Ideas aren’t everything, execution matters greatly, but starting often requires an idea and so we asked folks to think back and tell us the story of how they came up with the idea for their businesses. We’ve highlighted some of our favorite stories below.

Patrick LeFils | Music and Food Media Outlet

One of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Frankin Covey is to begin with the end in mind. When you start a business you first find a need people have. Then you calculate how long that need may last. These are normally the first two steps when starting a business. That said, I took a much different path when starting my media outlet. Read more>>

Bryson & Peighton Cantrell | Non-Profit Owners & Entrepreneurs

BookIt4Life originally started as a book club we created when we were 8-years old. We noticed our classmates weren’t reading books as much as we were, and they seemed to be judging books by the covers when we went to the school library to check out our bi-weekly books. Read more>>

Megan Gallman | Salon Owner, Master Colorist, National Color and Styling Educator

My salon is very education based. I typically work with stylists new to the industry because they are the future. At the time that I became a new hairstylist, there were no apprenticeships in my area. The norm was graduating from cosmetology and hoping for the best in your career. Read more>>

Chantel Oakley | Co-Founder/CEO, SanoVita Consulting

The idea for my business originated from recognizing a crucial gap in the market where fitness and technology intersect. I observed a growing need for individuals who could bridge the gap between the fitness journey and technology in both tech companies and gyms. Read more>>

Durty Gent | Hip Hop Artist & Event Promoter

There’s no such thing as giving up. We stay strong and keep pushing. They say it’s always rain before the sun, or ugly before it’s beautiful. You might get knocked down but it’s all about getting back up and putting up a harder fight. No one said it’ll be easy, and success doesn’t happen overnight. Read more>>

Samone Mitchell | Entrepreneur, Makeup Artist, & Creative

I always remind myself that anything great or substantial comes with a lot of work and it is not easy to obtain, ever, so I keep going. I will try every option & go through every emotion before I give up. Read more>>

Kylah Currie | CEO

I always had the mindset of never giving up. As I get older, I always challenge myself to keep going no matter the circumstance. As a human , not even a business owner, giving up in life has no gain. In order to know and be encouraged to keep going you have to look at the light at the end of the tunnel. Read more>>

Sharaea Preferred: Rae Lamb | Business Owner

I believe it is important to effectively assess the business; is there really a market for the product or service, are costs unsustainably high, and, is your business not making any money, how many years are you willing to continue seeing a profit-loss? Read more>> 

Annie Lynn | Singer & Songwriter

I actually find it extremely hard to give up on anything, and find it easier to keep going. I always have. I’m the most dedicated, loyal person, and love to work towards something and finish things. I don’t like giving up at all. Not just on projects I work on, or curiosities I’m following but anything. Read more>>

Andrew Keeler | Singer/ Songwriter & Musician

Well that is all your prerogative, if you give up you’ll never know what could have been. Me personally, with pursuing music as a career, I’ve had so many days with polar opposite emotions on this topic. I’ll have seasons of creativity, motivation, success, failure, etc.  Read more>>