To start or to not to start, that is the aspiring entrepreneur's question

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.

Noah Monroy | Founder

SD Prep Track was built on the foundation of creating a community in San Diego County where runners in the high school track and cross country scene could connect socially, on and off the course (or track). There are national media outlets that covered the entirety of the sport, but they rarely ever came to San Diego- only at the cross country CIF Finals in the fall. I remember watching my one-minute interview when I won my cross country CIF division at Morley Field, and I thought to myself “What if I start were to start something like this just for San Diego?” This notion soon came to fruition in SD Prep Track in January of 2017. This was a time period when social media was really starting to permeate itself into the lives of youth, and I noticed many rivals that I raced from competing schools starting to follow my personal social media. I then set about starting up a website for rankings and articles, YouTube channel for race videos and interview, Snapchat account for people to take over, Instagram page and linked Facebook for announcements, and a Google Ads account for monetization. It took a little while to get the ball rolling, but after a while we starting gaining traction. Parents, coaches, and relatives alike all starting joining in, and SD Prep Track took off from there. Read more>>

Adam Warmington | Filmmaker

I have been running Adam Warmington Productions for over a decade. Prior to that, I was in Television. As creating videos for the internet became more of a viable option for brands, I too felt a pull in that direction. The flexibility of hours enabled me to have more time to pursue other passions like surfing and in later years, be with my family. Creatively and financially, a no brainer. Read more>>

Priscilla Resendiz | Candlemaker

I was in a horrible car accident in January of 2015 that led me to have a spinal cord injury (C4,C5) & left me paralyzed from my neck down. I was in and out of surgeries because I also had a facial injury that needed cosmetic surgery. I wasn’t conscious for the first couple days so my family would catch me up on what would happen. During one of my surgeries my heart stopped and had to be resuscitated and I vividly remember the doctor saying, “she’s back.” Another occasion I was sleeping and overheard my neurosurgeon telling my parents that I’d never walk again I heard my mom cry out but I remained calm I felt at peace as weird as that sounds but I know that came from God and my family’s prayers. I was surrounded by so much love and I knew it wouldn’t be that way I was determined to get my independence back. I wasn’t sure how severe my injury was because I felt no pain. I was in the ICU for two weeks which were the longest two weeks of my life. I slowly started to regain motion back and started off first with my left thumb. I then got transferred to a rehab center where I had physical and ortho therapy and regained some of my ability to walk 6 months later. Fast forward to four years later I had already adapted to a life that seemed a bit different than the ordinary. I accepted that I wasn’t going to have a nine to five like I used to. I felt lost with no purpose so I knew that it was time to come up with something to do with my free time because I had tons. February of 2019 I decided to learn about candles. I have always loved them I mean who doesn’t? They bring such comfort and warmth to any place and it was part of my self care during my recovery still is. On a Monday morning I googled “how to make candles” and it led me to a lot of articles and videos. I needed to inform myself first so I started with articles and it seemed pretty self explanatory. I’m a visual person so I was excited to watch videos and I came upon one where they listed everything with links so you can shop for material and I did I was so excited. Once I received it I believe it was 10pm and I couldn’t wait so I tried it out and realized it was harder than it looked. There was a lot of trial and error and almost quit but I had enough material to try one last time and I told myself if it failed I had to brainstorm again and try something different. I redid everything again followed each step carefully and thankfully it came out better. I let it cure for about 2 weeks and the cold throw and hot throw was beautiful. It was the start of something beautiful. From there we are here now growing not only do I produce candles and pillar candles but also car diffusers, reed diffusers and room sprays it’s been quite a ride but worth it. Read more>>

Cesar A Reyes | Publisher/Creative Director

The WORD San Diego is my life/business partner JP Emerson and my (Cesar A Reyes) creation. Our successful work history and partnership has led us to develop and launch our own publication, The WORD San Diego! We stand diligent in the fact that there is always a need for reliable and informative news outlets especially in the LGBTQ+ community, where true representation matters. Read more>>

Brian Villanueva | CEO and founder of Seamless Manufacturing

Starting Seamless Manufacturing was a natural progression for me, driven by a deep-seated passion for creativity and a desire for independence. Prior to founding Seamless, I was fully immersed in the plumbing industry, but I often found myself yearning for more. The thought of working under someone else in an industry that didn’t ignite my passion was unappealing. I knew I needed a career path that would allow me to unleash my creativity while fostering meaningful connections with clients—an area where I naturally excelled. Read more>>

Bianca Schleicher | Behind the Scenes Wedding & Event Content Creator

Wedding Content Creation was just a whisper when I was planning my wedding last year! I thought it seemed like a cool idea, but never thought too much of it since I had a full media team for my wedding and thought my friends could just take photos and videos for me. But the day after my wedding, my husband and I were looking for photos and videos to post to social media to let everyone know we were officially married and they were hard to track down! I knew we would have to wait a week or two before our Photographer and Videographer were able to provide any sneak peeks. Once I did get some footage from friends or family the quality was all over the place due to different types of resolutions from different phone formats or there were not as many video clips as I had hoped for. Read more>>

Terri MC Canny | Life Coach

My thought process for starting my business stemmed from recognizing a significant gap in the market for a more female-friendly gym in my area. I observed that there was nowhere for my sisters and friends to comfortably begin their fitness journey and truly enjoy the process. This realization fueled my determination to create a welcoming space where women could feel empowered to start at a beginner level and thrive. Read more>>