The first step to starting a business is deciding to start a business. They say the first step is the hardest and in our experience this is especially true when it comes to starting a business. Getting over the mental roadblocks can be tough, often harder to overcome than the challenges you’ll face once you actually start the business. Fellow entrepreneurs share their thoughts below.

Missy Mae Walters | Etiquette Instructor – Chapter Director for Cotillions

I started the Greater Miami Valley Chapter of the National League of Junior Cotillion because today’s children urgently need to learn how to build meaningful connections. In an era where digital communication often overshadows face-to-face interactions, it’s crucial for kids to understand the fundamentals of social etiquette. They need to learn how to treat others with kindness and respect, build self-esteem, and present themselves in the best possible light. Read more>>

Yomar Vera | Soccer Coach

I started YB Performance because I wanted to create a soccer training business that truly focuses on the holistic development of players, something I felt was missing in my experience. I wanted to provide a platform where players could get personalized, high-quality training to reach their full potential. My drive comes from a passion for soccer and a desire to guide players on their journey, using my knowledge and experience to make a real impact. Read more>>

Elle Hart | Self Intelligence Consultant and Co-working space Owner

I am someone who likes working for myself but not by myself. Being a solopreneur has a lot of benefits but it can also feel like you are on an island trying to figure it all out on your own. Not only does Stanfield Manor Workspaces offer flexible private meeting rooms to conduct business in a professional setting and open co-working spaces to meet and work among other motivated people, it is a place to connect and collaborate. Read more>>

Grant Patterson | Creative Director

I started my brand, Created One of One, because of the desire to make a difference with the gifts I have been blessed with. The first inspiration is the fashion industry being incredible vain and ego-driven… that if you don’t have the newest item you’re somehow less than. The issue is, those people end up looking all like each other because they wear the same items. Read more>>

Cheyenne Wright | Owner, Brokepam Productions dba The Haunting of Bloody Mary

Historically I’ve always operated in my own way. Early on I was a server for twenty one years, then a freelance artist for the last fifteen. In each of these careers I have been the one to craft the customer/consumer experience. Once I decided to finally launch themed entertainment business, it was a bit overwhelming. However in the end the goal is the same. To provide an unforgettable and superior experience for the guest. Read more>>

Amy Youngblood | Founder and Lead Interior Designer

As a Communications Major with a strong art background in my undergraduate education, I started my career off working for large corporations in the area of sales and marketing. After several years of feeling creatively unfulfilled, I became entranced with the field of interior design and thought it would be a great combination of my skills in sales and art. I then left the corporate world and enrolled in a collegiate interior design program. Read more>>

Atari Jones | Aesthetic artist & Social media marketing guru

The thought process behind starting my own business came from not wanting to work for anyone, or from not wanting to be on anyone else’s time.

Sarah Awa | publisher, editor, writer

It began with my friend Deborah’s thought process, and she quickly “infected” my friend Jeannie and me with her idea and passion for it. The three of us had already become quite fed up with the publishing industry and its gatekeeping—how some really bad books have gotten published simply because of their author’s huge social media following; and so many excellent books have been rejected because they don’t fit the very narrow range of ideas that publishers are willing to take a chance on. Read more>> 

Kacie Gikonyo | Death Doula and Educator

I knew I wanted to start something that didn’t exist. The world of death care is practically untapped and I know what gaps need to be filled. Not only did I want to provide a better type of end of life care, but I wanted to provide a better Death Doula training program than what already existed. So I began creating a more comprehensive curriculum that I knew would equip Death Doulas with all the tools they needed to succeed and I opened Death Doula School. Read more>>

Katie Montgomery | Founder, My At Home Adventures

The idea for My At Home Adventures® was sparked during the pandemic. I was working as a Client Manager for one of the largest asset managers in the world, stuck in back-to-back meetings for most of the day, while my daughter struggled to pay attention in virtual kindergarten. With both of us working from my dining room table, I was able to overhear a lot of her daily curriculum. Read more>>

Erinn Dearth | Creative Mastermind behind Letters From Home & Spring Theatr

Being a singer and dancer my entire life, I’ve always enjoyed performing, but wanted to take that skill set and put it towards a greater purpose. Being onstage is fun and gives me a lot of satisfaction, but shows that have a deeper purpose is what gets me really motivated. I started Spring Theatre to give the youth in our community an opportunity to find the love of theatre while providing a nurturing environment, and I started letters From Home to honor veterans, active military and their families through song. Read more>>