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.

Kevin Lynn | Freshwater Fishing Bait Designer

I am a designer by nature. I have always loved creating! From a young age I loved designing things, form, function, visual appeal and so on. With a degree in Landscape Architecture I worked for a number of high profile design firms in Denver, Colorado until about 2009 where I moved from a creative roll into a builder roll when I joined the construction industry. Read more>>

Yani & Guille | Creative Directors – Founders of YaniGuille&Co.

In 2007, when we first met, we were both working at design companies. So gradually we started to share freelance work together, and began to nurture an inner desire to develop work of our own, that represented our own voice or our own way of doing things. With time, that utopian desire became a reality, and we consequently faced the need to understand the business more, and see what we could offer that made us unique. Read more>>

Sybil Hill Carter | Artist/ Co-owner Gallery 101

It’s July5 20203 and I’m celebrating 58 years on this planet earth! Hah… I grew up with parents that were and are Artist, creative thoughts, music playing filled the home. I grew up in Dallas, TX. My dad would be out in the garage painting and I would curiously join him, those years lead to a natural understanding of who I am today as an artist. Tenacity-hard work and commitment. My father was self-taught and he’d be mixing house paints with house putty, anything he use that would stick to his wooden canvas. Read more>>

Chloe Orr | Owner of Prim and Polish

Starting my own business has always been something I’ve thought about. My dad has owned his own business my whole life so growing up I really looked up to him for that and saw the advantages that owning a business provided him. I also saw all of the hard work, risk, and dedication that went into it. When I decided to enter into the beauty industry, it became clear to me that I wanted to open my own salon. I worked for some pretty amazing and influential salon owners that helped me realize this dream and guided me along the way. Read more>>

John Kuruc | Sports Chiropractor

My father owned a business and I wanted to follow in his footsteps of owning my own business. Read more>>

Brianna Walston | Travel & Outdoor Adventure Content Creator, Photographer & Founder of The Roaming Vet

Well, I have two businesses. One is BriWalston, for my Travel and Outdoor Adventure content creation, photography, and User Generated Content (UGC). This platform inspires others to get outside, see the world, and doing it scared because sometimes you have to do it solo! I also work with brands I love and support to market their products to my community. My other business is The Roaming Vet, a community for Veterans, Service Members, and Veterans to connect in the outdoors and through travel. Read more>>

Patrick Wilson | Owner | CEO

I have always watched my parents own different companies and possess an entrepreneur mentality. This business originally started as a family business owned by my father. The business never operated under a filed name, nor was any advertisement put in place to grow the business. My dad has been saying for years that he is going to pass it over, he doesn’t want to continue doing it anymore. I saw an opportunity to expand the business by establishing brand identity and adding a couple extra services. It has been one of the best decisions of my life so far. Read more>>

Talonnie Granger | Insurance agent & Financial service specialist

I wanted to create a trusted insurance and financial service agency that serves the community I live in. A close friend of mine once said “build your parachute on the way down.” It is super risky, very scary but, not impossible. That’s what I think about when starting a business. You just have to jump in and do it. Read more>>

Grace Lis Porto | UX Designer, Fashion Print Designer, and Brand Design Specialist

My thought process behind starting my own business as a graphic designer was driven by various factors. Firstly, I wanted to prove to myself that it was possible to work as a graphic designer while studying Advertising and Marketing. It was important for me to showcase my skills and demonstrate that I could excel in the field. Read more>>

Winston Bradbury | Founder & Creative Director

I started my business because I needed something that would allow me the space to expand all of my creative interests, and especially through a medium that would be sustainable for long-term growth. It was important to me to evolve on my own terms, for my own dreams, under my own business. That’s also why the model that I landed on really emphasizes collaboration. Read more>>

Kelly Jo Marks | Creative Director

Starting a business was not an acknowledged goal. The goal was to learn a new craft. Creativity started this business. The more I invested, and then began to sell, it became what it is now. Read more>>

Chad Fegely | Operations Consultant

I saw a need in the brewing and distilling industries for operations to run more effectively. Most breweries you walk in, they have beer whether it is 6 or 18 taps, you think wow they have it going on…but in reality it takes a whole heck of a lot to get the beer into the retail pint for the customer to enjoy. Simplifying SOP’s, creating checklists, and getting organized from top to bottom of the hierarchy of the business is essential. Read more>>

Kyle, Joe Hicks, Hicks | Quality Beverage Insulators

We wanted to start the business because we have enjoyed the product in the family for 30 years and have always said we should take it to market because there is nothing quite like it on the market! We love quality products and we feel that other people do to. So we set out to manufacture a quality universal fit beverage insulator right here in the USA. Read more>>

Caroline Lewis | Holistic Psychotherapist and Women’s Empowerment Coach

I grew up in Louisiana in a white Southern family. As a child I think I was courageous and extroverted, but overtime I received many messages that girls and women natural talent’s and abilities weren’t as valued as men’s. In college I was passionate about politics, but noticed immediately that this was a male dominated field and in order to succeed I would have to become more masculine. i often experienced shame and self doubt for who I was because of these outdated narratives and conditioning. Read more>>