We asked some of the brightest folks in the community to open up to us about the most important lesson their business or career has taught them. We’ve highlighted some of those responses below.

Bryan Wachs | Serial Entrepreneur, Marketer, Outdoor Junkie

Follow your curiosity to find purpose. Keep your passions safe and sound by employing them outside of work. Curiosity makes us yearn for more, to keep us engaged and feel worthy of our pursuits and goals. You never know how that curiosity with take you on a road you never meant to turn down. (said the Pre-med Chemistry major :). Read more>>

Frankie Chan | Creative Portrait Artist

I was born in Hong Kong and my parents relocated us to Aotearoa (New Zealand) when I was 2 years old. Growing up I felt a separation from my culture, I felt like I stood out. At school my bullies made sure I felt like I was different and out of place. Now that I’ve grown up, there are truths to what these bullies said; I am different but I’ve learned that that’s not a bad thing, in fact it’s a strength of mine. Read more>>

Leila Viss | Pianist and Piano Teacher

I grew up in a small college town in Northwest Iowa called Sioux Center. My parents were both professors at the Christian college, my dad taught math and my mom taught art. The community was and still is saturated with musicians and so I did like pretty much everyone else and started piano and violin lessons in first grade. Defaulting to a music major with an emphasis in piano and organ seemed like the best option for an undergraduate degree. Read more>>

Amy Quinn | Photographer & Birth Worker

I was born in California, and moved to Colorado when I was a toddler. I grew up in Boulder County, and went to college in Denver (MSU Denver) for Human Development and Early Childhood Education. I have always been in caregiver roles- the last ten years as a preschool teacher. Read more>>

Jordan Dowler | Cinematographer

I’m 24 and still at my infancy when it comes to my career, but something I’ve learned since becoming a Freelance Cinematographer is to always lead with your best foot forward. This means to be confident in what you do know and at the same time having humility with the things you don’t. At the beginning of my career, I almost felt as if I needed to pose like I knew what I was doing all the time just to be seen as an asset or to fit in with those around me. Read more>>

Regina Stump | Police Academy Physical Education Instructor, Mountaineer & Ultramarathoner, Elite Spartan Athlete,

The most important lesson that my career has taught me is to be grateful. There have been many unexpected adversities and changes, shifting my career in various ways. When the temptation to complain or to succumb to complacency threatened my growth mindset, the antidote I found to combat these toxins was gratitude. Being grateful for the good in my life, being thankful for that which is within my control allowed me to press on with joy, eager to see what was ahead. Read more>>

Danielle Neaves | Wedding Venue Co-Owner

I’m from a small town in Southeast Iowa. Growing up on a family farm completely shaped who I am today. Ties to the land and the area are the foundation, literally and figuratively, are what we built the family business on. In 2000, my family built our house where my great grandfather’s trailer was. Read more>>

Jennifer Duggins | Actress, Writer, Artist, & Entrepreneur

I grew up on a 10-acre organic farm in the Ozarks. Both of my parents wanted to get off the grid, and they built their success from the ground up. We lived in a dilapidated farmhouse that was held together more with creativity and perseverance than good construction. The carpet was held in place with staples and there was an open shower in the unfinished basement shared with brown recluse and rodents of varying types. Read more>>

MICHAEL AMINOV | OWNER/MASTER BARBER

The idea and motivation to open Men’s Escape Barbershop came from a seed planted in my deepest thoughts when I was a child. It all started when my family fled from the USSR to come to America in the hopes of starting a new life. My father, the person who made me the man I am today, started his own barbershop in Queens, New York, and I could honestly say I pretty much was raised in that shop. Read more>>