We asked some brilliant entrepreneurs, artists and creatives to reflect on lessons they’ve learned at prior jobs. We’ve shared highlights below.

Beth Payne

I have had jobs that made me incredibly unhappy – leading to my sometimes being (as one boss stated) “acerbic toward management”. I learned that it is better to face the uncertainty of unemployment for a while (ie a month or so) even when you had a family to support than to continue to work in an environment that made you absolutely miserable for an indeterminate time. Read more>>

Bethany Endter

One of the best pieces advice I was ever given is to match your client’s energy, but then raise the energy by one notch. For example, if you come in too strong with a 10 energy level, but they’re at a 2, you’ll burn out very quickly! Come in at a 3 or 4 instead. When you’re working one-on-one with clients, it’s important to meet them where they’re at and then bring them up from there. Energy management is important, and it’s a skill you need to hone if you want career longevity. Read more>>

BrownGuy

I’ve only had a few jobs previous to becoming a self-employed director & only one of them taught me that networking is the biggest key to life as an entrepreneur. Read more>>

Traci Callandrillo

I spent the first chapters of my career in higher education leadership and administration- providing services as a mental health clinician, then transitioning into management and university leadership roles. Higher education is a dynamic industry that is also in some ways slow to change and dependent on organizational structures. It is also an industry that is heavily regulated, and compliance with regulations and accreditation credentials is non-negotiable. So with this as the backdrop, an important lesson for me that helped my career came in the form of my first role as a large team lead. I was promoted internally in a large organization within a very large university, and presented with the task of improving service delivery and morale for this team. Because I was promoted internally, I had my own experience operating within the service structure, and I had my own opinions of the pros and cons of the system.Read more>>

Christy Anderson

Along with my photography business, I also work full time as a Senior Process Improvement Analyst. Throughout my career, I have learned over and over, the value of good communication. I have always enjoyed writing, even when I was little, but it wasn’t until I was in a professional environment that I realized just how many people lack effective communication skills. Both verbal and written, effective communication can go a long way with team members, current clients and prospective clients. Being able to lay out a project plan in an easy to understand way, and proactively sharing details of goals, vision, deadlines, who’s involved, etc.,gives people the information they need up front. If you can do that in a clear and concise way, you take the guessing game out if it for people, and they can relax a bit, feeling confident that you have things under control. In one particular project I was managing, I established expectations for a communication plan with my project team. After asking questions to gain perspective on what people were looking for, I committed to weekly status updates via email, and detailed out exactly what data would be provided. After months and months of an ongoing project, I received feedback from several people how much they valued my follow through on that communication, and how people felt heard in what they needed. That always stuck with me, and I bring that into my photography business as well. People want to feel heard. They want to connect. Photography is about telling THEIR story, and capturing the beauty and love and connections they have with the people in their lives. Asking questions and actually listening to what people are looking for, and then following through on what you say you’re going to do means the world to people. Whether it’s professional or personal, it goes a long way; and although it sounds very easy, it’s not always common. Read more>>

Rayni Collins

After graduating from college, I worked a variety of jobs to pay the bills while pursuing my dream of becoming a professional dancer. One of these jobs was teaching and directing an after-school dance program at an elementary school. I enjoyed working with kids and discovered that I have a passion for teaching. Read more>>

Nicole Victoria

So, there I was, following the “get a degree, land a corporate gig” script that society pushes on us, convinced it was my ticket to the good life. You know how it goes. Read more>>

Dana Lewis

The most important lesson that I had at a job came from when I was working at an outpatient mental health clinic a few years ago and I had a very insightful conversation with my clinical supervisor at the time who ended up being my mentor in the field of social work. During the conversation, I asked him: How did he become so proficient and so fluid as a clinician? He said to me in that moment that being in the position as a clinician is a role that you should never take for granted because you are handling people’s lives and because you are handling people’s lives make sure that you go all in and take seriously studying your craft. From that point on it developed within me a desire and a hunger to lean into studying my craft and getting very clear about my niche as a clinician. As I was going into studying, my why was that the information that I study will allow me to support individuals in their healing journey so that they can become the best venison of themselves. Read more>>

