We reached out to some of our favorite entrepreneurs and asked them to think back and tell us about how they decided to start a business. Check out their responses below.

Brad Guldemond | Music & Online Business Mentor

In January of 2020, I moved to Nashville with just a car full of personal belonging and faith that things would come together when I moved there. As a Canadian on a O1 visa, I could work in the field of music and speaking and had some connections for work down there. Read more>>  

MaggieAnn Otto | Your Elopement Guide & Photographer

Honestly, weddings are a pain! So, I went searching for an answer to the problem and found elopements. Hear me out… I have been a wedding photographer for the last 6 or so years and have seen a lot of the struggles and issues that weddings propose. Such as the lack of uniqueness, every wedding has the same characteristics, I want to help my couples stand out. The social pressure of pleasing everyone, I want to help my couples plan the wedding they envision without stressing over the table settings and guest lists, etc. Read more>>

Teresa Landrum Caswell | Founder of Caswell Group Driving School

I am solution driven. I noticed a problem and I begin to do the research to see how I can provide a solution to the problem. Driver Education was taken out of schools in TN, as a result, we see how it has affected the drivers on the roads. I love challenges so I stepped up to the challenge to start a driving school in the Raleigh Frayser community because that is what we needed. Read more>>

Jerry Pentecost | Drummer, DJ, Life & Style Coach

Being present and showing my twin girls what hard work can amount to. I feel very fortunate to make a living as a musician and to model what achieving your dreams can look like for them. I didn’t grow up with my real dad and my moms passed when I was 13. I had to figure out alotta things on my own because I didn’t have someone showing me what hard work and success looked like in the music industry. Read more>>

Jan Buckingham | Twice Grammy nominated hit songwriter

My thought process for starting my own business was two fold.
First of all, I had a single coming out with Pam Tillis, CLEOPATRA-QUEEN OF DENIAL, and I needed to have the song in a publishing company, so that I could get paid. I had been a staff writer in many different publishing companies before (Warner Chappell, Lorimar, Windswept Pacific), but I was not signed at the time, so I had to start one. Read more>>

Meyhanna Cooper | Hairstylist

Starting my own business was a culmination of a deeply personal journey and a passionate desire to make others feel as beautiful and confident as I did during my own salon experiences. My brand ethos was rooted in the transformative power of hair styling—a belief that a great hairstyle has the ability to uplift spirits and instill a sense of empowerment. While I initially toyed with the idea of offering a range of beauty services, including lash, nail, and makeup services, I soon realized that it was the art of hair styling that resonated most deeply with me and had the most profound impact on my clients’ self-esteem. Read more>> 

Joel McIntyre | Business Owner & Entrepreneur

I wanted to be in control of my own work life while becoming financially independent. I also wanted to develop a brand that my customers would grow to love and enjoy. Read more>>

Lance Brown | Wine Enthusiast & Entrepreneur

I wanted to introduce a one-of-a-kind experience, with a combination of wine and flower that provides the best of both worlds. As a wine enthusiast, I desired to share the sophisticated taste of drinking and the effects of flower in a unique way without inhaling. Read more>>

Kanika Brown | Candle Maker & Self-published Author

I have always been a lover of fragrances and take delight in indulging in a variety of scents, both at home and in the workplace. Combining my passion for aromas with the creation of natural products, Ash’ya Creations was established in 2019. My sole objective was to deliver top-notch candles, melts, and all-natural soap to our clientele. My steadfast commitment to excellence has been my driving force from the very beginning and remains so to this day. At the core of my brand lies a dedication to offering the best shopping experience and fostering lasting connections with our treasured customers. Read more>>

Denise Montrose | Business Owner & Non-Profit Founder

The biggest obstacle I’ve had to overcome is a lack of thought process for starting the nonprofit. I have met quite a few farm rescue founders who grew up on a farm, lived in the country, had farm animal knowledge, and already had the land/farm established. At the very least, they had done significant research and planned the rescue sustainably. I met this cow, she stole my heart and before I knew it I was selling my house in the suburbs, buying an RV, putting everything in storage, and moving to the middle of nowhere. Read more>>

Susan DeMay | Clay artist, making functional and decorative wares

As a young adult (on my own at age 18,) I worked in a number of unskilled labor jobs and I came to know that I could not do these for the rest of my life. Even when I was in high school I had worked in a jewelry factory and did the same thing all day long — this did not agree with me. I also did not like having difficult bosses in a number of the jobs in which I worked throughout my adulthood. Having my own business seemed like a great way to circumvent this issue! Read more>>

Denzel Starks | Branding Strategist

Becoming a graphic designer was never my initial plan. Originally, I envisioned myself as a funeral director with my own funeral home. However, my journey into graphic design began as a hobby, creating flyers for family events and close friends. It all changed when a company approached me for design services and became a repeat customer. That’s when I realized my true passion for graphic design. Read more>>