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.

Michelle Martin

The greatest lesson my parents, My Mom specifically, ever taught me is perseverance. Growing up I watched her endure the kinds of hardships, heartache, and grief that would’ve caused anyone else to give up. Yet she continued to press forward. Her can do attitude was something that all of her children inherited. Her willingness to give, even when she had little left to give still resonates with me daily and because of her giving heart she has never gone without. Read more>>

Trey Bates

My parents were absolutely amazing and I know fully well how fortunate I am to have that. While they could be very stern in times of conduct or academic discipline, they also gave my brother and I every opportunity to be creative and expressive. Whether it be by choice or force in some instances. Getting us to learn instruments, putting in all the sports, or playing video games and drawing together, they always allowed my brother and I to express ourselves in all forms! Read more>>

Michal Renee

My mother & Grandmother raised me. I did not grow up with an active father in my life. Despite that, my mother & grandmother served as a two parent stable household. My grandmother was a pastor. Watching her run her ministry & serve people was one of the best influences For my current faith in God. At the end of the day, Read more>>

Victoria Watkins

My parents always let me know anything was possible, and I could give anything a try. They never made me think there was something I couldn’t do. From various lessons and sports, to being active at school, I was always able to take on new challenges and endeavors, which was major in helping me open my mind, meet new people, and learn the importance of time management. Read more>>

Ant Smart

This is an amazing question. What my parents did right, would be instilling self confidence and serious work ethic. That confidence of hearing “you can do anything you put your mind to “ was something special. I believe it and still do. Knowing there’s no obstacle greater than my will to succeed is powerful. Read more>>

Adrianne Murchison

I would say that I’m a true blend of both of my parents. Both have passed away. My dad was full of fire and very protective of his family so you didn’t want to cross him. At the same time he was thoughtful of his fellow man even if he didn’t show it outwardly. My mom was an abundance of love. My love for my relationship with God comes straight from her. I always say her heart was my heart. What she loved, I loved – and she loved God. Read more>>

Maria Peña

I believe my parents did many things right when raising me and my siblings. They always told us to not settle where we are, keep pushing for more. I think out of everything they thought us that stuck with me the most. Read more>>

Davielle Jackson

My parents lead with love. It is something that I practice with my kid daily. Leading with love meaning, quality time. Our parents spent quality time with us, vacations every summer etc. My mother learned from the mistakes her mother made and made sure to not repeat them. Read more>>

DaWonn Andrews

Myself and my 5 other siblings were raised by our beautiful mother who was a single parent. While being a single parent my mother battled with seizures and had the worse case of seizures that a person could ever have but that never stopped her, she was a super mother and she was determined. Although we knew our mother was stressed she was so strong that she never showed it and we never saw her bend or break, she was the strongest person we knew. Read more>>

Marquita Gill

I am forever indebted to my parents for numerous things. Thanks to my mother, I have inculcated the phrase “have passport, will travel” into my life. As a child, it felt like school would end one day, and the next morning we were on a plane to New York. I owe my sense of adventure (and my passports) to my mother. Read more>>

Ashley Essman

My parents raised me to be independent, to follow my dreams, and to be a hard worker. I was required to get a job when I was 15 and I worked as a hostess for the remainder of high school. When I went off to college, I had a job all four years, and then I started a full-time job one week after I graduated. My parent’s encouraged me to explore what I liked and wanted to do with my own life. Read more>>

Erin Karp

I am so lucky to have the parents I do; they are both creatives who have been incredibly supportive and encouraging to both me and my sister along the way & to this day. My mom is a fashion designer and a college professor & my dad is an incredible abstract oil painter. Read more>>

Rudi Fate

My parents met. That’s what they did right. Through their love, they brought two distinctive and powerful lineages together to create an entire new paradigm through me. My mum is English and my father is a country boy from Georgia. They met at a club in England while my dad was temporarily stationed there. Read more>>

