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.

Kirsten Tay

The best investment I ever made in my business was hiring a mentor. When I first started my business, I was doing it aimlessly and haphazardly. I had an idea that I wanted to pursue social media media management, with a focus on Pinterest management, but I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to get there. I knew the Pinterest platform fairly well, but wasn’t confident in how to market a business on the platform other than my own blog. So I started doing some research and found a Pinterest course that I ended up investing in. The course was incredibly in-depth and included monthly coaching calls with the course creator. Read more>>

Alexis Evans

One of the best investments I’ve made as a business owner is to hire a photographer. Because I run an event design business in the golden age of social media everything is based off of aesthetics. People throw large lavish parties not just for the memories, but also for Instagrammable moments to share with their friends and families. Aside from the obvious advantages that a photographer has over an iPhone, hiring a professional allows me more time to adequately do my job instead of rushing to take a mediocre camera phone picture. Read more>>

Lynsie Ochoa

The best investment I have made in this venture has been education courses. When I started out, I knew very little about photography, but I enjoyed it as a hobby. When the pandemic hit, I took advantage of the free classes the Nikon School offered online, and watched their videos several times over to learn the basics. I practiced on my son several times over and any of my friends and family that would allow me to, and by Christmas time that year, I felt confident enough to offer my first paid session. Read more>>

Trenton Harris

The best investment I made was actually on myself. Investing in my craft was one of the hardest things to do coming right out of college. I decided I wanted to make feature films, but working in the film industry I wasn’t making enough money nor did I have a lot of time to do the things that I wanted to do. I would spend the little that I had to make a film that I just completed a couple weeks ago. That took me about 9 years of shooting and having to pay for it as well. Read more>>

Jeong-Suk Bae

The best investment I’ve made was switching from piano to organ. The organ is such an important part of my life now, and has given me so many opportunities. Originally from South Korea, I grew up playing the piano since an early age, majored in piano performance in college, then moved to US to continue study Church music in the masters program at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, where I had the opportunity to switch my major from piano to organ with a full scholarship. Read more>>

Yalonda Smith

The Financial industry was the best investment I made. Most finance jobs require 4-year pr advanced degree. but building a business just educating individuals on things that schools and most parents rarely educate their children on is a passion of mines. How i got into this industry all started with my youngest son getting Diagnosed with ASD and I wasn’t able to work a 9-5 because of his therapy sessions and jobs was not quite ok with the time I had to take off from work. Read more>>

Rachel Kelly

The best investment I ever made in my coaching business was hiring my mentor. My mentor not only took me on my own deep healing journey but she taught me a powerful healing method that helps to truly rewire the nervous system, reparent your inner child and process deep stored childhood pain that I now use with all my clients. When building a business from a trauma informed way, it is essential to invest in the right type of support in order for you to feel safe to expand. I’m so grateful I took a leap of faith and hired my mentor as the more I heal and expand, the more I’m able to help my clients to do the same. Read more>>

Linda Rhyne

When I realized I wanted to start a business as a consultant, I had no idea what I was doing. I had 15 years of experience in education and three degrees, but never learned what it took to run a business. I had just completed my first month delivering my first contract. My contact asked if I had yet been paid, which I hadn’t. Her sweet secretary reminded me I no longer worked for them and that I needed to submit an invoice. Read more>>

Trisha Dash

I’m constantly investing in tools to make my job easier as a photographer and business owner. I can’t live without my Honey Book, Wacom Tablet, Loupe Deck, iMac & iPad, and Milanote. The absolute best investment I made as a photographer was art school. When I decided to commit to being a professional photographer, I knew that YouTube videos could only get me so far with my photography so I enrolled in the Art Institute of Austin Texas and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. Read more>>

Darius Rucker

The best Investment I made as a business owner was myself truthfully . Spending money on self or others for pleasure and happiness is sadly momentary . Investing in dreams that live on with you reap better rewards. So when you get enough money to make a change. Choose your destiny first! Read more>>