Parents teach us many things including how to be a parent. We can learn from their mistakes, sure, but we can also learn a lot from the things they got right. We asked successful entrepreneurs and creatives to open up to us about their parents and what they felt their parents got right.

Amiri Richardson-Keys

I was raised in a single-parent home with my mother. She raised my brother and me in a very urban neighborhood on the North Side of Richmond, VA. My mother ensured that my brother and I stayed occupied with activities outside the community To ensure we would not get caught up in the neighborhood trouble. I couldn’t appreciate it at the time. However, she understood the magnitude of the experiences she offered us would, later on, significantly impact us and make us well-versed in different areas instead of only putting us in sports such as basketball and football. My mother put us in boy scouts, martial Arts (Tae Kwon Do), and various creative art camps. I did not know that in my 30s, along with my wife, we would embark on a journey to open a community center offering activities I did as a youth. So those skills that I learned and the fun I had are now being transferred to the next generation raised on electronics and less physical interaction with others. Read more>>

Stephen Hooper

I come from a militaristic pedigree. For example, my father was in the military for 22 years approximately. My grandparents were also in the military as well as additional members of my family. My mother taught me the value of self-education. For example, I loved math and sports, so these ideas promulgated the fact that I was a nerd when I was a kid subsequently. After attending public school for the first formative years, I attended private school throughout my upbringing. I was exposed to harsh realities in regard to my skin color. Read more>>

Melissa Haimowitz-Clouse

The best advice I ever received from my parents was “you can do hard things.” Now, as a mom, I have expanded that to “you can do hard things; everything easy was hard once.” Growing up the day of a test or presentation at school my dad would leave me little pep talk notes and “you can do hard things” just always stuck with me. Looking back on these last 6 years as a business owner I can now confidently speak to the truth of the statement. All the little things that have become second nature were once monumental scary tasks that I had no idea how to begin let alone complete. Read more>>

Lauren Clark

My mum is a hero! She has always shown me even from a young age that you work hard even when life throws you challenges and being reliable is important. My dad also worked hard and even after strokes he went back to work and didn’t let it stop him from working. When I had an accident at my previous job, I had a lot of time where I was having to rest and have treatment. Even when life gave me this huge challenge that caused me to have Fibromyalgia. My mum taught me to never give up, this is when I started my blog and social media platforms. Read more>>

Felisha Rose Santana

As a child I showed early signs of creativity and imagination. I loved playing dress-up and dressing my Barbies and dolls in their everyday outfits and for their “special occasions.” My parents were attentive and encouraging to my interests. As I was growing, they guided me in my decisions instead of making them for me. I was never pressured to be or do anything according to their visions of me. Their expectations didn’t count neither for them or for me. The best did they have done is listen and trust me to follow my heart. I feel privilege to know such love and support. Read more>>

Horace Sheffield

My parents raised me with a sense of legacy and with the belief that knowledge and a formal education was the greatest equalizer; even if one was poor and African American. Additionally, they made certain that I read, and that I knew that no one possess more power of me and my fate than me. Towards that end they exposed me to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Essay on Self Reliance, Positive Thinking, by Norman Vincent Peale, to others whose stories proved that what Thomas Edison said was true, and that is that “success is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration”. Read more>>

Adi Kaur

My mom was strong, she has always been that way. I have always seen my mother be in a position of power. She was an officer in the U.S. Army all my life and she served for 20+ years. My mom played zero games. It was kind of intimidating as a child but as I got older I grew to truly understand the power of boundaries and intentions. I learned that you can be firm and command the room if that is your true desire. Read more>>

Sandra Rodriguez

I was born in California, a state where the latino community is large, my parents took the risk in starting our life over away from the city and moving to the upstate in South Carolina. There were definitely challenges! Bring a first- generation Latina, things were a bit different for me when I compare my life in my town. I did not have the same financial resources as many did and as a family we definitely struggled. I constantly watched my parents take risk and fight for success. Regardless of the multiple times we almost lost our house or went days without a meal. I watched my parents fight and sacrifice everything they had to provide for us. Read more>>

Amanda Marrè Brown

I was primarily raised by my mom after my parents divorced when I was three. Starting at an early age, she really tried to nurture my sense of curiosity and creativity by exposing me to new or unfamiliar things—art, fashion, food, music. She was always down to immerse herself in new experiences with me, whether we were making papier mache animals, attending an art show, or thrifting through a flea market. This kind of shared exploration and a willingness to try new things encouraged me to cultivate my interests as a child, and it is something I’ve carried into adulthood. Read more>>

Aric Raus

From a young age, my parents allowed me to fail at different activities, while providing the encouragement and support needed to bounce back from setbacks and disappointments. This allowed me to explore new and different classes, sports, and jobs that I was unsure about, without associating failure with BEING a failure. Now, to be clear. there was usually a cost to failure, be it a loss of pride, money, or with sports, physical pain, but there was also encouragement to get up, brush off the dust, and learn from that failure. Read more>>

