For serial entrepreneur @dawnwdickson, brilliant business ideas can often come from anywhere, including an existing business. Back in 2011, Dickson launched her shoe brand @flatoutofheels, rollable flats that women can carry as a backup to high-heels. She tried to make them portable enough to be dispensed out of vending machines for convenience, so she was looking for vending machines to sell these products. While researching vending machines, she realized that traditional equipment cannot gather customers' data like conversion rate.⁠ ⁠ So in 2012, she founded Shoe Vending International out of Columbus, Ohio. In 2017, it rebranded to @popcomtech, creating vending machines that leverage facial recognition and machine learning technology to capture customer data and insights. The breakthrough invention and subsequent business landed her on Inc.'s 2018 and 2021 female founders 100 list.⁠ Dickson shares what you need to know to start your own business. Link in bio. (Reporting by @tina_wangxt / 📸: Courtesy subject)