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.

JDmadethis | Audio Engineer & Producer

The main reason I wanted to start my own business was the pure benefits of being self-employed. I wanted to create a life for myself that I could do what I love, while also having schedule flexibility that a normal 9-5 wouldn’t. All throughout college while I was studying Communications and History, I knew I did not want a conventional job like the rest of my peers. Read more>>

Errol Doebler | Former Navy SEAL Officer, FBI Special Agent International Terrorism Investigator, FBI SWAT Operator, Combat Veteran, Founder of Leader 193

Towards the end of my 13 years with the FBI, I had become very frustrated with the FBI leadership and culture. While I loved the job as an FBI Special Agent, I felt that the FBI culture and leadership left much to be desired. I’m not one to sit around and complain about my lot in life so I had a decision to make. I could simply accept the culture and move on, or I could stand by my beliefs and leave. Read more>>

Grizel Williams |

Believe it or not, I walked into having my own business—quite literally. In 2018, after quitting my full-time job as a therapist in Nashville, I pursued my long-time dream of backpacking the Pacific Crest Trail with the support of Thru Hike Syndicate, an ambassador program for long-distance hiking supported by outdoor brands. They gifted me gear that would help get me from Canada to Mexico. Read more>>

Elliot Lozier | Mandolinist and Songwriter

I was scavenging around our house one day and came across an old mandolin. Id tinkered with mandolin a few years prior when my other band, We The Heathens, was still acoustic, but never learned how to actually play. So I played this old one a bit. I took this old mandolin with me everywhere and called it my garbage mandolin. It was a piece of garbage, it still is. In order for it to play you need to capo the first fret so none of the strings buzz. I took it to a luthier but the cost of the repairs would’ve been triple the amount the mandolin was actually worth. so I played it broken. Read more>>

Haiden Stipp | Florist

After working for a local florist throughout college, I found a deep love for flowers that I hadn’t been aware of. I felt a tug on my heart from the Lord to move on from that job which felt insane because I really, really loved it. But shortly after, the idea of starting a business started to come to mind and it would not go away. I found a passion doesn’t feel like work and I had always dreamed of being self employed, so the time had finally come for that to become a reality. Read more>>

Jamie Bailey | Cheese & Charcuterie Artist

There was actually no thought process behind it. It was one of those businesses that your passion just turned into a business. When I was a child I had a pretty rough upbringing and went a whole year with out electricity or access to a phone. We were very poor and often did not have food to eat. I was the oldest sibling and was home alone caring for my younger sister. I wanted to create a way for her to feel special regardless of our circumstances. I used to cut the crust off the only thing we usually had, bread and roll them into balls and serve them on a cookie sheet. Read more>>

Andrea Alvarez | Business Owner

I started my business out of sheer necessity. I was working full time with a side gig and felt like I was taking two steps forward and five steps backwards. I needed the supplemental income in order to survive. I grabbed a book by Christy Wright titled “Business Boutique”. I read it in a night and by the next morning, I couldn’t help but be fired up. When my mentor asked me: “If you could do something for the rest of your life and money wasn’t a factor, what would you do?” Instantly, without hesitation, I responded: “I’d sell chile!” The rest is history, (figuratively). Read more>>

Darlene C. Ritz | Creative Director/Designer and Founder of DCR Studios

I wish I could say that I had a full thought process, but that would require more planning then I had at the time. DCR Studios started as a creative outlet, a way for me to design the things I wanted to design without having to worry about what would sell. I very quickly came to realize that consumers are attracted to the message that “Every Body is Beautiful” and had to scramble to find a way to deliver on that message. Sometimes we have to take the leap and trust that we will learn to fly on the way. Read more>>

Julie Lyon | Founder of Third Day Co.

I grew up in a family business. My parents started a handmade home decor business in 2001. They focused a lot on wholesale at first, but now they focus most of their business online on Etsy. Growing up, I helped them a lot with their product photography, social media, and even graphic design. Business is basically in my blood. I started Third Day Co. at the beginning of 2022, with no prior experience in embroidery. I had been sewing for 9 years, but had never touched an embroidery machine. Read more>>

Stephanie Pinsler | CEO+ Founder, Clinical Counselor, Yoga Therapist, Sport Psychology Consultant

Namasport first began as a modality integrating sport psychology and yoga intended to bridge the gap between the mind and body. As the method evolved and years went by, we realized there was much more to provide to each client to create a holistic experience. The collaboration of mental health and wellness grew and we started to open studio spaces where groups and clients could arrive and feel connected to themselves while also adapting to the environments around them. Read more>>

Eryn and John Martinez | The King and Queen of Halloween

It came about very organically really. My husband had been reviewing haunted attractions in Colorado for roughly 10 years before he and I met. He used to send his “Famous Top Haunts List” as a text message to all his friends. When we started going to the haunts together I told him he should put his list on the internet. He asked me how would that work and I said, maybe we could put it on Facebook. So that’s what we did. And Facebook posts turned into Instagram posts which eventually morphed into a Youtube channel and a blog. Read more>>

