Every day we have a choice. We can support an up and coming podcaster, try a new family-run restaurant, join a boutique gym started by a local fitness champ or we could keep giving away our money to the handful of giants who already control so much of our commerce. Our daily decisions impact the kind world we live in; if we want a world where small businesses are growing and artists and creatives are thriving then we should support them with our time, money and attention. We’re proud to highlight inspiring creatives and entrepreneurs each week in Hidden Gems series. Check out some of our latest local gem features below.
Jessica Russell
Later, I transitioned into a group practice, where I worked on a DBT team for several years, especially as the hospital setting became harder to sustain after COVID due to safety and staffing issues. That experience helped me hone my skills and also showed me what I would eventually want- and not want- when it came to building a practice of my own. I’m really grateful for the people and lessons from that time. Read more>>
Dee Walton
As a kid, I remember going to the flea markets with my mom who had a catering business and had a food truck before food trucks became a thing. I remember watching her trying to sell her food to clients and trying to be her own boss and I didn’t realize it until I was an adult. Now I realize the impression she had on me and how seeing her attempt to start and have her own business was inspiring. She didn’t not have the resources she needed at the time to really succeed but going to those markets and events with her were always fun and memorable. As kids, we got to run around, play and eat. Read more>>
Risha Patel
Not a smooth ride at all. We were the first store to open 4 years after Covid. There were a lot of changes internally with corporate since they were coming up on their 20 year anniversary. They had just completely rebranded, with new marketing, new logos and colors. A great up lift but it also came with challenges in finding the right contractors and designers. Read more>>
Vernesha Ruffin
I struggled with being consistent with my podcast in the beginning because I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to go in. I also wasn’t very consistent because I was dealing with depression which at the time, started to manifest into physical symptoms that felt crippling to my mental state. Moving away from the people that I love to starting over, was very mentally challenging and exhausting. I truly had to pray my way out of my darkest moments. Read more>>
Su Park
There are so many people who are hurting and just trying to survive when God’s will is for us people is to thrive in life. I have so many stories to share about how God has helped me be where I am now. I am on a mission to help people get unstuck from wherever they are and help them to learn how to practically apply God’s word and thrive in life. The Kingdom life (Abundant life in Christ) is the best life. My desire is to bring good news, healing, restoration, and hope to hurting individuals and families through speaking, coaching, and biblical counseling.. With God. all things are possible. For more info about me: suparkcoaching.com Read more>>
Dwayne Prater
Save for the taxes the IRS would soon be demanding. Once Q4 approached, I had recently just lost my 9-5 job and the momentum of brand partnerships came to a halt. That lead to almost abandoning my creative passion forever due to the lack of hope in my content creation journey. Fast forward to now; through my supportive community, acting on my faith and the most gracious God, I have been blessed to move back into my parents where I can passionately pursue creating content again, and even secure a few paid partnerships in the midst of it. Thankfully this time, it’s with the most incredible support of my talent agency, Sol Y Luna mgmt. Read more>>
Meagan Farr
Growing up, my father established this business with the intention of passing it down to his daughters for future management upon his retirement. I have been actively involved in the Insurance business for several years now and find great fulfillment in working alongside my family. After obtaining my license at 19, I stepped into the Agency and embraced the opportunity to contribute to our family’s business. At TMG Insurance Agency, we offer a comprehensive range of insurance policies, including home, auto, landlord, umbrella, and rental insurance, among others. I am excited to be a part of this generational success and look forward to continuing our family’s tradition in the industry! Read more>>
Adriana Lopez
