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.

Steven Prouse | Writer

Right out of film school, I wanted to tell stories. While Wilmington was the hot spot on the east coast at the time, those jobs were more production and I wasn’t ready to relocate. I always loved comic books, so I focused my creativity there. I didn’t realize it was so hard to be noticed in the comics field as a writer when you don’t have an artistic partner. Rather than allowing that to stop me, I partnered with 803 Studios founding members Chuck Brown and Anthony Hightower. We released our first collection of regional short comic book stories in 2004. Our studio grew to include members around the world and to publish many creatives in more than 10 publications and a series of books for other publishers. Read more>>

Aimee Terhart | Owner Operator/Partner Dry and Bubbly Blow Dry Bar

We loved the idea of a Blow Dry Bar here in Myrtle Beach. Several times, my daughter and I would say we wished one was here! We researched for a couple years and then finally felt like the timing was good for us to make the leap and open an independent Blow Dry Bar. Read more>>

Jonah Pearl | Entertainment Host (DJ/MC)

I began working with, and had worked for a multi-op entertainment company for the past 14 years. After having a chance to be with them for many seasons, I had the chance to see, what I believe, they did right, and also what they did wrong. With all of the experience I was able to acquire along the way, I finally got to the point where I realized it was time to start working on, and investing in my own dream, rather than continuing to push the dream of someone who seemed to care less about it than I did. Read more>>

 Dana Whitby | Author, Therapist, & Divine Messenger

I have an M.A.Ed in School Counseling and worked as a school counselor for several years before beginning my own business. I felt that traditional talk therapy, while valuable and important, can only take healing so far. I expanded into my own spiritual practices and knew that if I combined talk therapy with less traditional modalities, the work I was doing could be taken much deeper. My desire to begin a business was to be able to serve in a different, more unique way. I wanted to build upon the mainstream mental health background I already possessed and expand upon it. Read more>>

Mollie Dickson | Chandler, Harbour Co

The idea for Harbour Co. began on a trip to Australia. I was wandering the shops of Byron Bay when I found a boutique selling the most incredible gardenia soaps. I fell in love with their clean, pure scent. The smell reminded me of my first encounter with those glorious blooms in an Alabama greenhouse. I bought six bars! Read more>>