We asked some very talented folks to tell us about the most innovative thing they’ve done in their career.

Liz Jurado Armendariz

The most innovative thing I have done in my career was taking the risk of leaving my Cooperate America stable job and having the will power to take the risk of launch not just a Boutique but creating a Brand. When you take a risk of this nature you never know if the ideas you have will succeed or fail? its a risk I was willing to take that definitely has paid off. Read more>>

Stephanie Gilbert

I created a certification program for social media managers to become Master Strategists (a title that didn’t exist before this). In our industry there’s often a lot of confusion from business owners about why a social media manager is valuable & why they should be paid a premium. We often hear comments that belittle our experience and education, like “bravo to the intern running this account” or “don’t you just make memes & post graphics on social media all day?”… Despite social media platforms being one of the number one ways we discover, communicate with & even buy from businesses these days, social media managers are often under-appreciated & underpaid. Read more>>

Sammi St.John-Martinez

The most innovative thing I have done in my career is FishBowl Radio Network. This new broadcasting model that I created in 2009 was the first of its kind in the world! Since then many around the world have tried to duplicate the model and that is flattering. Even though there was internet streaming and the beginning rumbling of podcasting, no one had put it together in the way FishBowl Radio Network did. What I mean by that is with an infrastructure and studios that would allow anyone to come in and host their shows and grow and audience and monetize all at the same time. Read more>>

Sarah Freilicher, LMSW

I met my best friend Hannah in high school and we’re incredibly close. We’ve supported each other through every high and low for over a decade. Hannah and I became even closer during the time we lived together in Portland, Oregon before I moved to Austin. In recent years we’ve maintained our friendship via video messages, texts, and the semiannual visits when we both happen to be back in our hometown at the same time. Read more>>

Julia Shelley

It was the first few months i started my buisness, a man (Bob) contacted me on Yelp to inquiry about a dinner party. He said that his wife was a great cook but he wanted her to relax and enjoy the night so he thought about hiring a French Chef. Read more>>

Quendella Huggins

I submitted for a casting maybe 3 years ago that completely changed my life, it was for a medical show called “Chasing the Cure, and it was to help people with undiagnosed medical problems. Most people that know me, knows that i am a cancer survivor, but a lot of people may not know the life long side effects that come from it. Long story short, being an artist/model/Influencer, i was always so insecure about my smile. Read more>>

Niki Watson

I truly believe that kindness is the best gift you could give. I feel very fortunate to have had so much kindness given to me during my creative business journey. Out of so many wonderful acts of kindness bestowed upon me, one in particular has stood out among the years and has resinated throughout my growing business. It was an opportunity, a chance, a challenge. Read more>> 

Jessie Taylor

Reshelled was doing well growing organically—the jewelry was in a store on 30A in Florida (where I grew up), and I was getting consistent orders. One day, I got a text with a screenshot of an Instagram story asking if the jewelry in the photo was mine. Read more>>

Jessie Poole

When I decided I wanted to open my own CoolSculpting business, I needed to purchase the equipment… which isn’t cheap. Each device costs about as much as a house. I was talking to my uncle about my goals and where I wanted to go in life. I had a binder with my business plan in it – projections and a marketing plan – and he went and got his checkbook and wrote a check to cover the cost of the equipment I would need. That was the craziest moment of my life. Read more>>