Starting and growing a business is hard, but often deciding to start the business in the first place is even harder. We asked some successful entrepreneurs from around the community to open up to us about how they thought about starting a business.

Leigh & Carlos Lopez | Outdoor Retail/ Guided Services

We found an opportunity with outdoor recreation on the horizon that would need a shouldering industry to provide the retail and experiential services for the people coming to our community. We decided to pivot from our previous careers (medical and business management) to forge ahead in a niche that wasn’t provided by a similar business plan. We have found that through hard work, calculated risks, a healthy savings account and good credit we were able to leverage ourselves into a position of opportunity. We are living the dream and continue to strive for great customer service, quality goods and consistent hours of operation. Read more>>

Paige Goss | Founder / CEO / Angel Investor

I originally wanted to start PSG based on a deep desire to have more diversity in technology. I had been involved in technology for my career to that point and saw the challenges that existed for women in leadership and wanted to change what was possible. I left my corporate role at the end of 2016 and set out on a crazy journey of starting and running a company. What I didn’t know at the time was how much I cared about the overall impact I wanted to have on my community and on other entrepreneurs. Read more>>

Brennan Sullivan | Founder, Northern Colorado Cars and Coffee

I’ve been a car enthusiast for as long as I can remember, and attending car shows became a family tradition growing up. Eventually, I had an ambition to start planning automotive events of my own, hosting my first car show when I was 13 for car enthusiasts in my neighborhood. This led me to conceptualize a community hub for the entire region, which would soon became Northern Colorado Cars and Coffee. Read more>>

Angelle Fouther | Principal of Kindred Communications LLC

I’d spent my career as a communications professional working primarily in nonprofit organizations. This helped me hone my skills in a variety of ways. It also helped me live out my passion for helping communities tell their stories and gain access to amenities equitably. However, while I chose to work with organizations that declared a commitment to equity, I found that their strategies didn’t always align with what I would do. Being the head of Kindred Communications and working as a consultant to organizations offers me leverage and an ability to influence in ways I couldn’t in a hierarchical framework. Read more>>

Shannon DeGrooms | Executive Director

Like some entrepreneurs, hardship and gut instinct led me to start a business. After surviving a violent carjacking in 2016, I was left riddled with symptoms of PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. After months of struggling, someone suggested that I try medicinal cannabis, which after much trepidation, I did. I saw a reduction in my symptoms almost immediately. I was able to leave my house again, to move my body again, and most importantly, my recurring nightmares about that evening began to dissipate. That experience led to the creation of, This is Jane Project, a CA & CO nonprofit organization that sheds light, builds community, and uplifts the lives of women and non-binary trauma survivors. To date, we have served nearly 3k survivors, or “Janes”, with access to healing-centered events, low-to-no-cost cannabis in Denver and Los Angeles, and heavily discounted physician’s recommendations. Read more>>

Chris Sherland | Music Educator

I was laid off during the pandemic from a job that had become a bit stagnate. I was ready for something new anyway, and in a way I saw that lay off as a great change agent. But I think no one had real solutions on how to repair or redirect a career path under those circumstances, and so I found myself a bit paralyzed. Read more>>

Shane Petersen | Founder of Glacial Gear

Six years ago, after reigniting my passion for backpacking, I encountered a simple yet frustrating dilemma: the absence of a suitable sweat towel that could effortlessly attach to my backpack strap. My ideal towel was nowhere to be found in the market—it had to be lightweight, durable, and crafted from merino wool for its exceptional moisture-wicking and odor-resistant properties. Unwilling to compromise, I crafted my own solution. What began as a personal project, a mere extension of my hobby, gradually morphed into something much larger. Encouraged by a friend deeply rooted in the industry, I realized the potential impact and demand for such a product. About a year after my initial creation, I decided to take the leap; I started producing these towels to sell online. What started as a pursuit fueled by personal need and passion seamlessly transitioned into a burgeoning business and a second career. This journey from backpacker to entrepreneur underscores the organic transformation of a simple idea, born out of necessity, into a viable business venture. Read more>>

Elizabeth Brambila | Owner at C & E Perfect Cleaning Services + CEO at Brambelii + Founder at Gio’s Purpose Foundation

