Are you thinking about starting a business? If so, we think you’ll enjoy reading about how these seasoned entrepreneurs thought about the question when they were in your shoes.

Benina & Ann Drake | Co-Founders, Elevated Energy Healing | Reiki Masters & Sound Therapy Practitioner

Ann and I have always had a passion for energy work, sound therapy, frequencies and vibration. We envisioned Elevated Energy Healing as a way to align our work with our values and purpose. Helping others by sharing our gifts has been a very fulfilling and meaningful endeavor. Read more>>

Parker Jadyn Brightwell-Jackson | Author

Well since I was 9 yrs old, I was not thinking of becoming an author. One day, I told my grandmother a story about me being nervous about starting Kindergarten and she thought it would be a great idea for a book so we began the process of making it happen. Read more>>

Ayana Washington | Book Black Women Inc. founder

My thought process behind starting my own business wasn’t linear. Being a black female thespian, you learn the game pretty quickly and most of the time you find you aren’t meant to win. Read more>>

Cheyenne Dixon | Artistic and Lifestyle Photographer

I have been interested in photography since I was little. I remember watching a movie, which I believe starred Hilary Duff, where her dad was a photographer and he would travel all over the world taking photos. At that moment I remember thinking, “Wow, I’m going to be a photographer when I grow up!” Getting to travel to so many beautiful places all over the world and capture it with your lens, and get paid for it? It seemed like the dream job! Something else I have always said since I was little is: “How come it doesn’t look the same on camera as it does in real life?” It seemed that cameras could never pick up the beauty and magic of what I was looking at with my naked eye. But learning the ins and outs of photography have changed that. At some point in my adolescence I veered off the path of pursuing photography because ‘anyone can push a button,’ (oh how naive I was) and I thought it too risky to pursue an artistic career instead of something ‘safer.’ I never went to university. I did a little bit of community college my senior year of high school but none after graduating. I worked retail for a few years, then when I realized that burned me out and I didn’t have any passion for it, I started nannying. I’ve always loved working with children. But when my nanny family of 1.5 years moved, I was left to decide if I wanted to continue nannying or do something else. That’s when my husband suggested photography. “It’s what you’ve always wanted to do, babe. Why don’t you just go for it?” He said to me. So I did. He helped me do the research, helped me practice shoot; and most importantly, believed in me. Sometimes more than I believed in myself. That was in January of 2023, and I still nanny, but this past year of learning and creating this business has been endlessly fulfilling. I see beauty and inspiration everywhere I look, and I wouldn’t change a thing. Read more>>

David Scott | Professional Photographer

When I was younger I always admired watching my Mother’s work when it came to recording weddings and taking the time to always make sure when there’s a gathering, a picture was captured. This helped create so many memories that I still appreciate to this day. She helped me understand the small things of making sure that everyone was included and I wanted to do the same for my generation with everything being so fast paced now. My parents heard that I was interested in getting into professional photography and for my birthday they bought my first starter camera. Since then I’ve been growing, learning and it helped me upgrade my equipment to provide better quality to my work. Read more>>

Aaron Lurie | Professional Photographer and Entrepreneur

“To be perfectly candid, my initial motivation was a need for financial stability. Little did I know then that the journey as an event and personal photographer would become a profound exploration into capturing my clients’ most significant life moments. Building the confidence to consider myself a skilled artist and a successful business owner was a journey that took time. Read more>>

Isaac Helms | Financial Advisor & Creative Entrepreneur

The idea was simple. To make a social impact. It was never about the business but the idea of changing live. After being abused as a child I always felt a tug to find a way to serve undervalued people and communities. Read more>>

Jill Thomas | Owner of Wheels Up Sauce LLC

My husband and I talked about starting our own business many years, but we had two young kids and it just never seemed to be the right time so it got put on the back burner. We both had other careers and just couldn’t find the time to spend on the business. Unfortunately, my husband passed unexpectedly in 2020 and I decided I needed to be home with my two kids. So I made the decision to go forward with our business and it has been an amazing experience. Read more>>