There is so much to learn from investments that went really well as well as those that went really poorly and so we asked some of the wisest creatives and entrepreneurs in the community to tell us the stories of their best and worst investments.

Neela Asaadi

A business coach and a network/ community. When you are starting out, it is BEYOND important to find your people. Whether that means, a coach that is going to hold you accountable and help you take your business to the next level or… a networking group with like-minded individuals. I invested in both of these when I started out and still, till this day, 5 years later, I am a part of 2 networking groups that meet virtually 1x week. Read more>>

Joshua Parkhurst

When I started my business I made it a point to be as helpful as possible regardless of the pay (or lack thereof). I provided solutions without compensation on many occasions. I would have free consultation meetings and provide creative ideas that the businesses could freely use and I let them know that. I wanted to share what I knew and was passionate about with the focus of helping businesses develop and grow. Read more>>

Jon the funky monk

I’m finding in my professional and personal life, the best investment you can make is in yourself. For many years, I didn’t pursue better materials, tools, or education because of fear. Fear of failure, fear of success, and fear of disappointment. I had quite the imposter syndrome. The real backstory here is that I made an initial investment in recording gear when I was 17. My delivery job was able to fund the basics with very consumer level gear. Read more>>

Sylvia Smith

One of the best investments I have made in myself in my business is the purchase of a laser cutter last year. I first encountered laser cutters waaaay back in 2008 or so at an internship in college. One of the interns duties was to run laser jobs for the other designers and maintain the machine. I began to see how powerful this tool is for a designer and illustrator. I have always wanted one, but in recent years they have become more and more accessible in affordability, size, and maintenance. Read more>>

Roberto Orozco

The best investment I could have done for my career is stayed in college to complete my degree. I remember there was a time where my social media career was taking off and I saw a future where I could make a career out of it. I was in the middle of college and I was seriously considering putting it aside to pursue social media as a full time career. My parents advised to stay in school so I could have a back up but it would just take a lot of my time up. With that being said, I ended up staying but I did not really see how I could use my degree any time soon knowing my interests in makeup and social media at the time. Read more>>

Sue Sheridan

The worst investment I done was putting together a boyband. Working with other parents teenage sons who ultimately no respect for another human being who was investing time and money into their careers. Never assume you are helping someone else realise their dreams, sit back and see how much energy they themselves are putting into making their own dreams come to live then you know if they’re serious or not. They say things happen for a reason and through doing this I met so many other people who are still in my life today. Read more>>

Yung Marco

The best investment I have made was investing in myself/craft. I wanted to make a difference in the music world and I realized that in order to do that I must be a lifelong student at it. I studied the difference between being a producer and a beatmaker, the protocol of the music industry, and music theory. This helped me change my approach toward curating projects with other creatives. Read more>>

Danielle Stephenson

When started in photography, I went in with a mindset to learn how to take the best images possible. I dug deep into that and researched the best practices and the best equipment. Then I spent money on what I thought was the best equipment and rushed into investing into things that may help me take better photos, but that was the worst way to invest in making me a better photographer and business owner. Read more>>