Each business has a story. No matter if the business is a Goliath like Wal-Mart or a local business owned by a couple or family, the business has roots in an idea. For each business owner, the story of their journey can range from monetary needs to the passion for a unique project. Each story is different though the reasons may remain the same. No matter the tale, the background behind each and every business is what fuels each and every brand.
We asked entrepreneurs and business owners why they started their own businesses and here are their responses.
#1- To help people have better mental health
I saw how disconnected people have become from each other, how people's mental health is suffering and I realized I had a tool I could offer to help. My business was born of a desire to fast-track connection & trust building, so we can find individual and community strength. As a single mum of 3, I also found the regular working environment – the hours and expectations – weren't aligned with my life and my values.
Thanks to Fiona Maria, singhighsinglow!
#2- To solve HR challenges
Fueled by a passion for leveraging technology to solve HR challenges, I embarked on this journey to revolutionize the industry. Witnessing firsthand the inefficiencies and limitations of existing tools, I envisioned a future where HR professionals are empowered with innovative solutions to streamline operations, make data-driven decisions, and cultivate thriving work environments. This venture is driven by a desire to create a global company that generates employment opportunities and drives positive change in the HR landscape.
Thanks to Quang Hung Nguyen, Interviewbox!
#3- To reduce the impact of chronic disease
Our vision is to reduce the impact of chronic disease on the population by making chronic and preventative healthcare models more easily accessible to all Australians. With more than half of all Australian women over the age of 15 having one or more chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, heart, stroke, and vascular disease, this is an incredibly needed platform and in many cases, provides a life-changing resource.
Thanks to Sarah Mullens, Health Hunter!
#4- To revolutionize the skincare industry
I started Botanical Skincare Lab with a clear vision to revolutionize the skincare industry. Witnessing the environmental impact prevalent in mainstream beauty products, I was driven to create a brand that not only offered effective skincare solutions but also prioritized sustainability and eco-friendly practices. Drawing on my expertise as a cosmetic chemist, I wanted to formulate products that harness the power of nature while minimizing our footprint on the planet. My passion for creating a positive change, coupled with a desire to empower others to make conscious choices.
Thanks to Kim Guseli, Botanical Skincare Lab!
#5- To change the divorce and separation landscape
I trained as a CDC-certified Divorce/ Separation Coach with a Postgraduate dispute resolution qualification, to help people through the process, so they didn’t have to experience what I did. My goal is to change the divorce and separation landscape in New Zealand to make it easier for people to separate and/or divorce in a less time-consuming and costly process. Five years on and from my business and training I now talk publicly about overcoming adversity, resilience, entrepreneurship, financial matters, and 360 relationship dynamics, with the hope that they will make a difference.
Thanks to Katie West, equalexes!
#6- To combat deceptive practices
I started my business after a phone call from a friend, who simply said, “Mum has a boyfriend, “These 4 words exposed me to the dark realm of romance scammers. The shocking details I learned from my friend Ann and my own investigations revealed a sinister presence on dating apps. These platforms, while seemingly innocuous, are often hunting grounds for fraudsters aiming to exploit the emotions and finances of unsuspecting individuals. This revelation compelled me to act, leading to the creation of my business to combat these deceptive practices and protect potential victims.
Thanks to Kylee Dennis, Two Face Investigations!
#7- Share cherished Italian family recipes
I started my business 15 years ago, what started as a simple online journal to document my baking adventures slowly morphed into something much more. Over time, the focus naturally shifted towards my heritage. Sharing cherished Italian family recipes felt like a natural progression, and the blog resonated with a wider audience. Those with a connection to Italian food found a taste of home, while others discovered the magic of Italian cuisine for the first time. It's this sense of community and shared love for food that blossomed my blog into the successful business it is today.
Thanks to Marcella Cantatore, marcellinaincucina!
#8- To voice my thoughts
I started my business! I wanted to know that I could be autonomous in generating finances for myself. Life is unstable but if I've developed skills that allow me to be self-sufficient, now and right through my retirement years, I will always feel I have more control over my own life. I love researching and creating courses and it provides me with a platform where I can voice my thoughts about something I have developed a lot of knowledge in. I also believe I'm filling a void and providing a healthy alternative for people who struggle with their weight and health.