When I was in my mid-20s I worked in my family’s business. I grew up around a lot of Finished Carpentry “tios” and decided to join my uncle’s business after I got my MBA. I’ve always loved learning and took it upon myself to learn everything about my uncle’s business – from ordering materials to preparing contracts. I eventually started managing some of the company’s biggest projects from start to finish and told myself one day I would learn to use all those tools I saw the workers using. Read more>>
Michelle Hoang
It’s been a relatively smooth road. Keeping photo & video as a side gig keeps us busy, but arguably too busy. We are very social people. Balancing social with our full time jobs with our side job AND combine planning a wedding? It’s been a lot! To take matters further, Cody and I had spent the last 2 years living in 2 cities. One month in Dallas, one month in Kansas City. Sounds fun in theory, but it pushed all of our clients to a constrained timeframe. We had to turn down weddings that had a concrete date. Before the move, we were top of mind for a Dallas photographer. I do believe the move lowered our demand and consistency. Read more>>
Lexx Chandler
Now freshman year of college in general is tough, but being a student-athlete taking on a max course load was taxing. Overwhelmed and running on fumes I reverted to my safe space and started drawing again. In the locker room in between classes, at study hall, on the bus/planes to games, just wherever I could. I was getting back to basics and doing something that made me feel free and at peace. One day my college teammate saw me drawing and yelled at me in surprise “YOU CAN DRAW!?” I naturally hid the image because I felt I wasn’t the best at drawing since I was self-taught and hadn’t practiced in years. I ended up reluctantly sharing since she wouldn’t drop the issue. To my surprise, her response was so energetic. She was supportive and said “Girl, you can draw, you should do tattoos!” Read more>>
Meeya Clay
With social media constantly evolving and things constantly being trendy and monitored in a sense, it’s also difficult to find the right videos or engaging content that people of all kinds will relate to because it’s so easy to kind of be categorized for one thing and when you would like to branch off and do other things it can be extremely hard to be seen in that light so I think I am just trying to find the balance of being young and into many different things outside of just books and just finding my footing within social media how to get the views the followers the consistency and above all just making sure I remain myself authentically through and through. Read more>>
Becca Yang
I was born during China’s One Child Policy—a time when being born a girl often meant being born unwanted. I was the first child in my family, and still, my existence was met not with celebration, but disappointment. My parents had hoped for a boy. Later, when my younger sister was born, she was thrown into a trash can—discarded simply because she, too, was a girl. That image… that truth… never left me.
Krista Hartman
It doesn’t matter which state the interstate passes through, there are “Winery Next Exit” signs all along the way. Starting around 2007 after we’d begun exploring Texas wineries (having some great wines and wonderful experiences and some not-so-great wines or experiences), Scott would see these signs and ask me, “Have you ever thought of opening a winery?” At this point in the trip, we’d both throw around some ideas about opening a winery, planting a vineyard, moving to the country, and eventually conclude we’d investigate it “someday down the road”. Read more>>
Natalyn Suarez
I’ve had to make sacrifices on certain things in order to be able to focus on the things that will impact me long term in a positive matter. I love the drive of being able to stay busy but knowing it’s going to work towards achieve my goals is what keeps me going. At the end of the day, if you stay committed, and just keep a tunnel vision of a clear picture of your goals. Trust me, it keeps you moving, no matter the obstacles that are in the way. Read more>>
BRYAN ENGLISH
After getting to know the industry as an arranger, it was a challenge to also be a conductor at first. Conducting is a difficult field to break into, and many orchestras prefer to have their own maestro conduct all concerts, so it took a lot of time to build up the trust of the orchestral community. It’s a very cautious network, understandably so – expectations are very high and there is essentially no margin of error. I had to work with several established orchestras in some capacity before earning enough trust to conduct them. It was difficult to sit on the sideline and watch a show that I wrote and produced, but like any industry, you have to pay your dues. Read more>>
Jessica Chinyelu
Still, as much as I loved the excitement, I realized I was operating in a male-dominated industry, and it wasn’t fully aligned with where God was calling me. I heard an audible voice from God telling me to pivot — to step into purpose-driven work.
