The uncertainty of entrepreneurship causes many entrepreneurs to put off starting their business. For others, losing a job or other economic hardships push them starting their businesses earlier than expected. In our conversations with thousands of entrepreneurs we’ve seen so much variety in when, how and why people started their business and so we wanted to share a wide variety of views and reflections on the question of whether these folks wished they had started sooner or waited longer before starting their businesses.
Cherish Loper
I wish I had started my business sooner! I have always loved having my nails done in middle school and high school . There used to be a nail shop across the street from my school so sometimes right before the basketball games I would go and get a fill on my acrylic nails. I loved everything about them, the length, designs, and colors . Read more>>
Brendan Heneghan
I wish I would have opened my shop sooner. Hands down. I waited till the “time was right”, I didn’t think it was right to open a shop as a new artist, which I still stand by. You should work at a few shops and see how they operate. Take the things you like and dislike and let that shape your vision, however 14 years later, I took the leap of faith I probably could have taken 10 years in. I just wasn’t ready and very apprehensive to move forward with my own shop. Read more>>
Carissa Dez
I wish I had started my business sooner, because I would have more experience in the industry for starters. It took me awhile to figure out what direction I wanted to take with my career. I have owned a small wellness product company for 6 years that I was once passionate about, but recently found that all things media-related are what I’ve really always gravitated toward. The difficult part for me was deciding on something specific to focus on so that I could begin making money. Read more>>
Prince Okrah
I started my business 5-6 years ago. I always been into fashion, just never had money to buy nice things till I turned 16-17. Being a music artist & entrepreneur gets overwhelming sometimes but I would definitely give anything to go back in time & start a little early. Read more>>
Brandi Molitor
My relationship with time is something I’ve had to really work on. I’ve had breakthroughs in the last few years around this and my new context offers me much more peace. So no, I wish I didn’t start my business sooner. I realize now I am right on time. Read more>>
JASMINE GRIMES
I am glad that I started my business when I did. I can remember i was 18 and my mom & i were on our way to Florida and God placed the idea on my heart to start my own business! I found vendors, i made price lists, etc i was super excited and i went all the way with it! Your business will start small but eventually it will grow! Your business is just like YOUR BABY. Read more>>
Shante Ward
Now that I think about it I definitely wish I had started my business sooner than later only because, I’m a very creative person and my ideas are always on the horizon with new things I just wish I would have applied my time better back then to only see the expansion up until now! Even though it’s not too late to complete what needs to be done but it’s always better to start sooner than later! Read more>>
Brittney Daniels
I started my Accessories business 5 years ago. At the time I had been helping my best friend with her small business and was intrigued with how beautiful and affordable her products were. At the time I was content with my career but wanted something else. After being her social media publicist for a month I decided to venture out and become an accessories independent consultant myself. Read more>>
Patrana Saulter
If I had the power to turn back the hands of time, I absolutely would have started my business sooner. I launched a little over a year ago while in my career as an educator, and it has been challenging to say the least. On top of that, I’m married with two young daughters, so it’s imperative that I find a healthy work-life balance. Read more>>
Bobbie Adam Denise Brown
We would definitely of started our business sooner than we did, although the timing was very perfect. Before we started Lakeside Sweets we worked together at a factory local to Kalamazoo. We then got laid off during later in the pandemic. After we found it hard to find a job to fit us we decided to try some different hobbies and ended up doing Hot Cocoa Bombs which got us our first customers. Read more>>
Lisa Tolan-Hardy
My short answer to this is yes, I do wish I had started my business sooner, but I also feel like personal life events will have impacted my ability to think clearly and keep things moving if I had started earlier. Read more>>
Rylee Hampton
When I started custom wRYting, it was in the middle of all the chaos of figuring out who I want to be. I had 1 year of college under my belt, but after my first year I decided that it wasn’t the route I wanted to take. This is when I moved back to my hometown where I was lived with one of my best friends, working my first full-time job while continuing to work part-time on the weekends. Read more>>
Tyler Butler
I wish I had the capability and time to start this business earlier. It would have been more challenging to manage due to my hectic schedule. I would have invested more time learning about graphic design, photography, and videography. Apps like Canva have allowed me to showcase my graphic design skills, but I wish I had known these skills years ago and taken advantage of an untapped market. Read more>>
Katelyn Cheers
If I could go back in time, I wish that I would have started my business sooner. I started my business November 2020. I had been working in the financial industry for 11.5 years, taking some time off in between to raise my boys. When the pandemic hit I was working part time as a substitute teacher and then schools shut down. Read more>>
Candice Jones
I started up rose garden pods in January 2022 after sitting on the idea for about 18 months. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do business wise but I new I had had enough of grafting for other people and not having much to show for it. Read more>>
Sean Friesen
