Are you thinking about starting a business? If so, we think you’ll enjoy reading about how these seasoned entrepreneurs thought about the question when they were in your shoes.

Danny Nelson

I knew I wanted to have control over my own destiny and future. I knew that it would be a challenge but I knew that the reward was/is going to be worth the risks. I’d rather bet on myself than bet on somebody else because I can control how smart and hard I work. Read more>>

Mike Meekhof | Founder and Sports Reporter

I’ve always been passionate about high school sports and wanted to give student athletes a platform to share their stories and gain exposure. I also want to give college and high school students interested in pursuing a career in journalism an opportunity to gain experience in the field. Read more>>

John Guest | Owner of Guest Painting, Entrepreneur & Musician

We live in uncertain times, and having your own business gives you an opportunity to succeed when an employer might fail. When we revived Guest Painting in 2022, we looked at owning a small business as a way of future proofing our income over time. Read more>>

Noah Juuhl | Founder and Creative Director, Produced by Santo

It’s funny my thought process really was never about starting my own business, it wasn’t something that I ever thought I’d be interested in. To be honest, my life just kind of lead up to it, one step at a time. I started out in black and white documentary photography and over time found myself in the commercial and editorial scene and out of necessity my LLC was born. From that point on it’s been about using what I do to tell stories, keeping the storyteller alive in everything I do; stories of grit, stories of passion, stories of character, and stories of craft. But it’s not really about the business for me, I pride myself more so in the stories that I help tell than the money I make. From all of that, you get “Produced by Santo.” Read more>>

Louise Sloan | Head Gardener and Owner

Red Chair Gardens started as an offshoot of my love for gardening. After I chose to leave the active duty Navy, I found myself drawn to playing in my yard with gardening. It was a hobby that I could take with me when my Marine Corps husband changed duty stations, would allow me to be home with my children, and brought me joy. Read more>>

Lauren Grandberry | Nail tech & Event Coordinator

I didn’t have a thought process. My business just came to me. It started with the shut down during the covid outbreak. I NEEDED my nails done! I was always known to have them done. My boyfriend at the time just moved in and I wasn’t feeling my best. When I was in high school I would always assist my older cousin with her nail clients. So when the world shut down I decided to buy everything I seen on her table and attempt to do my own nails. They came out pretty good for a “beginner” so I posted it. Kinda like “look what I did!” And the clients started FALLING in. I was the only girl on the east side of Detroit doing nails. And even though I had NEVER done nails before those ladies trusted me with their hands. Word of mouth got out and next thing you know, I had a living room full of clients, DURING COVID! Insane. I know. lol. A lot of people were trusting but some weren’t as much. People would request to see my work. Me being the semi-perfectionist I am I didn’t want to just post it. I wanted to create a “nails by” page. At the time I was also getting ALOT of hate for doing nails because it wasn’t really my lane at the time. I was more of a hairstylist. But because I was the only person doing nails a lot of peoples “loyal clients” were coming to me. And it caused some tension on relationships to say the least. So me being the petty Betty I am, I wanted to come up with a witty name to make a statement that “I DO WHAT I WANT!” So my boyfriend at the time, my cousin, and I sat in the living room wrecking our brains to figure out a good name. “The client snatcher!” “Covid nail tech!” Finally someone said “The Nail Banditt” and it click! From there QueenBanditt was birthed along with BandittBiz LLC. and it’s been up since there! Read more>>

Eli Nightingale | Clothing brand owner

My thought process behind starting my own business was driven by a desire to push myself beyond my comfort zone and do things I hadn’t done before. Starting a business at just 15 felt like the perfect challenge—it’s exciting to know I’m building something meaningful at a young age. Read more>>

Kristen Wilson | Bed and Breakfast Owner, RYT 500 Yoga Guide, Reiki Practitioner, USPTA Tennis Professional.

My parents were self employed, very blue collar, my dad owned a well drilling business for 30 + Years. Entrepreneurship was ingrained in me as a child along with a strong work ethic. I understood, at a very young age, what you put into your work, you get out of it. I also understood it comes with many sacrifices, but the flexibility is what rooted into my soul. Read more>>