Many books on startups and business talk about how there are right and wrong reasons for starting a business. So, we asked a handful of successful founders about their reasons and the thought-process behind starting their business.

Janine Lovelace | Ohio Youth Development Executive Director

Starting Ohio Youth Development was deeply personal, driven by my upbringing in a single-parent household in Cuyahoga County, where poverty, my brother’s cerebral palsy, and a lack of youth development services shaped my early experiences. Facing hunger and utility disconnections, I was determined to break the cycle of poverty that seemed destined to continue as I, too, experienced homelessness with my children. The turning point came with education; obtaining my Master of Business Administration illuminated the path to changing not just my family’s situation but also that of others facing similar hardships. Read more>>

Kevin Ruppert | Bricky’s Comedy Club Founder & Owner

The primary motivation for starting the business was to create a mechanism for cultivating additional resources for the local comedy community. The thought process behind it involved creating something that was small at the outset but easily scalable as growth opportunities organically arose. In other words, I wanted to set up something that could be built gradually but sustainably. That’s the way we’ve tried to execute it so far, with consistent step by step progress. Read more>>

Dawn Gagye | Business Coach & Marketing Consultant

From the outset, my journey into business coaching was sparked by a pivotal moment when I witnessed a brilliant entrepreneur struggle to articulate their vision to potential clients. It was a stark realization that having a groundbreaking idea isn’t enough if you can’t convey its value effectively. Read more>>

Jamie Seabolt | Esthetician and CEO

I always new I would be an entrepreneur before I even knew what it was. My mom will tell you that at an early age, my sister, cousin, and I would take an old school 1970’s style Barbie “A” Frame Doll House and split it into 3 sections. My sister would play with one, my cousin would play with another, and I would take the middle section and run the Barbie store, selling Barbie clothing and accessories with the help of Monopoly play money. Then, as I grew into my teens, I was gifted a black briefcase. With that, I would buy the Lifesaver “Creamsaver” lollipops for 10 cents and resell them in the neighborhood out of that briefcase for a quarter. So as you can imagine, once I entered into adulthood, I very much followed the mantra of “See a need, fill a need” and that’s what I have done. Read more>>

Julia Keister | Director of Operations/Creative Director for an Indie Bookstore

I wanted to run a small business to create a local and independent platform for change and to have creative freedom for myself. A small, community-centered business allows for a neighborhood and city to have a safe space where people can make a real difference and get access to real resources. Read more>>

Arielle Nelson | Co Owner, Founder and CEO

I was able to come across a cereal bar on social media and thought this would be a unique concept to bring to Cincinnati. Read more>>