The uncertainty of entrepreneurship causes many entrepreneurs to put off starting their business. For others, losing a job or other economic hardships push them starting their businesses earlier than expected. In our conversations with thousands of entrepreneurs we’ve seen so much variety in when, how and why people started their business and so we wanted to share a wide variety of views and reflections on the question of whether these folks wished they had started sooner or waited longer before starting their businesses.

 Jeremy Sean Hector

My decision to pursue a creative career started much later than is normal for others in this field. I was 24 when I did the first performance of what you would become a career in the performing arts. It was actually supposed to be something I would do just to get me by between jobs and I just never looked back. Read more>>

Michael Johnson

If I could go back in time I would’ve started my creative career sooner. My dad had a large collection of comic books that I used to sneak out of the clear plastic and draw from when I was a young kid. It was then I fell in love with sci-fi / fantasy movies and cartoons. As a young adult I was inspired by the 90s hip hop culture. I started drawing hip hop artist such as Tupac, Snoop Dogg, and Jay Z. Starting a creative career means stepping out of your comfort zone and truly believing in yourself. Knowing that now makes me wish to had taken this chance sooner. Read more>>

Kimberly Padilla

My brands have been on my mind for such a long time. Since I can remember, I wanted to make jewelry. I used to make an incredible amount of jewelry sets for my grandmother and my mother. It really was an everyday thing as well as mixing herbs and creating. Definitely sooner, time passes us by. But you always go back to your roots. Read more>>

Ross + Brooke Tuggle

When we tell people when we started our business, people are shocked! Ross and I both worked in the social work field, Ross worked for Department of Child Services and I (Brooke) worked for a foster care agency. We both had creative hobbies that we enjoyed outside of work. Read more>>

Blessing Daniel

I genuinely believe I started at the perfect time. I started my business in 2020 during the early stages of the pandemic. Before that, I had people constantly encouraging me to turn my passion into a business for years, but I never felt ready to handle the load of starting a business. Read more>>

Derrick Emanuel

If I could go back I wish I would have went all in full-time with my businesses and not been afraid of the unknown. I have been an educator for over 14 years and though I gained a lot of professional skills and tools in that sector there has always been a deeper desire in me for ownership and freedom to control my own narrative. Read more>>