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.
Diana Sarracino
In February 2020, I graduated as an Industrial Designer in Cuba. As soon as I earned my degree, COVID hit, and two months later, I found out I was pregnant. Well, I always say we were pregnant—my husband and I. I was terrified. I was only 22 years old, and my plan was to become a mom at 30 or 35.
Due to pregnancy symptoms, I was sick all the time and stuck in bed. I couldn’t be near my computer at all—it just made me feel worse. I started doubting my career, convinced that my design journey was over. Read more>>
David Masters
David Masters: “In the respect of being an audio engineer, I wish I would have started much sooner than I did. I walked into my first studio at 32, which is a late start by almost anyone’s standards. Starting sooner would have given me much more experience to make more mistakes and learn from them, and have a better understanding of what to do, and what NOT to do.” Read more>>
Katrin Tschirgi
I suppose my creative “career” started in college, or shortly thereafter. I had always wanted to be a writer, and I wanted to write fiction because that was the genre I read. I think most writers start off as avid readers, and I was no exception, although at the time I had a rather limited understanding of literary fiction or even what kind of books contemporary writers were writing. I started off studying history at Boston College—I wanted to be a foreign service officer—and I loved the subject, but I found myself taking creative writing and literature classes just to keep myself afloat, keep myself sane. Even though I wanted to write fiction, poetry came much more naturally, and I think my professors were shocked when I announced I’d be pursuing fiction instead of poetry. Read more>>
Carlos Elvir
I wish I would have started earlier my career as a photographer when I had the chance. I feel left behind since I started just one year ago as a photographer and found out my passion was film around 2023. I would love to have started my business as an event photographer and probably volunteered more when I had more chances to make connections. If there was something I could have done was buying a new/better camera cause I feel that is my biggest limitation. Read more>>
Cianna Alexis
If I could go back in time some days, I do wish that I started a little sooner, or just had that commitment and dedication when I did initially start.
I started making music when I was young, before I was recording music I was just writing lyrics in my composition notebook . I always loved music . Fun fact I actually used to be quite upset if I missed the top 7 at 7 on the radio on my ride home from school . I was in choir in school very early on , and continued through high school. Once I got to high school I started dropping music on SoundCloud over spring break, this was a good start for me . It gave me a taste of feeling accomplished, especially coming back to school being called my stage name or people reciting my lyrics! Read more>>
Shoora Majedian
Like many immigrants, I have two starting points for almost every experience in my life. I began my art education in Iran, earning both a BA and an MA in Painting and Drawing. However, when I moved to Canada, my professional trajectory felt delayed. My initial focus was on establishing financial stability, and teaching at various high schools, and it wasn’t until a few years later that I realized my degrees weren’t fully recognized. Despite graduating from one of Iran’s most reputable universities, my MA held little value here, reinforcing the feeling of starting over. Read more>>
Steve Jacobson
I started playing in bands as an early teen, probably about 14 years old. I mostly had the same couple of guys throughout that time, my drummer and second guitarist (we hen I had one) and then a couple different bass players through and a little while beyond high school. Our project took on different names: Zephyx, Iron Cobra and Silent Rage to name the main ones. Read more>>