Thanks to Katie Gordon, Dietless Living®!
#9- To nurture my unfulfilled ideas and ambitions
I start my own business as a combination of long-held goals and opportune events. While circling the corporate bureaucracy for years, I had nurtured ideas and ambitions that remained unheard and unfulfilled. My growing sense of creative limitation combined with my desire for control over my career path finally prompted me to take the risky step into business. The idea of creating my strategic plan and benefiting from my enthusiasm and insight proved to be irresistible. I was able to free myself from the constraints of being an economic worker and take complete control over the goals.
Thanks to Lisa Rehurek, The RFP Success Company!
#10- To address the environmental repercussions
I start my business to address the environmental repercussions of traditional ice sports infrastructure while enhancing accessibility to ice skating. Motivated by an environmentally conscious alternative to standard rinks, our primary focus has been to provide a sustainable remedy to the challenges posed by climate change and escalating energy expenses. This commitment to sustainability is deeply ingrained in our company's ethos, pushing us to continuously innovate, expand our global presence, and create initiatives such as “Skate for the Planet.”
Thanks to Viktor Meier, Glice!
#11- To solve core problems with dating apps
Consumer dissatisfaction with dating apps is now higher than in any other consumer-facing industry. Whether it's the time wasted (up to two hours per day!!), incompatible matches, or the lack of facilitation to IRL dating, dating app users are fatigued and disappointed. Even more heartbreaking, one in three Australian millennials are experiencing loneliness and current dating apps are only leaving people more disconnected than ever. Humpday is built to solve these core pain points.
Thanks to Kara Zervides, Humpday!
#12-To be fully present and set an example for my kids
The nudge to start my freelance copywriting and coaching business came on strong when my kids were young. I wanted to be home for them more and spend less time commuting to a corporate job. I wanted to be fully present and set an example for my kids of what a healthy mother with business goals looked like. My corporate job at the time gave me a lot of creative freedom with my work. I was the go-to person for writing and editing helping with proposals selling millions of dollars of work. I created my own job security and started freelance copywriting, which led to coaching & teaching others how to write online, and writing and publishing my own books.
Thanks to Jacqueline Fisch, The Intuitive Writing School!
#13- To get the right information for my business
I started Prosal with two close friends because I was an agency owner and lived through the experience of growing my own agency. Business development always felt like a black box, but RFPs felt like a great source of growth. However, I could never find the right ones and it was always a challenge to get the right information, let alone plan my entire RFP strategy. This left me at the whim of the issuer, with my submissions floating unintelligently in a sea of responses. So we built Prosal so agencies of all backgrounds and sizes can scale with intent, and RFPs can be a meaningful way to scale.
Thanks to Alfredo Ramirez, Prosal!
#14- To exercise more control over all aspects of life
I started my business for one simple reason. I was completely incapable of holding a real job. So it became a simple choice between creating my own business and starving to death. Being an entrepreneur is tougher than just being an employee. Longer hours, more responsibility, more likelihood of having to take the blame, even when you’re at the top of the chain of command. But, beyond the money and status, entrepreneurs are happier for one main reason. They have more control. Over situations, over the business, and over their own lives. Not total control of course.
Thanks to Barry Maher, Barry Maher & Associates!
#15- To help other small businesses achieve their goals
I started my business to help other small businesses achieve their goals. I know how difficult starting a business is – I've done it myself, after all – and I can help small to medium businesses boost their revenue and attract their audience using my skills. Along with the obvious pay benefits, I love creating those relationships with people and being able to see their growth over time. Their success essentially proves my own ability and gives me huge satisfaction.
Thanks to Victoria Lyons, Lyons Tales Editing!
#16- Create something meaningful
I started my business because I had a burning passion for my idea and a desire to create something meaningful. I saw a gap in the market and believed that my product/service could solve a problem or meet a need uniquely. I wanted to have control over my own destiny and be able to make decisions that aligned with my vision and values. It wasn't just about making money, although financial independence was definitely a motivating factor. I wanted to challenge myself, take risks, and see my ideas come to life.
