Thinking through the whether to start something new

Starting a business can be terrifying. Weighing the pros and cons, the risks, and other considerations can be so overwhelming that often promising entrepreneurs stop before they even start. We asked some phenomenal entrepreneurs about their thought process behind starting their own businesses. Our hope is that by making the thought-process less intimidating we can help more folks think through whether they should take an entrepreneurial leap.
To tell people in Japan how life in America is like. Read more>>
I have always been a top performing sales career individual and grew to manage top performing sales teams. During my MBA we were told we’d start a fake LLC and throughout our studies we’d learn about the different stages of running a business. I decided to form an actual LLC, M3 Tactical Tech. By the time I was done with my MBA I had a real company in an industry I have a passion for, high end custom knives and tools. Read more>>
I started my own real estate brokerage firm and I became frustrated with the lack of software available to small businesses. I originally intended to stay in the real estate industry but after years of building my own small business solutions, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertising, I finally developed a suite of apps that were not only free but super effective in accomplishing my business objectives. Read more>>
I wanted to compliment the burgeoning denim business with a “jean-friendly” “sweat-shirt sweater”! Read more>>
My husband Charlie and I founded A Child’s Song (ACS) in 1999 in response to our community’s need for excellent musical training combined with evidence-based music programs designed to support youth who learn differently. Read more>>
I started my business to help grow the shotgun sports of Trap, Skeet, and Sporting Clays. Since it’s a sport that just about anyone can do. It doesn’t matter if you are young, Old, Male or Female. Read more>>
I never felt like I fit into the “normal” operating world, especially regarding scheduling. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts & spent the majority of my adult years waiting tables & bartending. I felt more free in jobs with human connection, opposed to “stable” office jobs. Read more>>
What was your thought process behind starting your own business? Aside from wanting the freedom to work for ourselves, my collective partners and I were looking to have more control over the ethics of our work. Artists, creatives, and designers often work behind the scenes and often for companies where they don’t have much say in the production process. Read more>>
I want women to set their future selves TF up, relentlessly, regardless of relationship status. I know you can be either the CEO of a household or a side hustle but both positions need their future to be clear and supportive. Read more>>
After years of working for other companies and making their businesses stronger we kept fantasizing about the idea of having our own little shop of horrors. One of the biggest draws, I think, was being our own bosses. We wanted to have our own place in order to create and hopefully sell our art in all its forms. Read more>>
My first career was as a professional civil engineer in a consulting office. Besides having to design, I also had to manage project costs and budgets. It was a business after all. I took that to heart when I began “living the dream” as a poet making a living though my work, I understood that my poetry was also a sort of business. I began to think of myself as an entrepreneur and formed my own company. Read more>>
Nonprofit organizations (NPO) are critical in filling gaps in the community – often serving those left behind by the private and/or public sectors. There are many great NPOs in Jefferson County working with vulnerable individuals and families, and with the growing affordable housing and subsequent homelessness crisis, came a growing need for NPOs serving our unhoused neighbors. Read more>>
I worked for years at an hourly job and it was GREAT until it wasn’t. During lockdowns, I had a lot of time to think and learn and grow (as so many others did) and I found that I was working my ass off to make someone else a TON of money. I knew that my time was more valuable than the return I was getting for all of my efforts so I started exploring other options. Read more>>
I have always wanted the freedom to not only control my schedule, but control the services and quality I offer my clients. After I received my esthetician’s license I worked for a spa for a year and a half. Whilst working there I was able to build up my skills in the industry, and I think working for someone else when you are starting in a field is an opportunity everyone should take. Read more>>
After 14 years of helping to manage the Dillon Marina, my family & I took a year off to travel outside the US. When we returned, I knew I wanted to do something for myself, and with no job to come back to, there was no better time to give it a shot. I have always had a creative side, but due to work and family responsibilities, there was never time to fully explore that side of myself. Read more>>
