Downtown
Robert Aldrich
I was born and raised just outside of Chicago. I attended Purdue University for college, then moved to Houston in 2011. I’ve always had a love for music. I can remember at the age of 6 I would sneak my dad’s cassettes up to my room and listen to albums like Bone Thugs and Harmony “Creepin on ah Come Up”. Read more>>
LaTasha Jackson
I started my real estate career at the end of 2016 start of 2017. I was a Sales Director for over eight years for an Information Technology Staffing Agency. I traveled all over the US including: California, New York, Florida, Georgia and even outside of the US. I started helping IT consultants find housing as they accepted projects in Houston. Read more>>
Elon Lockings
Ever since I was a little girl, I had dreams of traveling. There was a song called “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics and it would come on late at night back when they would do album advertisements on television. The part that stood out most was when they sang, “I travel the world and the seven seas.” Read more>>
Tim Gonchoroff
It was during my senior year of college that I decided to pursue a career as an artist. At the time, I was majoring in art history but found myself considerably more interested in my studio classes, particularly sculpture. It’s somewhat ironic because both of my parents are artists. Read more>>
Victoria Alcoser
I started in 2010, interest in working with cakes with fondant. I started watching self-taught videos. I started my home-based business first with cupcakes and then I slowly started out with buttercream cakes. It took a lot of hard work to cover a cake with fondant, at least year to get it down. Read more>>
Kimmie Gillespie
I originally moved from Ohio to Houston as part of a student teaching program. Out of the 75 people who I applied, I was one of the eight accepted into the program and got to complete my student teaching in Aldine ISD. Texas was my saving grace from getting out of an abusive relationship in college. Read more>>
Nishia Jackson
For over 16 years, I serve as an activist and promoter for the Houston Urban LGBTQ scene and beyond. I begin gaining notoriety among my peers in 1997 as a regular performer both solo and with a group, we called Da Divaz which consisted of myself, Rhonda Jackson and Lashon Parker. Read more>>
Pamela Peté, Nia Dennis, Natalyn Randall, Chase Simon, Afira Miller & Nia Dee Dotson
As a result of my speaking and coaching men and women have been able to discover their God-given gifts, gotten crystal clarity, definiteness of purpose and step action steps for massive goal success. I am Chief Master Sergeant United States Air Force Veteran, Pamela Peté, poet, speaker, author, goal coach, CEO and Founder of Masterful Purpose. Read more>>
Chih-Wei Lin and Michael Dorsey
We began with a leap of faith into a world we knew little about. Not to say we didn’t know dumplings, we worked in corporate America for the past 15 years. Climbing the corporate ladder was a thrill ride. Overcoming challenges and making lasting impacts to our companies led us to great heights and taught us many valuable lessons about ourselves. Read more>>
Sheila Marquez
Wonderland Soft Play was officially “born” on July 19, 2019, but the journey started well before this date for me. I had been to the Children’s Museum, local gyms and parks that offered a soft play area for babies and toddlers. My little one who was crawling at the time was completely obsessed with the equipment. Read more>>
Carlot Dorve
Carlot Dorvé is a gifted trumpeter, composer and music educator from the country of Haiti. Although Dorvé’s style and talents on the trumpet amaze his audiences, they are even more astonished to see him perform using his “only” arm and hand. Dorvé, a Michigan State University graduate, lost his right arm to an infection at age five in Haiti. Read more>>
Tanelda Carey
I am originally from Ridgeland, MS. I played collegiate softball at Mississippi State University all four years and graduated with a degree in Business Administration majoring in Insurance, Risk Management and Financial Planning and a minor in Economics. Read more>>
Krystal Gonzalez
Five years ago, I gave birth to my son who was born with special needs and I had to walk away from my 9-5, that I absolutely loved to become his full-time caregiver. In that time, I’ve played with many ideas like lashes, raffles, flower arrangements, babysitting, private bus service to name a few in order to regain my independence while still caring for my littles. Read more>>
Chelsea Dickson
