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.

Jasmine Steinacker

An unforeseen circumstance was getting extremely injured from my craft. It led to my inability to work, and a life changing path. Read more>>

Joanna Goodman

It came as a surprise to me. Not a jump-out-of-the-closet-pee-your-pants kind of surprise. More like a sneaky little problem that I didn’t expect to stall me. Of course, the whole business was unexpected, that came first. Read more>>

Cass Zoubek

You know it’s so silly, really, but I honestly thought the selling part of creating jewelry would be much easier! I had zero experience with what social media really is and I believed when you posted something, millions of people would be seeing it right away! Read more>>

Melissa Helene

I have been a full-time working artist for almost 8 years, after spending several years job hopping in the non-profit sector. I’ve been an artist my whole life, but didn’t intend to pursue it as a career. Read more>>

Megan Lynch Chowning

A few times, and luckily just a few, we’ve had people come to our camps who are not entirely mentally stable – people who drank too much and got belligerent with me and the other campers, people who are carrying trauma from past experiences who become hysterical when triggered by a challenging situation, things like that. Read more>>

Jonny Barrett

One of my biggest life challenges was overcoming and learning to live with my invisible disabilities. I have both epilepsy and bipolar disorder and while today I’m doing great and have found a way to thrive, these conditions completely derailed my life for many years while I tried to find solutions. Read more>>

Alyson Borowczyk

Maintaining mental wellness as a business owner is something I am passionate about. Last year, i had to put my booming business on hold because I had serious concerns about my mental health. Read more>>

Kelly Riccelli

So I purchased my business in July of 2019 and was thrilled to take on this new adventure. Not only was I a stylist, now I was a owner and I was excited for what was to come. Read more>>

Dionna Shire

Once I graduated from college, I figured that finding a job in the animation industry would be a little hard while living in Ohio. But I didn’t think that it would be as difficult as it was. Read more>>

Natalie Arango

Thanks for taking the time to read this story. I first got my insurance license of February 2020. I was extremely unhappy at the job where I was at (a doctors office). Nothing felt right. Read more>>

Natalie Cisneros

I started my Bootcamp business in September of 2019 , I was excited to finally put my dreams into action. It started off really well & new clients were pouring in. Read more>>

Crystal Waddell

It took me a while to recognize the patterns in my business. As a maker, I have often felt fully consumed by the requirements of ecommerce. Read more>>

Dylann Hogan

Owning a business can involve some unexpected problems, but how to deal with these issues and react to them is what makes you stronger as a business owner. Read more>>

Sarafina Tsehaye

One of my unexpected. problems was that I had no idea how much inconsistency may rapidly affect your platform. Since I lost my father at the age of 13, I’ve had no idea how to deal with my mental health, and being in an East African family, mental health is seldom taken seriously. Read more>>

Saleem Tahiri

Starting a non-profit to help immigrants involved a lot of challenges and issues. Immigrants, who are coming to a completely different culture and environment, find it difficult to adjust, facing numerous challenges in the first few months. Read more>>