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.

Sedaya Westmoreland

I truly believe that I started my business at the right time. There’s always a thought of possibility if I began earlier, maybe I would have had a little more knowledge or more recognition, but I believe in God’s timing and that he has a plan for everything, including my success. If you would have told me six years ago that I would become a 6 time published magazine makeup artist with my own skincare and beauty brand, I would’ve thought you were talking about someone else, not me haha! But God has other plans for us, ones we do not see coming or can ever even imagine. And that is BEAUTY. Senior year of pursuing my undergrad degree, I began what is worldwide known today, Eye Adore Beauty, and have never looked back. Read more>>

Shanda Fomby

There’s no perfect time than now! Divine Lux Studios began its’ journey in the spring of 2019, as a home-based business offering luxurious eyelash extension services. My journey as a lash artist was not intentional and at the time I had no idea what eyelash extensions were. My daughter had very sensitive skin starting at a young age and I wanted to find a way to help her. Keeping this in mind I began researching schools of esthetics, but along the way stumbled upon a course for learning eyelash extensions. Read more>>

Jennifer Welle

I certainly wish I had started sooner on this path. I love what I do. My craft is unique and touches many people and I have built many meaningful relationships through Lady Anvil! Read more>>

Derek McMonagle

This is a very interesting question, and I definitely have two takes. First off, I would say yes. I wish I could go back in time and start my business sooner. On the other hand, I fully trust in God’s timing and plan for both of my businesses so I can’t complain about how I got here. I started two businesses during the peak of the pandemic, so I’ll break down where I was at life-wise/career-wise and what I had going on at the time. Read more>>

Kerosene Drifters

Hindsight is 20/20. I think a lot of people look to their past with some regret, some loss and gained insight. Creatives in particular possess a push/pull of regret and respect for that regret. We respect the space our minds and our hearts were in when we first discovered the spark of passion. We respect the struggles in our path, the growth of our spirit, the hard lessons that continue to be learned. At the same time it’s easy to say “if I knew then what I know now” and wish we would’ve started the professional climb at a younger age. Read more>>

Elena Øhlander

Sometimes, I wonder where would I be now if I had began my career in creative entrepreneurship earlier in life. A lot has happened from my teens and into my twenties. I often feel like I am making up for lost time, saying yes to too much or not taking enough time for self-care and quality time with the people I care about. I eat, sleep, and breathe my art, my craft, my process, my research – my work. Honestly, I wouldn’t go back and change a thing. I believe that every challenge, every pivot or shift, every decision and experience made me who I am today. Read more>>

Sha’ Cannon

I am 50 years old and I enjoy being a business owner. I’ve been an entrepreneur in one way or another since selling candy in middle school. However, I didn’t become a full-time entrepreneur until 2017. I had a lucrative career in the legal field working for a top law firm in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, Georgia. I ended that 10+ year career where I was an awarding winner, trade published, highly regarded leader, and all the things in exchange for a life of freedom as I wanted to design it. Read more>>

Crystal Perez-Jimenez

While the thought of going back in time and starting my dream of cosmetology school earlier in life sounds great… I believe that that all of struggles it took to get there later in my life is what made me who I am today. From a very young age, I had a passion to learn everything there was about hair and beauty. Life came first and I got married, had my beautiful children, worked full-time, and later ended up divorced and struggling to find a way to support my family on my own. Read more>>

Crystal Elyse

Yes and No. I do sometimes wish that I went to Art school and started my career in college, but I am a full believer of letting God be in control. I started drawing when I was probably 10, my dad was an amazing artist, so I would see some of his paintings and remember wanting to be a good artist like him. In high school I was in all art classes and didn’t think my art was that good, so I never wanted to pursue it in college, plus “Could my artwork pay my bills? In college I was in Biology working in the healthcare field. Read more>>

Brandi Stottern

Self-doubt is a killer of dreams. If I could go back in time, I would have started my real estate journey so much sooner. For 15 years I worked as a dental office manager jumping office to office never being able to fill a void when it came to my career. I played with the idea in my mind that I could go to real estate school and change careers after a long career in the dental field, but every time I toyed with the idea of taking that leap towards my dream self-doubt overcame me like a dark cloud. Read more>>