Almost every entrepreneur has had to decide whether to take the leap now or wait– perhaps they wanted to acquire more capital, experience or connections. Given how common this predicament is, we asked some successful business owners to reflect back on whether they wish they had started sooner or waited for a better time.

Scott Airitam | Actor, Acting Coach. Provide help with auditions

I have returned to my first love! Just after graduating high school I went on to work for a growing, new radio station in the DFW Market. The experience I attained there was tremendous. I was a radio personality, a promotions specialist, a show producer, and I even got to help with programming. I was in love with my job. It only grew as I started to have opportunities to act in commercials. Eventually, I signed with a very large talent agency in Dallas. Because I was very young and without someone guiding me through this, I signed a terrible contract. Long story short, after four years of success, signing with the agency signaled the end of all of it. Read more>>

Michael DiTullo | Designer

I think every entrepreneur has their own path, their own origin story if you will. As a student in design school I idolized independent designers of previous generations like Raymond Loewy, Charles & Ray Eames, and Hartmut Esslinger, but I felt like I needed to learn before starting my own. After college I worked for a small design and innovation consulting group as an industrial designer. I was the fifth employee and I got to really see how the business worked, how the partners managed built trust with their clients and loyalty with their employees. We were small but mighty, working big companies like Bose, Burton Snowboards, and Chantal Cookware. Read more>>

Kristen Moon | Founder & CEO – Moon Prep

I have always been an entrepreneur at heart. I worked for numerous years in corporate America. I hated every minute of it, yet I did it for years. I just assumed that was what people do after college. Every Monday I would ask myself – is it Friday yet? Chasing my dream and taking the first step was the best decision I ever made. My only regret was not starting sooner. I feel like I am living my authentic life now. I love my work, love my clients, and I wake up every day ready to make an impact. Read more>>

Jeff Burris | Event Host & DJ

As a kid at 5 years old, I always wanted to be a radio DJ…until I found out how much they make. My first experience with music was WABB (the wabbit) in Florida. I listened to music almost non-stop and knew that I loved music and every aspect of the art. I went to a few of the radio station meet and greets and fell in love with that lifestyle. I was in band throughout most of my school years and I loved it. After high school, I decided to abandon playing music and start my career waiting tables. Little did I know that my career would lead me right back to the DJ industry. Read more>>

Laura King | Owner/Photographer]

I would love to have started my business sooner. I see a lot of photographers saying they’ve always had a camera in their hands since childhood, but I didn’t discover my passion until later in life. My degree is in journalism, and I worked as an ad agency copywriter, then a graphic designer. I hadn’t even really heard of newborn photography until about ten years ago, and sadly my babies were well past the newborn stage then. Once I knew that newborn photography was a thing, and something I could actually do as a job, I set out to learn everything I could about it. I started out photographing babies in the hospital for a company, then after a couple of years went out on my own. Read more>>

Nikki Nuckols | Creative Director & Owner

I started my first business at 22 years old. Looking back, I’m so happy I started so early, I was employed full-time at an ad agency and took in a wealth of information, while slowly building my business on the side. At the time, it was a hope that someday I would be able to take it full-time but was pleasantly surprised when it snowballed quicker than I had hoped. Starting a business at 22 years old allowed me the time I needed to attend every networking event, promote my tiny business and dedicate my free time to building it into what it is today. I continued working full-time for 2 years, while growing my business on the side, at 24, I took the plunge and dove in head first to working for myself and never looked back. Read more>>