As a little girl… I always loved fashion reading Vogue magazines and cutting the looks out that I loved and putting them in a scrapbook. I would style my friends in high school for fun but I loved making them feel beautiful it was honestly my little outlet. I was born and raised in Baton Rouge, LA. Read more>>
Stephen Mendoza
When I was younger, I remember my mom always having a camera with her. Our house always had photos of the family on the wall and if not there then in boxes in storage. She was for sure my first influence in photography. As I grew older and got to middle school, I would take photos of my friends and family and would make videos with them but. Read more>>
Shaccase Vaughn
My passion for finances have been directly impacted from life experiences. I struggled to keep up with what is and is not important when pertaining to finances and found myself in a hole. I wanted to regain my financial freedom and immediately began to increase my knowledge of the subject. Read more>>
Andi Minett
Andi is from Baton Rouge, LA and recently moved back to Houston with her husband, Scott, a Houston native, children Poppy and Perry, and labradoodle, Leo. She is expected twins in April 2020. She is a graduate of LSU and The College of Charleston.Exercise and healthy living have always been an important part of Andi’s life. Read more>>
Nora and John Morales
We started Selfies-R-Us in June of 2017 right before we found out we were three plus months pregnant. This put us on a hold for a bit since we were in a high-risk pregnancy. We became fully committed to the building our brand and network in January of 2018. Although we still had baby on the brain. Read more>>
Jeremiah Campbell
I got into photography really because of my wife. She bought me a camera for my birthday a few years back, and I never picked it up initially (I’m pretty sure I was glued to my PS4). I started shooting while I was out-processing from the military. That time was very stressful because I was accustomed to that lifestyle. Read more>>
Chef Eriell Muhammad
My love for food started at a very young age. Being the last of 12 children. I grew up seeing a large gathering at the table for dinner. Every Holiday and Birthday was special. Things were sorta…You know timely and regimented. My mother didn’t waste no time when it came to feeding our family. Read more>>
Shiff
Shiff was started as more of a study, a way of exploring Houston and interacting with the people through photography. The goal is to take this same mentality and apply it to garments, accessories, pop-ups, activations. It’s a delicate balance between designing to trends and hype, versus building something that’ll last for generations. Shiff is in it for the long run. Read more>>
Katy
Kayla Swanson
We’re a couple of passionate soles, dedicated to carrying the most exclusive purses and showcasing the latest trends! Monae’s Closet was founded in 2019 by multi-business owner Kayla Swanson. Her passion for fashion was discovered as a young girl playing dress-up and strutting around the house in mom’s high heels. Read more>>
Kandice Cole
I started my career teaching elementary school. After a few years, I began to experience burnout which led me to explore other ways I could use my expertise and background. I was able to get a part-time consulting gig and that was my side hustle for about a year. I ultimately decided to leave my teaching job to become a freelance consultant and coach. Read more>>
Jasmin Loessin
I started when I was pregnant with my first child. I had a high-risk pregnancy that made me quit my job and stay at home. My mother in law talked to me about keeping a journal online about my pregnancy journey as a way of keeping busy. She mentioned some bloggers and how they wrote their stories. Read more>>
Anshwa Lewis
I found my love for event planning just months before graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a degree in Systems Engineering. I volunteered to organize the Black History Program on campus that year and the program morphed into a full-scale production. Read more>>
Priscilla Graham
My love, my passion is storytelling through the lens of the camera capturing timeless moments of life. Photography soothes my soul and gives me a voice to express my spirit of love for God’s Beauty through a single photograph. I believe that nothing truly captures a moment in time like a photograph. Read more>>
Kaye Bradley
Originally from Gary, Indiana Kaye at a very young age developed a unique and original sense of style. Growing up in the Midwest Kaye was always fashionable but had a New York kind of swag. Her love for fashion grew and was very apparent in the way she dressed. It all started with always wanting to own my own business and build a brand and legacy. Read more>>
Emily Liang