It is never easy to start a business and there will always be obstacles at first. I wish I had overcome whatever it was that was holding me back sooner but when I finally did get around to starting my kids apparel business I suppose the time was ripe. We had just relocated to Austin Texas from Silver lake California with our young son and I was able to grow my small business from the garage with a small loan from my mother-in-law. Read more>>
Catherine Gomes
If I could go back in time, I would definitely had started Cathy’s Jewels sooner…. I always found myself attracted to fashion and beauty but working as a Make up Artist and Aesthetician did not fulfill all of my goals. During the pandemic, when runways, events and beauty salons were all closed, I decided to build on my dream of being my own boss in a field I am passionate about, and decided to start Cathy’s Jewels. Read more>>
Caitlin Gill
I have mixed feelings about this question. I went to college for painting and drawing and graduated in 2010. I stopped painting for 10 years and didn’t resume until 2020. In the interim, I got married, bought a house, and got at a graduate degree in Curatorial Practice and Art Criticism. When I graduated from my MFA program I pursued a job in exhibitions management and spent the majority of my free time focusing on my career. Read more>>
Panama Jane
I started rapping in 2016. During that time there wasn’t as many female rappers. Im actually glad I started back then. There wasn’t as much competition and I was able to figure out my craft. During those past moments I realized if I wouldn’t have had that much time to work on my music and how I wanted to be viewed by my fans, I wouldn’t be who I am today. So I feel like I started rapping at the perfect time. Read more>>
Anthony Frazer
first live TV performance at six years old. After a few years performing professionally are young age, I took a break. I then started writing songs at 12 years old, but I didn’t I really feel comfortable with what I wrote until I was about 16. The first song I wrote that I consider my first real song was for the Philadelphia inspired expressions contest, which I placed first runner up at a 450 students. Read more>>
Sharon Goodenough
If I was asked this a few years ago the answer would have been yes I wish I had started sooner. Over the years I felt that I had missed the boat or needed to have a degree to be taken seriously. The option to continue studying towards a degree wasn’t available to me, while studying for my A’levels my parents were going through a divorce and life was pretty chaotic. Read more>>
Chris Williams Jr
I wish I would have started sooner because as far as opportunities and other important things I could have learned to make the process way more easier for myself along with a major jump start knowing how to navigate myself with the proper knowledge in the photography world. Read more>>
Antonae Palmer
I started off rapping. The first rap I ever wrote was the last day of fifth grade. I rapped for almost ten years before I transitioned into poetry, I still have a deep love for rap/music but I feel like poetry lets me express myself on a deeper level without worrying about the beat/flow/rhythm. Read more>>
Meghan Naumburg
If I could go back in time… I don’t think I would. I’ve learned so much during this period of my life. I had each turn and twist for a reason. To become who I am, to become who I choose to be. It’s best not to worry about what once was, because all we have is the ongoing present and the future. Read more>>
Lauren Erwin
I started my journey as a photographer roughly 5-6 years ago. When I picked up my first camera, I originally thought it would be a hobby at best. I was in a really rough place in life and quite frankly didn’t have the confidence or financial independence to try to pursue any career that was out of the “norm” and it felt like it was too much of a risk. Read more>>
Kenneth Herren
If I could go back in time, I would have gotten much more serious about being a visual artist at a much younger age. I grew up in a very pragmatic environment; a meritocracy so to speak. From an early age I learned that education, hard work and one’s earning potential was of utmost importance. Read more>>
Kebren Campbell
I would’ve love to have started my career earlier! I started doing social media influencing on instagram around 7th or 8th grade. Things were very slow at first because I didn’t have all the knowledge in the world ,I was just having fun. I ended up getting around 30k supporters and It was around high school when I really started getting opportunities like performing and acting. I feel as If i would’ve started earlier things would’ve been smoother. I would’ve been more skillful and knowledgeable if I would’ve been practicing in studios or with an agent,the knowledge I have now from childhood. Read more>>
Brian Scott
I have been playing music for a long time… Toured in bands and “went for it” – always as a guitar player / writer. The band that had the most “success” – whatever that actually means – was called Fall Back Plan. We did a lot of great, fun things – like being selected for MTV’s Spankin’ New Music Week as a Featured Artist, getting to tour in Asia, and playing up and down the Mid-Atlantic with many great bands. Read more>>
Ariel Berardi
If I could go back in time, I do wish I would have started this creative career sooner. I actually did pursue being a makeup artist at the young age of 20, although I wasn’t working nearly as often as I am nowadays. It was mostly a side gig for me back then. My motivation skyrocketed in my mid- late 20’s which has placed me in a successful position. Read more>>
Kirk Ross
My creative journey is a bit like a Tarentino flick in that its timeline is poetically confusing. Like so many of us, I had loved artistic expression of all kinds as a kid. On my tenth birthday in 1994, I was gifted a Talk Boy sound recorder – made popular by Home Alone 2 – and that was my first exposure to the power of scripting out a concept and producing it into life. Before long, I was writing movie scripts for my friends and classmates and shooting them all summer long. Read more>>
Genell Holloway
I started my insurance business 4 years ago, and how I wish I had started it 40 years ago. The freedom to truly do what helps make a difference in the lives of people has been such a blessing to me. Read more>>