The founders of HexComix didn’t set out to be a women-only comics production company. It just happened that way. Now, producer Lynly Forrest, artist Lisa K. Weber, and writer Kelly Sue Milano find themselves in a unique position—as role models for other young women trying to break into a traditionally male-dominated industry.

In 2010 I was $40,000 in debt. Some of it was student loans, but honestly, it was largely the bad kind. It’s not that I’m especially terrible at money. I wasn’t a compulsive shopper.

We’re inspired by founders who are changing the way we buy, sell, and think. One-time students like Roz Campbell, who shifted her focus from designing furniture to designing feminine hygiene products with more responsible materials.

When the place we call home is also the place where we work and create, it defines us as much as we define it. Makers and founders everywhere are at the heart of the communities where they do business.