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.

Marcus Seay | CEO of All Out 6 Entertainment,Video Director, Manager, Podcast Host, and Music Artist

I wanted to create a business for music artist, but give them the space to not only be an artist, but to also expand their creativity . I wanted to surround artist with videographers, managers, and a space to start their own podcast or show and build their own brands and also have people around them to handle all the hard work so that each artist can just focus on their craft. I call it building a fortune 500 company within a fortune 500 company. Read more>>

Cyla Costa | Graphic Designer and Lettering Artist

When I graduated, I worked at a local design studio and didn’t see many possibilities for myself there. I needed to grow artistically, so I went to Barcelona and deepened my studies in the fields that I loved the most since college: Read more>>

Dana Anderson | Photographer

I started my photography business because I have always had a passion for photography since I was in 9th grade. My dad gave me my first camera and back then it was film. My dad was a photographer in the military and he started teaching me everything he knew. In high school I took photography classes and competed in the Skills USA competitions winning 3rd place. Photography was just what I was meant to do. Read more>>

Bren Easley | Chief Explorer @ Overland Trail Guides

There were two big motivating factors behind the creation of Overland Trail Guides. First, I come from a product management background. Back in 2019 when I founded OG, there was a plethora of routes posted across various forums, Facebook Groups, and various applications. Users often had to search across multiple sites, forums, apps, and groups to find a route in a specific area, which was time consuming in itself. Read more>>

Kim Sielbeck | Illustrator, Painter, and Surface Designer

I majored in illustration at the School of Visual Arts, and for me, the dream was to always be a freelance illustrator, working on editorial illustrations and working with big commercial brands. However, developing a style and gaining the confidence to start a business took several years and a lot of patience. I worked at a textile design studio full-time in New York City for almost eight years, which allowed me to create, learn, and pursue freelance illustration on nights and weekends. I was also in a band during that time, learned how to sail, and did a ton of things that would ultimately give me the confidence to branch out on my own. Read more>>

Wyatt Zalewski | Videographer & Editor

Starting a business for me came out of necessity. I had a part time job on the side and inorder to continue doing that job I had to create an LLC and start a new contract with the company. Read more>>

Jony and Liliy Tanase | Photographers

Our Mission is to capture the unique love between our couples in a way that expresses their oneness – A Candid Love. It has been put in our hearts to serve and care for our couples in whichever way they need with genuine help, attention to detail, in kindness, while being prompt in all things. Read more>>

Celine – @Celinparadise Bobe | Yoga Instructor & Content Creator – Creareality’s Director

I used to work a really demanding your as an Event and Marketing Manager in the Event Industry in Australia. I always worked long hours, brought home work and stress and never really disconnected from it. Starting my own business has always been something I thought about, I wanted to be able to work from anywhere and doing my own hours, working on my own terms. Read more>>

Emileah Most | Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Clinical Director

Earlier in my career, I thought owning my own private practice was something that was too out of reach. Surviving the shelter-in-place as a pregnant person actually created the perfect atmosphere to make my dream a reality! I fell in love with being a mom and wanted a job where I could have a flexible schedule, but not put aside my first career I had worked hard to earn. Read more>>

Adam Titelbaum | Microgreens Farmer

I decided to start a business growing, selling and delivering microgreens in order to capitalize on my 17 years of professional cultivation/farming and my MBA along with prior business experience. My goal is to provide fresh, healthy, locally grown microgreens to improve people’s health. Read more>>

Nicholas Prufer | Storyteller, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist

After years of working in Hollywood, I decided to take a gamble on myself and my storytelling abilities. With a small team and a small budget, we created a hit audio fiction series called Earth Eclipsed which garnered global recognition around the world, winning more than 30+ awards including being a selection at the Tribeca Film Festival 2021 and being nominated for Podcast of the Year at the Ambies (the Oscars equivalent for podcasts). Read more>>

Landyn Hill | Western Wedding and Western Stationery Designer and Creator

As many entrepreneurs, I created my business in order to fill a need I seen in the market. I had recently gotten engaged, and wanted a very western styled wedding-through and through. As a planner type person, I knew the first step was finding a wedding planner that I could brainstorm and jot my wedding ideas down in. When I started looking there were zero western styled wedding planners on the market–so I decided to create one for myself. Read more>>

Brittanie Williamson | Retreat Facilitator and Designer

I decided to create Reclamation Retreats because I wanted people to be able to experience the benefits of a retreat more easily. Typically, retreats are done in person, in a certain place, on a certain date, and it doesn’t always work for people. Read more>>

Alycia Price | Artist & Creator

I went in my usual run with my two kids in my double stroller and two dogs in October, 2022 admiring the all the beautiful fall colors around. I saw the leaves and thought that they resembled feathers. This brought me right back to the joy my goofy chickens bring me at home and wanted to create a chicken out of leaves. Then, bam! I made my first piece and Pure Flora Creations was born. Read more>>

Meta Riseling | Store Manager/ Shareholder

Our town lost it’s grocery store in 2006. In the end of 2006 into the begining of 2007 there was a very large snow storm. Our community decided how important our grocery store was. Then the Community got together and sold shares. We raised enough to get the store opened back up. Read more>>

Nicole Rogers | Certified Clinical Aromatherapist & Herbalist

The thought process behind starting my business was very simple. During my Aromatherapy Certification, I would make products to test on friends and family. Then once I graduated, I continued to just give all my creations away. It was friends who suggested I started my own business. I really never thought of it initially because I loved giving the people close to me healthier alternatives to personal care and home use products. Read more>>

Sivan Grasser | Real Estate Agent

Being in the real estate business is not new to me. My biggest inspiration is my father who always made smart decisions with his real estate investments on top of his full time job to support the family and to give my brother and I the best life possible. He is the one that taught me to build wealth with real estate, so when I finished grad school I bought my first single family home here in Colorado. Read more>>