Experience is often valued because of the lessons prior jobs have theoretically provided us with. While hearing about those lessons isn’t a replacement for actually experiencing it, we thought it would be very helpful to create a space where sharp and generous members of the community can come together to share stories and lessons learned at prior jobs for the benefit of others.
Luke Sensebe
For a time I worked in the mortgage lending industry. I was definitely NOT passionate about the field. I learned that if you rely on the. or a market your “job” can disappear with a downturn overnight, just like many banks did during the financial crash. Being a creative who is self employed means you create your market and referrals. Your career and livelihood is not at the mercy of any “market” rather is based on your talents and customer service. Read more>>
Dylan Stein
Assumptions are your worst enemy. That is probably the most valuable lesson I’ve learned (the hard way in many cases) throughout my career. Whether it be launching a marketing campaign or planning an event, nothing throws a logistical wrench in y0ur plans quite like a misunderstanding that manifested due to assumptions being made along the way. I countered this by using the word “assumption” as a red flag. Any time I said that word during a project, verbally or internally, I paused and took the necessary steps to confirm. Although some may be annoyed by my constant follow up emails and “just confirming” Slack messages, it has saved me on more than one occasion. Read more>>
Alyson Steiner
Hello, I’m Alyson. I have been in the beauty industry for 15 years. I have been a salon owner for the last three years. When I started in the beauty industry owning a salon was not really on my radar. As I worked behind the chair I experienced a few different salon environments which helped me to discern what I liked and disliked about the salon culture. I have always loved learning and chose to continue to learn about hair while adding business into my education. Taking stand alone classes, as well as in depth courses and working with consultants helped me to develop a personal vision for myself as a stylist. Read more>>
CJ WILLIAMS
If I recall correctly I may have been in my 2nd or 3rd year as an actor, still extremely Green in the industry and still Non-Union. I started to make a name for myself by networking and fortunately doing well with the projects I’d been cast in; webseries, commercials and industrials mostly. I was cast to be a lead in an independent film which showed great promise of exposure and the script was amazing and the story had a wonderful message. We had already been through multiple table reads and all parties involved were excited about the project. Read more>>
DJ Rozay
As cheesy as it sounds, it’s important to be yourself–everyone else is taken. There’s nothing wrong with drawing inspiration from other creatives/colleagues, but at the end of the day, no one can do you, like YOU. Some will dislike your craft and A LOT of people will love what you do. When I get booked for gigs/events outside of my league, I tend to question why they book someone like myself–especially since the the type of music that is typically played at these events are different from my style. Read more>>
Lacita Moody
For a long time at my last job, I sensed something wasn’t quite right. I was told many things, but there was no evidence that these promises were being kept. Despite this, I chose to believe in what I was told. Let me provide some background. During the pandemic, I became the only therapist in a counseling department that was initially meant for a team. One by one, my colleagues left for better opportunities, leaving me as the sole support for the counseling department at a popular local non-profit. The workload was tough, and I received no assistance. Read more>>
Tony Gonzales
The most important lesson I learned at my previous job / career as a bartender, was how to bring my best self to work. How you show up for work matters. It matters when youre an employee, because someone else dictates if you get to keep your job, but I also learned it matters as much or more when youre a business owner. Read more>>
Glynnis Christensen
Prior to launching my business in 2020, I worked in full time ministry for over a decade. My husband and I even lived overseas as missionaries for 4 of those years (Mozambique, Africa and Italy) which was super fun! Sadly, I know not everyone who works in a ministry setting has a positive experience, but I’m so grateful that the church we worked for was full of genuine people and we honestly loved it. One of our organizational Core Values was “people are a big deal” and that was very much infused into everything we did. When it was time for me to launch out on my own I knew that one of the core values I wanted to bring into my own business was serving people well. Read more>>
Dr. Nick Courtright
It’s amazing how unexpected experiences can play a role in the future life. I was a college professor for years before I started Atmosphere Press, and everything in my life seemed to be pointing towards building a skillset for being a professor—that was where my attention was going. But it’s actually other strange skills that made the difference for me as a business owner. For example, in a lowspot in my 20s I was a door-to-door salesman for AT&T, selling cable and internet services. Read more>>
Liz Wolfe
When I talk about “previous jobs,” I’m really talking about previous projects and endeavors within my own “working for myself” journey. I have learned so, so much in 10+ years of scrapping together passion projects, building (and sometimes, letting go of) businesses, and earning an income serving people through my content. Read more>>
Joey Swizek
One thing I’ve learned from this job I have is to recognize and really “BE” where you are. So many times in life we spend countless years thinking I should be further in life or this isn’t where I wanted to be right now- instead of embracing where we are, and putting everything we have into it. I really try to find/ put meaning behind everything I do in life. For instance, I am a dance instructor at Miss Sues Dance Co., I’ve been there for 8 years now and at the beginning of taking this job I thought it would be a stepping stone- just an ” in the meantime” thing. But after 8 years of working with 100’s of kids from 2-18 years old I’ve found that everyday with them is such a gift. Read more>>