Starting a business is a commitment and requires dedication, resources and sacrifice. We asked some of the rising stars in our community how they thought through the idea of starting their own businesses.

Donna Agar | Small business owner

Prior to starting Cat Nap Pottery, I was a public high school teacher teaching students ceramics. I taught for five years, including the 2020-2021 school year heavily impacted by the pandemic. I always wanted to start my own small pottery business. When the shelter in place mandate was implemented I found myself using pottery as an outlet to stay sane with my two cats while finding my voice and expression in clay.  Read more>>

Jeff Stout | Manufacturer

From the time I finished college I knew I wanted to start my own business. I had dozens of ideas but none of them were all that good. In 2010 I needed a birthday present for my brother who had 10 snowboards. I thought it would be cool to make him a wall rack to hold all of his boards. Read more>>

Abra Karbin | Functional Potter & Custom Tile Designer

I started my business when I finished college. It was a way for me to ensure I kept producing artwork. I’ve held many jobs in my life, the jobs that have been the most rewarding for me have been the jobs that allow me the freedom to do what is important to me and brings me joy. Read more>>

Amanda Halliday | Ceramic Artist

I started out doing pottery as a hobby to give me a creative escape from my more technical day job. As I honed my craft and began really loving what I was creating, I noticed others were loving it as well. My day job was burning me out and pottery was filling me with so much peace and happiness that I began exploring the possibilities. It started with choosing to have a booth at a holiday market, just to see how it went. After that, I was hooked! Read more>>

Lacey Spallitta Lauren Goes | Travel Advisors

We are sisters that wanted to start a business that we were both passionate about and love doing. We are both busy Moms to elementary aged kids so we needed something we could do from home and gave us some flexibility. We both share a love for travel, so starting a travel business was a natural choice for us. It gives us the opportunity to create a unique and personalized travel experience for our clients and is allowing us to share that passion for travel and adventure with others. Read more>>

Darren McKeag | Artist… tattoing, painting, illustrating

After attending art school, I was working in corporates settings as a graphic artist and I had done 6 years in the Army/Army Reserve… I was at a point I didn’t like being told what to do, how to do it and when to do it… I was painting Harley motorbikes at the time on the side and started tattoing and knew this is what I wanted to do. I have literally been drawing my entire life.. it was time to go out on my own… Read more>>

Howard and Beastie Bramble | specialty plant growers

This whole thing started out as just a plant hobby – Beastie started with houseplants where Howard had the carnivorous plants. But then, we both found out we have very green thumbs, and soon the plants began to take over. But it got to a point where they were becoming extremely hard to keep up with while both of us had fulltime day jobs, cats to care for, a house to clean, and our own outdoor garden to tend. Read more>>

Kelsey Boucher | Head Cookier & Owner of Sweet Peak Cookie Co.

Starting my own cookie business was almost an afterthought. I had already found my passion for decorating cookies a couple of years before. Many family and friends asked if I had thought about turning my hobby into a business. It hadn’t really crossed my mind, but it was a very attractive idea given I was already at home with my kids. Read more>>

Meg Pacella | Co-Owner/ Peace Out Yoga

We were previously school teachers during very trying times. Yoga was our escape and release. We saw a need in our town and decided to start the business together. We are yin and yang personalities so we bring very different ideas and concepts to the studio. It is a very good balance and allows us to make the environment very diverse. Read more>>

Nancy Wingham | Nuez Acres Co-Founder

I grew up in a family that is full of entrepreneurs and trailblazers, so following a path to starting a business was always in the back of my mind, but it wasn’t until I met my husband and co-founder Anthony that Nuez Acres was created. After our daughter Sophia (5) was born, we realized that we as a family wanted more freedom and flexibility to be able to be present in her life. As a mom, I wanted to create a legacy that she can be proud of and potentially be part of when she grew up. Read more>>

Anthony Argento | Film Producer

Funny enough my thought process was to start some sort of workshops with the relationship I built with all the films schools in NY. I followed the road that eventually shaped my company into a production company. Somehow working with the biggest international film companies around the world filming across America. I tried, I failed, and I continue to fail but with more knowledge. Read more>>

John Robinson | Founder of Pioneers Harvest

I love gardening and growing my own food. We are inundated with chemicals everywhere. So we created an all-natural, organic super clean grow media and soilless potting soil. We specialize in indoor blends but we also created two outdoor blends. There are lots of “organic” potting soils but we wanted to create the cleanest, most sustainable product on the market that also works, and we think we did. Read more>>

Dr. Hans C. Ballew | Owner Tennessee Pre and Principal of Northview Primary STEM School

Our thought process behind starting Tennessee Pre was a need in the industry. A lot of athletes, like myself, buy several ingredients to create a concoction they use before going to the gym. Paying for all of these products separately including the price for separate packaging, shipping, branding, etc. costs a lot more than the ingredients the athletes need. One morning I was making my concoction around 3:00am and I wondered why someone doesn’t put these five ingredients in one tub so I (A) didn’t have to mix it up at 3AM and (B) would be much cheaper. Read more>>

Kate & Sam Stevens | Owners of Garden of Oz

Garden of Oz has been a dream of ours for at least a decade. Our garden taught us to slow down, enjoy nature, but most importantly it has taught us the value of our impact & how to live more sustainably as caretakers of our environment. Read more>>

Pamela Bogart | Strategic Marketing & Business Development

Ever since I was young, I’ve had an entrepreneurial spirit. From the very first quarter I received at age 7 for a glass of lemonade, sparked the curiosity of the value I had to offer others. Unfortunately, the natural course of life took me to working a 9-5 for almost 20 years. Over the years, starting my own business became an irresistible adventure where I could tap into my passion, creativity, and determination. Read more>>

Caitlin & Kirk Whitten | Professional artists, Gallery Owners. Parents, Best friends and Business partners.

We had an affinity for fire and molten lava, and a passion for the lost wax process, welding, sculpting and more. Caitlin was about to finish her BFA in Sculpture while Kirk was ending his Welding, Machining and Industrial Arts Program. We took a glassblowing class in Oregon, and were blown away; we thought, “We can do this!” Read more>>

La Taunya Starr | Ayurvedic Soap Maker & Product Creator

To be honest, I was afraid to start my own business lol but I’ve been an entrepreneur at heart since I was born. I had my own babysitting business at 12, a candy store at 13 and a business as an image consultant/makeup artist at 15. So, it was inevitable growing into adulthood that I would have my own business. Read more>>

Hulsey Gilchrist | Founder & Maker

Starting my own business was a decision that stemmed from a combination of personal experiences and a desire to create something meaningful. It began when I started making my own skincare products after a lifetime of struggling with sensitive skin and eczema. I tried countless products, from steroid creams to high-end skincare, but never really found anything to work well (if at all). Read more>>

Cassi Ward | Permanent Jewelry Artist

As a stay at home mom of 12+ years, I needed a hobby that I enjoyed and believed in! Mom guilt is real and I thought i needed to put all my time and energy into my children. I always started hobbies and never finished them! This year I decided i was stepping out of my comfort zone and holding myself accountable. I didn’t ask for opinions, I just did it! And i enjoy it so much! It has been so good not only for me, but my kids enjoy all the festivals! Read more>>

Andrea Lende | Publisher, Author & Speaker

I founded Beatitudes Publishing LLC to empower writers to become self-published authors independently and affordably. Through self-publishing, creators and writers gain the ability to shape their own writing brand, build their platform, and craft their writing career in alignment with their unique vision and aspirations. Read more>>