Are you thinking about starting a business? If so, we think you’ll enjoy reading about how these seasoned entrepreneurs thought about the question when they were in your shoes.
Ryan Burke | Owner @ Bulldog Roofing
I started Bulldog Roofing in 2017 with the goal of helping consumers. I saw a hole in an industry that was in need of customer service and thought I could do better. Our mission has always been to change the reputation of the roofing industry through relentless customer service. My thought process personally, was to build something that wouldn’t limit me on my abilities. I always felt chained in the conventional workforces and I have always wanted to work for my self. Read more>>
Aubrey DuMont | Esthetician
Honestly, I have always wanted to go off and rodeo whenever I want! Being able to run my own schedule is a nice factor in the equation. If I want to go hit some barrel racing jackpots or rodeos for a few days, I will be able to do that! The fact that I love what I am doing makes it even sweeter. Read more>>
Lindsay May | Marketing Consultant & SEO Expert
I worked in corporate and startups for my entire career — about 15 years now. But after traveling monthly, working 10-12 hours a day, and having no support as a leader in corporate, I decided I was no longer going to sacrifice my peace and happiness for a paycheck. Interview after interview, I knew it was time to take my future in my own hands. In January of 2023, I knew it was time to conceptualize a business. Read more>>
Jon Marcantoni | Writer, Producer, Director
I have had two businesses. The first was La Casita Grande Editores, a publishing house for Latino writers, and the second is my current company, Flamboyan Productions, a company that seeks to make theatrical and multimedia productions by BIPOC artists. In both instances, I created the businesses in order to address a blindspot in a particular industry. Having worked in publishing and in theatre, I see an enormous lack of stories that showcase a fuller and more complex humanity for people of color. Read more>>
Brittney Smith | Sculptor and Fashion Designer
Many factors drove me to start Clay and Create, but the main factor was a simple question. When I was in Dental school, one of my classmates asked me, “What would you be if you weren’t going to be a dentist?”. Without even a slight hesitation, I said, “An artist”. This classmate made me realize that I shouldn’t have been able to answer that question and that I should be doing what I love. Read more>>
Joshua Grannell | Horror Filmmaker, Event Producer, Drag Performer
My business partner David Flower and myself have a long history in producing events and as a horror filmmaker and cult drag queen, I’ve always felt like I’ve been drawn to immersive experiences. We were both fans of classic American Halloween haunted houses growing up as kids and so we wanted to create a production company where we could build immersive experiences that are part theatre, part horror show, and part haunted house. Read more>>
Brittany Coleman | Founder and CEO
Everything about starting my business was about aligning my work life with my values. Over the course of my career, which included leadership and analyst positions for several outdoor and active lifestyle brands, I became increasingly frustrated as I noticed male-run product development and research teams not understanding women or including us in the decision-making process. An approach called “shrink it and pink it” –essentially taking a men’s product, making it smaller and making it pink, then selling it to women, often at a higher price point–is all too common in the industry. Read more>>
Armando Martinez | Co-Owner of Simply Savage Solutions & retired firefighter
After being a hunter/archer for so long and realizing the void that existed when we developed a simple solution I knew we had to get into business. Read more>>
Joshua Jevons | Creative Director / Designer
I’ve worked for agencies that range from tiny to midsize to large and over the years. As I progressed throughout my career I started building a network of colleagues, clients and connections that wanted to continue to work with me. I built relationships that stuck with me no matter where I moved or worked, so I started to freelance on the side. Because I was experiencing these two dynamics at the same time; freelance and full-time, I was able to compare them and decide where I wanted to take my career. Read more>>
Joshua Phillips | Co-Founder, with my wife Giulia Ceccacci, of we made this Paris, a creative agency
Before starting our business my wife and I worked separately – I as a TV writer/director and Giulia as a designer and free-lance art-director. and we needed to sort our billing/admin out. Our accountant advised us to form a company. Coincidentally we soon got a job with Giulia making and me filming cakes for Hermès’ Instagram, and things took off from there. Structuring the business, which is an on-going process, encouraged and enabled us to work together. So our success is due to our accountant. Blessed be he. Read more>>
Ryan + Lindsay Longenecker | Owners of Collective Mind Technologies
Starting a business is often a blend of personal motivations, professional aspirations, and pragmatic considerations. In Ryan’s case, his decision to launch Collective Mind Technologies (CMT) in 2017 was influenced by a confluence of factors. Ryan’s entrepreneurial spirit was undeniable. While CMT wasn’t his first business venture, he was committed fully to this endeavor. His passion for Apple products along with his technical expertise allowed him to support fellow entrepreneurs and small businesses throughout various stages of growth. Read more>>
Courtney Tartaglia | Ed Tech Professional & Small Business Owner
I was able to start Contour Clay Designs early on in 2020. A lot of free time due to the COVID-19 lockdowns allowed for me to spend the time and energy on formulating a plan and legally starting a business. I took my first pottery class in 2017 and after a few failed attempts at learning the wheel, I started building mugs, bowls, spoon rests and other trinkets by hand. This eventually led to me creating pendants and other tiny porcelain pieces to be used for earrings and necklaces. Read more>>
Riley Fischer | Baker & Homemaker
I have wanted my own bakery since I was a little girl. While I always imagined having a brick and mortar location, I decided my dream wasn’t worth putting off. Selling fresh baked goods out of my home has been so rewarding! I get to homeschool my three boys without putting my own goals aside. Read more>>
Stephanie LeBlanc | Colorado Portrait & Wedding Photographer
