We’ve been fortunate to connect with so many brilliant, thoughtful entrepreneurs and creatives and we regularly ask them about the most important lessons they’ve learned over the course of their careers. We’ve shared some highlights below.

Nova Kaufman | Co-Founder of Basquet & Multidisciplinary Creative

The most important two lessons that building my own business has taught me are that 1. slow is better and 2. to trust your gut fearlessly. Oftentimes as a first-time founder, the pressure and noise of external stakeholders, team members, media, and the greatest one of all, yourself, can lead to fast-paced decision making that revolves around short-term goals and results. Read more>>

Nicholas Donner | Photographer

What is the most important lesson your business has taught you? I will never “arrive.” Starting a business and staying in business is a process that never ends. If I don’t enjoy the process, consistently showing up every day to make new things, I am going to be frustrated and disappointed. Read more>>

Dr. Serena Goldstein, ND | Naturopathic Doctor, Speaker, Author

“Work harder on yourself than your business” They say ‘you are your business’, but what I find is many of us- myself included- have had periods throughout our lives that we can lose our sense of self chasing after money, dopamine- boosting habits, approval from others, the next best way to lose weight/ get healthy/ look hot (any of those), or telling ourselves we’ll figure it out later or someone else will take care of it. Read more>>

Robert Kapel | Founder and CEO of Arms of Love

The most pivotal lesson my journey with Arms of Love Cleveland has imparted upon me is the profound significance of authentic networking. As a budding entrepreneur, I quickly realized that networking is far more than just an exchange of business cards or LinkedIn connections. Read more>>