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.
Daniel Aguilera
The worst investment I ever made was purchasing a franchise. There are pros and cons; however, for me the cons outweighed the pros. I believe most people go into business for the autonomy. A franchise offers the opportunity to be a business owner; however, the franchisor has a significant amount of control over how the business is operated including office furniture, color schemes, systems, advertising, product offerings, etc. Read more>>
Erik Meadows
The worst investment of time I have made as a business owner is to accept a project at a lower budget with the promise of a non-monetary return, e.g. a future project at my full rate, or promotion of my business after completion of the project. I have found through trial and error that it is best to only expect the agreed upon compensation. Any “hand shake” kind of agreement may or may not happen. Read more>>
Lauren Grant
Early on, soon after taking the leap from my salaried publishing job to work for myself, I was struggling to grow my business. I was frustrated, lonely, and in need of a mentor to help me navigate the world of owning and running a business as a solo entrepreneur. Read more>>
Taylor Ross
The best investment I have made as an actor was mentoring under the top coaches in the entertainment industry. Not only are they helping me hone my acting abilities to eventually becoming a top tier actor, but they are also giving me the confidence to believe in myself as an artist, allowing me better networking opportunities. Read more>>
Brittany Pfantz
The best investment was definitely the $1k I spent on Cathy Heller’s online course on the sync industry. I have found that when I invest in myself/career typically I see a huge turn around. Long as I put the time in as well. This course catapulted my career in a huge way. It was not long after the course that I got my first huge sync placement. The trailer for Jim Carey’s “I’m Dying Up Here” series. Read more>>
Mandy Maree
The best investment I’ve ever made – in terms of time and money – was myself. Choosing myself. I spent my 20s as an educator because I always felt called to serve. And while I miss the students dearly, I wasn’t investing my time and energy in myself. Finally, in 2021, I decide to go for it. To live out one of my dreams. So, I wrote a book. Read more>>