Creator Advice
Nobody has all the answers

Natalia Robert, The Grove Studio
"Want to know a secret? We’re all making it up as we go. Yep, nobody has all the answers! Early on in my business, I thought that everyone else who owned a business surely knew what they were doing and that they were so far ahead of me. Well, they may have been a few steps ahead, but I came to realize that they also were fumbling their way through this thing we call entrepreneurship. And yes, those who are at the top of their game in our industry also have questions and doubts!
One of the most helpful things I did when I launched my business full-time was to join a co-working community for the first couple of years. I met so many other business owners from a variety of industries and got to expand my network immediately. At first, I was a bit intimidated. I mean, I had no idea what I was doing and here were all these professional-looking entrepreneurs that seemed to have all the answers! With time, I got to know them more and started realizing that they, too, were learning what to do as they went. In other words, they did NOT have all the answers. Sometimes, they were even impressed with things that I knew! Imagine that - I had some of the answers they were looking for.
Once I realized that others were also learning as they went, it made my messy journey feel less… messy. It created a sense of community that was really unexpected. I suddenly felt like I had an entire group of colleagues that were in the same boat as me, not in a boat that is oceans ahead.
So go ahead and reach out to someone whom you admire, or someone that seems to have all the answers. They may have the answers you’re looking for, but you may also have a few answers that they’re looking for as well!"
Advice Contributor
Natalia Robert
Natalia Robert is an interior photographer in Southern California and founder of The Grove Studio.