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.

Jessica Frasier

After 13 years in my corporate career, I took a step back and evaluated my life. I realized I had shifted from being a creator to simply being a consumer — and that has never been who I am at my core. I’ve always been someone who thrives on building, innovating, and bringing ideas to life. Read More>>

Michael Briggs

Starting my business has been the process of bringing my values to life in a very tangible way. I have long been passionate about mental health and have done my best to advocate for mental health in my own life. I have had my own struggles with mental health and have seen how social stigma, lack of access to services, and limited treatment options have created significant hurdles for many people in my community. Read More>>

Minh Nguyen

When I first started residency, I loved psychiatry — the people, the stories, the transformation that can happen when someone finally feels understood. But I quickly realized how much of medicine is shaped by systems that don’t always make sense. There were hierarchies where attendings told me what to do even when I was the one who actually met the patient.  Read More>>

Krystal Myers

I wish that establishing Lone Cattle Leather Works had started with great intention, but rather, I found myself unintentionally propelled into owning this business through immediate and surprising word-of-mouth attention that inspired me to continue down this particular entrepreneurial path. Read More>>

Pamela Murphy Indihar

I’ve always been someone who sees both the forest and the trees – the details matter, but so does how everything works together. Which, in marketing, is everything. Your brand voice, your visual identity, your digital presence – they’re not separate projects; they’re all touchpoints that shape how people experience your company, your services, and your story. Read More>>

Paul Embleton

Like many entrepreneurs, I saw a market opportunity for a product in my field. At first I took my time developing the product and making it “just right”. But, recent advances in generative language spurned me accelerate development and spin up a company that could offer my project as a product.  Read More>>

Kika Tuff

There wasn’t a lot of thought process behind starting my own business. I really wanted to make science films, but I didn’t go to film school. I wanted to do science branding and design, but I had no experience in marketing. I was, basically, un-hirable for the job that I wanted because I was coming at it from a non-traditional background. Read More>>

Jessica Rinfret

Starting our own business was mostly about creating something of our own. Jon always knew that he wanted to create something of his own that could make a difference. When we discovered the world of water damage restoration, he knew that this was the kind of help he wanted to give people. Read More>>

Christy Garbus

Along with my three business partners, we were committed to designing a model that allowed for excellent, dignified care, a relationship with patients, and provider satisfaction. I was the patient who never fit in the “box” of Western medicine, so it was also important to me that we incorporate an integrative side to our practice for those patients. Read More>>

Karl Weber

Entrepreneurship has always been a goal of mine. Once I learned it was possible for a Nurse Practitioner to have their own practice in Colorado, I did not hesitate. Having my own business has enabled me to provide an income for my family while spending as much time with them as possible. I am able to drop my kids off at school, pick them up, and attend all their extracurricular activities. Read More>>