As almost any entrepreneur or creative will tell you, unexpected problems are to be expected. Below, you’ll hear some incredible stories that highlight and illustrate the kinds of issues and problems entrepreneurs and creatives are dealing with everyday. It’s not easy, but the silver lining is that dealing with unexpected problems is one of the best ways to develop antifragility.

Jordan Twiggs

Serpentfoot doesn’t necessarily have an issue creating music. The challenging thing we’ve found is that there is no formula to getting it out there. We can bang out song after song that we’re proud of but trying to navigate the path to transforming it from a passion to a career has proven to be extremely difficult. In the digital age it seems you have to play along with all the trends and what not. That’s just not our style so we have to accept a hit there. So what we focus on is the quality of our music and the energy of our live shows. Read more>>

Carl Scogland

Always have a backup plan, stay consistent, and do your research! I say this because my second album complexity was plagued with delays and took over 4 years to complete from the start. While in the end i thought the engineer did an incredible job , there were numerous issues preventing us from completing the album in a timely manner which really frustrated me. Read more>>

Kiersten Rucker

I’ve heard the phrase “comparison is the thief of joy” plenty of times in my life but it wasn’t until I dove into a creative life that the phrase rang so true. One of the hardest and most unexpected problems has been not comparing my artwork or artistic style to someone else’s. Read more>>

Cat Tesla

In March of 2022, I was diagnosed with breast cancer 3 days before we closed on our home in Atlanta, with plans to move to Florida. It was caught on a routine mammogram and I have no family history or risk factors for breast cancer. Because so many women skipped a mammogram during the pandemic (I didn’t), it was difficult to get a surgery date scheduled for a double mastectomy. Read more>>

Colin Burke

My adult life thus far has been almost entirely an unexpected problem. Just kidding, but I’ve learned to n0t only expect “Standard” hurdles, but also the unexpected. Most importantly I first want to say- never let the unknown or unexpected drive your life as it is just that – Unknown, uncontrollable. Why let the large hurdles not just affect you but also live rent free in your headspace? Read more>>

jessica pisano

“If you observe nature closely, there’s a dance in every tree, a song by every bird, and a story behind each ocean wave — countless gestures and poses in nature’s landscape; ever-changing yet timeless — inspiring me to capture these moments through painting.” ~ Jessica Pisano Read more>>

Welborn Woodworks

One of the most consistent issues we face as a commercial woodshop is where the next job is coming from and what will it entail…? We have always strived to maintain a consistent workload and that can mean taking on many different types of projects. With each new project type, all of our metrics like cost of materials, production times and suppliers can change. Read more>>

Ricardo Wrice

My journey was one filled with group think and expectations. As a young black man I was raised (by baby boomers). They believed that education was the safest bet and nothing else mattered. As a result, I spent the better portion of my life trying to fit in boxes and going in circles. Ultimately, what I discovered was that there was a purpose for all of my natural giftings. Read more>>

Erika Llorente

Some of the most unexpected problems I faced in my business were the pandemic and the supply shortages as well as inflation. Before starting my business, I was in the corporate workfie;d and i never imagined being an entrepeneur, but here I am. I had just opened my business in 2019 and the retail business had just begun taking off when the pandemic hit the next year- forcing me to close for four months. Read more>>

Midwest Saloon

One of the most unexpected problems we have faced is finding that people are not true to their word. In Kansas City it’s hard to find people to do what they say they will regardless to if you are paying or not. It’s come to a point with MIDWEST SALOON if we want something done we must learn to do it ourselves. In a way it’s become an advantage because we are learning so much more outside of just being the artist. Read more>>

Genevieve Zzyzyx

Yea this should have been expected, as you can ask ANY artist about their favorite discontinued supplies and they will rant for an HOUR about the loss of the GREATEST PRODUCT EVER, but I somehow envisioned my inventory orders to stay the same as my business evolved. It never happens to US, right? Read more>>

Love Liz

Where do I even start? I think my entire journey to success has been unexpected. We all have this thing of foreseeing or “knowing” this is how it’s going to go, and reality is you are a passenger on your own journey, trust the Universe. You can’t force what is and what isn’t. Currently, I’ve been working on my debut project for going on 2 years now, I’ve had, we’ve had, multiple release dates and it just hasn’t happened. Read more>>

Alexander Santistevan

Modeling is not as glamorous as everyone makes it out to be. There are moments where I question my career and my choices, but for every bad moment there are 100 amazing ones. When I first began some unexpected problems I had to face was the judgement of others as well as from myself. Who was I to think of myself so highly? Who did I think I was trying to achieve a dream so high? Eventually I began practicing poses by myself in the mirror. Read more>>

Rhyan McCoy

I’d say the most unexpected problem I have faced in my business would be the unmeasurable work it takes to be the Owner/CEO, creative director, accountant, designer, manufacturer, marketing coordinator, and any other title required to hold this company together. Read more>>

Devonna Arrington

The last few years have been tough on everyone. So many unexpected situations and life changes, from Covid, loss of family and friends, loss of jobs and inflation. For me, the most unexpected problem I have faced in life and as a creative has been losing my eye sight. Read more>>

Mason Atlas

As a young man, or better yet, as early as I can remember, I heard the phrase, “you will never make money as an artist.” There were family, friends and even the art teachers at the school that suggested having a back up plan if I wanted to pursue art. Seemed like everyone around me didn’t believe it was possible. Read more>>

Arilyn Ruffell

The most challenging aspect for me when running a CDL school is location. I didn’t realize when starting up, how much people do not like being around big trucks, until they run out of toilet paper. Since opening the school, we have had to move twice. Read more>>