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.

Sara Butorac | Woodworker & Creative Director

I answered 3 questions from the list – I hope this answers other questions in the interview. Where are you from and how did your background and upbringing impact who you are today? Read more>>

Jodi Anne Hendricks | LifeStyle & Wedding Photographer + Psychologist

To be honest, I never really sat down and thought about starting my own business. It was just never even a question in my head that I *wouldn’t* start it. When I started my business I was still in my Master’s Program to become a School Psychologist. It always seemed logical that I would officially work as a School Psychologist, and then enjoy photographing weddings here and there on the weekends. Read more>>

Genevieve Vaillancourt | Clinic Director/Owner & Licensed Acupuncturist

When I first got out of acupuncture school, I worked for someone else. I was too burnt out and overwhelmed from grad school to consider starting my own business. I knew after only a few months that I wanted to become my own boss. Read more>>

Ruben Arcega | Coach Ruben

My thought process was building a company for my family and also being my own boss managing my own clients and members that walked into my doors. Read more>>

Jordan Dominguez | Entrepreneur, Cofounder, Software Developer, & Photographer

To be quite honest I was a born entrepreneur, it only took me until recently in life (and a couple of career switches) to fully realize it. For as long as I can remember I was always creating, building, and selling my skills. Read more>>

Nadina Picarella | Music and Movement-a parent and me learning environment.

This business started as a personal need to meet other parents locally in our community. I was previously a part of a local mom’s group at a church that catered to weekly moms’ meetings. Unfortunately, the mentor mom in this group belittled me at a table of moms I didn’t know. My daughter had a Doc Band that was intended to fix her skull, and when we arrived, I was immediately set apart. Read more>>

Whitney LaMonda | CEO and Yoga Instructor

I started Thread Vision to fill a void in the market-completely customizable product creation. I wanted a place anyone could come to bring their unique product idea to life, exactly how they envisioned it. Anything from custom apparel lines, to accessories and paper products, you dream it we can make it! Read more>>

Surfgrass Productions | Lindsay Bauman & Andrea Sanchez Davidson (Filmmakers)

Andrea: When Lindsay and I met in graduate school, we had the amazing opportunity to work with scientists on a video story-telling project. Our film about California SeaGrant’s Fishing Apprenticeship program was a hit. Shortly thereafter, we were invited to do another science storytelling piece, this time we were paid for our work. Read more>>

Interstellar Global CIC Benjamin, Rolando & Kodi | Creators, Artists, Mentors

Being multi-cultured, self developing artists in the industry we have seen first hand the struggles and barriers faced to be able to create, make, learn and earn in music, performance and production. Three of us, Benjamin, Rolando and Kodi came together to create Interstellar Global after each facing our own barriers and struggles, and along the way envisioned a better more accessible future for the next generation of people who lived similar backgrounds to our own. Read more>>

Nao Tharp | Digital Media Creator / Tour Operator

I was working full time at a post production company by the time I actually started my own business. I had been a freelance videographer, photographer and editor for some time since when I was in collage. It eventually allowed me to find the niche and focus on establishing my catalog/library which now contains over 20,000 video clips. Read more>>