Helping more people thrive doing what they love or are passionate about means helping more folks learn from those who came before them and so we asked successful entrepreneurs, artists and creatives to tell us what they would do differently, knowing what they know now, if they were starting over.

Allana Rogge

I believe that one of the biggest mistakes a new photographer or videographer makes, is trying to please everyone and do everything. Focusing on one thing you are really good at, and establishing a brand identity; rather than focusing on a lot of things you are just OK at and trying to meet all different styles and looks, means that you will be good at a lot of things, but not GREAT at anything. Looking back, once I began to create my focus, to stick to my style, and to create a “brand” around my wants for my company, my success finally started to be realized. Read more>>

Tramaine Plains

Proper planning would have gotten me to where I am faster, with way less capital. My wife, Sharrain, who is also my business partner taught as well as showed me the importance of organization. I made a lot of moves in the beginning without seeing them out, the what ifs or what not. Lost and mistakes are going to happen when building a business so if you can avoid the “unnecessary” by planning out your thoughts and also budgeting, lets not forget about that, you will definitely get ahead faster. Read more>>

Daren Rudy

I had over 10 years experience as a brewer when we opened Ataraxia Aleworks, but had never been in a position to run a business from scratch. I knew it was going to be overwhelming at times, but there was still a lot that surprised me. We opened without an excessive amount of capital, but we quickly found ways we could save. Read more>>

Victoria Vasilyeva

The story of my business is back to 2006 when I decided not to return to the office after maternity leave. At that moment I understood that I would like to combine being a mom, but still having a good income and being independent. My favorite hobby – Read more>>

Denise Carmichael

Oh gosh, I feel like starting over would be harder for me now than it was when I was younger. haha! However, if I did start over, I would probably invest a little more time in marketing and learning more about social media. I’ll admit, I feel a little old school where I can’t get the hang of social media and what’s trending. Read more>>

Dezjah Hutchins

If I were starting over, I would for starters invest more of my time into the concept of learning design and the history behind different textures, patterns, and finishes in which complete a home. I decided to study Business and Fashion Merchandise in college which gave me a broad sample of what goes into design but not the base knowledge needed to fully conduct my own designs from scratch. Read more>>

Fayens Celius

If I was starting over the first thing I would do differently is figure out my niche and who my target audience is going to be and focus on that. I say that because when you know the audience you’re targeting you can just focus on them and there needs and you’ll know exactly what they look for when they’re looking for a photographer. Read more>>

Kristen Wood

I think in the food blogging industry in particular, it is easy to feel like you need to do it all and keep up with all the possible avenues for promoting your content. Read more>>