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.

Sara Gillis

When I left my decade-long career in education to launch my copywriting business, the first move I made was to hire a business coach. I don’t have any entrepreneurs in my family, and while I had a few business owner friends, I didn’t have a clear model to follow when building my business (in the midst of a pandemic, no less). Read more>>

Libby Azzarello

In early 2019, I took a course that highlighted the importance of staying in “flow” with clients, and a large pillar of that was through direct mail. They shared about how simple postcards or handwritten notes could make a world of difference in staying top of mind for people as they go through life changes, celebrate and make decisions about investments. I had notecards printed up with my logo and branding, and I kept them with me to write quick notes about new jobs, babies, promotions, and other major events. Read more>>

Lorraine Beato

We purchased a fix and flip property in San Antonio, Texas and tried our first long distance rehab. It was a nightmare – the initial contractor used our deposit to pay for his son’s funeral – I found out once I started digging and saw he was returning items purchased to rehab back to Lowes via the My Lowes app. He screwed us royally, stripped the house when we fired him. 2 more contractors later and then 3 realtors once complete and we dumped it. Read more>>

Trevia Woods

My best investment when starting to transition from full-time elementary school teaching to running my own business with a purpose was investing in a program called We Are The Culture Makers run by Kelly Diels in the end of 2019. Kelly is a business and copywriting coach and her shorter workshops really spoke to me. So when the launch hit for this 2020 year-long program about letting go of shame and stepping into my power with a cohort of other people, Read more>>

Abbria Hoover

My best investment so far as a business owner has been coaching! Honestly, being on IG and seeing everyone claim to be an expert and charge pretty high prices to gain access truly made me hesitate to invest in education and/or courses. However, I felt pulled to grow and you cannot do that without additional education and access. Despite popular belief and unfortunately there are some things that Google doesn’t know the answer to. Read more>>

Kyshaya Hariley

The best investment I made was building a community of Artists and Creatives, that all shared one dream. As a dancer, or any type of creative, one often finds themselves trying to find their “home” in the industry. My company, The Dynamic Movement LLC, is not just a company, but it is a movement. Moving 6 states away to a city where I knew no one, just to follow my dreams, was the biggest and best risk that I have ever taken. My company has progressed greatly within the last few years, and continues to grow, with the hard word and determination from my team and I. Read more>>

Eli Pafumi

I’ve wanted to be a full-time musician since I was 5 or 6 years old. As many of these stories go, I was banging on pots and pans until my parents subbed in a janky First Act drum kit that I beat to a pulp in a matter of weeks. Thus began the ever-evolving journey to actualize a career in making music. In middle school I started teaching guitar and ukulele to kids in the neighborhood, saving up funds to buy better instruments. Read more>>