O’Shane Ellis

My mother instilled self discipline, hard work, commitment and high performance in me and my siblings from a tender age. Growing I’ve always seen her work long and hard to achieve high results in all her jobs. She has always been an over achiever in everything she does. Read more>>

Binh Trinh

My parents left behind the only life they knew to move to a foreign place to give me the opportunities they never had—to grow up safely, go to a good school, and live the American Dream. Moving to a new country half-way across the world is hard, like really hard. Read more>>

 Janira Aybar

My Dad – I will start with my Dad because since I can remember as a little girl, my Dad always worked his butt off. He is known to be very hardworking and he loves money. He also owned a few businesses so I saw that side of him growing up. He taught us even from an early age that no matter what, you will always work hard, even for a slice of bread. Read more>>

Queen Gill

How to go out there and get it. My mom had a degree and my dad was a street king, and together they were dynamic Team. My father would always tell me in order to have things in life you have to work phone my mother show me what a hard work ethic was by being a director of education she did seminars while my daddy Hustle in the streets but he was a great hustler. Read more>>

Gabrielle Ringler

Teach me hard work. Mannerisms and work ethic can get you in the door but also keep you in position when a piece of paper will not. My parents instilled a deep work ethic and the gift of working as if God himself is watching and doing things for others as if you were doing them for yourself. Read more>>

Kelly Siegler

My parents didn’t have much growing up. Especially my Dad. In fact, he didn’t share much about his childhood in an effort to protect my brother and I from knowing how bad he had it. Growing up my Dad worked tirelessly to give my brother everything we needed and much of what we wanted. Read more>>

Carmen Juncal

My parents have done many things right that have shaped who I am as a person and professional. Among all those things, three have become the cornerstones of who I am today. Read more>>

Krystal Rumph

Oh, this is a great question ! My parents are amazing . Growing up as an only child , My parents taught me the importance of being independent as well the value and significance of being a leader. I learned rather quickly in life that I wouldn’t have siblings or people around me to influence my behavior or my thoughts . Read more>>

Gaby Deimeke

My parents were super supportive of my artistic pursuits from the beginning. When I was a kid, I was always trying a new art project, painting my room, making a collage, or taking photos. They really encouraged my creative spirit and made me feel like I could be an artist when I grew up. I know that’s not the norm, so I really appreciate all they did for me to foster my creative pursuits. Read more>>

Jeri-Ashley Bremer

Many say that this generation, my generation, will be the one that changes the world. We’ll be the ones that break cycles of pain and trauma within our families and create spaces for children to thrive in their true authenticity. That is one of the reasons I stepped into this work, Read more>>

David Figueroa

My parents always taught me that I could do anything I set my mind to despite living with Cerebral Palsy my entire life, their faith and belief in seeing my potential was limitless. They also taught me to keep on fighting on not to ever give up despite the struggles faced with my disability, the school systems and doctors early on in life. Read more>>

Alice Fairfax

When I was 7 years old, my dad drove me across the country from his post in Vancouver, Washington to our next home in Northern Virginia. This was way before iPads, smart phones, or TVs built into the headrest of the minivan. We were in a blue Dodge Dart with no air-conditioning, vinyl seats, a lap belt and a built-in AM/FM radio with stations that drifted in and out. Read more>>

Anasiah Clark

My parents have ALWAYS been motivators. I was always told, if I wanted to do something always put my mind into it. Work hard for what you want, and it will all pay off at the end. My parents have always been hard workers, watching them as a young kid to me now being an adult is what pushes me the most. Read more>>

William Harris

Growing up I was heavy into Star Wars. Return of the Jedi was my favorite movie for years. My family would take me to the movies but they would not let me watch a lot of TV. They Called TV the idiot box and they made me run outside. Funny, to this day I don’t watch a lot of TV and I exercise daily. Two out of my Three favorite shows now are Star Wars produced; Read more>>

Kevin Burnett Jr

Well I come from a divided home. Not so divided where things were just horrible but my family started young and they really needed time to find themselves as individuals. Both of my parents taught me valuable lessons, nonetheless. Read more>>