It takes a lot more than an idea to build a business, but there can’t be a business without the idea. So we asked folks who’ve built wonderful businesses to tell us about how they came up with the idea in the first place.

Matty Parson | Owner of the Velvet Ghost Boutique

After spending years working as a boudoir photographer with a dark and moody aesthetic, I reached a point of burnout and realized I needed a career change. In April 2022, I began thinking about businesses that I would love to see in our area and realized that there were no boutiques that catered to consumers who appreciated a dark, spooky, and macabre aesthetic in the greater area of Clarksville.  Read more>>

Jessica Blakley | Co-Founder of BarBees

In our first year of best friendship, Willow and I decided to attend bartending school on a total whim. We wanted to learn a new skill and share a fun experience. While there, we recognized the need for reputable and personable mobile bartending in our event-heavy city of Nashville. Read more>> 

Megan Jewell | Business Owner

I started selling my personal houseplants & succulents in my front yard on a makeshift table when I lost my job at the beginning of COVID & it was a hit from the start. From that point on I knew I needed to get on the road at markets & pop ups or open a brick & mortar in order to broaden my customer base. Read more>>

Cynthia Denise | Chief Executive Officer, Mademoiselle Social Events, Inc.

I spent years helping other event specialists and promoters promote their events with little to no gain in return. Furthermore, not only did they solely depend on me to get people there, I also saw how their followers and supporters were not getting what they put in, their money’s worth. Read more>>

Madison Campbell | Founder of Survivor PAC

The idea for Leda Health came after I had been sexually-assaulted during my study abroad program in college. Because of what I went through, I knew that Leda Health could give some power back to survivors like me, I just had to put in the work. Read more>>