The Decision Makers Series is one of our staff’s favorite because decision making is a topic that so many of us have studied deeply.

William Petz | CEO

You can’t do it all! No one can sell the product like me, no one cares as much as I do, I can do it quicker and better than others; these are just some of the thoughts that entrepreneurs think/say; as they know the product in more detail than anyone else. This mindset is what could kill a business because as a business owner; you need to “work on your business” vs. “work in your business”. To do this, you must hire people. The single most important decision was to hire that 1st employee to share the workload with. Hiring someone is not as simple as you may think. There’s a lot of legal documents to be signed, insurance that needs to be paid, etc. to be in compliance with city and federal employment laws. Read more>>

Marc Davenport | The Wealth Strategist & CEO

One of the core principals of my personal business philosophy is to intentionally surround myself with the very best and brightest people I know. Men and women who possess great character, ethics, and ability. People striving to become the absolute very best they can be. People and who are secure enough to acknowledge to celebrate the success of others. Read more>>

Courtney Lloyd Grear | Composer, Lyricist, Pianist & Educator

Well, the first thing that comes to mind is that in music, it’s really ok to be your most genuine self. Often times, artists, lyricists, composers, and instrumentalists are forced by way of societal pressures to pick one specific lane to drive in, ignoring their ability to essential be a hybrid artist. Your creativity does not have to die at the opinions of people who don’t buy music anyway. Some of the dopest artists mix country and rap, jazz and opera, classical and gospel. So to answer, one thing that outsiders are unaware of, that I wish they were more conscious of, is how much heart and soul, tears and fears, sweat and stress go into our building our craft, and respond accordingly. Read more>>

Joan Montreuil | Award-Winning Author & Filmmaker

Learning the craft of filmmaking in every area of pre to post-production. I am able to perform in any role. Read more>>

Jessica Freda | Co-owner

Going into business with my best friend. This can be a tricky situation to navigate for some people and it wasn’t 100% seamless in the beginning for us either, but Cece Loessin and I are an incredible team and I truly don’t believe that we’d be anywhere near as successful if we weren’t in this together. Cece and I had been best friends, band mates and chosen sisters for about 3 years before we went into business together with Zucchini Kill. All of those relationships are distinct and adding business partner on top did create a new element but it’s only brought us closer. Read more>>

Kerri Roberson | Entrepreneur Consultant

To take absolute ownership! I quickly understood I was the only one responsible for my outcome. I cannot control the decisions others make, which meant I had to always look for the next client/customer to help and never settle with where I was! Read more>>