Thinking through whether to start a business – whether to take the risk, whether to go out on your own – isn’t easy. So we asked some entrepreneurs we admire to tell us about how they thought through the process of starting a business.

Erich Schmidt | CEO OF SCHMIDT AUTO CARE.

Well. I worked for a local dealer for about 15 years, I was underpaid for my skill set for a long time. I also found no thanks for going above and beyond, and zero accountability for anyone working in the dealer. the toxicity was quite intense as well which made me toxic without even realizing it. Overall I found the dealer environment to be a poor place to work due to these things. early in my career I worked for a small mom and pop shop, he was a master wiz with electrical and was lucky enough for him to teach me, this was the biggest piece to my career puzzle and my future path to a diagnostician and owner. I was too young and missguided to understand this shop was amazing but I left for more money….. After all this and a military career mixed in and prior to the shops I worked in, I knew I wanted to own a shop because I hated the things I had experienced and wanted to make that change in the industry and for future techs for better training, guidance, pay and treatment. I wanted a shop that educated the consumer in what to expect when having your car repaired and the cost associated. education and charging properly is a huge key to future shops successes. Read more>>

Meg GotThis | Multi-Media Artist, Phliomath & Philozoist

Most people who truly get to know me, learn pretty quickly that I am extremely detail oriented, and I get very deep into just about everything. So it was expected that I’d end up with a couple of different “brands” offering many types of products and services. They also know there’s no quick and simple answer to this question for me. Read more>>

Ahmed Elmahdy | Digital Marketer Agency Owner

Hi, I’m Ahmed, the founder of Rocket Launch Media. My journey into starting this agency is pretty close to the heart. You see, it all began when I was running my own business in cell phone repair. I hit a roadblock when it came to marketing – hiring a big agency was way out of my budget. So, I decided to take a crack at digital marketing myself. It was a challenge, but I was determined to make it work. Read more>>

Shanay Braxton | Travel Marketing Professional and Lifestyle Youtuber

I was standing in the garden, surrounded by cacti and plants that grow in desert climates, when I looked at my phone to check an email—the signature of the email sender read, Influencer Manager. As my colleague walked past me, I said, influencers have created a new job called Influencer Manager. At that point, I knew this field would continue growing and expanding. Read more>>

Jay Rosemary | Artist | Photographer | Teacher

Was there even any thought behind it at all? Not really. I started out as just a creator. Starting at the end of 2020, I created paper collages out of old magazines and books. I made them for about 6 months before people started asking for commissioned pieces and to buy the original works from me. I was floored that I could create something that other people not only enjoyed, but resonated with. Then about a year into the collage making, I started doing pop-ups around town. I became Jay’s Paper Cuts. I finally saw myself as an artist and was becoming a known part of the creative community. Then at the beginning of 2023, I was in a terrible creative rut. There wasn’t a single collage that would come out of my brain. I decided to switch mediums for awhile. I picked up a camera that I bought off a friend several years prior and dusted it off to see what I could create that way. It took no time at all for me to find my groove in photography. It helped that I was working for a photo studio, renting out spaces to other photographers. With photography, I had some prior knowledge, as I’ve always loved and had an interest in it. With the guidance of my friend and fellow photographer, Bryan Wysong, my hobby turned into a passion. I quickly found that photographing people was enjoyable and invigorating. You don’t realize how vulnerable being in front of a camera is, and I’ve been told my presence behind the camera is calming. I take pride in making people feel comfortable and shed some of the fear that comes with being photographed. I’ve been taking photos of people, whether it be a maternity photoshoot, headshots, boudoir, or just portraits, for about a year now. I brand myself as “Jinks Photography”. All in all, I never really planned on owning my own business. I just follow what my heart wants to do, and apparently people are into it and want to support me and my art. My “next steps” involve diving more into the “business” aspect of my creative journey. Read more>>

Khamall Jahi | Community Organizer & Creative

We must be active participants in building the world we want to see. Starting a business for me was an acknowledgment of the work necessary to turn my dreams into reality. I’ve worked for many people and organizations over the years gathering information about how creative businesses operate. In 2021, I felt like it was finally time for me to take a leap of faith and bet on myself despite the fear of uncertainty. Believing in yourself is the first step. Harnessing the will power to do the step by step processes that make it happen is the real work that without my support system, I doubt I would’ve been able to make it to this point where I’m grateful for embarking on the journey and enthusiastic about what’s next to come. Read more>>