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.
Kristen Bonney-James
I noticed a massive difference in my business when I started to invest in myself and my business. This meant finding help for the tasks I didn’t enjoy. I can say that the best investment I made was hiring a bookkeeper. Accounting is not my strength as I’m sure many other creatives can relate to. When I first started my business I didn’t have a lot of disposable income so I carried on and used my “I”ll just figure it out” mentality. I quickly learned that sometimes this mentality costs more in the end. Read more>>
Chrissy Marsman
When I first started photography, I put in the majority of my income back into my business to buy gear and upscale my website. Doing this doubled my earnings going into year two. I was able to establish my photography business much quicker than perhaps the average. Read more>>
Jenny Jolley.
I believe the best investment is education in your craft! For me, photographing weddings has been something I am constantly studying so I can improve at each wedding I photograph. Utilize your free resources on the internet, your peers (respectfully), and paid, good quality courses/trainings as well. You can have all the money you need, all the gear you need, but if you don’t know how to run your business and be successful in your craft, it doesn’t matter what you have. Read more>>
Michael Hubbs.
I wanted to make money…. found Bitcoin way back in 2015 and had no idea what it was. I just threw my money into bitcoin when it was only $600 for 1 bitcoin. My profit was exploding and thought it was a fake/scam showing the numbers on my computer so I gave it a test transferring the funds to my bank. My bank recognized that it was REAL and the funds were POSTED. I was in shock so I was happy taking all of my profits out and left it in my bank. Read more>>
Liz Miller
I was 34 and had been in hospitality my whole working life. The opportunity came to me to take over the innkeeper postition on a boat I had worked on before. When I first worked here at the Covington Inn the No Wake Cafe was here on board and I was a waitress there with a bunch of my best friends and my two sisters. The previous owners closed the restaurant down in 2000 and asked me to take over as Innkeeper in 2002. I could live on board, be (mostly) my own boss and make a living? Read more>>
Kenya Mitchell
The best investments I’ve made as a business owner?! 1. Going out on Faith (Believing in myself ; Before this I was a pre-K T.A with an awesome team. One day I decided to leave to go back to school and expand my business) 2.Establishing Connections/Networking (Getting out of my shell, meeting new people, volunteer etc. You never know who’s watching; someone may been searching for a person like you) Read more>>
Colton Rosman
The best investment I made was increasing my working space from 380 square feet to 1400 square feet. My business was operating out of a small pole barn and space was extremely tight on large projects. With the success of the business, we decided to take the plunge on building a large addition on to that space to increase efficiency and opportunities. Read more>>
Faryn Cutler.
2020 was the year I questioned what I really wanted my life to look like. The pandemic had me home full time for 12 weeks. After spending quality time with my family I asked myself if I really wanted to go back and continue my career in a salon environment. After digging deeper into what I was truly feeling, I realized I wasn’t growing. I wanted a life where I could spend more time with my husband and two young children. I began to reach out to others in the beauty industry to weigh my options as a stylist. Read more>>