Dungeons & Dragons, which turned 50 in 2024, has exploded in popularity over the last decade. In 2014, an edition of the game helped simplify it for new players. But also important was the rise of D&D web series on platforms like YouTube and Twitch, which introduced it to a new, younger generation of players. The surge in D&D's popularity has helped its publisher, Wizards of the Coast, bring in over $1 billion in revenue year-over-year since 2021.

During a typical day at Jono Pandolfi's New Jersey pottery studio, he and his 30-person team will unload over a thousand pieces out of its 13 kilns, and ship the plates, bowls and mugs to restaurants and home chefs across the country and beyond. Jono Pandolfi Designs began in 2004 as a side hustle, and 20 years later the company is projected to bring in over $6.6 million in 2024.

Coss Marte, 39, is the founder and CEO of Conbud, a legal cannabis dispensary in NYC's Lower East Side, where he once sold cannabis illegally. After serving prison time, Coss embraced his entrepreneurial spirit, leading to the creation of Conbud. In September 2024, the business generated over $800k in sales and is projected to hit $12 million in 2025.

Sarah Cloes, 27, lives in San Marcos, California with her husband, Bret. In 2021 she founded Flora Flora Co., a brand that specializes in selling sustainably packaged shampoo and conditioner bars. In 2024, the business brought in about $180,000