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.

Hannah Chism | Mental Health Therapist & Career Coach

Peripateo Consulting was born out of a passion for getting to walk alongside people in their life journey. This passion started for me at a young age and has continued to grow. I have always loved hearing people’s stories, but stepped into this more deeply as a backpacking guide for adolescents during college. I then chose an undergraduate degree in Secondary English Education out of a desire to help students rewrite their narratives – to empower them to not be defined by hurts or trauma. Read more>>

Schwa Michel | Founder and curator, Fables of the Fall

Back in 2017 I was playing acoustic solo sets, piratey folk-punky singer-songwriter kind of stuff. I’d been in the Colorado folk-punk scene for several years at that point, and wanted to step up and make some more intricate music, a sort of “grown-up version” of folk-punk. Read more>>

Kari Sanders | Personal Concierge| Lifestyle Management

Pink Umbrella was inspired the last image I had when walking out the door to our condo before I left for the office. We have a balcony that gets a lot of afternoon Colorado sun so we have a Pink Umbrella to help with the heat. I would turn to lock the door, say goodbye to our pugs and think to myself how I wish that I was going to my “office” under the Pink Umbrella. Read more>>

Elena Rayo | Singer, Songwriter and Owner of Ancient Wave Studios

As a professional musician, and having recorded many different records at different studios, I noticed that often the studios either were very sterile in environment or weren’t necessarily inspiring. As an artist I feel that it’s important to have the right setting for your creativity. Read more>>

Connor Murphy | Owner & Operator of Murphy’s Lawn Maintenance LLC

My Lawn Maintenance business was not an overnight thought that I just jumped on all of the sudden. It took a lot of thought, previous experience, and a whirl wind of events that eventually all fell into place for me at the right time. Being a Division-1 collegiate athlete at the highest level, only one thing is on your mind, making it to the next level. Read more>>

Caitlin Maestrini | Owner of Teak New York

My love for design started when I was in undergraduate school near Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater house. I ended up working there as a tour guide for three years and discovered my love of architecture and furniture. At the time, I was studying to become an art teacher, which I did do for 4 years following graduation. After I left teaching, I pursued a master’s degree in Art Business at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Read more>>

Madison Hernandez | Business Owner & Artist Manager

The initial idea to start a live music agency came to me organically and with a little nudge from my (now) husband about five years ago. He started a DJ/MC company for weddings, and we quickly realized that many couples wanted to add elements of live music to complement the DJ services. We recognized a need in the market that we could work together to fulfill. Read more>>