One of the most under-the-radar benefits of entrepreneurship is its ability to build fortitude and make the entrepreneur a more formidable person. Challenges – particularly the crazy, unexpected ones that take on a life of their own – build character and confidence. And the unexpected surprises to the upside, the crazy good moments offer a high that’s hard to reproduce elsewhere. The charm and the challenge of entrepreneurship is dealing with the crazy things that happen and so we’ve asked some fantastic business owners and leaders to share some of their stories with us below.

Karen Kosiba

I am a meteorologist that studies severe weather, particularly hurricanes and tornadoes. My research depends on collecting data in tornadoes and hurricanes, which means getting very close to tornadoes and INSIDE of hurricanes. There are a lot of crazy stories about getting the data in the mercurial storms! Read more>>

Kinedy Bouse

My stories don’t typically blend in with the average business owner, but I feel they’re something that will keep me separated from the crowd. My work as a paranormal investigator has brought me hundreds of rewarding experiences & several lows that I thought I would never bounce back from. Read more>>

Deann Espinosa

When you are a small business owner you are “the person” for almost everything. In certain circumstances there is no one else to pass the buck off to. When is comes down to the wire the responsibility of things going to plan falls upon your shoulders. Read more>>

Brittney Posten Megan Mooneyhan

At the end of October 2020 we ordered hot cocoa bomb molds, we were excited to try them and had no idea what was about to happen! Once we made a few and figured out the best recipe, we made a video to share that we were making hot cocoa bombs and the orders started flooding in. Read more>>

Wendy Fisher

You never know the impact of the work you do. We all want to believe that the blood, sweat and tears that you put into a project has a benefit, resonates with someone in a meaningful way. In the early 2002, Utah Open Lands was working to protect a property called Castleton Tower. Read more>>

Sara Andrews

Not long after I opened, I got my first larger custom corporate order and I was stoked! I reached out to several other local small businesses and we got to work on getting products ready for what we thought was going to be 35 gifts a week for 4 weeks. The first week went smoothly and the gifts were a hit, so much so that the company asked about doing a total of 75 gifts the second week. Read more>>

Keisha Mason

I was just starting out and a new (to me) photographer reached via a modeling platform to do a TFP shoot. I normally try to vet photographers that I don’t know. I apparently didn’t do my due diligence with this person. Against my better judgment I met with him at his “studio” which happened to be an apartment. The shoot started out respectable until he kept excusing himself to use the restroom. Read more>>

Jonathan Kelly

It was 1 in the morning when we launched Journey Z. My two co-founders and I were in the basement of the chapel at our college. We had homework to do, college to pay for, jobs to work at, and classes to attend. Starting a non-profit on top of all of that seemed impossible. Even still, we felt confident that it was what God wanted us to do. Over the next couple of months we each invested all the extra money we had into Journey Z. Read more>>

Audra Ellis

About 5 years ago, I received a phone call from Jo Locke a producer for The Discovery Channel. We were being considered for a Reality TV show regarding our Clean Out/Liquidation business. I spoke with Locke numerous times but we never connected on a show. The show would have followed us as we did our job. It would’ve been similar to Storage Wars as the network wanted us to value items as we removed them. Read more>>

Ireland Betta

I still remember the day I was asked ‘how much I would sell my company for’. Bear in mind, my company was only about 3 months old at the time, but no matter our age, we were making an instant break in the market. We have many crazy stories happening almost every day with my company, but the one I will tell has been the most positive and slightly negative to date in our 1.3 years in the game. Read more>>

Sam Maritnez

We started this business in 2016. We relocated to a new retail space after 3yrs, and then we were approached by another business about the possible sale of their business. It took almost a year before we decided to go ahead with the purchase of a second business. Once we decided on the purchase, Read more>>

Ashley Cummings

I have a crazy and unexpected experience to share regarding entrepreneurship. The first brick and mortar studio I built in 2007, Just Breathe Yoga, involved two business partners (franchise owners). I was asked to open a third franchise studio (they owned two other studios), and I was so excited, this was my first studio. Read more>>

Sarah Edelman + Devon Bullock

When Devon and I first launched NEAT Method Atlanta, we created a list of top 3 clients that would be the “dream/biggest get” client. These clients ran the gamut of who’s who in Atlanta. The top “dream/biggest get” client was both a prominent entrepreneur and celebrity in the area. We worked for four years building relationships with partners in different areas of home service. Read more>>