Paula Tognarelli

My parents encouraged us as children to express ourselves, our opinions and to be creative. They gave us a room dedicated to our creativity. We called it the “Play Room.” My brother hammered copper nail after nail in the room’s floor. Wall to wall were nail heads. Today my brother is an inventor and engineer. I would paint murals on the walls and ceilings. And paste collages there as well. For my summer job in high school I painted murals in peoples’ homes. Read more>>

Megan Alain

I’m very grateful for my parents’ constant support throughout my life! I’ve pursued my artistic interests from a young age. They recognized my passion for creating and made sure I had the necessary tools and resources to nurture it. Through art, I found a way to express my emotions, support people I love, and explore profound themes that still impact my daily life. Their encouragement extended beyond just words; they enrolled me in drawing classes, even if it meant a long car ride further from our town every week. My first symposium made me meet painters who confirmed my desire to become an artist. My parents supported me in my many experiments, like watercolor and oil, which greatly influenced my artistic journey. Read more>>

Kori Sears

My parents were patient and very encouraging with mine and my siblings artistic progression. Anything we wanted to pursue, they would always do everything in their power to help us become as successful as we wanted to become at it. They spent the time with us practicing and listing to notes being played out of key until I’m sure their patience were ran, but they never asked us to quit or give up, they always just encouraged us to stick with whatever it was we were trying to accomplish musically. They would provide the materials, the lessons, and all we had to do was apply ourselves. They just wanted to see us be able to do things that would bring us happiness, really. I am extremely blessed for Creator to have let them be my family. Read more>>

Selenia Rodriguez

My mother has always been one of my biggest supporters. Growing up, my mom always encouraged me, supported me, and pushed me to do my best. No matter what I wanted to do, she always stood by me and believed in my abilities. Even today, my mom remains one of my biggest supporters. She’s always telling people about me and the things that I do, she shares all of my posts from my business page on Facebook, and is always telling me how proud she is. If it weren’t for my mom constantly encouraging me to be unapologetic-ally myself, I’m not sure I would have chosen this path so easily. Read more>>

Janimarie Lester DeRose

They threw out the tv, literally. We were raised with no television in the home. Instead, we would read aloud in the evenings, sprawled across my parents bed. They always fostered creativity, through long hours of free play, barefoot summers spent in nature, and so many stories. My mother is a painter, gardener, art historian, museum educator, and naturalist, my father is a chemist working on rocket motors, and avid birder. Together they gave three girls a beautiful childhood filled with creativity. Read more>>

Erika Parker Rogers

I can’t remember a time in my entire childhood when I wasn’t aspiring to become an Artist and more specifically a Children’s Book Illustrator. Sure, I also wanted to be a Horse Jockey and a Ninja but it just wasn’t my destiny. My artistic skills have always far outweighed my athleticism. My parents noticed that I had natural abilities at an early age and really fostered my talent and continued to encourage my growth. They instilled a real sense of confidence in my ability to create. I never wavered in my desire to become an artist. Read more>>

Michael Onwumere

The first and foremost aspect I want to emphasize is the profound impact my parents have had on shaping the person I am today. Their guidance and teachings have been invaluable throughout my life. Growing up, both my parents were entrepreneurs, providing me with a unique perspective on hard work and dedication. Witnessing their unwavering commitment to their business responsibilities while making time to support me in my sports events left a lasting impression on me. Read more>>

David Ha

At an early age, my mom and dad modeled a life of service. My dad is a doctor and mom a nurse, and together they ran a successful private medical practice in NY for 25 years. Even after their retirement, they committed to a life of service as they are currently full time medical missionaries, living in Haiti. I’m thankful to learn from them, the value of having a posture of generosity. Read more>>

Nicki White

My parents have always been supportive of my passion for music. They both have a great passion for music by listening and playing their instruments. My father actually wanted to name me Presley after Elvis but my mother decided it was too manly for a girl. It was the 90’s. My mother was always first chair in band playing the flute. She was even awarded a full-ride scholarship to UMKC but didn’t finish her term there. She played flute in our churches band every Sunday and gave lessons from time to time. She played an array of artists around the house on tapes and CD’s such as Earth Wind & Fire, Prince, Shania Twain, The Chicks, Alanis Morisette and so on. Read more>>

Lexi Wintermute

My parents set the example on how important it is to pursue a career in a field that you love. My dad had a fascination with airplanes. During college he skipped class to take flying lessons. At the time he was studying to become an architect, but he discovered that his sanctuary was in the sky. He even built a replica cockpit in his closet to practice! My dad visualized himself flying for his dream airline and he spent 33 years with the company. Read more>>

