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.

Ashton & Dustin Godfrey

To establish an assisted living facility, the installation of fire sprinklers is a mandatory safety measure to protect residents in the event of a fire. Back then, our financial resources were limited, prompting us to negotiate an agreement with a fire sprinkler company. Our proposition was simple: if we provided labor assistance, they would reduce the cost. Read more>>

Danza Huey

I have never spoken publicly in a large forum about my party card brand Party Card Mash Up. Being a vendor and talking to customers – check. Joining a zoom with less than 30 people sitting safely at home talking through a camera – check. But talking on a stage in front of people in a large forum setting – terrified lol. Read more>>

Tien Nguyen

One terrible client changed everything. About a year into being a professional photographer, I was hired to do headshots for a male model. At the time my main focus was on headshots. He didn’t like the way I edited his photos and the feedback he gave was delivered in a very rude and insulting way. Read more>>

Eve Jean

ok so imagine this you have a developer / realtor that reaches out to you in dm you know of him and also his following so not only i’m i super excited but i’m looking at it as an opportunity to collaborate with him as well as doing future projects together. I was sooo excited from our initial meeting that I didn’t bother to see none of the red flags. Read more>>

Chernel “Tweety” Renfro

Legacy Stylez was Birthed through the loss of my two best friends Mary & Yelena, how my business is in memory of them and how personal and passionate I am to keep their legacy alive in the beauty industry. But nothing seems to fill the void of their absence in my life. As if that was even possible. Read more>>

Ashley Cortez

Running a business alone can become very exhausting; from being the only seamstress, designing new products, answering customer service questions, packing orders, posting photos on social media, to dealing with suppliers and ordering materials to keep the business going smoothly. Like anyone else, sometimes I find myself in need of a pick-me-up or a positive affirmation to get me through times when I’m feeling mentally drained. Recently, I was feeling a bit wearied and motiveless so I went on a weekend drive to browse at a few local shops. Read more>>

Ramon Peralta

I am what I often call myself, a reluctant entrepreneur, and I say this because i never set out to build a business full time. It was always, at least in my mind, a side gig and for most of my early career, I kept a corporate job while also doing freelance design projects on the side. In 2008, I was part of a massive wave of layoffs at my former employer, a startup incubator most famously known for starting priceline.com. Read more>>

Laura Erlandson

One of my favourite moments was this past summer, I was selling a shirt that just had “You’re*” on it. Most people understood the meaning of it, some people though had NO idea. A lovely woman and her husband came up and saw the shirt, she burst out laughing saying “I love this! I have to buy it.” Her husband looked at her, then me and said “I don’t get it.” Read more>>

Tiffany Brown

I opened my first brick and mortar location in December of 2020. The following August 2021, our building was destroyed due to Hurricane Ida. Our landlord was an older lady and decided she was not interested in rebuilding. She decided to sell the building as is which left myself and 13 other business without a space. Read more>>

Ana Maria Quintero

The craziest story that has happened is the partnership between Laica Worms and Vermicast LLC and the Sustainable Urban Agriculture Coalition (SUAC), a 501 (c)(3) non profit that has enabled me to bring worm farming education to a larger population, from children to retired seniors. I have volunteered thousands of hours for the past twenty years and I began volunteering for SUAC five years ago. Read more>>