I started 1314 STUDIO in the waterfront New Jersey and New York City area. Whether it’s a use of your favorite items, handmade props, plain white wall, a passing biker, or yellow taxi cab, we like to incorporate surrounding elements and to use creative perspective in capturing engaging. Read more>>
Mea Forte
I always have been very talkative and opinionated. So one day I decided that I wanted to do a podcast but I was so nervous. So I downloaded a recording app and started practicing and I would record 2-minute segments and send them to friends and family and ask for feedback. Read more>>
Stacy Fitzmorris
I had such a hard time finding a wedding photographer in my area that I loved. I finally found one in and her work resonated with me. After the wedding, I decided I wanted to learn photography and offer it in my area. I knew what I loved about photography and that was seeing powerful, emotional imagery come to life. Read more>>
Amesia
The idea initially started back in 2011 when I was laid off from my corporate banking job, and I wanted to explore my love for fashion. I began setting up my website while finishing my bachelor’s degree in finance. I admit I was a bit intimidated with the process as I had no idea what I was doing. Read more>>
Crystal Etuk
I knew I wanted to go into fashion while living in Los Angeles over a decade ago. I worked for a large clothing store and spent the majority of every paycheck on new clothes. I was the store’s living, breathing mannequin. I put my dream of owning an upscale boutique on pause when I started a family. Read more>>
Neartown
José Hernández López
The company started soon after my detention at an immigrant facility in 2013. I had found that I could simply not continue to live my life without some real sense of purpose. To continue, and to throw away any and all semblance of creativity and skills, I believed I had was simply not going to be something that I would be proud of doing. Read more>>
Jess Potgieter
I had every intention of finding a nine-to-five job when I moved to Houston from Australia. I had been working in the corporate world back home and imagined I would continue along that path when I moved here with my husband 18 months ago. Read more>>
James Hall
Three years ago, I was an environmental sustainability executive working for a Fortune 1000 company in Northern NJ. I’ve always wanted to own my own business and after a tragedy that caused a lot of self-reflection decided to pursue that goal. I quit my job and proceeded to search for a business opportunity. Read more>>
Talena Gulash
I graduated college with a degree in Marketing and degree in Management. I was in the corporate world in the financial industry for the first eight years after I graduated. I eventually went to work for a construction company doing their marketing and it wasn’t long before I was promoted to COO handling their business operations. Read more>>
Raul Rodriguez
I started rapping at the age of seven years old. I liked it because I saw all of my older cousins doing it so it was natural for me, it felt easy. Age 8 I went to lived with one of my cousins Melchor Cavazos, who became a father figure to me & his mother, my aunt. Mel took music more serious than I had seen anyone take it. Read more>>
LaDarrell Hopkins
As I child, I was always very outspoken and passionate. I’ve always had a niche for engaging people with my words. School to me was more about developing my social and interpersonal communication skills. My parents showed us love, but being the oldest child carried more responsibility. They were harder on me when it came to my grades. Read more>>
Brenda B. Simmons
I was born in the gospel genre of music as I grew up in the upper Glenwood Forest area we formed a rap group Northside rappers whereas we performed for charity event such as veterans and nursing home. As I grew older, we continued to help others and it would become my life helping others through music. Read more>>
Ye the Artist
I was born and raised in the outskirts of Nacogdoches. For me, there is nothing better than catching a beautiful sunset or sunrise. My favorite thing to do growing up though, was sitting on the porch, looking up at the night’s sky. This where I developed my love for nature, God’s palette. Read more>>
Ibrahim Vaner Ozgur
I was born in Turkey 1976 in a border town of Van. Until college lived in Ankara where I got my basic education then my first abroad adventure was to go to college in Hong Kong. It was totally different culture but I was young to adapt and there was nothing to complaint about accept big cost of living in Hong Kong. Read more>>
North Loop
Tanny Williams
