This document profiles 24 entrepreneurs who pursued business ventures that allowed them to do what they love. It describes how each entrepreneur's passion led them to start a business related to that passion. The entrepreneurs' businesses range from social media consulting to fitness franchises to hand-crafted surfboards. Many of the entrepreneurs found success after leaving corporate careers or previous failures to follow their entrepreneurial dreams. The profiles show how pursuing one's passion can lead to fulfilling and profitable work.

1. 24 Entrepreneurs Who Are Doing
What they LOVE!

2. Accidental Entrepreneurs

3. Melinda Emerson
succeedasyourownboss.com
@smallbizlady
Melinda Emerson, better known as the
SmallBizLady, reaches over 3 million
entrepreneurs every week through her
website, social channels and regular
contributions to the New York Times.
An inspiration for millions of
entrepreneurs, Melinda’s entry into the
small business world was
serendipitous.

4. Forest Walden & Jim Cavale
irontribefitness.com
@forrestwalden @jimcavale
Iron Tribe Fitness, the fastest
growing fitness franchise in the
country, started out as a group of
friends who worked out together
in Forrest Walden’s garage. Today,
Iron Tribe Fitness has over 60
franchises in 14 states and has
raised over $500,000 for charities
including Neverthirst and the
Wounded Warrior Project.

5. Luc Stokes & Holly Stokes
degree33surfboards.com
@lucstokes @degree33
Surfers Luc and Holly Stokes
started selling high-end, handshaped surfboards out of their
one-bedroom apartment in
Southern California to meet a
niche need in the market. Today,
their business has grown into one
of the largest online retailers of
specialty surfboards.

6. Yvonne Halling & Les Molyneux
bedandbreakfastinchampagne.com
@yvonne3030
Yvonne Halling opened small,
luxurious bed & breakfast in the
heart of the Champagne region of
France in 2001. Shortly thereafter,
Yvonne grew her "hobby" into a
profitable business. Today, she
sells her marketing advice and
services to other B&B owners who
are looking for an edge. Like
many small business owners,
Yvonne is also passionate about
paying her success forward.

7. Entrepreneurs at Heart

8. Amy Porterfield
amyporterfield.com
@fb_influence
Amy Porterfield left a highly
successful and lucrative career to
scratch an entrepreneurial itch.
She launched an agency, blogged
religiously and began to attract a
social following. Today, Amy is
one of the world’s foremost social
media strategists and co-author of
“Facebook Marketing All-in-One
for Dummies.”

9. Jermaine Griggs
hearandplay.com
@realhearandplay
In the 70s, Jermaine’s
grandmother won a piano on “The
Price is Right.” Jermaine taught
himself to play by ear and soon
his friends were requesting
lessons. He scrounged up $70 to
register a domain name and
began selling lessons online.
Twelve years later, his business is
still humming along and serving
millions of aspiring musicians.

10. Lisa-Marie Cabrelli
laptoplifelisa.com
@laptoplifelisa
Serial entrepreneur Lisa-Marie
Cabrelli quit her corporate job as
a systems analyst in search of
freedom. Her first entrepreneurial
venture was a success and hooked
her on the entrepreneurial
lifestyle. Today Lisa-Marie runs
three businesses while traveling
the world with her husband and
daughter.

11. Joseph Miranda
notefull.com
Joseph Miranda was a born
entrepreneur and despite a few
early failures, he continued to
pursue his entrepreneurial dreams
until the right opportunity came
along. Today, Joseph owns a
successful business that helps
international students learn
American English.

12. Purpose-Based Businesses

13. Casey Graham
therocketcompany.com
@caseygraham
Casey Graham worked for ten
years in the trenches of local
church ministry, before launching
The Rocket Company, an
organization designed to help
churches and church leaders
achieve their missions. Over the
past four years, the company has
helped over 2,400 churches across
the country better manage their
finances.

14. Sean Kelly & Andy Mackensen
healthyvending.com
@andyishuman @healthyvending
Sean Kelly and Andy Mackensen
are social entrepreneurs with a
shared vision to make healthy
food more convenient than junk
food. Their company has grown
into the world's leading franchisor
of socially responsible, healthy
vending machine businesses and
was named one of Forbes
Magazine’s “America’s Most
Promising Companies.”

15. Jini Patel Thompson & Ian Thompson
listentoyourgut.com
@crohnsremission @lytg
When doctors diagnosed Jini Patel
Thompson with Crohn's disease at
the age of 17, she began to
explore alternative medicines for
healing. After a successful
recovery, Jini wrote a book to
share her strategies with others.
Today, her business has helped
thousands of people overcome
illness and achieve long-term
health.

16. Jacki Semerau Tait
strongsinglemoms.com
@jackitaitaz
As a single mom, Jacki Semerau
faced many challenges, including
finding trustworthy services. She
founded an online community to
empower women, regardless of
their circumstances. Today, the
Strong Single Mom Network is
helping thousands of women find
community, resources and
empowerment.

17. Love of Craft

18. Gonz Medina & Jason Heslop
bluechipathletic.com
@heslopjason, @bluechiptweets
Gonz Medina and Jason Heslop
started Blue Chip Athletic in 2001
with a screen-printing machine, a
business plan and a passion for
providing affordable, quality
apparel to the wrestling teams
they coached. That passion has
fueled their growth over the past
12 years and enabled them to
satisfy tens-of-thousands of
customers.

19. Raj Shah
mathplusacademy.com
Raj Shah saw a problem with
education—kids weren’t excited
about learning math and schools
weren’t doing a good enough job
teaching it. So Raj quit his job at
Intel, where he had worked for
nine years, to develop Math Plus
Academy. The formula is working.
Math Plus Academy has expanded
to multiple locations and is
helping hundreds of children
succeed.

20. Tyler Smith & Don Smith
selectphotographics.com
@spgraphics @tylersmithspg
In 1997, 16-year-old Tyler Smith
started Select Photo-Graphics, a
youth sports photography studio,
as a way to combine two things he
loves—sports and photography.
Together with Don Smith, his
father and business partner, Tyler
has built a thriving a business that
is profitable, rewarding and fun.

21. Passion for the Customer

22. Kerri Konik
brandscapeatelier.com
@kerrikonik, @brandsatelier
Passion and faith in the power of
authentic expression drove Kerri
Konik, a branding expert, to leave
a successful career to start her
own boutique agency. Kerri
derives great satisfaction from
helping her clients develop their
brands in a meaningful way and
seeing the impact of her work
firsthand.

23. Jim Turner
optibike.com
@optibiker
In the mid-nineties, Jim Turner, a
self-employed semiconductor
design engineer, felt disconnected
from the customers he was
serving and began exploring
alternative career options. After
learning about electric bikes, the
two-time Motocross National
Champion knew he had found the
answer.

24. Amy Wenslow
productstoprofits.com
@amywenslow
Amy Wenslow is an international
product expert who helps
inventors get their products on
the shelves of big box stores like
Home Depot, Wal-Mart and JoAnn’s. A true champion for
entrepreneurial success, Amy
inspires people to take focused
action to make their dreams a
reality.

25. Learn more about these
entrepreneurs on our blog
blog.infusionsoft.com

26. 24 Entrepreneurs Who Are Doing
What they LOVE!