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.

Jenny Parseghian

If I could go back in time I definitely wish the idea of starting a travel business had come to me sooner. I spent over 15 years working in education and while I was grateful for the work I found myself constantly wondering, What else could I be doing? The job had become so routine that I could do it with my eyes closed. I didn’t feel challenged or like I was growing anymore. Read more>>

Brandon Keith Rogers

I do wish I started my career sooner. Only because I feel like there’s a lot of positive groundwork that you can put in as a young person in this industry, but it takes someone who was given that sort of knowledge prior to really get to flourish at a young age and I just didn’t have that. Read more>>

Michelle Lee

A part of me wished I started my photography journey sooner. I was in middle school when I first liked photography. But I didn’t pursue this path because I thought it was best to choose a “normal” job. As life went on, photography was still a hobby, and for a few years I did not touch my camera. Read more>>

CHRISTIAN NGUYEN

Looking back in time. I had no backbone. I would be doing whatever I was told to do because it was the right thing. My passions for music was shunnned. Many of the typical arguing points were brought up to me: money, the chances of becoming famous and much more. Secretly I just wanted to make music but I would agree with everyone and laugh at the jokes they would make about the failing musician. Read more>>

Jonathan Ward

100%. I wish I had started my creative career sooner. So, when I was in grammar school to jr. high school, I was in JR. Players. It was a program my school offered where we would put on Disney-inspired plays. I liked it, but I didn’t love it until I played Scar from the Lion thing. I absolutely love that role. Like, I could perform “Be Prepared” to this day. I should’ve known from that moment that I would want to do this for the rest of my life. I was young, I was in love with Basketball. When I got to high school, a lot of things changed for me. My priorities changed, and my concerns were hanging out, partying, making music, and basketball. I knew there was an audition, and I was encouraged to audition, but at the time, I felt like I would be starting over. Read more>>

Lyssii

My knee-jerk reaction to this question is always: “Yes! I should’ve started this 20 years ago!” but when I really take a step back, I see it differently. I believe everything in life happens exactly when it’s supposed to – and I think I arrived right on time. Read more>>

Kevin Sandoval

If I could go back in time, I probably would’ve started my creative career much sooner. But when I was just getting started, the whole space was still so new. The opportunities that exist now for content creators and influencers weren’t really there yet — or at least, they weren’t as clear. Businesses were only just starting to understand the power of working with creators, and social media hadn’t fully evolved into what it is today. Read more>>

Jordyn Jackson

If I could go back in time, I actually wouldn’t change a thing. I’ve always been a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, when and where it’s supposed to. I started college on the Pre-Med track. I wanted to be a Pediatrician since I was eight years old. I took every advanced-level and honors course I could through high school and declared my Biology major as soon as I started at the University of Miami. During my Sophomore year, I got a pretty bad concussion which led to the discovery of a cyst on my brain. Getting that call on my way to class at 19 years old, 1200 miles from home was not on my bingo card. But, it was a blessing in disguise. It forced me to take a step back and really think about what my future looked like. Read more>>

Cleirmor Len

I started my creative career very early in life — unknowingly, actually. In the beginning, and even now, I’ve created as a means of release. I’m from Greenville, MS, and while some might say we’re rural and behind in certain aspects of the world, it’s also bred some of the greatest artists, writers, and professional athletes of all time. I believe the lack of metropolitan distractions forces the artist to dig deeper for creativity. Read more>>

Nicole

If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t change when I started my creative career. I had the chance to raise my two daughters and be really present — volunteering at their schools and being there for all the little things. That time was important to me, and I wouldn’t trade it. Even then, I was always creating in some way — sewing, painting, making things for the house or with my kids. That creative thread never really stopped. Read more>>

Rachel Turner

I think looking back, I wish I had been exposed more to the breadth of things happening in the dance world. Growing up, I always knew about big companies with full-time dancers, and while I studied dance in college, I was also pursuing pre-physical therapy coursework, with the plan to go to graduate school for that. During college, I slowly came to the conclusion that I was not going to be able to “make it” as a dancer and looked for other plans. Luckily, my college didn’t offer two credits that I needed for PT school, so I was unable to apply during my senior year of college and was going to have to wait til the next cycle of applications so that I could take post-college summer classes at another school. Read more>>

Carly Metea

The first moment I realized I wanted nothing else but to be a musician was in 7th grade, in the girls’ locker room. I had just closed my locker, put my shoes on, and snuck my phone out of my bag, hiding the headphones in my ears with my hair. I was listening to Black Veil Brides. Read more>>

FNU FEIFAN

If I could go back in time, I would definitely want to start my creative career earlier. As a kid, I never really enjoyed playing outside—instead, I loved spending time at the library. Besides reading children’s literature, the library also offered access to animations like Digimon and Pokémon, and manga like Crayon Shin-chan. I was deeply influenced by those worlds and started using drawing to capture my daily life or recreate the characters I loved. Read more>>

Lauren Clark

If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t start my creative career any sooner or later—I’d start exactly when I did. And I say that with love for every version of myself who was stumbling forward, unsure but hopeful. I started seriously pursuing acting when I moved from the Midwest to New York in 2012. What I didn’t expect was how much failure and redirection would shape me between then and now.  Read more>>

Branndon Brown

Honestly, I believe it’s never too late to lean into your creative side and find something that truly engages you on all levels. That’s something I’ve come to learn firsthand. I didn’t grow up in an environment where creativity was really promoted as a career path. I remember wanting to play the saxophone in sixth grade. It was all I wanted at the time, but my parent steered me toward taking an introductory computer coding class instead. There’s nothing wrong with coding, but that moment stuck with me. It was one of those subtle instances where I think creativity can be stifled early on, especially when it’s seen as impractical or unprofitable. Read more>>

Deborah Walters

I have always wanted to be an artist. In 4th grade I had an art teacher that could draw anything. I was completely hooked. I didn’t know that there was such magic in the world. I certainly couldn’t do it. I wanted to learn to do that more than anything. It started there and for the next 60 years I pursued art. Read more>>