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.

Tasche Laine | Multi-genre Author and Editor

There were many factors at play when I started my editing business. I left my job as an English teacher, relocated to the Pacific Northwest from Southern California, and needed something (a new career) I could do from home. I took a couple of online courses on proofreading and editing to update my skills, and soon got my first editing client—a referral from a fellow author at a writer’s conference I attended. Read more>>

Cristin Drescher | Owner & Creative

With a degree in Fashion Merchandising and a background in sewing, I began making clothes for my son. The first item I made was shorties for his first birthday. Ultimately, I decided to make them because I wasn’t satisfied with the selection from manufactured brands. I wanted clothes for him that were quality natural fabrics, fit well, and free from excessive prints and phrases. I added a few baby shower gifts to my list of makes and quickly realized I wanted to continue sewing. From there, I made the decision to commit full-time to creating a brand and pursuing my passion. Read more>>

Mary Paulson | Owner & hard cider maker of Poochie’s Hooch Urban Cidery

I was already making cider as a hobby at home. Once a month, I would open my backyard to the public for a “Backyard Happy Hooch Hour” for free cider and free food. It was a neighborhood backyard party. After about a year into it, people began bringing food to share creating a potluck. After two years, friends started to tell me to go commercial. After many chats with my business friends, I decided I would create the business, but it would need to continue the same feel as a backyard neighborhood party. Read more>>

Aanam C | Content creator since 2011 & founder and CEO of Wearified

Starting out as a content creator in 2011, in Mumbai, wasn’t as commonly heard as it is today. For one, I was still in college and was yet to complete my graduation. And secondly, there weren’t any Indian creators to see the path of and follow on. I was doing content (blogs, videos, photos, writing) all as a hobby whilst studying for my bachelors degree in Mass Media (with a major in Advertising) and also freelancing in social media content for various brands across the fashion and food space. Read more>>

Christine Castellani | Co-Founder, Bette

Our love of the beach and the casual coastal lifestyle brought us together in 2016 when we met in a kindergarten classroom as our firstborns were starting school. Living in Encinitas, we spent many beach days watching our kids play in the surf and enjoying countless San Diego sunsets – we ❤️ a good sunset! We were both feeling a lack of creativity and inspiration in our current careers and often discussed the idea of starting our own business together. Read more>>

Heather Fritsch | Registered Nurse

What was your thought process behind starting your own business? I spent the majority of my career working in hospitals. As much as I loved it, working in a hospital setting was an extremely draining job. I was working 12 hour shifts, which usually turned into 14 hour shifts with little to no break in a very fast pace, overstimulating environment. Read more>>

Eddie Roa | Boxing Coach and Business Owner

I was managing someone else’s business and I didn’t agree with the choices they were making on how to reinvest the profits in order to grow. Read more>>

Lisa Cantu | Professional Home Organizer & Education Specialist

An OrganIzed Home OC was created out of a desire to share my knowledge of stress and anxiety management that I had developed through my own experience as a special needs teacher.. After 27 years in the classroom, I had developed a system of organization that consisted of very little visual clutter, color coded and labeled containers, regular routines, and zones that contained categorized items that were easily accessible. Read more>>

Kimmie Alessi | The best way I can describe myself is I’m an absolute fireball of ambition, humor, and positive vibes! I truly think of myself as everyone’s best friend, therapist, skincare guru—whatever you need. My main goal amongst bringing people the best quality skincare is to encourage my clients to see the beauty within themselves and to help bring their confidence outward. I’m also a big believer in sharing all my knowledge with a transparent heart and never straying away from my faith at the end of the day.

I originally started Salt & Rind with a friend in the Bay Area as a means to help my clients get access to professional-grade skincare during Covid. During quarantine, my clients were heartbroken that they couldn’t physically come see me at my skincare studio I owned for a facial so I started making custom facial kits as a temporary solution. Read more>>

Diana Webster | Comic Writer/Creator and Animal Advocate

For my animal advocacy organization, there was a desperate need for animal care services that I wanted to provide and organize. For my comic strip, we all need to laugh more and be inspired so I created fun, humorous, and uplifting characters and had them get into crazy adventures. Read more>>

Michele and Aaron Potter | Board game evangelists

We entered the pandemic with a personal collection of about 350 board games. By the time the general quarantine was lifted, that had grown to almost 500. Our kids threatened to turn us in as hoarders unless we finally opened up the board game cafe we’d been talking about for years. Read more>>

Marci Krown | Entrepreneur, Filmmaker & Actress

The main aspect of creating my own business was that I no longer had to go through red tape to get something done. I’ve worked all of my life (since 14 years old), and each has its pros and cons. The thought process of being my own boss and not having to answer to anyone was very liberating for me. I could create my rules, priorities and how I would interact with my customers. I could work one on one with people and give them an answer immediately. Read more>>

Bethany Chaffin | Director

While I was in college studying developmental psychology and education, I traveled around the world and studied the educational systems in nine countries. I learned about many different philosophies and saw the pros and cons of their different methods. When I returned from my travels, I decided that I wanted to become a teacher and an administrator in order to help make an impact and shape the future of our world. Read more>>