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.

David Hakopyan

When I started doing custom cues for commercials, I would get reference songs from clients. Client asked for a bunch of punk rock songs for a particular type of commercial, but for some reason when I watched the commercial felt like a funk type song would be way more firring… So I suggested a track I had that kind of sounded like kiss from prince and I sent it to them. Read more>>

Clare Gray

I think for some people, the craziest thing to do in business is to follow the signs – however off the wall they seem – but for me, they were signs that put me on the right path to first healing my own body, and with that transformation, knowing on a deep level that anything and everything can be transformed, thus helping my clients create change and transform their lives. I am lucky enough to be married to an amazing man, who happens to be very tuned in, and intuitive. He feels the presence of energy around him, and has an understanding of how this energy works. Read more>>

Caitlin Ackermann

In 2015, we had decided to work together full time. I had just graduated college, and the idea of getting a job with my graphic design degree was terrible. We had sold our Vermont maple syrup at farmers’ markets around Boston for a couple of years, but with winter around the corner and Massachusetts markets coming to a close, we didn’t know how we’d make money to survive. Read more>>