Deciding to start a business is an unusual decision. It’s often considered irrational and yet for many it’s the best decision they’ve ever made. So we asked folks to think back to when they were starting their businesses and to tell us about their decision making process.

Gina Cassady | Caterer & foodpreneur

I planned and sat on my business idea for a while. I compared the local foods and restaurants seen what they had to offer and styles of cuisines. Other people sold plates in town at that time as well but when I started people were doing dinner foods ,spaghetti dinners, fish fry’s etc. things of that sort. I knew I wanted to be different so I decided to start off with breakfast foods , Even though I always cooked for my family and friends it was something new to me to branch out and get others to try it let alone buy my food. People can buy food from anywhere restaurants especially so I had talked myself out of it many times , I was so nervous but once God puts something on your mind and that’s all you can think about you trust your instinct and Gods word and you do what your heart desires. Read more>>

Roger Kornegay | Influencer & Entrepreneur

We wanted to create a way that we could help local and national businesses sustain during Covid. We wanted to help as we saw so many businesses closing during the pandemic. Read more>>

Allen Jackson | Merchant Services and Payroll

My thought process in starting Oak City Payments came from being in the business and working for a larger publically traded processing company. Sometimes, when you work for a larger company, their focus can be more geared towards their investors and not their end customers. After working with them for a few years, I realized that our standards didn’t align. I have always looked for better opportunities, and if those don’t exist, I create them. That’s why I decided to go on my own and start Oak City Payments. I now how the ability to oversee all parts of the business and make sure that our customers are the number one focus. Read more>>

Timberly K. Simmons | Entertainer & Entrepreneur

My thought process was this… Either stay in the rat race, keep losing jobs for no reason, risk allowing corporations to be in control of my finances, or take full control of my own income. Read more>>

Mavrick Vo | Actor & Content Creator

My thought process of creating Ronin Reels Studios was to create an opportunity where we create a lot of independent films in the genre of action, horror, and fan films locally in North Carolina. I wanted to create a business where a lot of actors and film crew have the opportunity to work and get their reels and overall create a community full of entertainment such as big film productions that are located in LA and Atlanta! Read more>>

Jennifer Harris | Owner of Studio JC & Interior Designer

In 2022, my current business partner, Christie Stewart, and I found ourselves planning out a new career path. We both had met each other about 7 years prior while working together under another design firm in the Raleigh area. Talks of our boss’ retirement led Christie and I to launch Studio JC at the end of 2022. Christie and I were ready and Studio JC was the most logical way to continue our design careers. Read more>>

Dexter L. Scott, Dr. Tonya Joyner-Scott Scott | Authors, Coaches, Certified National/International Speakers, Mindset Development Trainers/Instructors, Workshop Facilitators, Course Creators, Personal and Professional Development Enthusiasts

My wife and I, since our marriage in 2001, have always been involved in speaking, coaching and training even at our corporate and government careers. We stepped out several years later with the idea to continue to serve and uplift those we came into contact. Through our engagements, we observed that people tend to invest in upgrading material things, such as wardrobes, cars, and cell phones but few take the necessary steps to upgrade themselves through consistent personal development. For years, we had been passionate about inspiring, motivating, and influencing individuals to overcome their self-imposed limitations and step into the spotlight of their own lives. This passion was not just our calling; it was the essence of who we were. Read more>>

Keya Isler | Entrepreneur & Business Consultant

When starting my own business, i was a sophomore in college. My first instincts was, “no one is going to support me, what if i don’t make no money, how do i become big like other brands?” I had so many thoughts and assumptions running through my head, I finally came to a conclusion one day and said I’m going to start selling t-shirts. I knew how to design my own logo, how to mock up a t-shirt’s basically everything I needed to know to get started. I designed my first t-shirt, it was a black tee with “KrazyKash” stated on the front with green and white money symbols. I literally asked no one how they think or feel about my t-shirt design or even me selling t-shirts, no one. I put faith in myself and ordered a bulk of t-shirts it was 50. Read more>>