The Power of “What If”: How Brandi Croghan Turned Fear Into Fuel

Brandi Croghan’s leap into entrepreneurship wasn’t marked by paperwork—it was the moment she walked onto a plane, representing no one’s brand but her own. Through The What If Collective, she helps mission-driven leaders and teams shift how they think, lead, and connect. This edition of the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Spotlight dives into how Brandi turned uncertainty into fuel, building a business rooted in possibility, courage, and human connection. From leveraging AI and design tools to embracing vulnerability as strategy, her story is a testament to creating impact not by following the rules—but by rewriting them.

Hi, Brandi! Thanks for joining us today. Tell us about your business. Who do you serve, how do you serve them, and what's the impact that your business and work makes?

The What If Collective helps leaders, teams, entrepreneurs-and really, all humans-unlock their potential by shifting the way they think, lead, and connect.
I partner with high-performing organizations and mission-driven individuals who want more than training...they want transformation. Through workshops, keynotes, and the What If Mindset™ Framework, I help people break default patterns, strengthen human connection, and turn possibility into action.
The impact?
More courageous leaders, more connected teams, and humans who feel empowered, energized, and capable of creating meaningful change in their work and their lives.

Tell us about the moment you finally felt like you went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur.

The moment I went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur wasn’t when I submitted my business application to the state or even sent my first proposal. It was when I boarded my first flight as my own business- not traveling for a company, but for work I created, on my own terms.
Walking down that jet bridge felt like a line in the sand. I wasn’t representing anyone else’s brand anymore. I was representing my own. That was the moment I thought, “Wow… I’m really doing this.” And everything shifted.

Describe the moment or period in your life/career that motivated you to make the entrepreneurial leap.

My entrepreneurial leap came during a season of both upheaval and clarity.
Professionally, I kept feeling the pull that I was meant to build something bigger than a corporate job could ever contain. Personally, I was navigating a difficult chapter that demanded strength, independence, and a new path forward.
When my. corporate role was eliminated, one question kept rising to the surface:
What If this is my moment? What If I stop pouring my gifts into everyone else’s vision and finally build my own?
That was the spark. It wasn’t dramatic, t was honest.
A quiet certainty that it was time to step out of the box, claim my voice, and create the work I was born to do.

Describe a tool, service, or software that has been a game-changer for your business. How does it contribute to your success?

For me, the real game-changer has been the combination of Canva and ChatGPT- the ultimate creative and strategic duo.
Canva gives me the ability to bring ideas to life quickly and beautifully. From workshop visuals to social content to full-scale brand assets, it lets a small business look and feel like a big one. It’s intuitive, professional, and makes high-impact design accessible-which is essential when you’re running a company solo.
And then there’s ChatGPT...not as a shortcut, but as a thought partner. Learning how to prompt well and use AI as a collaborator has expanded my creativity, sharpened my messaging, and opened perspectives I wouldn’t have arrived at alone. It helps me think bigger, faster, and more strategically.
Together, these tools allow me to scale What If in a way that feels aligned, elevated, and sustainable. They help me turn ideas into impact without losing my voice, my vision, or the human element at the heart of my work.

We know that success is very often a non-linear path. Tell us about a failure, pivot point, or lesson that changed your course or direction and helped to get you where you are today.

My biggest pivot point came during a season when my corporate role ended at the same time my personal life was becoming incredibly difficult. It felt like everything was falling apart at once; the kind of chapter that makes you question everything.
But that period taught me one of the most important lessons of my life: Sometimes what feels like failure is actually the clearest sign of misalignment.
I wasn’t meant to stay small, stay safe, or stay inside systems that couldn’t hold the impact I wanted to make.
Losing what felt familiar forced me to ask a new question:
What If this is the moment I finally build what I’m meant to build?
That question became a turning point and ultimately, the foundation of The What If Collective.

What unconventional strategy did you employ that significantly impacted your business?

One unconventional strategy that transformed my business was choosing to lead with humanity and transparency.
Instead of presenting a perfectly polished brand from day one, I shared my process openly; the frameworks I was building, the mindset shifts I was navigating, and the real questions behind the What If Movement.
In a space where entrepreneurs often hide the messy middle, I invited people into it.
That openness created connection, trust, and genuine resonance.
The result? A business that is growing not because I followed a playbook, but because I built a community around honesty, curiosity, and possibility.

What’s something you wish you knew sooner that you’d give as advice for aspiring or newer entrepreneurs?

I wish I had known that you don’t have to have everything figured out to start.
So many new entrepreneurs wait for clarity, confidence, or the “perfect” plan, but clarity doesn’t come first. Action does. 
Start before you feel ready. Take the next right step. Trust that your voice, your energy, and your story are enough to build something real.
And when fear shows up (because it will), don’t take it as a sign to stop, take it as a sign that you’re growing. If you can stay curious, stay consistent, and keep asking “What If this works?”… it will.

Want to dive deeper into Brandi's work? Check out the links below!

• Visit The What If Collective's website: thewhatifcollective.com
• Connect with Brandi Croghan on LinkedIn: Brandi Croghan
• Follow The What If Collective on Instagram: @therealwhatifcollective
• Find The What If Collective on Facebook: Brandi Croghan & The What If Mindset