I have worked full time as an Aerospace Engineer for 6 years now. I love solving difficult problems and imagining all of the crazy things you can do from space. When COVID hit, I was still working in an office full time. I wore a mask everyday and risked mine and my family’s health. I quickly became burnt out and decided it was time for a more sustainable change. I may have been solving some of the hardest engineering problems each day, but I still felt unfulfilled and stuck – wake up. put on a mask. Read more>>
Bing Reising | Glass Neon Bender and Owner at Bing’s Neon LLC
As a neon glass bender, there aren’t very many of us around. When it came to making a decision on whether I’d want to work for another shop or for myself, it felt like a no brainer. I knew I had a bit of an open market to work with and I didn’t like the idea of working under someone else. Read more>>
Molly Susla | Executive Director, 1% for Open Space
Well, I didn’t start 1% for Open Space. It was started in 1997 by a crew of locals in the Gunnison Valley who thought of a creative way to fund conservation projects around our town centers. I fell into the roll of Executive Director in 2018 when I heard the job was open and knew immediately I wanted to apply. It was incredibly important for me to be a part of the conservation world in Crested Butte, where I had been living for five years at the time. Read more>>
Marley Bloodrose | Founder & CEO & Creative Director of Glam Goth Beauty, Fashion Designer, Social Media Personality
My thought process was pretty much “dont fuck this up” haha! I really didn’t want to let my supporters and followers down for my first launch. I was really hard on myself in the beginning because I really didn’t know what I was doing as far as “business” and just the limited resources I had. I was still living at my parents house and still was a freelance makeup artist. I just started my beauty influencer career and just felt very new to the process. Read more>>
Alicia Ybarra | CEO & Lead Wedding Gown Designer
After I had my second child, I was working in a corporate job, and half of my salary was going to go towards childcare. I was already taking sewing jobs on the side to help make ends meet. After some soul searching, I decided to pursue my sewing and design business full-time, in order to stay home with my kids when they were little. Vanya Designs started out as a custom sewing business where I would sew anything and everything people needed. Read more>>
Karen Ramsay | Watercolor Artist and Instructor
About 20 years ago, an art friend asked me to teach a sketching – watercolor class at a local arts academy. This was the first time I had even thought about teaching what I enjoyed doing, since a young person. They were very supportive and certain it would work out. I have a saying, “if you don’t try, you are guaranteed NO”. So, I jumped in and have been forever grateful. Read more>>
Danielle Walters | Owner of Danielle’s Delights
Owning my own business was always a dream of mine. Ever since I was in first grade I wanted to open a bakery/coffee shop. However, I also loved teaching so when it came to for college I decided to get undergraduate degree in entrepreneurship and my Master’s in education. I was teaching for about 10 years when I had to opportunity to start baking for a local shop. I started getting requests for online orders so I created a website and the business started to grow. Read more>>
Autumn Payne | Artist l Arts Advocate | Freelancer
I recently started my own business a little faith and need. I had just walked away from a job that I was working 60+ a week that I loved but it became an unhealthy environment. I didn’t have a plan but I knew that I couldn’t stay. So I took the leap and risk on myself. I thought man I have been giving everything I had to make other’s dreams happen but I was left empty-handed on mine. So that was the bottom line. I wanted to risk it on myself and start my own art business. Read more>>
Eric Hill | CEO – CheckDrive
I have always been interested in cars. I used to go with my friend and his father to the drag strip when I was growing up, the sounds and the smells still stay with me today. there was something about the way a 1969 Dodge Challenger looked, felt, and sounded that captured a young man. From those early experiences, whether it was buying my first car, buying my first motorcycle, or enjoying reading or watching about new vehicle models, my interest has always been high. Read more>>
Cheryl Reeley | Maternal Mental Health Therapist, LCSW58
The thought process behind starting my own business was based on my need to control my schedule. We have three kids ranging in ages from 5-15, so there is a lot happening in our household. I knew a “typical” 8-5 job wasn’t going to work for me because I wanted to be able to attend school functions and be there to experience their lives. I had a lot of conversations with my family about how to use my skills and education in a way that was meaningful to me but also fit in with our family life. Read more>>
Melodee Beckman | Where Iggy Fashion meets Function
I have been a creative seamstress most of my life as a hobby. When my daughter adopted her first Italian Greyhound I started sewing for her pup as a way to help out her budget. Italian Greyhounds are a breed when clothing is a necessity. After sewing for her pup for about 3 years I decided to star a small shop online to see if their were other owners in need of clothing. Read more>>
Gemma Greenhill | Entrepreneur
I started my business as there was a hole in the market – I couldn’t find what I wanted to buy, so I made it. Even prior to the pandemic I primarily worked remote. And as a result, my wardrobe became 90% workout and lounge wear. As someone who loves style, the lack of attractive but cozy options was crazy to me and it seemed like a really obvious niche. I have degrees in textile and fashion design, so in early 2020 I dusted off my old sewing skills and began to play with a few different sample style ideas I had in mind – different versions of open front fleece jackets with patchwork and appliqued details on their backs. Read more>>
Tim Moret | Owner and all around Geek
I really wanted to create something that could help out the community by giving back. Read more>>
Jay Roth | Creative Guy, Writing, Nice Guy
Going independent as a concept-minded copywriter was something I plotted a long time ago. Being thick in the weeds working full time for a pair of large, well-known Denver agencies, my plan was twofold. First, do great work and earn the trust of hundreds of peers who would later migrate to crosstown shops and second, train myself to float back and forth between different types of clients without a hitch. To give you an example, I spent years developing lampoonish campaigns for Keystone Light beer. Fun stuff. Wacky stuff. Read more>>