Keep Going: Small Business Motivation

COVID was what pushed Kendrah to start her own business. Or rather, it was fighting for time to recover from COVID that was the last straw. For years, Kendrah had dreamed of starting her own marketing agency. As a former fashion blogger, brand ambassador, and social media influencer, Kendrah had seen the many facets of growing a business. And she particularly loved helping small businesses grow as a marketing freelancer while worki...

 Naomi was in the car with her young cousins, excited to finally have a break from college and enjoy a day at the park. But Naomi became concerned when her cousin, who was also excited to spend time at the park, wouldn’t leave the car. After some gentle coaxing, Naomi’s young cousin revealed she didn’t want to leave the car because it was a sunny day and she was worried her skin would become darker. From that moment on, Naomi deter...

 Ana and Belouka are no strangers to fashion. In fact, Belouka moved from her home in Haiti to New York to begin a modeling career at 19, and Ana sewed clothing pieces for fashion week after also moving from Haiti to the U.S. So when Belouka had an idea for a swimsuit design, she reached out to her friend, Ana. What followed was the beginning of a business that celebrates Haitian culture through colorful and comfortable swimwear. L...

Joresa had a question: If she could order a cup of coffee on an app and have it delivered in 30 minutes, why couldn’t she have a dress from a store delivered in the same amount of time? This question is what led Joresa to begin GoFlyy, a company that helps other businesses grow by providing package delivery and tracking services. But starting a logistics company of this scale hasn’t always been easy. Listen as Joresa shares how she...

Whenever Marissa—a barista and coffee educator—would ask about coffee beans from Asia, she was always told the same thing: there was only one coffee from Asia and it was bad. This did not sit well with her. And as she researched further into the matter, Marissa found a plethora of Asian coffees, each with their own unique flavors ranging from notes of chocolate to floral and herbaceous flavors. With this knowledge, Marissa decided ...

Amanda never saw herself working as an occupational therapist assistant, let alone as a martial arts instructor. Yet Amanda was a natural caregiver, having grown up assisting her sister with spinal bifida. And she found herself enjoying the health benefits of mixed martial arts in her adult years. So when an opportunity came for Amanda to teach martial arts to a class of special needs children, she found it to be a perfect combinat...

When Jamila graduated from college with a degree in civil engineering, she suddenly noticed something. Out of more than a hundred students in her graduating class, only 10 were women. Knowing that this low representation of female engineers extended beyond her graduating class, Jamila wanted to do something about it. So she did something a little unorthodox for a civil engineer; she began a media publishing company. Listen as Jamil...

Felicia glanced at the backseat where he son was sitting in his car seat to see every parent’s worst nightmare. He wasn’t breathing. Felicia and her husband pulled over the car and dashed to save their son. But when Felicia finally held her son in her arms, she didn’t remember her CPR training. Fortunately, her husband was able to revive their son. But that moment stayed with Felicia and she wondered if there was something she coul...

Mo had been a new mom for only a couple of months when her mother suffered a debilitating stroke. Sandwiched between the monumental task of caring for her infant son and her elderly mother, Mo discovered something. While many companies offered home-delivery services for caregiving supplies, there wasn’t very many delivery services that helped ease the emotional toll of caregiving. So in honor of her mother, Mo decided to start a bu...

Lawrence was on the trip of a lifetime. In a year, he visited all seven continents and more than 30 countries, seeing everything from the canals of Venice to the penguins of Antarctica. Yet, wherever Lawrence went, there was always the question of safety. As a Black traveler, Lawrence wanted to know if some destinations would be safer than others. But even after scouring Google, there didn’t seem to be much information out there fo...

Trichology—from the moment Brandi read that word in her cosmetology textbook, she was intrigued. And as she learned its meaning, the study of hair and scalp health, she decided that she would one day become a trichologist to help others recover from hair loss. That day happened much sooner than Brandi anticipated when she woke up one night with the inspiration to go for it. And what resulted was not only a hair clinic that helped c...

Blake was an all-state high school athlete with a promising future in track and basketball. Sadly, a torn ACL his senior year changed all that. But his love of sports stayed with him, particularly his love of vintage sports apparel. And when he saw the boutique shops share pictures of him wearing vintage jerseys and getting hundreds of likes, he knew he was on to something. Listen as Blake shares how he began his vintage sports app...

Kamilah always loved talking to people. In fact, her teachers would often complain about her willingness to chat with her peers. So it came to no one's surprise when Kamilah decided to pursue a career in speech pathology. Instead, it was Kamilah's love of working with older patients that often surprised those around her. Yet this love is exactly what led Kamilah to creating a revolutionary app to help her older patients i...

It became apparent that Sam was destined for a career in the creative world when her mom discovered Sam carefully constructing earrings from a prized chandelier. But as Sam grew older, the question of: “How do artists make money?” drove her into the corporate world. Yet Sam never gave up her love for crafting jewelry, and when a friend asked if she could buy the earrings Sam made for herself right off of her ears, Sam knew she was ...

Somewhere between avoiding flying objects being thrown a round her and a nonstop schedule, Nicole decided it was time for a career change. Her job as a pastry chief was quickly burning up her desire to cook, and she was considering leaving the industry all together. Then it happened—Nicole was laid off during the pandemic. But what may have seemed like an obstacle turned into the push Nicole needed to make the career change she alw...

When Devin asked his parents what careers he could pursue as an artist, their reply was, “You’re a smart guy; you’ll figure it out.” Although it wasn’t a definitive answer, Devin began by taking his art to a digital medium and designing logos for his contacts on Facebook. But he didn’t stop there. In fact, he incorporated his interests in animation in film to quickly scale his business with multiple services. Listen as Devin shares...

Apathy, that's what Cindy's daughter feared the most—the feeling of getting too comfortable to care about seeking any further growth. When Cindy learned this, she determined she also feared apathy. And so she went back to college, became a certified Barton tutor, and began her own tutoring business. But even with that success, Cindy pushed herself again to fight against apathy by creating a learning software for her stude...

Whether it's mapping out property lines, plots in a cemetery, or creating drones that help first responders, Marcus' business as a drone pilot is anything but boring. But juggling his business with a full-time job brings its own challenges as well. Listen as Marcus shares how he balances both while growing his small business, Aerofire Mapping.

Website: https://www.aerofiremapping.com/

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Some people may say they love their business, but for Yahmeemah, her business is love. As a social worker, she noticed that some of the girls at her school weren't receiving the support and encouragement they needed to thrive. But rather than turn a blind eye, Yahmeemah began a work of love that would turn into a business. Listen as Yahmeemah shares how she began SELFY My Sister's Keeper, an organization that uplifts and ...