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.

Tom Pepe | Artist & Professor

We didn’t think of KnowMads as a business, at first, we thought of it as a movement. There was a real community in the hip hop scene, when we were growing up in Seattle, and we felt like that was what we were creating with our music. Another branch of the hip hop community – it wasn’t until we were making money from streaming sales and merch that we thought of it as a business. Still sometimes I want to give away our merch, but alas one must deal with a capitalist world in order to survive. Read more>>

Casey Addason | Photographer & Actor

I’m an entrepreneur at heart! Always have been, I guess… I created a media production business in my early 20’s, then a screen-printing shop that grew over 10 years. I just have the personality type of being self employed. It’s certainly not easy, but at least in this regard, one is culpable for their own successes and failures. And I like that. Read more>>

Viridiana Wilson | Wedding Photographer

Starting my own business began with thinking about the flexibility it would afford me. Being my own boss allows a freedom to be as creative as I would like , and to choose how much work I take on. Work and life balance was the foundation that set me on this course. Read more>>

Rebecca Durst | Owner of Head Over Boots Boutique

Head Over Boots Boutique is an online boutique that offers unique women’s clothing, accessories, and of course, BOOTS! Located in Johnstown, CO, there aren’t many places nearby to shop, especially clothing boutiques. We offer free local pickup, and delivery to Johnstown and Milliken residents. Our boots were made for expanding so a long-term goal is to open a brick-and-mortar store in Historic Downtown Johnstown. Read more>>

Laura Griffin | Psychic Reader, Healer & Handmaker

At the time of starting my own business, it was 2018 and I was lost. I had graduated college and began working in my field, but realized that it wasn’t meant for me. I was discouraged, confused, and couldn’t imagine living that way for the rest of my life. I started using candle making, jewelry making, and other handmade works as a creative outlet for my stress & depression. I quickly realized that it brought me so much joy – and sparked an entrepreneurial flame inside me! My dad was an entrepreneur his entire life, so I think I naturally had that attitude as well, but I didn’t know it was inside me at the time. Read more>>

Amy Kunstle | Culinary Incubator, Registered Dietitian, Certified Speech-Language Pathologist

Choosing to be an entrepreneur was never a choice for me. It is knit so tightly into my DNA that it is as reflexive as breathing. It has allowed me throughout my career to customize my calling and skills into a unique way of serving others that is mission driven, but, allows me to cross the lanes of my interests to find fulfillment in a creative fusion of service. Read more>>

Missy Lechuga | Founder and Program Director

I was working in the local elementary school and recognized the amount of need in the community. There are not typically as many services offered to low income families in the suburbs as compared to urban areas. It felt as though I had a front row seat in watching hard working families struggling to make ends meet and I knew I wanted to help. Read more>>

Kari Schaff | Artist

I was always afraid of putting myself out there, being judged, not being good enough, failing. As I have gotten older, and dare I say wiser, I realized failure is not necessarily a bad thing. Its how we grow and learn. I have also learned that other peoples opinions don’t define who I am or justify my art. Putting my art out there was scary for me but how would I truly know until I took that step. So I jumped in and entered my first Art Fair in 2021 followed by opening up my Etsy shop a few months later. Read more>>

Colleen Toth | Chiropractor

I had worked for a few chiropractors before starting my own business. However, I always felt unsatisfied with their business models. My cup wasn’t full – I wasn’t able to spend the time and quality of care that I wanted to with these patients. Instead of spending 5-10 minutes with a patient and only focus on adjustments, I now spend around 30-40 minutes with a patient with a more unique and specialized treatment tailored to each patient. Read more>>

Richard Mathes | President & C.E.O

I believe business comes from purpose. Your purpose in life should help define your life’s works. Bridging the gap between marketing and humanity builds clarification. Something cherished by all. It confirm your thoughts or give you insight to something that may benefit you for life. Communication though music thought me to use my voice. Experiential marketing created proof of concept. A connection between the two created transparence. Transparence created value. I built Market Horse based on value, transparence and integrality. The things I value the most in raising a family! Read more>>

Daniel Huerter | CEO and Founder of Pure Spectrum CBD

This business was imperative for me to start. I learned about CBD in 2014 and went to a grand opening event for a CBD business where I met a veteran and a child with Dravet Syndrome. Both of them had incredible stories about how CBD changed their life. Read more>>

Ben & Janna Marmon | Owners of Little Luck Farmette

**** Social Impact: How does your business help the community or world? We host 2 community events a year at the farmette, The Spring Fling and The Fall Fling! These events are family-friendly and feature local vendors, food trucks and live music. We partner with local non-profits to raise funds for their causes and encourage community members to mingle with one another and make new connections. Read more>>

