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.

Victoria Johnson

There have been several unexpected problems that I have faced in my business. The first one is pricing. It took me a while to truly get my prices to where I wanted them to be. There is photography gear and other business purchases that need to be taken care of as well. I feel like I am finally getting to where I want my prices to be. Another issue that will come up from time to time is a technical malfunction. Whether it’s from your camera or from your computer, things will stop working and you will have to purchase one of the two all over again. Read more>>

Angela Brannon-Baptiste

We founded It’s All About the Kids® Foundation in 2004 and for the first 14 years, we helped other non-profits solve their challenges. We provided backpacks, toys, school supplies and mentoring for over 17 San Diego non-profits. Then, in September of 2017, after great advice from my mentor Greg Reid, we decided to focus on just one thing. We chose food for kids. Because the staggering number of San Diego kids suffering from food insecurity was rising, we created the Feed the Kids Program. Within a few months, we had our own Food Pantry and we were serving more than 1300 families. Read more>>

Brad Kuenn

Towards the end of 2019, Vanessa (my wife and co-owner) and I purchased the future home of Brightside Studios at 839 E. Camelback Rd. We had dreamt of the opportunity that was finally open to us and felt like nothing would get in our way from building a one-of-a-kind venue for artists in The Valley. Within a month, the country was in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Brightside Studios struggled just as many new or independent businesses did during those early months. We couldn’t get the city to issue permits for inspection, construction 0r anything necessary to get our dream project off the ground. Read more>>

Juise Leroy

Some unexpected problems I’ve faced in my creative journey are the lack of understanding how to read contracts and not having the proper tools or funds to break as an independent artist. I resolved my misunderstandings of contracts by hiring a lawyer to break down the law jargon and context in to terms I understood in order to make the best possible business decision for all parties involved. I learned to renegotiate terms, learned how to calculate and do the math on my time and my art in order to learn and know my worth to be able to barter and do business as an artist/businessman. Read more>>

Alyssa Haws

One of the most unexpected problems we faced starting our business was finding resources on how to abide by the laws associated with our profession! It was a bit stressful to wonder if we were doing everything right paying taxes, cottage licensing, labeling requirements… it’s a lot for a new business owner! We learned and corrected as we went but if I were to do it again I would have reached out to more community organizations designed to help people with just this! We recently joined Local First AZ! What a great resource! Read more>>

Yates Wendy

In life, there is always an unexpected obstacle but as a creative entrepreneur an unexpected problem, if not addressed immediately, can turn into a tornado spiraling you, your business, and your mental health to a breaking point. I think its so valuable to hear the difficult challenges others have faced because its often not as bad as we try to blow it up to be. One of the biggest problems that I created and ignored was a lack of organization around my financial planning. Read more>>

Stephanie Jones

One of the most unexpected things I’ve gone through as an artist was losing local support after going on tour and making a name for myself. A lot of people assume you have an easy time as a woman in the music community, but that’s not true. There are its advantages, but especially if you don’t go by the normal standards of what people expect from you it’s even harder. I had gotten notice and support initially once I started releasing music. But once I went on tour, after only performing twice locally, the energy shifted in the community around me. Read more>>

Leo Kovsky

I’m a painter/sculptor. One of the big problems for me is when I have a creative block. That’s when everything stops and I start worrying: is it forever? What to do about it? Another big problem is an opposite of the first – when I have a feeling of being on a roll- everything seems going super easy and well. Very deceptive feeling. That’s when a lot of crap being created. But the biggest problem is when I lose criteria and suddenly can’t tell good art from bad. That’s a disaster. Read more>>

Gabriela Marie

The most unexpected problem my business faced, like most business owners, was the pandemic; for obvious reasons. However, what made it just a little bit harder was I had just signed a lease for a new suite the week prior to everything shutting down. I was so excited (and nervous) to step into a new space I could call my own. But when everything shut down and I had no idea when I could open, the nervousness took over and the excitement slowly faded. I made a quick decision to sell gift certificates at a discounted rate and the support from my clients blew me away. Read more>>

Carol Tenwalde

As a lifelong crafter, one of my greatest joys was to give gifts to my friends and family of my latest creation. Seven years ago my hubby had a hip surgery that didn’t go as planned. For eight months he could not stand without my putting a leg brace on him. Thus we both became shut ins. I need something to save my sanity so I decide to start a jewelry business. That was an easy decision as I had a Casita full of beads from a previous project. I started with doing bead embroidery with tiny seed beads. Read more>>

Grayson Mask

I deal with plenty of ongoing issues in my creative journey, like dealing with the schedules of people I interview. All of my content is centered around interviews, so scheduling for guests on each one can be challenging. There have been plenty of conversations that have fizzled out and have definitely had my list of last-minute cancellations or people who would no show to a scheduled episode. It’s still something I have to deal with, because I run a platform that has a diverse list of guests and I do it all by myself. Read more>>