We asked some brilliant folks from the community to tell us about the most important lesson their business or career has taught them. We’ve shared some of those responses below.

Kenny Franklin | Podcast Host & Speaker

Consistency breeds success. Success is not predicated on numbers or even fame but committed and consistent you were to your goals, the habits you built and the character you obtained from your hard work. Read more>>

Sean Harris | Doctor of Physical Therapy and Co-Owner of RISE Gym

I’ve always been a big believer of investing in people. One of my first jobs in college was working as a sports supervisor at my University’s gym. I was 19 or 20, but I remember my boss taking the time to meet with us and discuss our visions and goals. He would have us open up, talk about our passions, and give us feedback on how we were going to make them a reality. If I’m being honest, I thought it was mostly a waste of time…what 20 year old doesn’t have everything already figured out, right? It wasn’t until I was in graduate school several years later that I realized what he was trying to do. He was investing in me and his other employees. Investing his time, effort, and advice into our future lives and careers. Over the years I’ve been extremely blessed to have many friends, family, mentors, and complete strangers invest in me. I’ve also had the opportunity to invest in other people, and I’ve made it part of one of my core principles. Read more>>

Chelsi Oestreich | Kinko Co-Founder

Keep trying! Nothing irks me more than when I hear ‘we did it in the past and it didn’t work’. This world is moving so fast – people’s needs change, algorithms change – something you did may have failed but it may now work with a tweak or two on a different day with a different audience. Same goes for the reverse though…just because something worked one day doesn’t mean it will work the next. You have to keep learning, keep trying different things and realize that not everything is going to be a homerun As long as know this and encourage this in your team, you will minimize discouragement and cultivate a creative environment that isn’t scared to take risks. Read more>>

Jenna Truong | Photographer

The most important lesson my photography business has taught me is to be 100% authentic. During the early stages of building my photography business, I morphed myself into what my clients wanted me to be to the point I didn’t know who I was anymore leading me to feel creatively-stunted. In the beginning, I’ve always thought that in order to create a successful business meant I had to suppress my true personality and activate my business personality instead. For example, this meant I posted photos of what the audience wanted and not what I wanted. It was to the point I was even scared of voicing my own thoughts and opinions on social media because I was scared of losing amazing clients. Then I realized that if I wanted to enjoy my photography career then I needed to stop being so polished all the time even if people do not agree with me. When I learned how to be myself, I noticed I started meeting many clients who wanted to work with me because they liked the authentic me not the business me. Read more>>