It’s wild out there and the struggle is real. Entrepreneurship is no joke, everyday is a new challenge, a new up, a new down, it never stops. The action, the drama, the energy is addictive and it’s why so many never want to retire from entrepreneurship. We’ve asked some very talented entrepreneurs to share some of those crazy stories with us.

Maranda Douglas

So February 20th was the most treacherous day of my life. My “new to me” truck died, I fainted for the first time ever and I basically got abducted. If you can’t tell, I’m a busy body. I’m often doing more than one major project at a time and this time I was running for Clearwater City Council on top of running my business – Top Nauts. I help clients get on the water by serving as a concierge and coordinating their boat rental. February 20th was to have my first memorial at sea. Read more>>

LeEllen Smith.

One time I accepted an offer to speak at a ladies gathering at a church in the next county. I didn’t know the lady who invited me and didn’t expect to know anyone in attendance. I usually like to follow a script when I speak because I ramble too much when I don’t However, on this occasion , I went off-script. I asked for questions at the end of my talk and someone wanted to know about the sewing machines we were using. I told that they were old, worn-out home use machines and that I thought it was time for us to purchase a commercial machine, but at $1800 it was not in the budget just yet. Read more>>

Mary Ball

The craziest thing that ever happened to me as an artist was when my work got stolen in NYC. I was a year out of grad school and working in a shared studio space in a basement in Chinatown. The place was grungy and less than ideal, but I couldn’t afford anything nicer and it was conveniently close to my apartment. One day, I carried a few framed paintings from my apartment to the studio to be photographed. Read more>>

Benjamin Londa

Early into the start of our company we were on the hunt for a Sales Director. Someone with a lot of experience and a strong, proven record. We also needed someone that wanted to work in a startup environment, knowing their compensation would be lower than average to start, but the payoff could be large. This also would include equity in the company. I had been the defacto salesperson up to this point and needed to focus my efforts elsewhere. Read more>>

Timothy Kephart.

I’d say probably the craziest thing was the unexpected growth. My wife and I started this business as just something to do on the side. Maybe pay for a vacation once a year. We only started the business in early 2020 but when COVID hit we were wildly caught off guard with the volume of orders that were coming in for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. We managed to weather that storm but 5 months later it was a much higher level of insanity. Like I mentioned before, this was something that was supposed to be casual. Make a few items in my garage every couple of weeks or so. Read more>>

Elaine Duran

I remember clawing my way through learning the art of cake decorating. It was desperation and struggle that birthed my cake game. I didnt want to be a cake artist. I had no choice. My husband had suffered a heart attack, I was let go from my job, and I had 2 babies in diapers who needed their mommy. The thoughts of my sleepless nights and the uncontrollable crying are unforgettable and quite heart wrenching til this day. I acted fast because I was in survival mode. Read more>>

Quentin Thomas.

I never could have imagined my business would have turned into what it has! I was laid off from my job at the start of the pandemic and was unsure of my future, I’ve always had a passion for having a clean car of my own so I just started asking all my friends and family if they would be interested in letting me clean their vehicles for $20 inside and out! At this time I really had no professional experience in the detailing Industry and especially no business owner experience, I had no idea what I was doing. Read more>>

Carlos Partee

I quit my job the night Bun B from UGK wore my hat at his show in Nashville,TN. I just started working at the Post office plant, and it was crazy work something I wasn’t expecting to do at the time. It was holiday season so I was looking for a come up with a job for the winter. I was working hard and I got a message from a friend Rasheed Walker (A.K.A Mr. Been Had Polo) like “Yo Bun B wearing yo hat at this concert I’m at”. Man I was like no way, he sent the video of it and I was in disbelief. Read more>>

Rajiv Jadhav

Truth is stranger than fiction – as summarized by this video case study – https://youtu.be/eiRaNGzXFbI They say truth is stranger than fiction. this is the true story of an executive in transition. this executive was in the job market for almost nine months. finally after many interviews she was hoping to receive her dream offer from her dream company for her dream role. this was a high 6 figure offer. on the day she was expecting to go in & the offer she received a very disturbing e-mail and phone call from her executive recruiter. Read more>>