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.

Alexys Meneses

Looking back, I definitely wish I had committed to my baking passion and started a real business much sooner than I did. My love with making and selling my desserts actually began way back in middle school. It was a small-scale operation, but I loved it, and people loved it. However, as I got older, I hesitated, doubted my abilities, and didn’t take those early entrepreneurial sparks seriously enough to build something real. Read more>>

Morgan Wilbon

I think I should have started my business later so I could have more time to perfect my craft more. But I started my business a couple years later after high school. But career wise I wanted to be a neonatal nurse and work with babies but that’s not where my heart was at my heart was in doing makeup. But by me starting my business later I think I would have been more successful. Read more>>

Arianna David

Honestly, if I could do it over, I would’ve started my business sooner. I really started taking makeup seriously in 2020, right after the pandemic hit. Like most people, I had a lot of free time—and instead of just sitting around, I started practicing on myself, doing both makeup and hair. Funny enough, that year was actually a peaceful time for me. I didn’t have many worries, I loved the quiet of quarantine, and I was still getting paid without having to leave home. Read more>>

Kyla Taitt

If I could go back in time, I definitely wish I had started my business sooner. I’ve always had a heart for helping others—whether it was tutoring classmates, mentoring young women, or simply being someone people could count on. Even before launching ALYK Admin Agency in January 2025, I was already serving in so many ways without realizing I could turn that into a business. Read more>>

Abigail Emery

If I could go back and start my business again I would have taken the leap of faith much sooner. It was exciting to be a business owner and it gave me more motivation in my personal life. I started reading for pleasure again and listening to podcasts about business mindset. I started eating healthier and exercising more. I said, “Yes!” to every opportunity to meet someone new and make connections. I really got out of my comfort zone. Once I got the ball rolling, I was able to work one step at a time to make my dream a reality. Read more>>

Claudia Cash

It’s really hard to say I wished I would have started earlier, because I’m a firm believer that all roads I’ve taken have led me to the business I’m in right now, and I wouldn’t change that! While it’s been an extremely long, difficult journey to own the business I do now, every experience, every hardship, failure, and previous job experience has value. BUT… yes, there’s a but to this! I wish I would have realized much earlier that I am fully capable of owning a business. Let’s back up, shall we? Read more>>