Our city is home to so many incredible businesses and so we asked the founders how they came up with the ideas for their businesses and have shared their responses below.

Nicole Mattson | Owner/Operator of Nocturne

In my very early 20’s, I was studying hospitality at the University of Denver while my husband was studying music education and performing as a jazz drummer. I would go to his gigs and observe the structure and culture of the bars and venues that he played in from my hospitality perspective and often thought about how changes in the experience of the venue could change the experience of the audience. Nearly a decade later, when we were both in jobs that had strayed from our original plans, we determined that the timing was right to try and bring a fresh experience to the jazz scene. I read an article about how jazz was dead and that the audience was aging. Our idea was to create an environment with really wonderful hospitality – craft cocktails, seasonal food, the things you might expect from the best restaurant in town and combine that with live jazz, you might attract a new audience. Read more>>

Alicia Jacobs | Licensed Esthetician and Skincare Educator

I’m a licensed esthetician and spent 10 years as a skincare trainer for top professional brands, but during and since the pandemic, the aesthetics industry has grown exponentially. I started to see more and more nurses, NP’s and PA’s moving from traditional medicine into aesthetics, and without that background in skincare, the training I was doing for these brands wasn’t enough. I realized there were tons of ‘boot camp’ style courses to introduce new providers to injectables, lasers and other hands-on treatments, but nothing catering to the skin part of the business. With my training background and love of education, I felt I could provide that skincare bootcamp in an easy-to-use digital format and now offer 10 on-demand courses for skincare providers through my website! Read more>>

Miriam Jeannette Nunez – Moulin Gasson | Accountant & Business Consultant

In my professional career, I’ve encountered many talented individuals with immense potential to become successful business owners. Unfortunately, due to a lack of guidance and information, these individuals often remain employees, using their natural talents and skills to enrich their employers’ businesses, while missing out on the opportunity to build something of their own. On the other hand, I’ve also noticed that many business owners, especially Hispanics, have been paying hefty penalties to the government or facing high-interest charges from insurance companies. This is often due to a lack of knowledge, information, and advice available in their own language. Read more>>

Mary Grothe | 3x Founder CEO, Bestselling Author, Motivational Speaker, and Fearless Christ Follower

After years of being an entrepreneur with two companies and one successful sale, I decided to shift paths and start a different kind of business – a professional performance-speaking career in the faith-based category. I decided to take my previous corporate keynote speaking career, which was mixed into my second company, House of Revenue, where I spoke about building revenue engines and helping CEOs scale their companies, and trade it in for something more aligned with my heart. In August of 2023, I decided to go all in and carve out a new category for myself. I am not your typical motivational speaker. With my years of training and experience in the performing arts, I bring a theatrical performance that is accompanied by stunning videos, audio, and props, creating the ultimate transformative experience for the audience. I see myself as a performance artist for high-impact, faith-fueled conferences and Christian music concerts—a perfect performer for ‘in-between’ sets that will move your audience! Read more>>