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.

Madeleine Hamann

We started PACHA with the idea of pursuing a traditional CPG route, selling our product to distributors and into grocery chain accounts. In the first year, we were approached by a friend with experience in e-commerce who thought that PACHA bread might have success with direct-to-consumer sales. I shared his hunch, but was also the least experienced in our founding crew in terms of creating startup success. So, we put the project off as it was deemed a moonshot and would have required some capital injection to test. Read more>>

Celia Perez

If I was able to start over, I will definitely do more research and budget planning. I went straight into this business without knowing what competition was out there. I expected as soon as I promoted my business I would have all my family and friends purchasing my products, but it sure wasn’t like. I started doing pop events and shows, and met new people. New customers, loyal customers. Read more>>

Lanie Crawford

The number one thing I would do differently if I was starting my channel from scratch again would be be my true self sooner. I think we can all agree social media often seems curated and perfect, but the fact of the matter is people crave relatability. When I stopped focusing so much on making my content look a certain way or present my life a certain way and started being myself, things took off Read more>>

Carlos Hernandez

Having originally started as solely a social media agency and then re-branding and expanding into a full-service small business solutions agency, there’s definitely a few things I’ve learned over the years since starting my business. The biggest thing I would do differently is to ensure all processes were standardized and optimized from the very beginning. Read more>>

Brecken Dale

Absolutely, I’d be happy to share my insights on what I would do differently if I were to start over in my coaching business today! Read more>>

Mickey Hanning

We started this event in 2007 as a silly idea to have a little fun in New Orleans. When we started the event it was open to all and we had no plans of turning this into a full blown festival. Each year it was exponentially growing, which led to more and more costs, like venues, permits, police, insurance, etc. Read more>>

Katrina Shawver

As an author, the most important lesson I have learned is to have more self-confidence in myself and my writing. Writing is a solitary affair, with little feedback. It can’t be measured in dollars or profit until you finish and publish the book. Self-doubt and the drive for perfection are the enemies of success. Read more>>

Lacey Larsen

What’s that Bob Ross quote? “There are no mistakes, only happy little accidents.”  Read more>>

Keshia White

When I was first starting out, I followed a lot of generic online business advice that didn’t serve me as a designer. And as a result, I wasted a lot of money on overpriced business coaching programs that I thought were going to be helpful for me, but they were more suitable for online coaches. And although I survived as a freelancer, I relied on working with solo business owners, who often had very small budgets for design, so I had to book a LOT of projects to stay afloat. Read more>>

Allyson Blankenburg

Knowing what I know now, if I were to start at ground zero today, I would immediately invest in a business coach. I think hiring an unbiased professional who’s job is to look from the outside-in, is one of the most advantageous moves a business owner can make. They have your best interest at heart and truly want you to succeed, because when you succeed, so do they. If you have hired a truly great coach, not only will they teach you how to efficiently manage your business, but your life as well! Read more>>

Jessica Bagwell

This is a great question as I just wrapped up a major rebrand. When I opened my event space 3 years ago I was at the tail end of a career in the freelance hair and makeup industry. I had a super successful 15 years and at the time wanted to find a way to include that into the studio. So I kept my original name La Bella & Co.. Read more>>

Morgan Mack

If I could rewind 8 years of business and start over from scratch I would firstly take a few business classes in college but more specifically I would hone in on my target audience. I never set out to own a business, I liked making candles and the business side kinda just happened. I never knew that I needed to make a business plan where I figure out who my target audience was, I just wanted everyone to buy my candles, which lead to a lot of rebranding and having SO many different styles of my products. Read more>>

Bhumika Mehta

You know, I love that I had no formal education in food and beverage photography. 

Even though this is something I’m still proud of, this definitely came with a steep learning curve. Read more>>