Deciding to work for yourself is often cited as the best decision folks in our community have made. Hearing the same response over and over led us to ask them about the next best decision folks have made and we’ve shared their responses with you below.

Taylor René Holly-Wood | CEO, Taylor René Music, Bold and Brazen Brand, and Pro Dance Yard Academy

I am someone that thoroughly loves being an Entrepreneur, and I would say that the single most important decision that I have made that contributes to my success would be to believe in my faith. When you work for yourself, there isn’t a how-to guide to follow, or someone to bounce ideas off of at times. It is in those times that you need to trust in yourself and your faith! Working for yourself is not easy, but it is truly rewarding!. Read more>>

Abigail Carter | Artist

When I began painting, I was very much focused on the end goal. I wanted to make beautiful art AND I wanted to be successful. To me, that meant making lots of money and having art galleries knocking on my door. But the more I painted, the less I began to care about these things. Selling your own work is a very loaded prospect. It’s tied up with your own ego, who you are as a person, a society that frowns upon over self-promotion or being *too* successful. It’s OK to make money and be successful as long as you’re humble about it. And so I just quietly continued to produce art. I let go of where it might take me, success-wise. After a while, I didn’t really even care if it made me a ton of money. I did it to keep my sanity. I did it to fill time during a pandemic. I did it because all those colors made me so darned happy! And then I got brave enough to post a painting or two on my social media and my paintings seemed to make other people happy too. Read more>>

Lexy Komichak | Real Estate Agent at North&Co, & yoga Instructor

Making the switch from the office lifestyle to going off on my own in a field I knew nothing about was already a bit scary. Everyone I knew in real estate had been in the business for years, had a spouse that was somehow involved, or their parents were agents, and so they were deeply connected in the Phoenix area. Making the switch was the biggest leap & blessing of my life. I had success within the first year of joining the ranks at North&Co., but I still wasn’t sold on being an agent. I doubted myself, my abilities, my expertise. Then one day, it clicked for me. I had the experience, I had the local market knowledge, and I had the heart to help my clients, not only as a professional, but as someone who cared more about them being seen, heard, and understood. When I saw that I was able to guide my clients through the home buying or selling process from my heart, it became easy. Read more>>

Kevin Kauffman | Real Estate Agent, Coach, and Podcast Host

I had to make a decision to work ON myself. Not having a “boss” or being your own boss sounds fun but the truth is that it is hard. It can be hard because figuring out what to do day in and day out isn’t easy when you’re first starting out and it can be hard because if you do know what needs to be accomplished then you’re likely holding yourself to a higher standard than any previous boss would have ever done. Read more>>