RG Smith | Owner of Maxed Out LLC

The main motivation behind starting my own business was the freedom to formulate a process that works for me. What I mean by that is many of us have worked at a 9-5 where we have a boss that has a boss that also has a boss and it’s hard to communicate a change for the better within the that environment. So having my own business allows me to step outside of conventional thought and really bring my creativity to life. Read more>>

Jesi Pace-Berkeley | Artist/ educator

Sharing not only my paintings , and also my expertise allows me to spread the wealth of natural inspirations , lifetime experiences , and necessary questions Creativity , its ability to transform and express concepts – both personal as well as globally empties oneself into a well of thoughts , considerations and understanding .Only by offering myself, my process , my beliefs might I contribute to a wider area of expressive language Read more>>

Tracy Tydeman | Children’s Author & Graphic Designer

The summer of 2019 we lost our beloved Dalmatian, who I’d raised from a puppy. She was by my side before meeting my husband and before having my daughter, so I’m sure you can imagine this hit me really hard. After weeks of feeling lost without her, I came up with the idea to share her with the world through a children’s book. This became a two-year endeavor to create, and as I neared completion of the book, I knew I had to decide on how it would get published. After lots of research, I decided to self-publish. Read more>>

Jen Naused | REALTOR, GRI

I have always loved real estate. My father managed buildings for Douglas Elliman in NYC (Manhattan). But when I was young living in NYC, the uncertainty of real estate was a deterrent to me. I had rent and crippling college debt to pay. When we moved to Colorado, we had the courage and capital to buy investment properties and flip our own homes. I loved the entire process and dreamed of becoming a realtor. Our boys were little and between daycare costs and our mortgage, I was scared. Would I be able to contribute to my family? Read more>>

Tyler Larsen | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts Coach

To be perfectly honest, I kind of stumbled into it. I stopped into a local gym that one of my good friends trained at and unbeknownst to me, he had put a bug in the current owners ear (who was looking to get out of the business) about me being someone that may be interested in taking over the business. He and I met and spoke a few times about the possibility and after talking it over with my family and close trusted circle, I knew that it was the right thing to do. Read more>>

Marianna Reynolds | Confectioner and Chocolatier

Adults deserve better candy! Children are happy with treats you buy at the gas station, but we can do better! The humble candy bar has so much potential: to be fancy, to be whimsical, to actually be delicious, to be a whole universe of flavors and textures in one bit-sized hand snack. I want my product to invoke what it felt like when you had allowance money, going to the corner store and getting yourself a well-deserved treat. Chocolate is so amazing, and I definitely have fun working with it. It starts by exploring flavor combinations, shapes, and visual engagement, and is enhanced with quality and seasonal ingredients. Read more>>

Arwen Ek | Founding Director

The Holistic Homestead started in my kitchen in 2012 with “Dr. B’s” cough syrup. I made it to help my kids get over a cough, and started sharing it with my friends and neighbors. Before I knew it I was in regular production of Dr. B’s, and noticed a need in the community for education about herbal medicine, and access to affordable natural remedies. Read more>>

Krysta Cossitt | Wedding and Event Planner

I always knew I would own my own business. I grew up watching my entrepreneurial parents own and successfully operate several businesses. I graduated college with a business degree. And although I was a good employee, I yearned to be the boss and call all the shots. So when my husband got a job offer to relocate to Southwest Colorado and my current employer was a bricks and mortar, I knew it was time for me to start my own business. As to what exactly, I knew it would be something in the events industry. Read more>>

Mark Sanchez | Owner Janitorial Business, Poet, Strength and Conditioning Coach

My dad pretty much always owned his own business and in high school and throughout college, it was always something I wanted to do. I worked for five years commuting from Loveland to Denver and was about to be laid off. My sister had a janitorial business at the time and wanted to sell it because she was going to begin her studies and work to open an orphanage in South Belize. I was excited to finally do something on my own, so I purchased it from her and we have been in business for eighteen years now. Read more>>

Jackson Maddox | Record Producer, Musician, & Real Estate Agent

I essentially run 2 businesses and sort of a 3rd if you count my band, Magnolia Grove. I’ve known from a young age that I wanted to make money doing music, so everything has sort of fallen into place with that goal in mind. After graduating audio engineering school, I interned at a studio up in Boulder and that’s where I really learned the ins and outs of owning a recording studio. Read more>>

Kaia Hofmeister | Multimedia Journalist

Starting my own business was actually sort of an accident. I loved taking photos and my parents gave me a camera for my birthday a few years back. While I had fun with auto, I began playing with the settings and found that I could really change how photos look by using manual mode. From there, I began offering free photo sessions and offered to make free commercials for my jobs. Eventually, people began reaching out to me and it turned into a paying gig. Read more>>

Sarah Josey | Clinical Herbalist & Nutritionist, Founder & Owner of Golden Poppy Herbal Apothecary

I knew early on in my herbal training that I wanted to open a store. I wanted to offer the community a place where they could come learn about and have access to herbs and other natural health options, and at the time it wasn’t something that was very common. I was also passionate about starting my own business because I knew that later in life I wanted to start a family and I wanted to be able to have a business where I could bring my baby (and later children) to work. This has been a huge foundational aspect of my business from the beginning, that it was going to support working parents by allowing them to bring their kids to work when they needed to, no questions asked. Read more>>