I was raised out of Houston’s NW Side, Acres Homes(44) neighborhood. In that area having lack of was the norm. My peers were mainly the oldest of their siblings, single-parent households, and talented in many ways like myself. We formed a crew called” Hollywood Clique” Read more>>
Ali Lanning
As a young ballerina, I always loved hair and makeup! I would even do some of my dance-mates’ buns for class and the moms would ask me to help them often. There were strict rules that if your bun fell out during class you had to sit out and couldn’t dance so having the bun secure was important. I have always had an eye for perfection. Read more>>
Michael Morét
I’m an actor, writer, composer, musician, and prog rapper under the name Khaos Light. I started acting when I was about seven years old. My mom took me to the play Ralph and the Motorcycle and I was completely hooked. From there, I started acting and writing plays. Read more>>
Devon Castro
I am young man born and raised in the City of Houston. I am a complete product of the Houston ISD where I began as an exemplary student gone bad. I felt a need to fit in after being labeled a teacher’s pet, so I became the class clown to change the narrative. After years of battling a very trying time with wanting to fit in I decided it was time for a change. Read more>>
Ashlee Cantu
For as long as I can remember, my parents owned rental properties. When I was younger, I used to dread the move out process for tenants. We would spend our weekend replacing carpet, cleaning and making the homes move in ready for the next tenant. When I got older, I began to understand the process a little better and started thinking. Read more>>
Tony Braxton
Photography is special because a person can convey a message with no words and it’ll be just as effective as telling a story, if not more. Tony Braxton, also known as “T-Roc” began telling stories with his camera at the age of 27. He’s captured many different moments and told many stories from the battlefield to the music. Read more>>
Federico Cavatore
We have had a family restaurant in the area for 34 years and enjoyed visiting farmer’s markets but did not have a farmers market in the area so we decided to start one. We are big believers in farm-to-table, fresh organic produce, supporting local artists and makers and wanted to bring that to our community. Read more>>
Mark Vlaskamp, Myles Bragman and Aaron Bowen
The Folde was founded in Austin in 2017 by three college roommates who realized they wanted a service that didn’t exist. “It didn’t exist! And, we wanted it – so we made it. An all-inclusive laundry service that at the click of a button could handle the abuse we put our clothes through on a daily basis. Read more>>
Deonka Ruffin
The inception of Bow Inertia started when I decided to use my creative expression to escape the horror that was taking place in my personal life as a result of domestic violence. I started making bow ties back in September 2016 as a way to express myself. By that time, I had been involved with my abuser for 11 years. Read more>>
Jess Chidi
The freshly baked cinnamon cake paired with the creamy soft serve ice cream was unlike any dessert I’d ever had, and I was hooked after the first bite! So when I returned to Houston and couldn’t find Chimney Cakes anywhere, I decided to open up Houston’s first Chimney Cakeshop. Read more>>
Yessenia Lira
I have loved everything about beauty since I was a child. I began as a professional in the beauty industry eight years ago in San Diego, California where I was born and raised. I started off in a salon as a receptionist and worked my way up as a stylist. Read more>>
Marcy Basile
Growing up in Houston, I participated in myriad sports including cycling, softball, golf and bodybuilding. But, although I was an avid plus-size athlete, it was frustrating that sports gear and clothing were so limited in my size. So when I was researching a career move from journalism/graphic design to massage therapy. Read more>>
Antonio Borrego
We started, just like most small business owners, by doing it as a hobby. Having a passion to really get the small details that a regular drive-through car wash wouldn’t generally focus on. I started detailing my own vehicle at the age of 17 and to be honest it began with a simple bucket. Read more>>
Uyen Le
After many years of work in beauty industry, I want to challenge myself with something different I choose permanent makeup (microblading) and lash extensions. With full-time job at nails salon. I try the rest of my time at night to study and practice. It was hard and struggled as first time. Read more>>
Andrea Cisneros
