To celebrate National Entrepreneurship Month, we kick off our annual Entrepreneur Issue with Tory, who shares how curiosity is the key to innovation, evolution and maintaining a startup mentality.

How has your philosophy evolved as an entrepreneur?
I am by nature a curious person, and I have always tried to apply a sense of curiosity to every aspect of our business. Being able to ask questions — I ask a lot of questions — and constantly learn is essential. It’s the cornerstone for evolution and innovation.

What fuels your curiosity?
Every season we push ourselves to come up with new ideas and new ways of seeing things while remaining true to our DNA. It’s about innovation and progress, anticipating the future and staying relevant in a rapidly changing world — all of which is interesting and energizing. I still feel like I am learning something new every day…

What do you do when you face a creative block?
I brainstorm with my team and I’m not afraid to ask for advice. We are incredibly diverse, so it’s exciting to learn from one another and push ourselves in a different direction. I tend to look outside of the industry for inspiration and guidance as well — ideas and business models that may work in another industry might be adapted for ours. And sometimes it’s as simple as a change of scenery. My team jokes about my after-dinner power walks. I come up with my best ideas when I’m walking off dessert.

What advice would you give entrepreneurs?
Embrace ambition. Don’t ever hide the fact that you want to grow and thrive.