Ideas aren’t everything, execution matters greatly, but starting often requires an idea and so we asked folks to think back and tell us the story of how they came up with the idea for their businesses. We’ve highlighted some of our favorite stories below.

Kristin Lopez | Love Like Lenny, Founder

Well, it started as a stirring in my head and in my heart to make a difference. I’ve hesitated for about two years to share this, not knowing what would come of it. But then my passion started to rise, the on going rush of heartache and sadness we see on the news began to weigh on me more heavily and I feel the call now more than ever to do my part in making this world a better place. All of the typical clichés started piling up and from all directions. Stop Dreaming, Start Planning-If not today then when?-Life’s too short-Lead by example- what have you got to lose?- and here’s a favorite—90% of succeeding is showing up. All that to be said, here is the real magic… Read more>>

Joni Danao | Owner of Milestones + Moments

Back in Hawaii, I worked in the Banquet Department for Four Seasons and truly loved setting up and being a part of events. With each occasion and event whether it was small or large, I enjoyed decorating tables, meeting the guests, and watching them enjoy these milestones and moments in their life. After moving to Colorado, I missed setting up events and wanted to start a business where I can be as creative and innovative as I want to be. Through social media, I noticed that luxury picnics has become an ideal way to have a more intimate gathering and I wanted to be a part of that world. One day I woke up, and began building Milestones + Moments to help curate luxury picnic and events for peoples special moments in their life. Read more>>

Aric Bianchi | Personal Chef

We were fortunate to live in a beautiful city called Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for about 2.5 years from 2017-2020. During the time, we learned that people enjoy house parties, and we thought we can have cool experiences to become a personal chef because we both have extended career in the restaurant/service industries. From the successful experiences we got in Mexico, we realized that we can continue this path when we came back to Denver, Colorado in 2020. Read more>>

Yunuell Sanchez Gonzalez | ESL Instructor & Businesswoman

Coming from a Hispanic/Latino background I always saw the challenges of not speaking English brought to the people that were around me. I started my journey as an ESL instructor at the age of 19, striving not only to teach but to learn and help people achieve their goals. I got the idea for an ESL Center a few years back, I worked on my teaching skills, I put to practice everything I had learned and little by little everything fell into place and I was able to finally open Aztlan ESL Learning Center Read more>>

Joe and Shannon Terrell | Wedding DJ & Photographer Duo

I (Joe) started DJing weddings about ten years ago when I was in college. I had a lot of friends getting married at the time, and I saw it as a way to help them save money. I literally had no business plan, but solely by word of mouth, I eventually went from doing friends’ weddings to friends of friends’ weddings to strangers’ weddings. Maybe because I initially didn’t view DJing weddings as a “serious” career path, I felt free to experiment with how my DJ shows looked and felt. On my own accord, I’d bring glowsticks, fog and bubble machines, sound-activated lights, and confetti cannons to the weddings I’d be DJing to provide a unique and engaging experience. Read more>>