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.

Lori Jillson

My inspiration for starting Kendall Grace came from my love of creating meaningful moments for the people I love most. As a wife and mom, I loved planning special celebrations for my family and found so much joy in seeing those moments bring people together. What started as a creative outlet at home grew into a passion for helping others celebrate life’s special occasions. Read more>>

Tyler Futala

My thought process behind starting my own business came from years of learning, leading, and realizing where my true passion was. I have spent the last six years as an executive working with other restaurant brands, helping build teams, grow operations, and develop people. Through that experience, I realized how much I genuinely love this industry. Read more>>

Jamie DeNault

Brio Skin Studio started because I had my own struggles with my skin, and what I really wanted was someone who would partner with me — not just sell me products or give me a facial, but actually help guide me. Read more>>

Diane Bentley Raymond

After a successful 25-year career in marketing, I had an epiphany later in life. I realized I no longer wanted to tell stories from behind a brand – I wanted to tell them from behind the camera. Marketing is ultimately about storytelling, whether it’s about a person, a place, or a product. Read more>>

Anjali Shah

Honestly, it started super accidentally. I wasn’t trying to start a business at all, I was just trying to figure out how to cook healthier meals that my husband would actually eat, because he really loved his fast food. So I started teaching myself how to make plant-based food that didn’t taste like punishment, and somewhere along the way I started sharing what was working. Read more>>

Eric Sawall

Vintage Yacht Club really started from a simple conversation between family. I asked my sisters if we wanted to start a business together, and that conversation slowly turned into reviving the spirit of our grandmother’s antique store — but through the lens of coastal California and the harbor culture we grew up around. We felt like so many stores were becoming disposable and transactional. Read more>>

Martin Fine

Prior to starting my own business I was an assistant to an excellent photographer and the time allowed me to learn a lot of technical skills. My main thought was to have control of my own creative process and my own time schedule. Read more>>

Steven Webb

My father, Mike Webb is a Plumber in West LA, Webb’s Plumbing. He used to take me out to help him with plumbing jobs as early as 13 years of age. I started to learn the trade very early in life. I moved to San Diego and started working with TLC Plumbing, I learned so much with this business. Read more>>

Justin Hartinger

Starting my own business was something I had wanted to do ever since I was a kid. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset and wanted the opportunity to build something of my own. A big influence on me was my older brother, who owned his own business in the semiconductor industry. Read more>>