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.

Stacey Roberts

The best investment I’ve ever made was in myself. It can be difficult to take that step, but by investing in myself I was making a declaration of faith, support, and love for myself and my vision. In everything I do, I want to be the very best. Becoming the best in anything takes time, determination, and financial investment. I’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars (this is no exaggeration) on degrees, formal training, certifications, masterminds, private coaching, and grooming because I want to be the best. Read more>>

Amber Gilmore

The Golden Rules: The best investments has for myself has definitely been investing in evidence based education in my field of interest, business education, my confidence, my talents, reading books, consistency, dedication to my craft and self care. I believe these topics to explore and mention for investing in all areas of life for determination and to focus on your goals and be an overall well balanced person. Read more>>

Ruju Hailey Shah

The best investment I made in my business is focusing on self development. I prioritized education that helped me achieve more efficient processes and generate higher quality for my clients. I even study atypical subjects not necessarily directly related to my industry such as negotiating tactics, winning attitude, and leadership skills. This has helped me elevate the client experience and ensure my business runs smoothly. I will continue to focus on education development because I believe this is the real way to constantly evolve and improve. Read more>>

Clara Alvarez-Alonso

Following an artistic path often means big economic investments. I’ve invested quite a bit of money into cameras, lenses, drones and underwater housings for the camera. However, my best creative investment was not economic, it was time and experience. In February of this year, I decided to go to Costa Rica by myself for 2 months to pursue my art, immerse myself in lifestyle surf and nature photography, and create a portfolio. Read more>>

Jordan Pynes & Caitlin O’Meara

Accountant!! The number one best investment a small business owner can make is having someone to manage the books. Our co-owner, Caitlin, has extensive experience in this area and did the accounting and tax prep for our first year of business. It’s incredibly time-consuming and really takes away from the joy of the actual design work – and yet the most important part of owning a business is keeping your finances in check. After the first year, we hired a local accountant who does our monthly reconciliation, helps us pay our sales tax, and files our taxes at the end of the year. Read more>>

Drew Young

The best investment I have made is the time I have spent developing my skill set. We started the podcast in 2019, and I started filming when I was young. Eventually I was use the skills I developed to create a documentary on Yutes Media with Max Choriev. Due to my creative endeavors, I was able to get a job with Audacy, an entertainment company that owns many, podcasts, radio stations, and talent. Read more>>

Dave Chandler

The best investment I have made as a business owner is investing in myself. Always providing myself with the necessary tools I need to succeed. Whether it be motivating my hustle, branding my business, or purchasing new equipment, your tolls will take you to new territories. I have been able to be blessed with some growth in business and contribute a lot to my hard work and believing in myself. Read more>>

Ericka Woods

I think the best investment I made was getting the proper paperwork for my Non-Profit. Alot of times we have these ideas and we just do it, and that’s exactly what I did without registering anything. There would be so many grants I would want to apply for but once I started the application I would always see I needed a 501c3 which I didn’t have. Despite having no formal training and utilizing my own savings for startup, I completed the necessary steps to register my corporation, and obtain nonprofit status with the 501C. Read more>>

Jesseca Spearmon

The best investment I made as a business owner was going to school. I knew I wanted to expand my business in ways that would require me to have a cosmetology license. Yes, I am a licensed braider, but having a cosmetology license will allow me to expand my services and my knowledge. I would like to be an educator as well. I want to be a mentor to aspiring hairstylists or business owners. With going to school I have the opportunity to see how salon life is and how a salon is ran. Read more>>

Jordan Austin

The best investment I ever did for myself was find a creative/expressive outlet. For me it was music, specifically making my own. With no solid background in theory or instrumentation, you can imagine the obvious difficulties I’d encounter while trying to produce. It took a long time to get comfortable creating beats and figuring out how to transfer my ideas onto a computer; and I’m still learning more and more each day. But that has been the beauty of it. Looking back at ideas I had 7 years ago and hearing what I’m creating now is a good reminder to always stay learning. Read more>>