🎙 Inventive Journey | Real Stories From the Startup Survival Club

🚀 Meet Dianne D. Campbell , a powerhouse who transitioned from decades in corporate tech sales with Fortune 50 companies to founding her own business, Your Productivity Pros . 🎓 Her Journey Dianne’s career began at Long Beach State University, where she earned her degree in business and marketing. After discovering her passion for connecting people and solutions, she pursued a career in sales —...

In this episode of The Inventive Journey , host Devin Miller  talks with Darrin Wurz , a former high school science teacher who transitioned into the world of finance and became a trusted advisor to law firm owners. Darrin shares how his early passion for education and curiosity led him from teaching ninth-grade biology in Cincinnati, Ohio, to building a successful financial advisory business that...

Avy Schondorf’s inventive journey is one of adaptability, insight, and purpose. From social services and nonprofit fundraising in Israel to founding a U.S.-based virtual assistant agency, Avy’s story illustrates how resilience and systems thinking can turn disruption into innovation. After relocating from Israel to the U.S. just before COVID-19, Avy transformed uncertainty into opportunity by iden...

Annie Davis’ career began far from boardrooms and tech startups — it started at IKEA and McDonald’s. In this episode of  The Inventive Journey , host Devon Miller sits down with Annie to explore how her bold move from Reno to Utah on a whim evolved into a thriving entrepreneurial career. Annie shares how she learned to lead teams across borders, embrace remote collaboration long before it was main...

Be motivated to truly understand what you’re getting into, because in the beginning, all the focus will be on you. If it’s something you’re passionate about—something you genuinely care for and love doing—make sure you have a clear understanding of what that journey involves.

My single, non-negotiable rule is simple: listen more than you speak. Equally important for anyone entering business is to understand that government is typically not an ally. Speaking from years of experience buying and selling a wide range of businesses — car washes, gas stations, convenience stores, development and operating companies, trucking firms, woodworking shops, and more — I’ve found go...

I’ve learned that businesses rise and fall with people, not spreadsheets. When I started with a couple of partners, those relationships proved invaluable—mentorships, the right connections, the right centers of influence. You can’t figure it all out on your own. There’s a saying: nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care. That applies to both your internal team and external...

Many startup CEOs and entrepreneurs often get stuck on their first idea, treating it like their baby. They hold onto it for too long, draining resources and relationships instead of adapting. The key is to listen to the market and your customers—they’ll guide you in the right direction. Pivoting or iterating isn’t failure, even if it feels that way at first. It’s simply a shift in mindset toward g...

Forget about having a traditional work-life balance. I’ve heard this echoed by many other startups and small business owners, and even a few well-known entrepreneurs. Personally, I set boundaries on only a handful of things—like my birthday and Christmas—but beyond that, most of my “social life” happens at conferences or networking events. I often work weekends, and it’s not unusual for me to be u...

A key rule of thumb is to test as much as possible before officially launching. Market research can be tricky—asking people “Would you come if I opened an Italian restaurant here?” doesn’t always give reliable answers. But for certain types of businesses, especially low-cost ones like cleaning services, you can start small and validate demand right away. Go out, find a few clients, and talk direct...

If you’re starting a business for the first time, one of the most important steps is to carefully decide what kind of product or service you want to offer. Take the time to really think it through and brainstorm your ideas thoroughly. Many people see an opportunity and jump in right away without proper preparation. They often don’t fully understand why they are selling a particular product or offe...

If you're just starting a startup or small business, the most important thing—based on my experience and those I've worked with—is to focus entirely on your product or service. Whether you're offering a service, selling a physical item, or building a SaaS platform, make sure it's something people genuinely want. Then, identify exactly who those people are. Spend 99% of your time refining your prod...

My biggest advice to anyone starting out is to avoid setting expectations for how long it will take to experiment and find your footing. Unless you're following a franchise model, no one has done exactly what you're trying to do—so there’s no set timeline. And since time is money, the more you can explore, test, and learn while working another job or having some financial support, the bett...

Don't start coding, hiring, or building anything until you've sold the idea. Your first job is to talk to potential customers, deeply understand their problems, and validate that a real solution is needed. This is a lesson I’ve learned over multiple ventures—this being my third. In fact, we didn’t write a single line of code until we had a signed contract in hand. That shift has fundamenta...

One of my mentors shared something I always come back to — it comes down to three key things. First, self-motivation. You’ve got to have that inner drive to go after what you truly want. Second, prioritization. You need to know what matters most and what can wait. And third, mentorship. Find someone you trust, someone who can guide you. And along the way, don’t forget to trust yourself too — if so...

The rule of thumb I followed—and one I still believe in—is that it's perfectly fine to change direction, to explore different paths, or even juggle multiple interests at once. If you don’t have everything figured out from the start, that’s completely okay. What matters most is getting out there and gaining real experiences. Don’t fear trying, and don’t fear failing. Every attempt, every bit of exp...

Keep trying—because you're going to hear a lot of "no's," and the key is to get comfortable with rejection. I even have a note taped to my desk that says, "Try to get rejected—to get over the fear of being rejected." As an entrepreneur, especially in the beginning, you'll face resistance and doubt, often from others and sometimes from yourself. But success comes from showing up over and over again...

You know, it’s different for everyone, but a good starting point would be reading the book Emotional Intelligence. It’s a great introduction to understanding EQ. If you don’t really know who you are — and many people don’t, especially when starting a business in their 20s — take time to explore that. Talk to the people around you. Ask them how they perceive you. What do they think are your biggest...

Follow your heart and trust your instincts—they’re often more powerful than you realize. I’ve always had a strong gut feeling about the things I pursue, a sense that tells me, “This needs to happen, this will work.” When I’ve shared my ideas with others, the response has been overwhelmingly positive—people are often surprised and inspired, saying they never thought of it that way. That kind of val...

If there's one key piece of advice I'd give to anyone in business or entrepreneurship, it's to beware of the tyranny of the now—the intense pressure of immediate problems like a lost contract, a team member leaving, or an unexpected crisis. These challenges feel overwhelming in the moment, but they are temporary. Don't let short-term pain lead to emotional decisions that could harm your long-term...

Stay liquid — hold on to as much cash as possible. If you're ready to go all in, be prepared to make serious lifestyle adjustments — even something as extreme as crashing on a friend's couch with just a sleeping bag. You need to fully grasp that whatever you're planning for your business — the launch, the execution, everything — will likely take longer, cost more, and face more uncertainty than yo...

Get really good at listening to your own gut. You're going to receive a lot of advice—everyone will be convinced they know exactly what you should do next. Some of that advice might be valuable, but I always take everything with a grain of salt. What’s more important is learning to pause and tune in to your own instincts. We're actually in one of those moments right now—a bit of a pivot, a...

I don’t want to pretend like I know how every business works—because I don’t. But in my experience, with my own business, I truly believe the most important thing is being fully present. You have to live in the business. I just don’t see how this can be done remotely. Even if it could, I think there’s so much value—in terms of company culture and team morale—in working alongside your people. If a...

I'd suggest ignoring the common advice in business culture that tells you to hack your time, boost productivity, or master time management. Instead, shift your focus to managing your energy. That change made a profound difference in my life. So many of us are walking around nearly depleted—burned out, overwhelmed, and under constant stress. The real antidote isn't doing more or achieving m...

There are two books I always recommend to entrepreneurs just starting out, and one of them is Profit First by Mike. The book is a game-changer. Coming from the corporate world, I had a traditional mindset about finances, but this book completely flipped that perspective. It taught me to prioritize profit from day one and helped me restructure how I manage cash flow and budgets in my business. The...