to navigate power, privilege, and influence as I built my career. When Covid-19 rapidly spread across the world, I shifted my skills to the US. The workplace needed help as it navigated a changing social landscape, hybrid work, and advancing technology. Employees needed help showing up in work environments that lead to burnout, and limited the ways they should show up to be “professional.” Read More>>

Dave Wang

Honestly, I just wanted to see if I could do it. I had just resigned from my role as head chef with Meat & Cheese in Aspen after running it for about 3 years as the opening chef. The plan was to try and open something new in partnership with a local restauranteur but it fell through. I’m not the type of person to backtrack with jobs, once I leave, I leave. I’ve worked for hotels and restaurants at this point in my career but I had yet to work for myself or done any kind of catering or private work. The idea of working for myself seemed daunting but also exciting as I had the opportunity to build something of my own.  Read More>>