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.

Tori Solis

My best investment to date has been to consistently invest in myself. I do this by furthering my education with classes and experiences that push me creatively. I invest in myself when I am choosing quality and appropriate tools for each part of my process. In 2022, I invested heavily in taking courses in ceramics at the Dallas College Richland, as well as at the Dallas Creative Arts Center. This investment into myself helped me to gain artistic perspective, as well as improve my technical skills within the craft. Working in an educational setting among other artists is a wonderful way to expand your horizons and grow your skill. Read more>>

Shannon Mitchell

The best investment that I’ve made as a business owner was actually spending my unemployment money to officially start Shealo Glo. In June of 2020, Covid 19 had recently shut most Atlanta businesses down and my job at Pappadeaux was no exception. I didn’t have the money for rent for May, so I had to move out of my place immediately! I decided to take a chunk of my unemployment and invest in myself, and the goal of black families across American having what they needed on a daily basis to naturally take care of themselves. Read more>>

Sarah Burton

Part of the original concept of Simply Love Studio was to offer a meeting space for it’s members (wedding vendors) to be able to use for client meetings, photo shoots, office space, etc because in 2010-2019 many vendors worked from a home office and would use a coffee shop type space for a meeting. We wanted to offer a more upscale, boutique, quiet environment for those meetings to allow the vendor to be able to connect to the client more. Read more>>

Gabe Nahirny

The best investments I’ve made are into friendships with professionals who share similar interests and goals. Those relationships will always take you further than simply just having the best tools or the most experience. Read more>>

Felicia Allen

When I was in my early & late 20’s, I never knew anything about my personal credit or even how to manage my credit. I was putting things in my credit left and right not knowing the consequences or effects it would have on my life later down the line. I didn’t know how it would affect me and my future families future. Not knowing how important having good credit was compared to having a lot of money. Read more>>

K.N. Lee

As an author, business owner, and host, I’d say the best investment you can make is in yourself. In the beginning of my writing journey, I was quite different from the confident author I am today. I was plagued with anxiety about sharing my stories, and feared public opinion if I took the leap of faith towards publishing. So, I took a creative writing course at my local community college and decided to share some of the stories I’d written with my classmates. It was the best decision I could have made. Not only did I gain additional storytelling skills, but I received positive feedback from my peers. Read more>>