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.

Rene Rile | Owner/Operator of Snack Attack Vending ll

I’m sure my story begins as most entrepreneurs do; we typically have a passion for new beginnings. I am an Army veteran who transitioned into insurance auto claims, the collections industry and civil service. I had a yearning to be in control of my own universe. My thought process was to find a business that would be profitable, enjoyable, simplistic and self-sustaining. Plain and simple, I wanted to be my own boss and have 100% command of my destiny. Read more>>

Amy Kahn | Private Chef & Cookbook Author

My thought process in starting my own business was to be able to have autonomy over my schedule, freedom over the creative process and the ability to choose which cooking related events I wanted to dedicate my efforts to. I admire women who own their own businesses that can maximize their skill sets and make a conscious effort to allow time for their families and personal growth. By owning my own business, I felt like this was the best way to have the work/life balance that I needed. Read more>>

Christin Fasuga | Home Organizer and Wardrobe Consultant

For me, starting my own business didn’t really entail much of a thought process, but more so what just sort of happened. In hs and college, I never had a pull towards any one career in particular because many avenues intrigued me. This led me to often feel lost and confused about “who I wanted to be”. All I really wanted to do was work to save enough money so that I could plan for my next international travel. I loved experiencing all that life could offer, learning about the world and cultures, and connecting with all types of people. After doing this throughout my 20’s, I knew it was time to settle down and “grow up”. So, in 2007 my mother and I decided to open up a resale clothing boutique in Chicago. This was my first business. Read more>>

Josh Monopoli | Private Chef & Caterer

Two things are as true today as when I started cooking professionally 22 years ago: I love to feed people, and I love express my creativity through food. Working for myself allows me the freedom to be true to my purpose, and cook the way I love to, for as many people as possible. Stepping away from the traditional restaurant Chef role allows me to make personal connections and relationships with my clients, while maintaining maximum professional satisfaction. Running my own business allows cooking to remain a joy, and not just a job! Read more>>

Dab Vinson | Founder and Professional Wildman

From a very young age I’ve always been concerned about having a “job” with a flexible schedule. I’m not sure why exactly – maybe it stems from growing up in competitive sports combined with a vigorous academic schedule. So for me – starting my own business was all about having freedom. Read more>>

Megan Franklin | Mental Health Therapist and Owner of Fenn Collection USA

I had already owned my own mental health private practice for a few years. Although I am passionate about mental health, it wasn’t really a business model I could get my family involved in. The idea of being able to step away from the intricacies of mental health and into something fun, colorful and uplifting was enticing. I shared my idea with my family and they got very excited about it. My children (ages 5, 9 and 10 at the time) began asking such thoughtful questions about the process of identifying a product, contacting a company and working towards importing a product line. They asked about production, shipping and warehousing, I could really see that just the idea of doing this was making their cogs turn about an industry we have never really thought about before. Read more>>

Zoe Rogers | Comic and Stand Up Comedy teacher

My thought behind producing was that I wanted to put together more diverse line ups than I was seeing. Instead of having some big confrontation with producers that only booked straight white men, I lead by example and showed what an actual diverse show looked like. So often I see flyers on line, even now, that are all men and it is so tempting to just comment and say “book more women” but often that’s met with hostility, which isn’t to say I haven’t done that before. Fortunately I’ve also had producers reach out to me and asked for a list of female or diverse comics, so that creates room for a conversation about how there should always be women on their show-like more than one. Try half, it’s not hard, particularly in Colorado with a huge amount of talented people. Read more>>

Lauren Young | RN, Doula

In 2022 – I was working as a Postpartum nurse and officially begun my doula passion. At 29 years old, I was diagnosed with Long-haul Covid, POTS, Pericarditis, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), and was ordered to stop working and prioritize rest and healing by my cardiologist. During this downtime I was faced with the reality of not being able to continue my career as a doula or nurse, and no income. One night while meditating, praying (and sobbing), a sense of calm washed over me. I realized that I was in control of my reaction to the situation I was in and that I could still be of service in the birthing community one way or another someday. I reached out to a doula friend who offered to let me borrow her camera until I could afford my own and the rest is history! Read more>>