We asked folks to tell us about the most important decisions they’ve made along their journey and have shared some of the highlights below.

Elizabeth Mehditach | Chef, Instructor & Writer

After years of going at my business solo, meaning, figuring it out all on my own, this year I decided to work with a business mentor. It has been the best decision I have ever made. Read more>>

David Kovac | Magician & Entertainer

I’ve never given myself anything to fall back on. Sure, the path of a performing artist or entertainer may be non-linear and unpredictable, and not every effort will succeed. But creative people who persevere and pay attention tend to fall forward, and at least they land closer to their dream. Those are the personalities I’ve always admired and tried to learn from — good old fashioned show biz pros who live a decisive life and end up with with plucky stories, real friends, and maybe even a signature piece or two. Read more>>

Christel Ferguson | Professional Organizer

I feel the most important decision, other than working for myself, that contributed to my success was that I wanted to help people get unstuck in their life through their stuff. My passion is helping others “let go” of what’s not serving them anymore and then transforming their space for comfort and productivity. Some people are held back because of their environment and they don’t even realize it. My motto is “Change your space change your life” and I wholeheartedly believe that. Read more>>

Rande Leaman | Interior Designer

Several years into starting my own interior design firm, I was contacted by a couple to do a full scale gut remodel of their kitchen. I had spent the previous few years concentrating on living room, family room & bedroom interiors — not wanting to risk my growing reputation and take on the stressful commitment of kitchen and bathroom remodels. I turned them down. She persisted. And something inside me said to take this risk, and that one decision changed the success of my business profoundly. Most of my work is now large scale home renovations and kitchen design is my absolute favorite part of what I do. Helping clients feel great in their homes and changing how they function and live in their space (now more than ever) is a complete privilege and a joy. This decision was a major shift for me both personally and financially as my business grew. Read more>>

Lydia Tsou | Cinematographer & Entrepreneur

Dropping my summer plans to fly from California to Missouri to work on a feature film. Funny because you’d think it might be the opposite way around, right? Anyway, because of that one decision, it truly got the ball rolling for me in the film industry. Before I worked on the feature, I would only work on narrative short film sets a handful of times a year – granted I was a full-time university student, my major had nothing to do with film, I had multiple part-time jobs to juggle, and I was building up my freelancing photography business. After working on the feature, I more than tripled the amount of films I worked on within a year. It was quite a wild ride to be on that set. The 4 of us who came from California drove all over Missouri, crossing half the state multiple times. Read more>>

Valerie Hirsch | Shop Owner & Buyer

I wholeheartedly believe that any success I have in my life is the result of a group effort. When it comes to Voyager, my team, the designers, and the customers and community around the shop, have all been supporting and advancing the business since day one. I don’t see any success as mine, but ours. I may be self-employed and privileged enough to be in a position to create the vision, but that work would not be possible alone. I think making the decision to listen and learn from everyone, and to value my team as equals, is what has contributed the most to our success. Read more>>

Luca Fiorini | Founder & CEO

When I decided to move to the United States and embark in this incredible journey as an entrepreneur I promised myself I would treat every single client with the same level of respect, attention to details and professionalism. This is an approach that may not pay off right away but I can ensure it does in the long run. The small venue booking or micro-event production you worked on a few years ago can lead to an important referral for a huge project tomorrow. This is one of my number one rules, and this is what has made Piovra Group the event company it is today. Read more>>

Tiffany Rowe | Entrepreneur & Artist

I decided that I believed in my idea of Cheeky Kakes and no matter what obstacles I faced or how difficult it got I would keep going. I made a decision that even though the journey was not going to be easy, it was going to be worth it. All the sacrifice, dedication, hard work and love I was putting into this was going to lead me to success. I started telling myself “life is rigged in my favor”. It became the motto I live by. Read more>>

Felice LaZae | Singer & Entrepreneur

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned as a working musician is the importance of establishing multiple streams of income, especially passive income. This came out of necessity as I was building my music career, but I soon learned that multiple streams of income really are the key to building wealth and stability. So I’ve definitely become a serial entrepreneur as a result and my current new venture is a wealth building, social platform called MUSE Collective. Read more>>

Krystal Walden | Founder & CEO

The single most important business decision that I have made over the years of owning KRYSTAL SPA® was recognizing my core audience. As a former UCLA Track Athlete it was quite natural that I had a passion and desire to work with other professional athletes. Although I have been blessed to work with professional athletes from the NFL, NBA, MLB, and U.S. Track & Field; my passion evolved over the years. From the time that I started teaching yoga, I discovered that my soft spot for beginners to health and fitness was growing stronger. Beginners tend to be more open and vulnerable to new ideas and concepts. Spontaneously, I grew a passion towards the desire to guide beginners to the path of building a strong knowledge base and foundation towards their health and fitness. Read more>>

Scott Shelton | Urban Espresso

The single most important decision I have made, has been deciding to work with my wife Kenia. Kenia is the driving force behind our success. She is the creative mind behind our style and image, which I believe is a big reason for our success. Kenia designed our coffee truck, and she is also the master carpenter that builds and designs our custom espresso bars. I love working with her. It has brought us closer together. And we both compliment each others strengths and weaknesses perfectly. The single most important decision I have made, is choosing the correct business partner. Read more>>

Elaina Greenberg | Acupuncturist & Classical Chinese Herbalist

Forgive me, I can’t narrow it down to just one important decision but I can give you my top three. 1. To listen to my heart, to listen to other’s hearts, and to stay connected to heart. 2. To honor my patients by continuing my education and love of learning about health and medicine. 3. To be true to my word and speak from heart. Read more>>