UN-17 was a full seven year process. There was excitement and many challenges along the way. I spent about one year designing, researching and organizing the concept of UN-17. It took about one year to get both our 501c3 and 501c7 designations from the IRS and roughly six months to create our partnership with the United Nations 17 goals of sustainable development. Read more>>
It was an easy decision. I’ve always loved Kentucky and I’ve painted my whole life. My entire business is based around Kentucky themed artwork, and I love every minute of it. Read more>>
When I first started Pride and Less Prejudice, I never expected it to become what it is today. In 2019, I was talking to a friend of mine who is a second grade teacher about an instance in her classroom where a kid said something like “a girl can’t have a girlfriend,” and she stepped in to correct them. Read more>>
Growing up in Brooklyn, NY as an artist and a creative, it was extremely hard to get my foot in the door especially since I didn’t have access to many resources to expand my creativity. Now that I have a huge lead way, I wanted to be a valuable resource in my community for many others like me. Read more>>
INHERENT was actually the third startup I created, the inception of INHERENT however, was unlike anything i’ve been a part of before. I’ve always been the person that saw something they wanted to do and created it for myself and others to share in. I’ve tried and failed multiple times in the past to create a sustainable business but learned so much from each failure. Read more>>
Life-long creatives and performing artists for our entire lives, we pivoted to the world of design almost accidentally when we moved to Denver in 2020. The pandemic brought us West from New York City, and within 48 hours (literally!), we transformed a blank-slate two-bedroom apartment into a contemporary, vintage-inspired loft. Read more>>
As an actress in the early 2010s, it was hard finding Asian or Hispanic roles that were fleshed out and interesting — and honestly, that weren’t stereotypical or problematic! I started writing my own monologues, one-woman shows and plays so I could share my story in my voice. It was so liberating being able to create and play characters that shared my experiences and dreams. Read more>>
After going alcohol free ourselves and coaching thousands of others through it, we recognized a need for navigating life alcohol-free and the importance of having a safe community to do that exploration within. We realized we had created something special with our group of coaching friends and how important it was to our own personal growth, and we wanted to provide a space like that for others to grow and thrive. Read more>>
The thought process of starting my own business was very sporadic and unprepared. I have been painting, creating logos, posters, and wall art for years. People encouraged me to start my own business and sell art to the masses. Sounded easy, right? After all, I was a stay at home mom and had a great opportunity to pursue my dream. This was partially true: Read more>>
I really never wanted to be a business owner. I know! Sounds crazy enough. I have been in the Carpet Cleaning business for over 23 years and a business owner starting around 2014. I really watched a lot of businesses thrive and also take many hardships. I saw a lot of business owners struggle in many ways and found it heartbreaking but also a bit concerning to ever think about running my own business. Read more>>
My entire life I have always surrounded myself with animals, especially dogs. Coming home to my dog and seeing how excited she would get that I am finally back home would make all of my stressful problems go away. I take care of my pets as if they were my own child and I would go to the extreme to protect them. When I moved to Colorado from New Jersey I started to work with a dog walking company called Poop In A Group and it was amazing to see how many dogs are actually in this state. Read more>>
Vampire Shot Glass started with a viral video on TikTok. I simply referred to a menstrual cup as a vampire shot glass. People were saying how much they would love a Vampire Shot Glass menstrual cup so a couple of days later I hired a lawyer and started the trademark process. Read more>>
I was tired of swing shirt listed for ridiculous prices everywhere you looked. Along with how the fashion industry treats plus size people making us pay a fat tax. I refuse to have a fat tax in my company. I’ve personally will pay the money to get the extra size so my customers can have a wonderful experience. Read more>>
I’ve always been on the academic track, finishing all the degrees. . . but it never quite felt like the right fit. I love learning, and I love education, but at the end of it, I felt like a bit of a phony – as though the title ‘Scientist’ just didn’t sit quite right. To that end, I thought moving to own my own business would feel more like something I could mold into something that felt more like me. Read more>>
That’s a great question. I’d start out by saying that I always felt drawn to start a business. The very first business that I started was a small project that I and a friend of mine had thought up at the time. We’d noticed our colleagues’ interest in fiction, art and story-telling and so we started our very first pop-up comic book business. Read more>>