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.

Rocky Norton

I grew up skateboarding. Skateboarding led to video and photo, I was kinda simultaneously thrown into custom residential landscape design and install. From the beginning I just ‘saw’ things and for some magical reason I was always put with a client who had no idea what they wanted. I’d just kinda just start talking about what I saw and where it should go. Then they would say yes and I would have to learn to do what I said… I sorta got thrown into it. I didn’t grow up doing what I thought was ‘art’. Read more>>

Zulekha Pitts

One of the most unexpected challenges I faced in my journalism career happened while securing an exclusive interview with DJ Khaled. I initially interviewed him on the step and repeat at Casadonna Miami—everything seemed perfect. It was a video interview, and I had him right where I needed him. But after wrapping up, I discovered the worst possible setback: the audio didn’t record. The entire interview was unusable. Read more>>

Hammad Abid

One of the most profound and unexpected challenges I faced in my creative journey as a textile designer was the dramatic shift in my career trajectory—from finance and commerce to fine arts and design. This transition was not merely a change in profession but a complete reorientation of my identity, skills, and worldview. I hold a bachelor’s degree in finance and commerce, and after graduating, I entered the finance industry, as expected. However, it didn’t take long for me to realize that I felt profoundly out of place in that world. The structured, numbers-driven environment left me yearning for something more tactile, expressive, and aligned with my deeper passions. Read more>>

Priyanka Kothari

In the beginning I was nursing round the clock along side taking care of a toddler with no child care and family to help out. While trying to nail the perfect gluten free and egg free cakes and macaron recipes I was also trying to cater to soy and nut allergen free clients. Developing recipes is not only an expensive and tedious but physically exhausting process. There were expensive ingredients involved and endless dishes. I also cook fresh meals for my family everyday, it was overwhelming and exhausting but I loved creating and problem solving so much that I survived on 4 hours of sleep some days between kids and the kitchen. Read more>>

Brooklyn-Niori Floyd

That’s a really good question! I would say for me is when the pandemic first hit nationwide around March of 2020. At that time I was really starting to take off with my business (Elite Beauty & Media Company), clients connecting with me for big contracts, events, and other services. My name was getting around the industry (entertainment, media, & beauty) quite quickly. Things were really going down a successful path for me. I truly remember it like it was yesterday. As time progressed on during the pandemic things majorly slowed down until it all came to a halt. Nationwide we were on a shutdown, meaning we had no more events going on, we couldn’t be around a certain amount of people in closed spaces, going to see a client in their home wasn’t even an option. Read more>>

Kim Lloyd

A year and a half into running my business full-time, I was diagnosed with cancer. And it was a brutal reminder that life can turn on a dime, regardless of your fitness level and preparation.
I went from living a normal life to spending 18 straight days in the hospital – after never having spent a night in the hospital in my life. I found out that I had a 7.5 inch tumor in my chest and was diagnosed with stage two Non-Hodgkin’s, Primary Mediastinal B-Cell Lymphoma. Read more>>

Rayshawn Grissom

I used to be a rapper and in the mid-early 2000’s the genre began to change. It moved towards the down south mumble rap/which latter became trap music.

I found myself stuck wondering do I conform to this new style or do I continue being true to myself.

The answer was unexpected, I began deejaying first at a coffee shop and then I found myself getting more gigs. Then I realized I was having more fun as a dj then I ever did rapping. Long story short I completely reinvented myself as a dj. Read more>>

Eve Dawes

I’m no stranger to problem solving, my other company Dawes Custom Cosmetics which makes custom lipsticks got decimated during Covid when everyone was wearing masks and no one was wearing lipstick which is how I pivoted to blogging and utilized all of my fashion and beauty experience. Luckily, that survived and is still going, so now I have 2 companies on the go but the biggest hit I took was… Read more>>

Melanie Robinson

My stepfather used to say, “Life will try to knock you down, but what matters is how you get back up.” Those words have inspired me throughout my life. Growing up below the federal poverty line, I watched my family struggle financially, and I promised myself I would be the first college graduate and change our future. I worked multiple jobs in high school to help support my family and contribute to school activities. Despite these challenges, I graduated high school and later enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, becoming the first woman in my family to join the armed forces. Read more>>