Thanks to William Clark, SATX Concrete!
#17- To help people grow their business
I started my business back in 2018, as I was a micro-business that was struggling to grow my business, I didn't have the funds to access any business coaching for my own business, and I found the low-cost workshops I attended lacked in the application side to my existing product-based business. When I was able to attend business coaching with hubby's business, I realized that we just needed a small portion of this coaching to help us grow to the point that we were able to invest in ‘proper' business coaching. I developed a series of 5 workshops to develop and document your Little Biz foundations and Little Biz was born.
Thanks to Melissa Ahlquist, Little Biz!
#18- Driven by my desire to improve
I stumbled into my business, after setting out my career with dreams of making a fortune in real estate. Along the way, I had self-taught myself SEO and search marketing, driven by my desire to improve my Vegas Wedding Mall’s online presence to rank nationally for competitive keywords. After achieving this, I found myself thrust into the world of SEO after a friend of mine asked me to speak to a group of 50 lawyers about how I achieved those results.
Thanks to Jason Hennessey, Hennessey Digital!
#19- To save time and create a sustainable income
Before I founded ihateironing, I was working a corporate job with long commuting hours & found myself struggling to stay on top of my washing & ironing or finding the time to rush to & from the dry cleaners every week. During a lunchtime run, I stumbled upon a small backstreet dry cleaner that had slashed their prices in half just to bring in customers. There was a gap in the market for a twofold solution that would save me the mad dash to the dry cleaners or the dreaded Sunday night spent washing and ironing while providing a sustainable income that didn't rely solely on natural footfall.
Thanks to Matt Connelly, ihateironing!
#20- So I could have more choice
I started my business for the flexibility it could provide, so I could have more choice in how & where I spent my time. I loved the idea of keeping own my schedule & being available to my family for things like school assemblies and sports carnivals. As a psychologist, I know the importance of parental supervision,& being there for my kids, especially before & after school. The easiest way I could see to achieve this was to work for myself. I wanted to see if I had what it takes. I think it's one of the best decisions I've made.
Thanks to Zenobia Domingo, Domingo Psychology!
#21- To facilitate better communication
I have lived abroad for most of my adult life, learning different cultures and languages. When I moved home to the States I noticed more and more international companies moving to my area. I would often hear locals complaining about the new company and people from the company complaining about the locals. Business etiquette, language, cultural norms, and crisis management can vary widely between cultures. I started a consulting company to help facilitate better communication and understanding between these companies and the community
Thanks to Tyler Morris, Han & Morris LLC!
#22- To help others share their experiences
I decided to start the business out of a passion for adventure & a desire to help others capture and share their experiences. Growing up, my co-founder & I were avid BMX riders, and travelers, constantly seeking out new and unique spots to explore. We found that documenting and sharing our adventures was the best way to inspire others to join us. The idea for the Spivo Stick, now the Spivo 360, came from a missed opportunity to capture an unexpected moment while skiing. We wanted to create a product that would allow people to easily capture any adventure from every angle.
Thanks to Marc Bjerring, Spivo!
#23- Be with nature while causing minimal harm
I've always had a fascination with nature and its magical effects on the body. It can ease stress, relax muscles, and energize a person without any side effects. I wanted to be a part of that while making minimal impact on the environment. Cannabiva was a natural fit. Hemp is a versatile plant product that doesn't need much to grow and maintain. CBD is manufactured with natural ingredients and has little to no side effects. I saw how it could fuse with the natural beauty of Lake Tahoe.
Thanks to Anders Blomqvist, Cannabiva!
#24- Correct sexist behaviors in legal practice
The Dear Sir(s) Project was launched in 2020 to correct sexist behaviors in legal practice that started with addressing letters to female lawyers. The Dear Sir(s) Project has become a select confidential lawyer community for those wanting to discuss their experiences in a supportive and cohort-informed environment, and a research organization that fosters student volunteers' skills and knowledge before heading into professional life. We believe that simple attitudinal change will make a difference in all aspects of life and will produce safer and healthier workplaces and spaces for all.
Thanks to Carol Grimshaw, The Dear Sir!