When small business owners become big business owners.

In 2009, Emma McElfresh opened her first Etsy shop while working as a librarian for a private boarding school. McElfresh's second shop, The Written Nerd, was born when she started to repurpose old library catalog cards into jewelry—which sold very quickly.

Cinnamon, a former coworker of mine, started making dolls over two years ago. She works out of her Bronx one-bedroom at night, after coming home from her full-time graphic design job.