I am a 25 years old mother, wife and entrepreneur. I am the daughter of two immigrants, my mother is from Chile and my father from Guatemala, and I am the second oldest of five kids. Growing up there was always kids and chaos but my parents always made sure to constantly teach their kids about life and the hard work that comes with it. Read more>>
Outside 610
Jennifer Hernandez
Jennifer Hughes Hernandez is a Senior Loan Officer and Top Producer in Legacy’s Houston area office. Since 1995, Jennifer has built her business 100% on referrals, with 2/3 of her referral base from realtors and business partners, and the remainder from past clientele. Jennifer and her team’s reputation is known for closing accurately. Read more>>
Amber Garcia
I came from very humble beginnings, raised by my grandparents in the southwest side of Houston. I started in the restaurant/hospitality industry as a hostess at the age of 15. Life took me all kinds of crazy directions and at the age of 18, I had my first child. Of course, at this age it wasn’t the most ideal situation. Read more>>
Edgar Mancilla
My life has always brought me back to barbering. I started in high school (early 2000’s!), cutting my brothers’ and friends’ hair because we couldn’t pay for a haircut. I worked a few jobs throughout the years, and when I was fired from the last job I held, I took the opportunity to go to barber school to become a licensed barber in 2012. Read more>>
Chris Byrd
In 2010, I realized that spending my eternity making money for someone else did not seem like my intended end game. I registered and completed barber college and began working at different traditional barbershops on Houston’s west side. After working at some lower level barbershops for a few years. Read more>>
Marisol Salgado
I am a first-generation college graduate. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and started my career in social services as a domestic violence and sexual assault advocate at a women’s shelter. I had all the Spanish speaking clients because I am fluently in English and Spanish. Read more>>
Lynda Zelenka
I love the mountains and as I reflect upon the most formative experiences of my life, I think of the mountain roads my family drove through so many times as a young girl that twist and turn then lead you to an even bigger mountain range. As you are traveling along you never know what to expect beyond the next curve. Read more>>
Diana Cazaubon Brown
I first got my start as a little girl. I was passionate about hair at eight years old. I can remember doing my dolls hair and talking to them like they were actual clients. I come from large family and I was able to get my practice out on my sister’s. I then went to Lee College after High School located in Baytown, Texas. Read more>>
Alexis House
Xela & Vic was originally founded in 2012 under the name Xela Boutique. In my hometown Shreveport, LA. That’s when I quickly learned either they will love or hate me. So, I began to put together fashion shows, gave models a platform to catwalk down the runway, and gave designers a chance to showcase their works. Read more>>
Jamie Chioco
I graduated from the Oklahoma School of Architecture in 1995 and immediately moved to Austin to find work. Looking for leaders in design I found myself employed at Dick Clark Architecture for the next several years. I gained knowledge and experience in many project types (restaurant, bar, retail and residential). Read more>>
Richmond
Ally Dominguez
I have always been into video games and music since I can remember. I dedicated myself to games like The Legend of Zelda, Mario Bros, and Double Dragon. I quickly developed a love for video games, upgrading to newer consoles and falling in love with the thrill they provided. Read more>>
South Loop
Andrew Gonzalez and Melissa Munoz
Andrew has always loved cooking and learning new things, so when he stumbled across a video of Aaron Franklin smoking a brisket, it was no surprise that he wanted to give it a try. He smoked his first brisket in May of 2017 and sparks went flying! Andrew grew to have a passion and curiosity for smoking brisket. Read more>>
Imari Free
I’m originally from St. Louis, MO. I moved to Houston July of 2014 to finish off my Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design. It wasn’t an easy route at all! I finally received my degree December of 2017 and I felt like I did it! After graduation, I was torn between continuing my education, bettering myself as a manager in retail. Read more>>
Jt Lemons
Back story begins as a tragic love story, me being separated from a love interest and her becoming a victim of domestic violence. (#IamMarqo Gippi) is a Brand in Advocacy against domestic under Opec plus. In turn which is Oilcity Properties and Entertainment casting plus. Marquis Gipson is Marqo Gippi. Read more>>
Coach Rob Lihalakha
