One of the biggest opportunities for folks who want to make an impact through entrepreneurship is to tackle things that Corporate America has gotten wrong and so we’ve asked some of the best and brightest in the community to share examples of what Corporate America is getting wrong in their industries.

Carmen Bell-ross

One issue I believe corporate America often overlooks in our industry is the underinvestment in leadership development for front-line supervisors. Organizations invest significantly in development at higher levels of leadership but not on the front lines. This is a misstep because the front-line supervisors are the people who interact with the largest number of employees every day. They are often promoted to this supervisory level of leadership because they excel at their roles and the organizations recognize their understanding of the work is valuable in leading teams to do the same. However, leadership requires additional skills that aren’t provided through experience alone. Without proper support, training, and resources, these supervisors can feel unsupported and overwhelmed as they strive to lead diverse teams effectively. Read more>>

Hayley Paige

Recently, I had the privilege of testifying before the U.S. Senate regarding my experience with an onerous noncompete agreement. I firmly believe that noncompetes in employment contracts hinder human potential, restrict economic mobility, and unjustly deprive individuals of their livelihood. While proponents argue that noncompetes can benefit corporations, my experience has shown that these agreements ultimately harm industries, stifle small business growth, and undermine fair competition. Read more>>

Rebekah Lewis

Corporations in the self-care and skin-care industry often prioritize profit over meaningful values, leading to significant issues. A prevalent practice is greenwashing, where companies create the illusion of offering clean, eco-friendly products, despite using harmful ingredients and unsustainable practices. Mass production often compromises product quality, making it challenging to maintain high standards. To cut costs, companies may opt for mediocre ingredients, undermining both the product’s efficacy and its safety. Read more>>

Destiny Arlette

Mistreating artists and creatives as non-essential. When you mention you’re a visual or performing artist to a corporate employee, there’s always an air of unimportance in the career you’ve chosen. It feels like an incorrect purpose. However, there’s always a respect toward the production of television and cinema, to museums and galleries, to the building of furniture, and the type of clothes you wear on your back. These final products are due to the creative idea and skillset of artists who then constructed, housed, and revolutionized their work for the public. Art is currently a risky investment due to the greater focus on profit margin. The support of jobs that produce maximum, continued labor that are likely to outweigh the outputting cost and fees with a higher income return, are pushed to the front. Read more>>

Galaz Bibbs

This is a great question. Having experience in both the nonprofit and digital advertising sectors, I’ve observed some common misconceptions in corporate America across both industries. I’ll start with marketing and public relations. In my experience working in corporate America, with small businesses, and for myself, I’ve noticed that many people don’t fully grasp the breadth of marketing. They often think it’s limited to print or social media, but it’s much more nuanced. Marketing includes subcategories like email marketing, SEO, PR, analytics, social listening, influencer marketing, paid and organic social media—the list goes on. Read more>>

Adam Dobrez

Corporate gyms care about money first and foremost, and they put themselves before their members. They crowd their gyms with equipment that has been proven to be ineffective, simply because it attracts a “certain” type of member. The member corporate gyms are after is the person who rarely shows up, if at all. Someone who prefers amenities over quality equipment and space. And then they pack their gym full of members, so even the people who are showing up for a good workout end up having trouble doing so. Read more>>

Jagdeep Thandi

Commercial fields like photography often prioritize efficiency, maneuverability, and profit. However, in doing so, these organizations tend to overlook the most important aspect of wedding photography—its deeply emotional and human side. What corporations may miss is that wedding photography isn’t just a technical service; it’s about capturing the love story of two unique individuals. Corporate America’s focus on deadlines, cost-cutting, and uniformity doesn’t align with the nature of weddings, where moments are irreplaceable. Each couple brings their own culture, story, and dynamic, requiring a photographer who is emotionally invested, not just treating them as another client on the schedule. Read more>>

Ryan Shroyer

I believe the most prominent fallacy that Corporate America gets wrong in the massage industry is that every person that comes into your clinic is not just another number. Every treatment should be uniquely tailored to each client’s individual needs, and those needs can change in any given session. I will also mention that a lot of corporate entities do not permit massage of the abdomen, gluteal, or pectoral regions of the body due to the potential lawsuits around the sensitivity of those areas. I’ve had many clients come into my clinic saying they’ve never had any of these areas worked, and those ended up being the primary areas of discomfort. The final thing I’ll say is the bottom line for most corporations is money. In my experience, a big heart fills up the spiritual bank account more than massage will ever fill an actual bank account. This is one of many reasons why massage therapists can burnout quickly. If you don’t love what you do, it’s not sustainable. Read more>>

Terra Welch

Baking sourdough has taught me so many things, but I think more than anything it has taught me the simplicity of great food. When you go to the store and buy a loaf of bread, you can read upwards of 30 ingredients on the label. From high fructose corn syrup to bleaching agents, trans fats, and a chemical that’s compared to what yoga mats are made of. It’s literally a laboratory on its own. Sourdough is 3 ingredients. Flour, salt and water. That’s it. There’s no need for anything else to be added to it. It tastes great on its own, and will hands down be better than any bread you can buy from the store. Read more>>

Katie Gerhard

Easy – the Red Tape. I worked for a Fortune 500 company for about 10 years and though it’s important to have policies in place, I felt we were always focused on perfection vs getting to the finish line or closing the deal. I recently made the decision to leave Corporate America and have landed where I feel I was always meant to be – alongside founder and CEO of Turmeric & Tequila™, the graceful disruption podcast, Kristen Olson. I’m still working to break free from a corporate way of thinking but the speed we’re able to move is really refreshing. She’s been a long time friend/mentor/trend setter so when she offered me the position of COO, it was a no brainer. Read more>>