That’s when I founded the Women of Purpose Conference, a nonprofit that empowered women to pursue their God-given passions and dreams. I hosted five conferences — and in the first year, I even used my student loan money to fund it! But after that, every single conference was 100% sponsored. Read more>>
Mary Quintero
In 2019, MarkAdm was born with the vision of offering something unique: an agency that not only provides marketing services but also designs impactful visual experiences and creates personalized strategies for each client. Our approach helps brands create an optimized digital business model that allows them to retain existing customers and attract new ones. Over time, MarkAdm grew and began serving a wider audience, not just in Ecuador but in other countries as well. Read more>>
Brianna J
I fell in love with makeup. If you know me personally, then you know I have always been shy, and I still am to a certain extent. I’ve let being shy hold me back for way too long. For years, I dreamed about creating content but kept putting it off out of fear – fear of being seen, judged, or just not being good enough. I’ve recently gathered the strength to put myself out there and take content creation more seriously. While I’m still early on my journey, I have already learned so much, and I am eager to keep evolving. Read more>>
Jessica Wright
It hasn’t been a smooth road — if it was, I probably would’ve thought I was lost! Life threw its fair share of detours my way. Balancing motherhood, managing ADHD, and building a career often felt like juggling flaming swords while riding a unicycle. There were seasons where resources were tight and opportunities even tighter, but those moments forced me to get creative and stay resilient. Every setback sharpened my skills and made me more intentional about how I show up — for myself, for my work, and for the people I serve. I learned that the hard roads often lead to the best destinations. Read more>>
Duprée Armon
Before long, I found myself drawn to the creative world of fashion photography—the way light, composition, and style could tell a story in a single frame. That eventually led me to brand photography, where I discovered the power of visuals in shaping identity and making an impact. What began as a hobby has since become my career, and I’m still just as excited to pick up my camera today as I was back then. Read more>>
Ariel Richardson
It has not always been a smooth road as it took me some time to understand the business I was doing, and measure the success rate. You always have people in your ear providing suggestions of what you should do better, but as a founder, you already know what you want to do better. I remember being told before the first event I hosted, “be prepared to take a loss, but to learn” and that stuck with me. Because I was prepared for the loss, I really learned so much from each event, consumer feedback, influencer feed back to continue to build it and make it better each time. Read more>>
Odious
We formed back in 2022 under the name Parasyte but switched it to Odious in early 2023. Originally, Parasyte was a 3 piece thrash band with our members Carlitos, Dean, and Justin. But with the additions of our other two members Edgar and Harley, we quickly became the five piece band we are today. Our first show was on October 23rd, 2023 at Rubber Gloves in Denton opening up for popular local acts KÜDÜ, Distain, and Pulse. After the release of our EP “Created To Slaughter” we’ve been slowly gaining some attention from the local metal scene and beyond. Read more>>
Elise Clark
I was extremely blessed to find a mentor, Dr. Leigh Ann Scott, early on in my functional medicine journey that helped pave the way for my success. She taught me all about hormones, gut testing, proper supplementation, and how to stay up to date on relevant research. She also taught me to always lead with integrity and put the patient’s first. That mentality has served me very well in my career and has made it extremely fulfilling on both a personal and professional level. Read more>>
Skyler McWilliams
In the last month I was at school I entered the interview process at my church. After about a month in the interview process, I received a part time position with photography and social media. I had been doing that for about 8 months when I was promoted to full time! In this I also bought my first camera and started freelancing with various people! That is currently where I am at. Working full time at Keystone Church in Keller Texas and doing photography on the side. God has been so gracious to me and my family and I cannot even begin to describe how thankful I am for everything that He has done for me! Read more>>
Elli El-Effendi