Britney Kelley | Lifestyle/Wedding Photographer and Adventurer

My thought process of start my own business wasn’t much of a thought process at all. I started doing photography because I loved taking photos and capturing my own memories . I always loved the out doors and how it made me feel so I wanted a way to remember that and share that. After a while, and the power of social media I was able to share my photos and my work through that and grab the attention of others. Then the thought process kicked in, “wow I could do this and make a living” from there I learned more from the business side of it and just decided to go for it! Read more>>

Benjamin Hunter | Writer, Director & Producer

I wanted to create my own original stories, both documentaries and narrative films. The other part was I wanted to tell stories that everyone could enjoy. We live in an age with a lot of moral and creative freedom in the media we consume. I wanted to tell stories that align with my beliefs and that I would be comfortable showing my kids. Read more>>

Keva Edwards-Davis | Business Owner & Serial Entrepreneur

The thought process behind starting my own business was one of necessity really. I was in a position that if I didn’t do it I felt as though I wouldn’t have stability in my career in order to grow. It wasn’t what I was planning to do at the time but something that presented itself and needed to be seized. Read more>>

Emily Jacobs | Owner of Fancy Snacks Charcuterie

My business actually started as a pandemic hobby back in 2020. I worked in morning radio for about ten years and, when the world shut down, it became increasingly difficult to do a radio show while simultaneously taking care of my three toddlers. I started to explore fun/healthy ways to entertain them, and that’s when “fancy snack time” began. I started making little charcuterie/cheese/fruit/veggie platters for them every day for lunch. Read more>>

Andrew Curtis | Owner & CEO

My original impetus behind starting my own business was to provide a professional, insured face for my independent contracting work as well as be able to establish a branded reputation for safety and quality work in the music and event industry. Read more>>

Laurie Zalewski | Owner& Founder

As a former registered nurse, RN, I saw the need for well bred service dogs with predictable temperaments. We had many dogs brought in to the hospital where I worked by patients who had bad temperaments or were lacking training because they were acquired from irresponsible breeders or picked up from a shelter or rescue and expected to be able to do a certain job. Read more>>

Angi Beauheim | Watercolor artist and jewelry maker, creating Cats…in…spaaaaaace.

It’s very important to my husband and I to have careers that we enjoy and feel good about. When we moved to Loveland for his job, social media was becoming less enjoyable so I decided not to try to grow my digital marketing company in a new location – plus I had a two year old and a newborn. I decided that Loveland, an amazing arts community, was a good place to focus on becoming professional artist. Read more>>

Britt Brashear | Wedding Planner + Designer

I was inspired to start a wedding planning business after planning and designing my own wedding. I had so much fun combining my planning and organizational skills with my interest in interior design. Plus, planning a mountain wedding in our little corner of the state was pretty great too. I was an elementary school teacher for 11 years, so it was scary to make the switch and start my own business, but I’m so happy I did! Read more>>

Ashley Enroth | Crafter

In all honesty, Gnome Nook didn’t start as a business idea. To me, the business portion was created by several amazing communities here in Colorado. Making these little guys was a relaxing creative outlet that I could do around my young daughter, as a single parent that became important for any activity I was spending time on. Not only was I able to craft around her, but she got excited about them as well. Read more>>

Alina Brannan | Massage therapist

“Why can’t I?” Replayed in my head for a little while before I took the jump to start my own business. If so many people do it, why can’t I?
I thought about all the pros and cons and there was just so many pros!
First, flexibility in your time. Nobody telling you when to show up when to take holidays. Second, making 3 times the amount that I had before.
Next time you want something and have doubts or think you can’t, ask yourself “why can’t I?” Read more>>

Vee Lopez | PMU Specialist | Esthetician

I knew I always wanted to run my own business, I was just never sure what career path it was going to be. I was going to school to get my estheticians license when it hit me that doing eyebrows was a natural calling, I wanted to make people feel good about themselves In any way that I could, but I wanted to do so with services and techniques that were different and not very common in our area. I had a vision to bring what we were missing here closer to home. Read more>>

Jessica Judkins | Travel Agent

Ever since I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a Stay at Home Mom. When I got married, I mentioned this to my husband and he supported me in my desire to stay at home when we had children. I continued to work, until I got pregnant with our first child. I’ve loved being at home with our daughter. However, there’s still a desire to help out with the family income. So, I looked into some remote jobs. Finding nothing I wanted to really do, I looked into starting my own business as a travel agent. Read more>>