During my time at McNeese State University, I walked away from the player side of basketball due to an ultimatum I was given. The ultimatum was to walk on and red-shirt and wait for my time to get on the court or stop playing basketball altogether because I had a job and playing basketball and working was prohibited. Read more>>
Cl’Che’ Ms.Houston
A Lover of Music my entire life. At the age of 13, I started being affiliated in Talent Shows that were put on by The Og Wickett Crickett (Rip) Around the city of Houston. By the age of 17 ran into a couple of different investors that invested into what was my first album Clasyfyd Lady That was released in 1998. Read more>>
Za’terriun Bolden
I started off in a cell for a crime I committed, got charged in November 2011 got convicted in May 2012 received six years deferred. When I got released, I went back to school (Houston Can Academy Hobby) and got my G.E.D. About 2 to 3 weeks after graduation, they locked me back up for a violation that was false. Read more>>
Channie Ramirez
C-luxextentionz started two years ago when I was on maturity leave and I was at home so bored and woke up one day and was like I wanna sell Hair. I stayed up many nights restless morning, researching vendors asking around but no one would help until I tested out my vendor on my own and the hair was bomb. Read more>>
Cortlan Wickliff
When I was 14 years old, I was accepted into college; five years later, I graduated from Rice University with a Bioengineering degree, which made me the youngest engineer in the nation at that time. Three years later, at 22 years old, I became one of the youngest African Americans to ever graduate from Harvard Law School. Read more>>
Stafford
Skyler Stewart
Graduated college from the University of Texas at San Antonio graduated summer 2013 with a BS in Kinesiology Exercise Science. It all started during my internship within the Valero Corporation with this company called MediFit. During the internship process. Read more>>
Serenia Jefferson
My passion for hair began when I started doing my own hair at 12 years old. I taught myself how to do everything by using YouTube. Once I got the hang of doing my own hair, I realized how much I love it. Once I got a little older, I would say around 15, I did a big chop and went completely natural. Read more>>
Sugar Land
Rose and Shaz
We started the business as a couple of working moms – busy juggling all the responsibilities that come along with that. We would get together every so often and reminisce about our childhood, growing up and reflecting on how vastly different our lives were now. Read more>>
Jennifer Breedlove
Once an overweight, overwhelmed stay at home mom of four was exhausting. I was buried under the weight of homeschooling, endless chores, and a crumbling marriage. I needed change. I joined a gym and began takings group fitness classes, I was determined to find my authentic voice and happiness. Read more>>
Pranesh (PJ) Jayaprakash
Real estate has always been a passion ever since reading a booked called “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki, but I never imagined selling houses for a living. I graduated from Baylor University in 2016 with a Biology degree and business minor, with the hopes of becoming a pediatrician. Read more>>
Jidé
I grew up a big consumer of music. Growing up in Nigeria, I was exposed to a lot of different genres and styles of music. I always found myself to be a fan of Hip Hop/Rap music/culture. Music had always been a part of my life from taking piano lessons. Read more>>
Keith Williamson
We started in April of 2017. Grew up in Oklahoma City, where my family owned a fast-food burger joint. It was called Elmers Burger Barn. We served Burgers Fries and Chili Dogs. I was 15 at the time and fell in love with the business. Kept that dream for 30 years. While working at Mercedes Benz of Greenway food trucks started coming to set up for afternoon lunches. Read more>>
Jordan Estrada
I started working as a chiropractor in the Houston area about 2.5 years ago. However, being a chiropractor was not always my passion. I spent most of my years in college researching different professions to find my future career and went through a few changes of my major. Read more>>
Alfreda Ashiofu
I started off as a natural hair blogger(Freda Fro) back in 2013 and was mainly doing reviews on other brands, documenting how it affected my hair or skin. Eventually, I started formulating my own blend of oils and butters just to enhance my blog content then gradually I started making them for family and friends to help with their hair and skin needs. Read more>>
Melanie Lewis