Ashavari

I owe a lot to my mom. I really appreciate the way she fostered my growth as an artist, but getting me hands on in many different art forms as a child. In pre-school days in India, she would put me in these roles and shows they would have for the kids, where I’d get an opportunity to recite a famous speech or monologue from a film, sing a song, etc. She would sew these gorgeous dresses for me, based on characters in movies and my favourite dolls, learn to play piano with me, teach me how to paint and draw, since she was a wonderful visionary and artist herself, and so much more. She even put me in ballet at one point, but I hated that. Read more>>

Niki Bisbee

I was raised in England by an English mother and Mexican father. I’m so grateful that I have wonderful parents, because I know that’s not the case for many. They did a lot right as parents, firstly they always encouraged and supported me in whatever I was interested in without any pressure. This gave me the freedom to explore and try new things. They were both hard working and instilled in me a strong work ethic. I had my first job at 15 and learned the value of money very quickly because I wasn’t given everything I wanted, thankfully. Read more>>

Matthew Stephenson

There are three main lessons my parents taught me that are still apparent in everything I do today: accountability, respect and compassion. I learned early on how incredibly important accountability is in life. I grew up with the sentiment, “The job isn’t done until it’s done right.” This led to several late nights working on critical projects despite being in over my head on content expectations. I needed to ensure that whatever was asked of me was not only delivered on time but was at the expected caliber of my teammates. This persisted with me during my early internships starting in high school and proceeded into my early college years. Read more>>

India L. Collier, DMD

My parental story is one that may be unknown to some. I lost my mom at the age of 8 to breast cancer, and my sister and I were raised by my father as a single parent. One thing he always got right was showing up and supporting me in every aspect of my life. As I reflect back on my childhood, I remember my father providing whatever I needed behind the scenes, no matter what it took. He was always up in the stands at all of my basketball games, right outside of the fence at my tennis matches and always my biggest cheerleader at any ceremony and graduation. We talked on the phone every singe night while I was in dental school, sharing stories and hearing my struggles day in and day out. He was always an encouraging voice that reminded me I could do whatever I set my mind to. Read more>>

Colin Zhu

My parents have played pivotal roles in shaping my life and career. My mother’s emphasis on emotional sensitivity and my father’s focus on figuring things out independently have had a profound impact on my journey. From a young age, my mother instilled in me the importance of empathy and understanding others’ emotions. This upbringing cultivated my ability to connect with people on a deeper level, particularly in my work with patients. Read more>>

Denecia Miller

As a kid growing up in Milwaukee I’ve always been a extremely creative and expressive soul . Thankfully my parents have always encouraged my creativity from supplying me with the tools necessary to create whatever my heart desired, to also putting me in different summer camps and after school programs centering many different forms of art. I’m very fortunate to have entire village from my parents, to my grandparents , especially my aunt (Nesha) , and a few other family members that did an amazing job in giving me the safe space to fully express myself without the fear of being judged. Read more>>

Jelonnie Smith

My parents have always been supportive of my being an artist and taught me to really know my worth. I have countless sketchbooks from when I was younger, that are just filled to the brim with drawings. My parents always encouraged me to lean into my talents and interests and were more than willing to help with whatever I needed, even when they don’t know anything about art or the art world. Read more>>

Whitney Schneider

My parents divorced when I was 5. At the time it wasn’t as widely accepted. Society would say I was from a broken home and therefore also broken. They both taught me invaluable lessons about standing tall in life and pursuing a purpose. If I was going to start something then I had to finish it. For example, at 10 I started swim team. I begged and begged to do it and at the time and for our family it was a financial commitment as well. Read more>>

Amy-Beth Rice

I was really fortunate in that both my parents are creatives in different ways, so there was more understanding of why I wanted to make the life and career choices that I did. My mother had her own graphic design business and my father is a professional drummer. They have both earned their living solely from their creative skill for periods in their lives, but they’ve also had other careers. My dad has also been an electrician for most of his life and my mom is currently a lifestyle coordinator for an assisted living facility. While there was a financial concern when I wanted to go to art school, there was an understanding, from an early age, that making art wasn’t just an interest but had become an aspect of my identity. I had a lot of difficulty when I was a child in school and socially and I think they just wanted me to feel celebrated in what I excelled in. Read more>>

Cameron Cox

First, I want to shout out parents because there is not a universal manual for parenting. Second, my parents did not let their own personal traumas affect any part of my life. I have a life led completely by my own decisions. I have always followed my heart and this fostered my love for entrepreneurship. As a student, I saw an opportunity to capitalize on the upcoming summer break and my popularity. I was in Wal-Mart back in the early 90’s looking for toys and found a snow cone machine on sale. My brother and I set up a table in the driveway and talked to our mother about baking cookies. We told everyone at school we were going to be selling snow cones and cookies. This was one of four business ideas we had that summer. Read more>>