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.
Yaritza Nunez
If I could go back In time ,I’d tell 16 or 17 year old me to start a business. We have a funny way of putting limits on people based on age or experience but in my time alive I’ve learned that you truly are capable of anything you set your mind do . You MUST put in extra work , want it for your personal evolvement for a better life Read more>>
Darnelle Brown Jr.
Honestly, I do wish I would’ve started The F.A.M.O.U.$. Brand (TFB) sooner. I first started this business in September of 2019. At the time, I had (and still have) a 9-5 going pretty good for me. However, I was also dealing with some legal issues to where I actually had to go jail for a few days. Upon sitting in jail is what actually gave me the time to really sit and come up with all the ideas on how I wanted to start/run my business. Read more>>
Nicole Edson
I feel like this is a trick question for me because I have always had aspirations of owning my own Photography business, but I feel like if it came a day sooner, I wouldn’t have been as prepared to take on the many tasks that went with it. That being said, I have learned many things along the way in every job title and career path I chose to take and every single one prepared me for the many challenges I face as a business owner myself. Read more>>
Neha Kunte
I don’t think I would have chosen to start my business sooner or later. Here is my philosophy, I like to live in the present and think about future world. What has happened in past, cannot be changed, that’s the reality. So why spend time over something that cannot be changed. The best thing to do is what can be done now and how it will help us in future. Read more>>
JaDarius Graves
Yes, I would love to start my business a lot earlier if I knew the information and knowledge I know now. I started my business 2 months after I moved to a new state. I’m from Mississippi where I lived all my life and in 2019 I got a job offer from a job in Texas and immediately accepted it. During that process of being in a new state, environment, and new people it gave me the confidence I was looking for to start a business. Read more>>
Analicia Austin
I definitely would have started sooner, I was worried about investing in a business out of fear from a financial standpoint. I ended up starting my illustration business in the middle of the pandemic, because I lost my job ( the irony); I had something like $800 or so left in my bank account; at this point I felt like I had nothing to lose, the rug was already pulled out from under me. Read more>>
Haley Banks
Truly, I’m very proud of myself how I executed my business! Before fully opening my business, I took my time working for other people and companies to get experience in the field and educate myself on my crafts before provide services on my own. I primarily had past experience in makeup before, and had went to school originally to advance my knowledge in the makeup industry. Read more>>
Michelle Manning Baker
I started my business in late 2020, however I had the concept since 2019. I often wondered if I had done it 2019, how far I would have grown online. With everyone ordering online during the pandemic I think my online presence would be so much more. Read more>>
Capodei Capi
Starting my Career as an recording artist was rough with a large number of trials & tribulations . I endured multiple obstacles to get where I am today . I started rapping with my sister and friends in middle school .Performing at talent shows and at teen clubs around the city . I come from Poverty and pivoted to the wrong side of life .Becoming involved in gang activity and living a lifestyle of a Street Ni$$@ . Read more>>
Courtney Hill
If I could go back in time, I would definitely say that I wish I would have started my creative journey sooner. I started the Defining Chic blog in 2013 however at the time it was more so a hobby and a creative outlet that I did in my spare time. During this period, I was living in Philadelphia and I was working in the public health sector as a medical case manager. Read more>>
Daniela Garcia
If I could go back in time and the grand deus ex machina would have been able to intervene on my life’s path, the thing that I would have liked to experience differently is having access to a wise mentor who’d have guided me through every winding path, leaving no stone unturned in providing the know-how in regards to A.) life in general B.) Read more>>
Roderick Taylor & Jacari Gentry
Roderick & Cari together: I wouldn’t say we wish we had started earlier, but I wish we would’ve been taking the podcast a lot more serious earlier. When we started the show in 2018, it was just fun for us. We didn’t really see it or think of it as a business we could really grow & scale. We weren’t thinking about things like promotion, our social media presence, etc. Read more>>
Jadakiss Rose
I never expected to be a rapper. I still have lot more to achieve to feel like I’ve accomplished anything. I grew up playing about 7 sports. I was always busy but still made time to be in trouble and be in beef. I was one of the first to start rapping in my age group, there so influenced younger and older individuals in my city to start creating music. Read more>>
Garrett Jackson
I started my journey as an art educator in the public education system teaching K-6 art. I was 21 years old and I enjoyed being the teacher, however I also had a passion to create and share my works publicly, so the passion to be a producing artist was there also but very much on the “back burner”. Read more>>
Anna Wise
I have been drawing for as long as I could remember, but did not begin to paint professionally until about 3 years ago, in 2020 (perfect timing, right?). Before I began painting I was a musician and had some cool opportunities with that, including a record deal. But I’d always had issues with imposter syndrome/insecurity and that caused me to self sabotage and not apply myself when it counted, so nothing ever came from it. Read more>>
L’erin Gaines
If I could go back and turn the hands of time, I wouldn’t change a thing when it comes to my career path. The younger version of L’erin was so naive and real quick to jump and do anything to get along with the crowd. I wasn’t living my own story and didn’t have my own way of life. It was basically a severe identity crisis for the majority of my life. Read more>>
Brittany Redding
I do wish that I would have started my creative career sooner. I started my photography company about 4 years ago. I have been a business owner prior to that. I started my own dog hiking company, which I still do part time. I was just sick of working for other people doing things that I wasn’t passionate about. Or that I was passionate about but the career track I was on just did not align with me and what was best for me. Read more>>
Lisa M Hawthorne
I come from a medical family, most of whom would freely admit they haven’t a creative bone in their body. I did well academically at school, so when it came to deciding between medicine and art for university, there wasn’t a whole lot of encouragement to take the art route. Read more>>
John Malone
I’ve been an actor most of my life, ever since I was a young child and realized how much I loved play-acting, performing and being on stage. Every opportunity I had, whether in a school play, talent show, in front of (or behind) an 8mm camera, or with my Panasonic cassette recorder running and capturing the silliness, I loved to play make-believe. Read more>>
Niki Welch
Growing up, I thought artists were golden apples on trees – chosen ones, special, and with a lifestyle completely out of reach. Though I have always been most at peace when creating, I held on tightly to the belief that the responsible thing to do was to get a corporate job with a stable income and that working my way up an invisible ladder towards conventionally recognized success was the best way to provide for my family Read more>>