One of the best things about video games is the ability to restart – you can use your learnings to move faster and avoid obstacles. We often think about what we would do differently if we were starting over in business and we figured others probably think about this as well and so we asked the community to share their thoughts with us.

Kassidy Gaston

If I could start over today the biggest thing I would do is trust myself and God. When I first started out makeup wasn’t a trend. It wasn’t as popular, especially the looks I was creating. I loved bold color and I still do. When I first started I was always told how pretty my makeup was but it was “too much” now too much is in. I always regretted listening to everybody else. It made me loose confidence. I lost my creativity, instead of trusting myself and trusting the gift I was given. Read more>>

Roshanda McCray

What I would do differently, is actually grow my personal brand first. So many people jump into entrepreneurship and expect people to support their business but nobody knows whose behind the brand. People buy into people! They want to see the behind the scenes, they want to know your why and how. Most importantly they want to know you! When you build a community up of people that loves your personality, you also build trust and those people will support you. Read more>>

Eric Adams

Mainly, I think that if I were to start over, I’d probably just try to be a little bit more organized. However, if I had to correlate the differences between what’s in my head and brain versus what’s in my studio, I would have to imagine it’s set up practically the same I’m a very disorganized/organized person meaning that my disorganization is organized at least to me and I think in the beginning, Read more>>

Tamela Clarke

If I were starting over, I would make more organized decisions. As an entrepreneur, we sometimes have to make decisions on the fly and take risk that people with the security of a job doesn’t have to and pray it works. I would have looked for a mentor in my niche earlier on and been more consistent in my career. I find the fear of failure will hold you back, and making excuses for not doing something is usually a sign of that. Read more>>

Ticara Devone

If I were to start over today, I would jump right into creating the video content that I consumed daily. All I did every single day was watch YouTube but I was too afraid that I wouldn’t do well on the platform. I didn’t know how “to start”, when in reality all I had to do was just do it. I thought I didn’t have all the tools or the perfect set up, I waited for years to start. Read more>>

Taya Frank

If I were starting over, there are a few things I would do differently to reach my current position faster with less capital. Firstly, I would focus on building a strong online presence from the beginning, investing in a professional website and optimizing my social media profiles. This would help attract potential clients and showcase my portfolio effectively. Read more>>

Yasmin Maria Santiago

If I were to start Cookie Crumb Cookies from scratch today, knowing what I know now, I would likely push a little harder on some of the opportunities that have presented themselves to me and spent a little less time focusing on what others thought. As someone who struggles with their mental health I have allowed it to really take hold of me and this in in turn has delayed some potential business relationships to flourish. Read more>>

Danielle Pittmon

If I were starting all over today I would definitely go harder than I was going before. I would practice more and I would speak positivity into my business. I feel like I would be more ahead than I am right now if I just kept being consistent. Consistency is key. Sometimes it becomes a bit overwhelming running a business and going to school full time but I know if I stay consistent all of this hard work won’t be for nothing. Read more>>

Kelly Knowles

As we know, hindsight is 20/20. One thing that I would offer is you are never too young to network. So often, people think about networking and tie it to their work or the corporate world. Or that you have to be an extrovert. I’ll push against those thoughts and say that networking is for everyone! Networking is also not about selling to another. It can be a positive result, but that is not the end goal. Read more>>

Alaina Michelle Michelle

This is such a great question. It’s actually part of the reason why I now mentor other photographers! I went to a well known art school in Vancouver that has some prestige attached to it. As great as it was to have the opportunity to be in a sought-after program, it only focused on the conceptual side of art-making. Read more>>