Five years ago; at 15 years old, my youngest brother, Johnny had an accident and lost his ability to walk. My family was devastated, and at the time, my parents lost their job and I almost lost mine after spending months at the hospital. This life transforming event led my family and I to realize we needed to have the flexibility and time to provide the additional support my brother needed. This motivated my mother and I to start our commercial cleaning business as partners, and we invested in a franchise with Coverall, one of the top commercial cleaning companies. Becoming business owners has not been easy, but it has allowed us to be able to prioritize family well-being as well as creating a business that provides a service to others and gives back to our community. Later in 2020; my middle brother, Giovanni, tragically passed away at only 18 years old. He left this world before even starting college, and he had so many big dreams and a full life ahead of him. He wanted to study Neuroscience because he was motivated and determined in finding a healing process for our brother Johnny. Gio was a brilliant and top student. specially in Math and Science. He had taken higher level education tests and had been accepted to several Universities. My second business; Brambelii, an online store, is dedicated to him and has created the Gio’s Purpose Foundation. The Gio’s Purpose Foundation is a scholarship fund that will serve to carry on his memory and make a positive impact in the lives of students. This scholarship will support students in need and help them achieve their educational goals, ensuring that my brother’s legacy lives on through the success and dreams of future generations. It is a way to honor his memory and fill others’ lives with hope! Read more>>

Lindsay Horning | Founder and Designer, Fresko Decor

My family and I love to spend open afternoons at our neighborhood pool, and one summer as we looked around for an open table, I couldn’t help but observe a common issue for many public spaces – the tables weren’t exactly spotless. Read more>>

Anjolie Ackerman | Wedding Planner

The idea of starting my own business stemmed from my childhood self always being a “girly girl”. I’ve always had a huge passion for everything pretty – hence why wedding planning was right up my alley. Read more>>

Bernard Bickerstaff | Entrepreneur

“I was drawn back to the world of basketball as I sought to enhance the caliber of basketball tournaments and inject a renewed energy into Colorado’s youth basketball scene. The opportunity to work alongside my family was an essential motivator in this pursuit, given our shared deep-rooted passion for basketball. Growing up in an NBA-centric family, basketball has always been more than just a sport to us – it’s a unifying force that brings us closer together.” Read more>>

Nick Schossow | Real Estate Broker Associate

I got my feet wet with a friend during the Summer’s of my college years of starting a business. That business was the stepping stone to staring my own businesses in the home service industry while living in Arizona. The 08′ recession was what started me on that path due to the job market for young adults entering the professional field during that time. I was able to successfully sell my service business in the pool industry which led me to going into the family business of real estate starting in 2015. Read more>>

Michelle Boyer | Founder, Arctic Lynx

Starting Arctic Lynx came from my own personal experience. When I was pregnant with my youngest daughter, I had recently moved to Maine, and wanted to be outside enjoying all that Maine has to offer, but it was cold. I searched for maternity wear and couldn’t find any baselayers or anything made with a technical fabric. My husband offered me his old, stretched out baselayers and right then the idea for Arctic Lynx was born. I wanted to make something that was high quality, durable and versatile that women could wear and feel good about how it fit and also break a sweat in it. And that’s what we make at Arctic Lynx, high quality, durable and versatile pieces that can be worn as a baselayer in cooler temps or a stand alone piece in warmer temps. The garments are made to fit well and be used hard! Read more>>

Katie Wedum | Yoga Instructor

I started my business Rooted Flight Yoga LLC because I wanted an outlet for my passion to grow. I completed my yoga certificate in 2020 in the midst of the Pandemic, and it proved to be a wonderful experience that changed the trajectory of my life. The yogic lifestyle has given me the skills to cope and even thrive during the uncertainty of life. I’m very new as an entrepreneur, but excited at the path ahead. Along with my in-studio classes I’ve been given the opportunity to teach yoga to teens, throw yoga birthday parties, and will be co-facilitating of a yoga teacher training in March. This training marks a new chapter in my journey. I’m excited to share the learning that helped me so immensely when I needed it most. Read more>>

Luana Coonen | Jewelry Designer & Goldsmith

In my last semester of college, my professor asked our classroom to share what everyone’s next chapter was. Amongst the answers of ‘go to graduate school’ or ‘attend an artist residency,’ I was one of the only two students who said ‘start my own business’. It was such a clear decision in my mind, I was surprised to hear there were other choices & options. My mother was an entrepreneur my whole childhood so I’m not sure if it was that, American idealism or sheer will which drove me to become a small business owner. Either way, I’m glad the drive was so strong, because that much motivation is needed to make it through the first few years. Read more>>