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.

Laura Barrett

I am an integrative medicine nurse entrepreneur focused on plant medicine. Just over ten years ago a friend with whom I volunteered on community health and wellness events for a non-profit asked if I would be interested in using my medical background to help with getting a cannabis grow license. At the time, I was in a thriving career at Johns Hopkins and had a huge personal stigma against drugs (which is where weed sat in my ethos). If it weren’t for two primary people: my now ex-husband, and a good friend who is a pharmacist, encouraging me, I would have passed on this life-changing opportunity. Read more>>

Joe Raiti

In 2019, I was still juggling my teaching career and building my YouTube Channel, Raiti’s Rides, when I was contacted by Donut Media, a major automotive content outlet with millions of followers. At this point I had 75,000 which I was thrilled with but is still relatively small in comparison with Donut Media’s viewership. They wanted to offer me an opportunity to partner with American Honda and take a ride in what is known as the “Fastest Seat in Sports” – a Honda 2 seat Indy Car. Not only that, but it would be a the Indianapolis Grand Prix and the car would be driven by none other than Mario Andretti! I was selected for a private tour of the Museum before the race, then the following day, the day of the race, I woke up and was suited up by Honda. Then they took us to the green room where the drivers all huddle before introductions. It was overwhelming to see Indycar greats like Scott Dixon, Will Power, Helio Castroneves, and many more! To top it off, I was there with Mario and frankly, the moment we walked on stage, I felt like a rock star. Everyone was cheering and taking pictures, crowds of people were gathered around, it was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. We walked with great fanfare down to the car, and to my surprise, we were mic-ed up so that I could be interviewed on Live TV by Leigh Diffy, one of the best sports commentators of our time. It was an honor when he told me that my commentary was the best they’d ever had for the Honda 2-seater drives! Mario did an extra lap and he did not hold back, It was an adrenaline filled experience that I’ll never forget! Read more>>

Brent Houzenga

Being an artist I’ve experienced many crazy occurrences. Life usually stays pretty interesting and there have been many brushes with fame and famous people. This one was a whirlwind. When I first moved to New Orleans I had my work hanging at the pizza place I waited tables at. It was cool. I worked with a lot of cool people. I got to make money while talking about and selling my work.  The restaurant was part of a group of restaurants and they threw a pretty epic Christmas party for everyone. I had already been at the party for about an hour. I’d already had a few beers when I get this phone call. The woman on the other end asks me if I could do a commission for her. She had seen one of my works at the pizza place and wanted me to make her another custom piece, based on that piece. The painting she was talking about was on this very strange piece of driftwood. All of my colorful portraiture took place in the center of the board. The rest was this really interesting wood grain. I told her that I could do it, but that I’d need to see the photograph she wanted me to use, and I’d have to go searching for a similar piece of wood. Read more>>

Jason Turnquist

One of the wildest things that ever happened to me as a business owner started right after I graduated college in 2009, during the peak of the reality TV show Jersey Shore. The main character, Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino, became an overnight sensation, and I saw an opportunity. I bought the domain name mikethesituation.com and started blogging about the show. Almost overnight, the site skyrocketed to the #1 spot on Google for searches related to him and the show. The traffic was insane—I started dabbling in affiliate marketing to monetize the site and watched it take off. But then, out of the blue, I received a cease and desist. It was a gut-punch moment—here I was, just starting out, and I had to lawyer up. I hired an attorney in Phoenix to navigate the legal waters, and ultimately, I ended up negotiating a deal where I sold the domain to Mike ‘The Situation’ himself for a solid four-figure sum. Read more>>

Andrea Kinkela-cook

When I first started in this career, I wasn’t really taught how to have a proper consult. I THOUGHT I knew what to ask and say, I didn’t completely and learned a huge lesson that I carry with me at every single consult now When a woman booked microblading with me, ignorantly I assumed she knew what she was booking. While I went on to explain the process and the healing (over explaining the boldness of them the first week as we know as brow shock) there are a quite a few things I missed and the outcome wasn’t what the client desired and I was crushed!  I never thought to ask if she knew exactly what she booked, if she had pictures of brows she likes, if she could show me pictures of her with her makeup brows or even ANY type of visual to ensure I would deliver what she wanted. As a result, microblading wasn’t what she envisioned. Unfortunately she showed me a picture after and what she truly wanted was a powder brow, a totally separate service  Read more>>

Mario Papathanasiou

Just a few years into my journey as a creative professional, I had the opportunity to DJ with a legendary rock star at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Besides being a bucket list moment as a performer, it gave me a glimpse of what it takes to thrive in a high level production environment. Keep your eyes open. Soak it all in. And, most importantly, act like you’ve been there. I had just moved back to Boston, having spent three years in Los Angeles post grad at Emerson College. It was a foundational moment in my career. I had worked at two mega studios and expanded my knowledge of production to a whole other level. Equally as important as getting in all those high level reps, were the relationships that developed in that time. Those friendships continued and have presented some magical opportunities throughout my career. This being one of them. Read more>>

Olivia Peterson

My most recent crazy story happened about a month ago. I had a new client that had come to get a luminary (builder gel) set. She had been referred to me by a friend. I started her set as I normally would. About half way through her appointment my worst nightmare came true. She put her hand in the light to cure and it didn’t turn on. My heart dropped. I tried plugging it into different outlets but nothing happened. So, I had to tell her that there is nothing I can do to fix this. I said you can go home (luckily she had matte topcoat on) and I will leave right now and go get a new lamp. So, she went home and I ran to Walmart immediately. When I got there I didn’t see a lamp in sight. I then went to a local beauty supply store. They only had one lamp and it was WAY out of my price range. I felt very defeated. I looked on Amazon and found a lamp that would ship to my house by the morning. I ordered that and a spare so this situation will never happen again. I texted my client and we found a time to finish her nails. Read more>>

Jack Manson

Dreams can change in unexpected ways, leading to incredible journeys. The story of a personal trainer and physician assistant becoming a celebrated stylist shows how new paths can develop from surprising beginnings. Embracing change can lead to fulfilling careers and unique experiences, as illustrated by the transformation that occurred when one individual moved from medicine to the world of fashion. Initially, a strong foundation in medicine and personal training shaped this person’s career. With degrees in physician assistantship and exercise physiology, the skills acquired in these fields were valuable. Working with athletes in the NBA provided insight into the importance of appearance and style. However, even with a solid career, a call from Jamie Foxx’s management team shifted the focus towards a different passion. This opportunity opened the door to a new world, highlighting how unexpected events can lead to exciting changes. Read more>>