I’m so grateful for what all I’ve learned in my search for a purpose. I think it’s important for people to realize that once you figure out the “what” of a career, that doesn’t mean it’ll be smooth sailing from then on. I struggled to find the confidence to open my own practice once I graduated from my program. I felt like I was making excuses to stay idle instead of taking a risk on a new business. After finding the courage to start, I still have days of questioning whether I have the experience and skills to treat every ailment that walks through my practice’s door. At the end of the day, I’m doing my best and am proud of how far I’ve come! Read more>>
Salma Zuniga
My mom and aunt have always decorated and done everything themselves since we were all young so I thought it was a great idea to involve my mom. My sister and I are who help my mom decorate but she’s the one with the real touch, and I think it was a great touch to our business. Summer 2024 was my first summer that I was booked every weekend. It was a great feeling knowing people actually like what we do and they always book us again. Rather it is a snack table, personal snack, or decoration it’s always nice to know people see and like our work. Read more>>
Yolanda Carson
On March 30, 2013 our 23 year old daughter Jade was struck and killed by a drunk driver, at that time she left behind a fiancee and 6 month old son Jacob. Jacob’s dad Dalton was now a single parent. Our families had to step in to help him raise Jacob and also supported this 22 year old father financially. Mother Against Drunk Driving(Madd) wanted me to join their organization but I knew there something else I was suppose to do. God placed it in my heart to start a non- profit to help children that have suffered the unimaginable that of losing a parent. A big part of our support is to help families financially, as well as provide grief support services to children. Read more>>
Luis
The road hasn’t always been smooth or linear, but I fully realize that I have been fortunate to have a great support system to help make the journey easier. Starting a business is never easy. I’ve made mistakes, sometimes costly ones, along the way which have helped shape me into the entrepreneur that I am today. Not valuing my time and talent and undercharging, absorbing the cost of projects because I am afraid of losing the client and not managing my time correctly as I run multiple businesses have all been learning opportunities for me. The important part is learning from your mistakes and adapting accordingly in order to not make the same mistakes twice. Read more>>
Sarah Meyers
Sarah Meyers is the passionate founder of PreppnQueen LLC, a dynamic catering business that began during her college years at the University of Houston. What started as cooking for the basketball team, thanks to her older sister Ryan’s connections, quickly grew into a thriving catering venture. Sarah’s culinary journey took another turn when she embarked on a personal weight loss journey, eventually blending her passion for food with health-conscious meal prepping. Sharing her creations on social media, she quickly garnered interest, turning her passion into a full-fledged business. Read more>>
Sadeya
One of the biggest challenges I faced was commuting every weekend from Austin, where I was working full-time in IT, to Dallas to build and grow my business. It required a lot of discipline and time management to balance both responsibilities effectively. Another major transition was moving from running the business out of my home to operating in a commercial kitchen, which came with a new set of logistical and operational challenges. On top of that, my business partner stepped away early in the process, so I had to adapt quickly and take full ownership—developing new services and ideas on my own to keep the momentum going and ensure the business could grow sustainably. Read more>>
Nnenna Ijoma
My journey honestly started from a very humble place—just a girl who genuinely loved looking good, feeling confident, and expressing herself through fashion, beauty, and everything in between. Growing up, I was always the one playing dress-up, experimenting with hairstyles, and helping my friends pick out their outfits. This really helped my self esteem issues I struggled with growing up and made me feel so good about myself. I didn’t realize at the time that what I was doing was building a personal brand. Read more>>
Kathlyn Carney
That’s what really lit the fire in me. I ended up writing and publishing my first book, We Can’t Change What We Don’t Know – How I Started to Think of Food as Medicine, in 2019, because I just felt this strong urge to share what I had learned over the last 2 years. It became so clear to me that food is medicine, and I wanted to keep learning, so I went on to pursue a master’s degree in nutrition education in 2020 Read more>>
Diana Bandoh
The turning point came on a trip to Bali. I designed a few pieces of jewelry on a whim and launched a line. That creative spark hit something deep—something I hadn’t felt since I stopped dancing at 23. I’d trained for years to be a professional ballerina. It was my first love. After I let it go, nothing ever filled that space. Read more>>
Andrew Rogers
