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.

Chloe Saldivar

One day out of the blue Dani Austin mentioned us in her Instagram story, which we were not expecting. At the time, she reached out to her because her followers wanted a discount code for the candles. So we did it. Not knowing much about how to work with influencers we did a ton of research to make this happen. We made her a discount code and sold out of all our inventory within an hour. Read more>>

Kevin Coles

We get crazy stories almost every day from our following and women all over the world. They range from some of the most horrific stories you can imagine to the most amazing inspiring stories that could completely be a movie. A story we got recently was a young woman who moved away from college, and it was her first time being alone. One day she was getting some groceries and started noticing a strange man near her. She started noticing that his basket was empty, and he wasn’t really looking at the items he was in front of. Read more>>

Sheri Riley

I owned a successful consulting firm for 17 years and I knew I was being called to a different way of serving my clients. I also had NO CLUE what that meant. It was the Tuesday, before Thanksgiving, and I had a meeting with my Team. I said to them, “I am lost and I know I need SOMETHING, but I don’t know what. I don’t feel like it’s a PHD. I don’t feel like I am suppose to go to seminary school. But I know there’s some additional training I need to gain clarity on my next level of service.” Read more>>

Alex Lathery

I first started this business at the end of my last college internship, July of 2021. I had always been interested in entrepreneurship and I’m a builder at heart. So I set about taking this small hobby of learning web design and development and turning it into a business I could learn from. I started refining my skills, doing outreach daily trying to find a couple of clients to get experience with. 4 months go by and I’ve had 3 free clients I did work for and also 2 other clients who I got paid (very little) to work with. Read more>>

Sheena Parker

Although I could go on and on about the crazy daily activities my business has seen; one story that comes to mind is very positive. I can only categorize it as divine! When first starting in government contracting, I won a six-figure contract to replace flooring for several county buildings. However I only had about $4k in my bank account to get started; materials were going to cost more than 10x that amount! The contractor that I was working with, suggested I ask the awarding agency for an advance – They approved it! They handed me a $70,000 advancement check and I was in complete disbelief! Without that advance, I would have never been able to buy materials for that contract. Read more>>

Alexa Brachvogel

I started this business in 2018 after a handful of years working in marketing for other businesses. Along the way, I built websites for family and friends, and the transition to working with clients was relatively seamless. Of course, there have been many things that I learned along the way and areas that I greatly improved in since starting Blüm Agency, but things were relatively smooth for about three and a half years. Then something happened that I never anticipated. Read more>>

Genevieve Serrano

Oh gosh. I was taking some last minute maternity photos for a really good friend of mine who grew up in the same area as me. We decided on the “The Overlook” for a gorgeous lake scene. When I got there I sent here a text to let her know I arrived and I was going to meet her by the bathroom area. When she texted back “We are here, what bathrooms…? I don’t see any” My stomach dropped… “I called her immediately, we quickly realized she was at the 360 overlook, thinking thats where we would meet because the 360 Overlook is closer to where I live now and I was thinking the Overlook in Georgetown because it was closer to where she lives. Read more>>

Jussara Sandoval

Something that I consider crazy that happened as a photographer was a couple of years ago while I was working at a medical office as my primary day job still, I met a young girl who had no self-esteem and was depressed. I taught she was really pretty but she was there because she had acne and wanted to know what she can do to get her skin clear. As the doctor spoke with her trying to figure out a skin treatment, Read more>>

ariany Calles

When I arrived in this country I am an immigrant from Venezuela, I thought that my degrees would help me get a job since I am an Anthropologist with a master’s degree in art and an accessories designer. My surprise was that none of those titles allowed me to get a job in my area, so I had to start a business to live and I started making accessories and selling them at fairs. then I started organizing fairs and helping other people, I developed a method of consulting and wrote a book, I have a magazine and now a spa. thanks to those rejections Read more>>

Ned Barnett

Perhaps the craziest thing that happened to me as a business owner/entrepreneur involved my first boss in my first job out of college. Frank and I had gone to the same school, but didn’t meet until we were both employed. I was the writer of two monthly publications, and he was my editor. We made a great team, and won the regional “Writer of the Year” award during our first year working together. Read more>>

Jeff Schwartz

One of the things I do is compose whiskey reviews. While this part of my business generates no direct income, it helps establish credibility and maintain relationships with distilleries, bars, and retail shops. Since I already have a glass of whiskey in my hand, and I’m already analyzing it, why not put those notes down on paper (or, in the case of my reviews, a computer screen)? Read more>>