Many books on startups and business talk about how there are right and wrong reasons for starting a business. So, we asked a handful of successful founders about their reasons and the thought-process behind starting their business.

Blake Slatter | Photographer

Starting my own business was the next natural step into photography. As my skills improved I felt like I could share and work on numerous photography projects for people. I also liked the idea of working for myself and having the freedom to go out and do landscape photography, the thing I love most. Read more>>

Geevie & Sophia Wood | Owners of Sustain Yourself

We’ve been making our own products since freshman year of college (2017) and it all started when we discovered the Zero Waste Movement through social media and were inspired to cut back on how much plastic we were using. Read more>>

Mariah Grumet | Certified Etiquette Trainer & Founder of Old Soul Etiquette

I always knew I wanted to start my own business, but I founded Old Soul Etiquette truly as a passion project! My mission was and always will be to help people become the very best version of themselves, so they can go out in the world and shine their light and spread kindness. I knew my truest strengths and superpowers were not being utilized through the position at my corporate job at the time. I listened to my gut, took a huge chance, and I could not be more proud of where OSE is today. Read more>>

Staci and Melanie Pettibone/Bernal | LMT

Our desire is to maintain our livelihood and thrive while we bring healing, love, laughter and joy into the world. Our goal is to carry and these things in the world through the operation of our small family owned business and the commitment to volunteer our services to non-profit organizations every month. Read more>>

Carrie Summers | Broker/Owner

As a single Mom of 3 kids, I knew I needed to do something. I started helping out with Adaptive Sports to get my mind off of my junk and to help others. I quickly realized that my passion is to help others. God made it very clear that I was to become a Realtor. I was Rookie of the Year for the Durango Association of Realtors, and then after my second year, I knew I wanted to focus on the Mancos area. Starting my own business has been a life changer. Read more>>

Sunanda Dangol | Cultural Event Crafter and Planner ( NEPALI JATRA)

I have planned events for a long time. I always wanted to represent Nepali culture to the world. Our culture is our identity, and each Nepali celebration has a story and folklore attached to it which makes it even more meaningful. After all, history belongs to all of us; it should be preserved and shared with all cultures. Read more>>

Susan W. Saltzman | Metalsmith, Jewelry Designer @ SToNZ Jewelry

I was working as an illustrator at American Greetings in Cleveland when I became pregnant with my twin daughters. At the time, my employer wasn’t open to their artists working part time or remotely, and though I loved my job, I really wanted to be home to raise my kids. The only way I saw to do this was to start my own home-based business, Read more>>

Shaq Thomas | Certified Personal Trainer

i wanted to create something to help people better their lives through fitness. my business is about becoming a better you and being able to pass that motivation and knowledge on. generational health, obesity may not be hereditary but it does start right in the home and i wanted to create a platform where families could get better together! Read more>>

Griffin Giordano | Student of Food

I felt some primal desire to provide food to overs as a service in a manner that improves their health, the health of the environment and our relationship with the environment our food comes from. From a young age, I have been driven by the question of how can I best help others. How can I make the greatest, most meaningful impact? At age 27 and after many years of searching, I’ve discovered the answer: food. I believe that a diet based in local, fresh produce can drastically change the life of others. Read more>>

Austin Wiley | Artist

I wanted to work for myself and help create a platform to find more people who want the same. The Lead Village was created because I want to bring the local scene closer together through art. Read more>>

Josh Oyler | Hot Rod Shop Owner

For me, starting my own business was about control of the end result. I wanted to decide what type of vehicles to work on, what type of work and quality level I wanted to be known for. I love steering the ship, the knowledge that my employees, shop and my fate is in my hands. Good or bad. Read more>>

Farnaz Behdinan | Small Business Owner at FarnieDesigns, Graphic Artist, & Business Student at USC

It was 2020 and the pandemic had just hit. As everything around me shut down, I did too for a while and sought creativity to uplift my spirits. I’ve loved to create ever since I was a kid. Every gift I gave my friends for their birthdays was something I had made with my hands. Knowing I loved design, I started an art account in middle school where I posted everything from scribbles to watercolors to acrylic paintings and my closest friends were following me. Read more>>

Andres Melendez | Director of Operations at CUJI LLC

Daniella, Andres, and Ricardo are the founders of CUJÍ Foods, a marketplace of South American specialty items located in Boulder, CO. While doing her Master’s in Engineering Management at CU Boulder, Daniella had an assignment to develop a business model as part of the Entrepreneurship for Engineers class. Read more>>

Switch1eighty | Rapper and Operator of Oort Cloud Productions

The importance of leaving a legacy. Music Provided a creative outlet for me to let the world know who I am, what Ive learnt and we can achieve. Read more>>

Mary Kate Morr | Community Engagement Manager

Rocky Mountain MicroFinance Institute (RMMFI) is a Denver-based nonprofit serving local entrepreneurs, and the development of the organization has been an entrepreneurial adventure in and of itself. In 2007, one of RMMFI’s Co-Founders, Rob Smith, began working for a Denver-based microlending nonprofit. Read more>>

Jacob Smith | Community Organizer, Denver Black Queer Collective

Denver Black Queer Collective was established in February of 2021, with the hopes of bringing more Black Queer spaces/community and kinship to the Denver area with the goal of spreading collective joy with each other and sustaining ourselves through healing, safety, and community care. Read more>>

Jennifer Openshaw | CEO, Girls With Impact

My own daughter, 11, recently asked me: Why are all the CEOs men? I told her, “That’s why we started Girls With Impact — to change the numbers and get more women to the top.” It’s amazing that today, just 7% of the large company CEOs are women. One reason is that women and girls don’t have role models; they also face a huge drop in confidence that can impact their future. This really needs to change. Read more>>

Joe Colomb | Singer-songwriter-guitarist for Alfred and the Teddinators

I had already played drums in a million bands. So I wanted to play guitar and sing in a band; and play my own songs. Plus my old buddy from elementary school need a band to produce and play drums for. So it made sense. Read more>>

David Sahagun | Architect

My brother and I both studied architecture. We had always dreamed of working together and having more creative autonomy in our designs. Read more>>

Ross Page | Creative Producer & Podcaster

To make a positive impact on the local film community and fill void, to move with the changing times. Read more>>

Katie Golinvaux | Counselor, Coach, Mediator & Hope Dealer

Unlike most business owners that I know, never in my entire life did I dream of being an entrepreneur. I’m not sure why, but the allure of having something of my very own never really called my name. I had dreams of working for a big organization and climbing the ladder, just like my dad did. Read more>>

Cameron Walker | Boss Lady & Animator @ Hey-Yo Studio

I wanted total control of my day-to-day schedule, vacation time and salary. I wanted to be my own boss. Read more>>

Floss Blackburn | Founder and President, Denkai Animal Sanctuary

In terms of Denkai, there was a very large learning curve in the beginning. I knew I wanted to help animals in need, specifically equine and farm animals. I knew that there was a gap in terms of the need for this service in our area and that something needed to be done. Read more>>

Rachel Gayle | Co-Owner, City Sweats Fort Collins

We were at a time in our lives when change felt necessary and achievable, and we knew that with each of our unique skillsets, we had what we needed to make it work. Infrared technology had incredible benefits for us, and we knew that our community would appreciate it as well. Read more>>

The rainbow’ Factory | Urban lgbtq Event Creators

We noticed there wasn’t many places for POC in the LGBT community of Denver. We wanted to bring some thing more of the culture hip-hop, and like-minded people. Read more>>