Through various opportunities I have had the privilege to work with large companies, small companies, for-profit and non-profit, all of which led me to the notion that that next step was to start my own counseling practice. From all of these experiences I came to the idea of starting Grandview Counseling. With a goal of providing quality counseling services in rural areas of Texas, all at an affordable price for all people, our goal to bring healing and restoration to individuals and couples. Read more>>
Richard Payne
At Louisiana Tech, I turned my passion into a hustle. I began charging for photos and dove into graphic design. My work started going viral and was used for cover art, branding, and marketing materials. That success pushed me to start studying branding, marketing, and virality through books, courses, and hands-on research. I worked with a fast-growing clothing brand in college and eventually applied everything I learned to my own business. One of my ART T-shirt designs went viral and made more money than I’d ever seen at once. That success helped fund my move to Dallas where everything started to elevate. Read more>>
Enedelia Morales
It absolutely has not been a smooth road, being an entrepreneur is very rewarding but it can also be challenging at times, one of the challenges is maintaining every aspect of business/personal life in balance, at times having to sacrifice and miss out on certain activities to focus on my business, nevertheless I always do my best to prioritize family, health, and fitness, it is a must to ensure I remain aligned and coordinated. It can certainly be hectic at times, above all I have learned a great deal by having my own business, it is self-fulfilling to look back and see how far I have come & achieved, you become a lifelong learner and appreciate every step of the way. Read more>>
Vee And Kalais
Kalais is very blunt and open but she wasn’t sure how much of her personal life to share as the world can be harsh. Our supporters helped us get through this as they were very real and transparent with their personal lives which encouraged us to share more. There’s also been a lot of technical difficulties as we are just 2 moms who weren’t very tech savvy! A lot of our supporters helped with this as well. A long the way, we have met some amazing people who were willing to help us with their own skills such as audio engineering, video editing, graphic design, etc.. Read more>>
Alicia Humphrey
I’ve always been a creative person and loved decorating! It started with my childhood bedroom, where I constantly made my own custom decorations and pieces for different holidays. One day in college, I wanted a Mardi Gras wreath for my apartment, since we celebrate it heavily in Louisiana. I searched for one, but I didn’t see anything that I loved. So, I went to YouTube and researched how to create my own! Once it was done, I posted one picture of the wreath and got several inquiries about making one and that’s how I began! Read more>>
Nulu X Cristian Don Juan
After high school, I decided to pursue dance. That opened a lot of doors for me. I started teaching, choreographing, performing, and later got into acting and film production. Over time, my passions kept expanding, and so did my vision. That eventually led me to starting Starconz Entertainment Group and Nubeview Production, where I found new ways to stay connected to the entertainment world while building something bigger. Read more>>
Evalyn Avila
I once thought I could go it alone, but I quickly learned the power of teamwork. Our foundation has evolved into a dynamic group of dedicated leaders who share my passion for growth and service. We’ve overcome hurdles like event promotion, fundraising, and time management, and now we’re poised for success. With a talented team and a wealth of innovative ideas, I’m excited to see the Avila Foundation thrive and make a lasting impact. Read more>>
Kevin Carbajal
When I arrived to US, I was doing photos, I was burn about this, every photo counts a history, when you take photos, you’re creating scenes, reminder, also, an opportunity to know about every single person. Read more>>
Sandy Russell
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I started the business as a single woman making a very nominal income. Gaining clients and inventory was a challenge. However, the Lord always provides exactly what we need. I also started the business in the midst of a pandemic which created a huge damper on the growth of the business in 2020. Read more>>
Meghan Doyle
Once I started doing research on the topic, the outcomes data in maternal health in the US painted an even more bleak picture – poor outcomes overall and devastating disparities. Around the world, better models exist – built around continuous and whole person support in pregnancy and postpartum, with a connected network of resources. I knew we needed to bring more support to families here. Read more>>
Monique Montanez
