Start Up

- Season 7

(2019)

Lorena grew up eating her mother, Maria's, homemade empanadas, but she never thought that the savory snack would help her achieve her version of the American dream. From being homeless in Argentina, to owning five of Denver's hottest restaurants, Lorena's story is heartfelt, inspiring and will leave you salivating.

In 2007, Steven and Remy Sedylmayr were enjoying the good life in Arizona, retired with two kids in college. When Steven decided to pursue building a water purification system and re-mortgaged the house, he had no idea that they'd soon lose everything. The story of Divinia water is about family, overcoming hardship, and the quest to create the cleanest bottled water on the planet.

Stewart King has been actively involved in archery for over 32 years. As an accomplished tournament target archer, he's practiced at several different facilities over the years. So, when he decided to switch careers and start Rocky Mountain Archery, he had a pretty clear vision of the archery destination that he wanted to create. This family business story is about perseverance and creating a life around what you love.

Woodward Throwbacks is a passion project turned business. Developed by Detroit residents, Bo Shepherd and Kyle Dubay as a way to furnish their apartments and clean up Detroit streets. From riding their bikes around the city searching for reusable materials to operating a nationwide brand that now employs several Detroit locals, this story is about recognizing opportunity and believing in yourself.

Thaine Fischer is a social entrepreneur with an extensive background in real estate acquisitions, development, and management. His latest endeavor "The Monarch" is a collaborative environment where artists, creative businesses and makers of all types can connect, inspire and create together in the heart of Ogden Utah's Nine Rails Creative District. This is a story about fearlessly going all in on a vision, despite adversity.

Patrick Bultema is a true industry maker whose mission is to eliminate food waste. Growing up on a farm, it pains him to know how much food is thrown away that farmers have worked so hard to produce, so he's addressing the problem at the source. FoodMaven sells high-quality local, oversupplied and imperfect food from distributors, manufacturers and producers to restaurants and institutional kitchens at a significant discount. This is a fascinating story about doing well, while doing good.

When Kevin Oswald's father told him that he would have to leave the family auto repair business because there wasn't enough revenue to sustain two families, he saw it as more of an opportunity than a setback. He spent several years working for another company until his father offered to sell him the business. Today, with two locations and more on the way, Kevin, his wife Renae and their two sons have transformed Oswald's into a highly successful business. This is a story about vision, forward thinking, and always putting family first.

Stitch People was founded by Lizzy and Spencer Bean in 2013, born out of Lizzy's existential crisis and need for a creative outlet. Originally focused on making handmade cross-stitched family portraits, they quickly realized that people wanted to make things themselves. Today Lizzy's "Do it Yourself" stitch people book is the company's primary product and the new industry standard in cross stitched family portraits and more. This is a story about believing that anything is possible, and creating your best life.

GoodBoy Clothing was established in March 2014 in Flint, Michigan by resident Oaklin Mixon. Upon the auto industry's exit from Flint, followed by the water crisis that brought national attention, the city has been continually forced to reinvent itself. The resilient spirit that Oaklin Mixon shares with Flint is what sparked the idea for GoodBoy Clothing. GoodBoy offers multiple apparel and accessory collections developed in-house and through collaborations with artists, designers and seamstresses.

Parker Lichfield was working a job he loved doing photography and video for a local Utah company when he was unexpectedly laid off. He had two choices, find another job and risk the same thing happening again, or put his future in his own hands and start making high quality leather goods. This is a story about risk taking, the power of Youtube and quality craftsmanship.

Daniel Scott and Josh Christiansen met while working for a local plumbing company and hit it off immediately. Shortly after, they decided to start their own plumbing company focused on customer service, creating a family environment for employees and giving people a second chance in life. Today, they employ more than 50 people and is ranked as one of the top plumbing companies in Utah. This is a story about recognizing opportunity, perseverance and timing.

Risë Jones and her husband, Louis Freeman, opened TeaLee's after five years of planning and hard work. Seven years before the doors opened and the first pot of tea was brewed, Jones had was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. Fortunately, she beat it - and after she recovered, Freeman asked her what she wanted to do with her life. Her reply: "I want a tea house." This is a story about second chances and seizing the moment.

Tim Price is a Colorado based Chiropractor, outdoors man and dog lover. Tim's first dog and adventure partner, Ruger, forced him to think about a bunch of new unknowns. His biggest fear was that Ruger, a large breed dog, could get injured and how would he carry him to safety? That fear inspired Tim to create a lightweight rescue harness that would change the course of his life. This story is about following your heart and creating something you truly believe in.