I began my career in the fitness industry at a neighborhood gym when I was a senior in high school. A year later, I got my first certification at the Cooper Institute in Dallas and began training clients. I continued to do so throughout my college years. After graduating from the University of North Texas. Read more>>
John Cuneyt Dokmen
I started school counseling about six years ago and I felt that there is not that much resources for the new generation so I decided to start podcast series. We focus on college and career success and we interview university staff, entrepreneurs, alumni and career centers. Read more>>
Josh and Jessie
Josh & Jessie has been a long time coming. After many nights and days of dreaming and getting clear on our shared vision, we decided to move forward in obtaining our Real Estate licenses and building an empire of positivity through helping others achieve their goals with Real Estate and in life. Read more>>
Angel Brooks
One of the first big words I knew how to spell was “Architecture”. I was around eight or nine years old and I was so proud. It was one of the vocabulary words for a test that week. Since then, that word stuck with me. Growing up in Egypt, Texas, I had no idea what the term truly meant. I knew it was a building but I had no idea of the detail. Read more>>
Sparkle Lockett
With more than 17 years of cosmetics industry experience, Sparkle Chanel Lockett knows just how important it is to make every occasion special. It is this experience that has helped her build one of the most sought after cosmetics lines, MakeUp By Sparkle Beauty & Cosmetics (MBS). Read more>>
Terra Briscoe-Adams
I started my business working as a full-time accounting specialist and full-time graduate student at the University of Houston- Downtown. I was expecting my second daughter and need some more funds to do so. I was determined to be successful. I always loved fashion so it was fitting to start my baby line. Read more>>
The Woodlands
Veda Cavitt
The Portia Southern Foundation was started in October of 2015, as a non-profit organization, geared to advocate for families that felt they had nowhere to go, nowhere to turn, and no one who would listen. Portia Southern was a silent victim of Domestic Violence till her death. She was born April 29, 1985. Read more>>
Melissa Hawkins
I’ve always had a huge interest in photography, but I would say my true photography journey started after my son was born. Prior to his birth, I worked full time as a counselor. I literally went from talking to people all day long to staring at this beautiful baby that did absolutely nothing but sleep. Read more>>
Micarah Malone
I started my business as I wanted to have a way for others to get to know me on a more personal level. I am a Blockchain PhD student and wanted to use my voice to teach others and keep them informed. I also love fashion, food, travel, and decor and wanted to be able to share my love with others. Read more>>
Melissa Winkelmann
My photography journey all started after I became a mom. It’s something that I’ve always been interested in but it never really crossed my mind that I could actually have the skill set to be a photographer. After I had my first child, I searched for a way to express my creativity. Read more>>
Sarah Black
Owner and designer of Made, Sarah, is a self-taught seamstress from Virginia, who learned from altering thrifted clothing and then started making custom bags for friends in high school. After graduating from college, she left the country for the first time volunteering with a humanitarian organization. Read more>>
Ana Mayoral
I started in San Antonio, Texas while I was in my last year of college at UTSA. I practiced everyday during the summer and felt confident enough when I went back to school to start doing nails on people and it took off. I was booked back to back while also being a student full time and working other jobs. Read more>>
Towanna Robinson
I had a dream one night that I had my own lipstick company. I jumped up a 3am in the morning and started taking notes. The next morning I told my husband I dream I had a lipstick company called Lussh. He stated I was wondering what you were doing up so late I said taking notes on this business we’re about to open. Read more>>
Keyera Byers and Keyonsha Fleming
Being an entrepreneur was not our plan nor was it on our mind. But in 2017, our mother found this idea and believed that my sister and I could do it! We took her advice and we made our treats for the first time for our cousin’s baby shower. Everyone was amazed that we made the treats and how good they were. Read more>>
Danae Brown-Rideout
