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.

Jamielynn De Leon

The most transformative moment in my entrepreneurial journey came in the form of a devastating crisis. In 2021, at 4:28 AM, I found myself frozen outside my newly renovated six-chair salon, unable to step forward. Just hours earlier, I had been violently attacked and robbed. Standing there in the early morning darkness, my body aching from the assault, I faced an impossible situation—my grand reopening was scheduled for later that day, but I physically and emotionally couldn’t bring myself to walk through those doors. Read more>>

Alexis Grimes

The craziest story related to my business is probably how I entered the industry to begin with. I always had an interest in photography throughout my middle school years which manifested into many slightly embarrassing & very cringy photoshoots with friends, and even being tasked with taking a few photos at my cousin’s wedding on my little point-and-shoot (a job I took VERY seriously). My interest grew as I entered high school and began taking photography classes where I learned how to shoot on & develop film, as well as the importance of composition & basic editing knowledge. The summer before my senior year of high school, my high school sweetheart’s mother (who is now my mother-in-law and is also a wedding photographer) called me frantically asking if I was available to photograph a wedding with her since her original second photographer failed to show. Read more>>

Mishell Ekunsirinde

During my first company, STINA & MAE, I was part of an accelerator program when the program lead reached out to say a national retail buyer wanted to connect. At first, I thought it was just another mock pitch; we had done several of those as practice. I didn’t overthink it. I was in my second trimester of pregnancy, trying to keep my energy up and my business moving. Read more>>

Stacy Jane

The way I went from Author to Author/Artist is kind of wild. It all started when I wanted to draw character art for my stories—but I was brand new to digital art, so I cracked open Procreate and began practicing. To keep myself motivated, I made cute, feel-good mashups that gave me dopamine hits—think My Little Pony and Tamagotchi crossed with my favorite fandoms. What began as a ‘just for fun’ dopamine experiment quickly evolved: they were so cute, I decided to try selling them. Read more>>

Angelese Calderon

One of the most unforgettable moments in my journey happened one day when my children and I were out distributing food and homemade crosses to people living on the streets. The crosses were lovingly made by my kids, each one crafted to bring a little hope and encouragement to someone who might have felt forgotten. Read more>>