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.

Katie Liberatore

I didn’t start A Mom’s Guide to Survive because I had a polished business plan. I started it because I was in crisis, and I didn’t want other moms to go through what I went through alone. I was navigating systems that were supposed to help, but instead made things worse. I saw how single moms, especially those living in poverty or surviving abuse, were treated as disposable. I saw how resources were scattered, how support came with conditions, and how silence was expected if you wanted help. Read More>> 

Shannon Donnelly

Honestly, I feel like entrepreneurship was in my blood. I grew up with a mother who ran Piñata Mexican Restaurant in Littleton—if you were around in the ’90s, chances are you ate there! Watching her build something from the ground up, create jobs, and bring people together over food gave me a front-row seat to what business could be when it’s rooted in community, I was almost making margaritas at 5 and serving tables by 7. Read More>> 

John Flynn

Creating something for Colorado by locals for locals without it just being a simple tye die. Read More>> 

Madelyn Schoderbek

As a resident of a lower income community, I saw a lack of quality product at a lower price level. By making smaller Read More>> 

Stacey Ownbey

I’ve worn a lot of hats over the years. Investment banking, finance, beauty, real estate. But at the core, I’ve always known I wanted to work for myself. Starting my own business in real estate gave me the creative freedom to build something that truly reflects who I am and how I want to serve others. Yes, I’m backed by a brokerage, but I get to choose who I work with and how I show up every day. I’ve bought and sold my own homes and saw firsthand how many agents skip over the education piece or sugarcoat the process.  Read More>> 

Logan Lakos & Ty Sondag Logan Lakos & Ty Sondag

Ty and I both share a deep love for travel and new experiences, and we come from strong events backgrounds. We were inspired by a simple but powerful idea: to bring people from all walks of life together to celebrate, experience new places and cultures, and meet new people in a safe, community-oriented way. That’s the heart of Denver Pub Crawl, an event series that combines the social energy and cultural discovery of nightlife experiences you see around the world, but which didn’t really exist in the U.S. in that authentic form. Read More>> 

Manu Ghaffari

If I start something new it ought to be high quality. Read More>>

Chris Lohrey

I wanted provide holistic healing at an affordable price so everyday people could afford it. Read More>> 

Brent Evans

For my whole life I said, “I’ll never start my own business, because when you own your own business, your business owns you.” Famous last words! Eight years ago, I discovered “Do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

I started out gathering photos and videos on the weekend for a land selling company located in Houston. He had me running all over the back country of WY, CO and NM. At the same time, I was being overextended at my M – F job and it was stressing me out.  Read More>> 

Erin Stebbins

I have always been an entrepreneur. Since I was a little girl. I was great with the girl scout cookie sales, I would make and sell my art, and there was always this relentless drive inside of me to do better, to grow and expand past where I was the day before, and to experiment and see what would work. It’s like it ignited the best parts of me, my creativity, my problem solving, and my love of connection with other people! Read More>> 

Natalie Kita

I feel like I was born an entrepreneur. I remember when I was 7 years old, I’d pull seeds out of seed pods that fell out of the tree in our front yard, put them in little envelopes and try to sell them door to door. I even made a pie stand to sell the dandelion-decorated mud pies I made!

When I was 15, I freelanced as a commercial jingle singer. When I was 23, I started a housecleaning business. When I was 31, I started a business writing custom wedding ceremonies and officiating them. At 38, I started a boudoir photography business. A few years later, I was teaching other photographers how to be successful in business. Read More>> 

Travis Dolan

Honestly, I started my business because I was tired of seeing incredible music sit unfinished—trapped on hard drives, just shy of the finish line. I’ve been there too, stuck in that same loop of frustration. I wanted to bridge that gap—to help artists take the spark they’ve lit and shape it into something polished, powerful, and ready to be heard. But more than that, I wanted to make the process feel human. Too often, artists just drop off a track and say, “Make it sound good.” But sounding good and feeling good are two completely different things. People don’t connect with what they can’t feel. So I built my business around connection—around real conversations, frequent check-ins, and a relationship rooted in trust, Read More>> 

Bilal Malik

My thought process behind starting my own business was driven by a few key things. First, a deep passion for martial arts not just as a physical practice but as a tool for personal development, discipline, and empowerment. I saw how it changed my own life, and I wanted to offer that same transformation to others.

Second, I realized that working under someone else’s system or structure often limited how much of myself I could bring into the teaching. I wanted the freedom to build a school that reflected my values, my style, and my mission especially around creating safe spaces for both kids and adults, and using martial arts as a method for building confidence, preventing harassment, and improving overall mental and physical health. Read More>>  

Shane Deitchman

Honestly, it came down to wanting more control over the quality of work I was putting out and how customers were treated. I’ve always believed (and my mom always told me) that if you’re going to do something, do it right the first time, no shortcuts. I saw too many companies cutting corners or just rushing through jobs, and that didn’t sit right with me. I wanted to build something that reflected my values: taking pride in my work, being reliable, and treating people’s homes like my own. Plus, I liked the idea of creating something for myself and my family that I could be proud of, and Ollie, my dog, gets to come along for the ride sometimes, so that’s a bonus. Read More>> 