I was born and raised in Jamaica and my very first time coming to America I came to Houston. Growing up in the rural areas of Portland, Jamaica I didn’t know much about fashion or makeup. Where I am from we take our clothes down to the river to wash, we boil water on the stove so that we’ll have warm water to bathe, we wash. Read more>>
Samuel Solis Jr. and Jasmine Petrarca
It all started when we purchased our first camera in 2015, not knowing that photography and videography would become our full-time jobs. We were both working at vitamin stores part-time while going to school and taking videos and photos on the side. Read more>>
West Loop
Eric Smith
Atlas Restaurant Group was started in 2012 with the founding of Ouzo Bay Baltimore by Alexander F Smith. I partnered with Alex (My Brother) in 2013 and since then, we have opened up 18 Restaurants spread across three states and one district (Washington DC). We have 15 uniquely Different concept brands and over 1,000 employees nationwide. Read more>>
Jessica Raak
I started out in a small studio with just one chair. I had broken my foot and had to hire an assistant to help me out and that changed everything, I was able to see more clients in a day with the help of another person even though I was seriously injured. My business kept growing and we outgrew the small space. Read more>>
Viviane Nguyen
What do Tyson chicken wings and Coors beer have in common? Besides being two elements to a great party, they are both products of great refrigerated transportation. No one usually gives any thought to refrigerated transport, but a school project turned Forbes Under 30 startup is how we got the world to care a little more about good ole refrigerated transportation. Read more>>
Jane Lim
I studied Education in College and received my Bachelor’s in Interdisciplinary Studies in 2010. I wasn’t quite ready to teach right off the bat, so I took on other full-time jobs at an office setting, then as a retail manager after that. After a few years, I felt I was ready to fully invest all my energy into something. Read more>>
Ann Rivas
At 15 years old, The beauty industry became everything to me. I started by doing makeup and hair for Quinceaneras and weddings. It was always a side hustle for me but I knew it was something I wanted to invest in. Forward to seven years later, I set up a little studio in my town home and started lashing out of there. Read more>>
Manuella Tsamo
Since I was a little girl, I was always attracted to everything pretty and sparkly. I loved enhancing things to make it more appealing. I would take my mom’s necklace and add some pieces to it or just take nail polish and add it to my hair, silly right? I was still nine and although I found it beautiful to have nail polish on my hair. Read more>>
DJ $pace Ghost
I actually started out as a Go Hustler with Big Tho and created Go Hustler TV. Moving around the city as a Dj & producer, I started taking up & coming artists on the road with me as I would Dj major tours or on my own original production tours. As my name grew, I stayed in contact with many Houston city. Read more>>
Sarah Britton and Adia Shabazz
Our story began in 2015 when I (Sarah) posted on a kpop Facebook group asking if like-minded people wanted to start a YouTube channel with me. This is where I met Adia and a few others. Long story short- that venture of ours fell through. And even though it didn’t work out. Read more>>
Rachel Norman
I’ve always been an animal lover and have had cats my entire life. While in college, I started working at an animal clinic in my hometown of The Woodlands. Upon graduation, I moved to Houston to work at an animal shelter while completing my MBA. There, I started fostering kittens and doing a lot of community outreach. Read more>>
John Perretti
John Perretti remains the first “Martist”, his coinage for the duality of the spirit and the aesthetic, a split of you will in interests within one human being. The artist proceeded the pugilist (third generation) and the two have had a symbiotic relationship since… Drawing since age two, starting traditional Korean’ shopping mall martial arts at sixteen. Read more>>
Tracey Ellerbee
I was looking for my parent company Flawless Formation BodySculpting Store. Flawless BodySculpting is an Alternative Coolsculpting or fat freeze med spa, where we freeze fat so it does not come back. The fat is destroyed in that area that we freeze, it continues to leave the body up to six months and it is permanent. Read more>>
William Fierros
My beginning in Florida industry was completely by accident. I was referred by a friend to lend a helping hand at the florist shop he worked for during the valentines season. From the first time I touched a flower, it sparked in me a creative element I never knew was within. Read more>>
