Having to overcome unexpected problems is a hallmark of entrepreneurship. Almost every business owner, artist, maker, and creative we know has had to deal with countless unexpected problems that arise in the journey and so we asked some brilliant folks from the community to share their stories of the unexpected problems they’ve faced along the way.
Danielle Dinger
I was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease in 2020, so navigating this has been the hardest chapter of life. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological movement disorder, and since throwing pottery is a very physically demanding process, I needed to investigate if this was still a viable endeavor for me to pursue. I’ve learned to adapt some of my movements in order to still create art, but most of the work has been on keeping a positive mindset. Read more>>
Andrea Walker
The biggest unexpected problems that I’ve come across as a fine artist is how challenging it is to get started. I thought that I would quickly become successful because I had a strong portfolio, excellent education, and a great work ethic. However, market saturation, inevitable rejection, and the amount of time that it can take to get exposure were all harsh realities that I was not expecting. Read more>>
Olivia Fox
In all businesses there are unexpected problems that pop up. However I think we can all agree that has been particularly true of this year. With the continuing raise of inflation rates as well as the bird flu epidemic that occurred earlier on this past year, it has defiantly been a hard year for bakers. Inflation has been tugging at the heartstrings of everyone’s wallet, resulting in a lower demand for specialty cakes, or even Christmas cookies this past holiday season. Read more>>
Tanya J Miller
Crazy enough, as we were entering the Pandemic of 2020-2021, I was diagnosed and began fighting a completely different and silent Epidemic that most haven’t even heard of. Moreover, it’s one that as of 2021 almost a half million new people were being infected. Read more>>
Selina Delangre
Our company Selina Naturally has its share of problems and issues. The one that is most recent is when Covid hit. I remember my daughter was in NY and she had just acquired her new Pilates Studio and she said, “Mom, have you heard about this virus that is going around?” I responded with a nonchalant “Oh don’t worry about it”. Read more>>
Marlena Barnett
I’ve faced a number of unexpected problems throughout my professional career. Especially as an entrepreneur. I have encountered the most unexpected problems in community development. From dealing with biased government officials, sellers backing out, losing funding, being threatened, civil suits, etc. Read more>>
Jessica Vincent
Unexpected problem or issue was the fact that while I was ministering hope to others, my son passes away from a enlarged heart that we didn’t know existed. Perfectly healthy young man. And at that time my mom was in the hospital and was told she only had 7 days to live. Read more>>
PAUL PENG
Throughout my entrepreneurial journey with Sentri Institute, I encountered several problems that resulted in setbacks for my business, especially during the embryo phase of the business. However one of the biggest setbacks that I encountered was my attempt to become a training provider for the County in which I reside. Read more>>
Trang nguyen
It has been almost three years that we have this shop. Just like many other owners, we’ve been up and down. It can be ranging from financial issue, locations, & inflation costs. We started this shop during the pandemic and had no idea where it’d led us to. We were struggled with the funds but it was all sort out at the end of year 1. Read more>>