Steven Buduo

I’ve worked in the construction industry and something I’ve learned is the difference between Read more>>

Cybil Lake

I had a sales job where I made lots of cold calls. This job showed me how persistent you have to be just to get one bite! It also taught me to have tough skin and let the words of others just roll off of you. These are super valuable lessons for the entertainment business, Read more>>

Ally Wright

Most of my employment experience has been in customer service. I fully stand by the statement that I think every single human being should have to work some sort of customer service job at some point in their life. When you’re working with the public on a daily basis, you learn so much about how to treat people, how to manage problems and what to say and not say. When you start a business, you have to know how to manage problems that arise. You have to know how to set boundaries in a respectful manner. You have to know how to apologize when you’re wrong, how to present things in a way that will be understood and reciprocated well. Like most things in the world, it all breaks down to basic communication. Read more>>

Terri Connelly

Communication and connection with people. Seeking to understand before understood. I wanted to be a full time artist from a young age. However; I also knew I wanted to be able to support myself. I went into the Corporate world while on the side continued to create and paint knowing at some point I would have enough invested to be able to paint full time. What my years in the corporate world taught me is discipline. Goal setting and focusing in on the task at hand. How to manage my energy so that I can be the best I can be. It also taught me how to accept failures, to dust myself off and bounce back. There are so many lessons but I will go back to the Seek to understand before understood. In my art practice I for example if doing a commission piece, listening to my client and understanding what is it that they want from the piece and then how do I convey that in my work so that it is understood. I see myself as a story teller conveying the story through images. Read more>>

Stevey Rose Martinez-Maez

One of the most important lessons I learned at my previous job was to do what makes you happy. Life is to short to spend your days doing something that doesn’t fulfill you. I worked in the medical field at a dialysis clinic for many years. I loved my patients and building relationships with them and taking care of them when they were at their most vulnerable moments. I hated the company I was working for. It just seemed that no matter how hard I worked or how much I gave I was never getting ahead. Each one of my patients all said the same thing time and time again. That was do what you love. Do what makes you happy because life is to short. I had held hands with people who were dying and had come from all walks of life. You get to see first hand just how short of a time we have on this earth and it can be taken at any moment when your in the medical field. It’s so important that you do what you love and what brings you happiness and fulfillment because you could be lying on a bed holding the hand of someone filled with regrets. Even if you fail you can still say you tried. Read more>>

Diane Gentile

This question really doesn’t apply to me. I can’t talk about a job experience that taught me a lesson that could teach that lesson to you. Everyone learns their own lessons in their own way. Life in itself is about learning lessons. I can say, never think you know it all. Always have an open mind. Trust your gut. Be fearless. The cliches are all true, i.e., “If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.” I am sorry I can’t give you more on this. Read more>>

Drew Brockington

Before I was in publishing and working full time as an illustrator I was a graphic designer in a small firm for about 7 years. We did a lot of branding and event stationery design and printing (Wedding and Gala invites, etc). It was beautiful work, very fun and creative. At the time We had 4 Designers, and our client list at any given moment was around 60 or more people. That meant that each designer was responsible for at least 15 or so different projects, each with their own different look, feel, and printing methods. I learned really quickly on how to organize my time so that I could juggle that many clients. The work load never seemed to let up, so I got good at visualizing what I need the final product to look like, and being able to breakdown how long it would take me to get there. Read more>>

Naz De La Rosa

The most important lesson I ever learned in business is, “give your ask.” Just like in our personal lives, we will only get what we have the courage to ask for. I used to be a really shy person when it came to asking for exactly what I needed, thinking if clients simply experienced my products or services that it would be them who asked me for them. That was until I joined a leadership training with some of the biggest female leaders in my state. When asked about how she achieved so much for her success, she said, “I always ask and I have no shame in asking. Always give your ask. Most times, that’s all it takes to close a deal.” Knowing exactly what to ask, when and how will truly change the way your business expands. Read more>>

Nicole Eng

My first full-time job after college was recruiting architects and engineers for an agency. This particular employer was known in the industry as being pretty cut-throat, and, as a recent graduate trying to make it in this world, I was putting in an unhealthy amount of my time and energy. Read more>>