While doing the research I realized I could make my own body balms and soaps and that’s exactly what I did. I would make them for my family and loved that I was helping all of us detox our bodies from all the chemicals in our skincare products from the stores. I figured why stop at just my family I could help other children and people in general that have problems with itchy, dry skin too. Thus creating Avery’s Apothecary. I’m just starting out with selling at Farmers Markets, and other events, as well as going live with my website. Read more>>
Omayra Espino-Vazquez
I was always the kid with a camera. I would take pictures of the people I loved and the curiosities surrounding me. As I grew, my love for photography grew with me. It grew so much that I decided to study my Bachelor’s degree in photography and that’s when I zoned in on portraits, particularly ones that captured the “true self” of a person. I took a pause after my mom passed away (she was my biggest supporter) and I have slowly gotten back to it with the mission of creating portrait sessions that focus on having fun and being present, hence the glitter/confetti sessions, because we never know when we will live our last day. Read more>>
Cecilia Aguilera Alvarez & Kaylea Balch Melt’d
Our journey began in 2020, shortly after we both graduated from esthetician school. At the time, we had no idea that waxing would eventually become such a central part of our careers—we actually started out with a preference for doing makeup and facials. But as we gained experience, we realized how much we loved the personal connections that come with waxing. After spending a couple of years working together at a waxing franchise, we decided it was time to branch out and build something of our own. We genuinely love what we do and the relationships we’ve built with our clients. What we love most is the trust our clients put in us and the positive impact we get to make, one appointment at a time. Read more>>
Ashlea Madison
It has definitely not been smooth but I am truly blessed. Initially, creating my business name, brand, website and services was a fun and smooth process. I worked with a few high school students planning for college in 2023. I also teamed up with an online school that covered the cost of my coaching services for students dealing with specific struggles during the 23-24 school year. That was truly a fun and rewarding experience that helped me grow as a coach. Since then, the struggle I have experienced is a decrease in consistent client flow. However, I have used this time to pour into myself and find ways to enhance my brand…my passion. Read more>>
John McLaughlin
Fast forward several years around the covid pandemic. I started getting into doing online cigar reviews on Youtube, and grew a small following but, more importantly, got a lot more exposure to the industry. One night my wife Carly asked me if I wanted to do anything with all of the knowledge and the passion I had for cigars. I knew the timing wasn’t right to open a lounge, but she had the wonderful idea of a mobile cigar bar that I immediately dismissed at first (and she’ll never let me forget it, lol). Read more>>
Graceful Gatherings
Gracie and Victoria quickly had a beautiful vision for Graceful Gatherings, but did not always have the client’s to support them besides faithful family and friends. After diligent work in the marketing and social media realm, Graceful Gatherings has been successful in expanding business past just family and friends. The sisters both also still have other full time occupations that take heir time, so learning the balance as business owners and full time employees was a challenge at first, but now they have the hang of it! Read more>>
Sharlane (Shar The Starr) Jones
So to answer this question my name is Sharlane and the definition of my name is “beautiful rough road”. My life has literally been that “lol”. It’s been beautiful but rough and to explain a little in detail I’ve lost some of the most important people to me like my son Ezekiel, my father Kurt, and my baby father Damarious. Going through these losses has given me this crazy fire inside and I use that to write music. Its my reason to never give up on my dreams because life is so short I don’t want to regret anything. There is so much more that I’ve been through from abusive relationships to normal life struggles but here I am living my dreams so I guess it’s worth it! Read more>>
Jerry Soll
I’ve had skin issues all my life and the products on the market didn’t provide the results I was looking for. So, through trial and error I perfected my own products that work for me and that didn’t include harsh chemicals and other toxins. I gave some to friends to try and soon after their friends wanted to try, and over the years I began to add more products to the skin care line. Now I’ve started offering my natural skincare products to the public. Read more>>
Akila Palaniswami
Business is tough, and the wedding industry is even tougher. Most wedding businesses are lifestyle businesses. That means a business is more dependent on the owner’s desires than on the market. So, studying the market is harder than in other business models. Pricing is tricky, and making sales becomes challenging. Read more>>