Joe Imbriani

We had some friends involved in the youth baseball industry and there was no desirable family-owned outlet that offers unparalleled customer service to help assist in the league’s needs. We received some inquires on the niche and decided to start the business where we can help youth players and leagues. Read More>>

David Kon

The thought process behind starting WealthFluent was born from my own experience as a finance enthusiast wrestling with a complex portfolio. The available tools—clunky spreadsheets, expensive advisors, or generic platforms—fell short of addressing my unique financial goals and the dynamic nature of the market. So, with my partners, I set out to build a platform for ourselves, one that leveraged cutting-edge technology and data analytics to integrate real-time market data, personalized financial objectives, and sophisticated portfolio management into a single, intuitive tool. Read More>> 

Jalen Thomas

I was motivated to work for Walt Disney Imagineering and had the opportunity to intern there multiple times. However, I kept realizing how deeply connected I am to my family and the state of Colorado. I needed a position or role that felt like Disney—but right here in the Mile High City. Read More>> 

Caitlin Spurr Helen Peterson

Honestly, the thought process behind starting For Littles™ came from a mix of deep passion and real-life frustration. As parents and educators ourselves, we saw how overwhelming it was to find quality, research-based resources that actually worked in everyday life with young kids. There were so many “Pinterest-perfect” activities and not enough practical tools that supported real development in a joyful, playful way. Read More>> 

Cherelle Garcia

Thinking back, starting my own business wasn’t something I had originally planned or even considered as a career goal. In massage therapy school, we were constantly told that we should work for others first—to gain experience, build clientele, and get our footing. So, that’s what I assumed I’d do. The idea of starting a business fresh out of school felt totally out of reach. Read More>> 

Robert “COPE” Thompson

“Honestly, it started with a mix of caffeine, chaos, and the realization that I was building someone else’s dream instead of my own. I’ve always had this itch to create something that felt authentically me — something that blended my skills, my passion, and maybe just a little bit of rebellion against the 9-to-5 grind.
“It really started with two things: spray paint and socket wrenches. I grew up surrounded by street art and the hum of engines — two worlds that might seem opposite, but to me, they’re both about self-expression and breaking boundaries. Graffiti taught me how to tell a story without saying a word. Building custom cars and bikes taught me how to turn a vision into reality — with a lot of busted knuckles and late nights along the way.  Read More>> 

Kerri Cole

I’ve always seen myself as a constant creator—someone who’s naturally drawn to bringing beauty into the world through a visual lens. My first venture was a retail store in Cherry Creek North called **Americana Home Collection**, which I opened at just 26. Since then, starting businesses has just been part of who I am—whether it was interior design, staging, photo shoot styling, or even a party website, it was never a big debate, just a feeling of *this is what I’m doing next* because it lit me up. With this latest venture, I wanted to take everything I’ve learned over the years and really show up—creating something meaningful while always evolving, improving, and staying curious. Read More>> 

Jennesa Yanez

I began my career in community mental health and stayed in that world for many years. It gave me a strong foundation, but over time, I began to feel the limitations of working within a system that didn’t always allow for the depth or wholeness I wanted to bring to my clients. I’ve always believed in the powerful connection between mental, emotional, and physical health, but I found myself restricted in how I could integrate these aspects of care. Read More>> 

Betsy Fowler

I knew that I always wanted to help others. That was the reason I became a nurse. But I felt a certain level of burn out and disconnect in working hospital jobs. Then, I experienced the profound impact of somatic healing that helped me connect with my own inner clarity and wisdom after so many years of living in the fog of high anxiety, indecisiveness, and disconnection. I felt so authentic when guiding and coaching others in this. I knew that I wanted to start my own business to do this impactful work. Thankfully, I had lots of people in my community who were entrepreneurs who helped me see the possibilities for starting my own business. So I thought, why not go for it and live out what I’m passionate about. Read More>> 

Kyle Webb

Thats a great story…it was completly on a whim! i had a partnership agreement on my desk for a year that had not gone anywhere apparantly due to one partner not jiving with me. One day our principal Archiect insisted we go to lunch to talk about it and as soon as we sat down, he said that “i would never be a partner as long as he was there.” i promptly got up and left…and went home devistated. i slept on it and went to work the next morning and resigned. i had nothing in order, no work lined up but was going to make a go of it! Six months later, i had four aspiring Architects on my team…one of them is still with me after 26 years! Read More>> 

Nathan Simpson

Raven Wick Candle Company began as a passion project and creative outlet for me—a way to combine my love of beautiful fragrances, safe and thoughtful products, and the dream of building something meaningful. With the support and help from my husband Kevin, I took the leap of faith to bring this vision to life, inspired by the desire to create a simple yet elegant home fragrance brand rooted in quality, authenticity, and connection. Read More>> 

Briana Pisani

After surviving breast cancer and learning to love my own body again, I wanted to create a space where self-care feels affordable, accessible, and real – not some bougie, out-of-reach luxury. At Haus of Bri, you can show up exactly as you are and leave feeling confident, glowing, and fully yourself. Read More>>