Risk is a topic that comes up a lot in our conversations with entrepreneurs and creatives, but a related topic is investments. Investments come in many forms – investing your time, money, heart and soul, etc. So, with that broad definition of investment in mind, we asked rising stars in the community to tell us the stories of the best or worst investments they’ve made.

Clay Guthrie.

This may sound a bit odd coming from someone who works in IT for their day job, but equipment is the worst investment you can make. Don’t get me wrong, I love cameras, lenses, tripods and all of the other techy stuff that makes us excited as photographers, but these things are tools. They don’t make the image, they don’t execute the idea, you do. You can give a professional a cheapo camera and they’ll create art. Read more>>

Oriana Martinez Falkowski

We usually come to entrepreneurship because we are passionate about a particular service or product that will solve a problem that someone is experiencing; For me that passion is guiding other Latinas like me, to change their relationship with money so that money becomes a tool they can use to re-define success on their terms. This passion was born from going through my own financial journey and wanting to share what I was learning. Read more>>

Laura Stark

I have been in Sports Performance since before graduating college. At 23 I was working for a great company gaining valuable experience with NFL and NFL Combine, but little did I know I had moved halfway across the country to take a job at a business that was going under. I was new to Florida with no connections and what felt like little options. Scared and of course knowing nothing about running a business, Read more>>

Honcho Jue.

I think my best investment as far as time is being in the studio, learning & listening from day 1 by far. So many connections can be made through a studio just by being there period. Had to sacrifice plenty of time, sleep, fun & couple relationships to really be in the studio to work on my craft as a up and coming music producer & engineer. And my best investment as far as money i would say my computer. Read more>>

Caroline Lampinen.

I quit my most recent full time W2 job in October of 2021, leaving to be self-employed. I expected to have to work half time in education consulting or writing (my previous field) to sustain what I really wanted to do for the other half – artwork. I managed to land a big education contract immediately, which floated me financially until my artwork took my full time attention after about six months later. Read more>>

Devoe Sherman.

The biggest investment I made was in myself when I graduated from Woodward High school in 2015. I paid for college on my own with little to no money working at Krogers & Macys. I studied political science and Liberal arts @ The University of Cincinnati. College gave me a new perspective on life. It taught me about the importance of mental fortitude and personal & professional development. I was living an impoverished lifestyle I didn’t have a choice but to go to college because that’s what everyone around me was pushing for. Read more>>

Reginald Laurent

I believe the best investment I ever made was in myself. I worked in corporate America for many years, while simultaneously forging a career as a visual artist. As with any job, they offered a 401 as incentives to gain my employ. In that investment scenario, my money is being managed by entities unknown to me, and the investments are volatile and subject to market conditions that can negatively impact my return. I invested nominally in their program, but I invested heavily in art supplies. Read more>>