Many business owners we’ve spoken with didn’t start with a huge team on day one. They had to learn how to be a good boss, but the problem is the books on leadership are often highly theoretical and so we wanted to hear practical examples of what it means to be a good boss. So, we asked some brilliant, insightful folks to share stories about the best bosses they’ve had.

Olivia Schroeder

Since college I have worked for some of the most amazing women I have ever met. When I was in college I was working for Ashleigh Spurlock at Fabrika Fine Fabrics in Savannah GA. She is such an inspirational woman and has influenced my young adult choices often. Then when I moved to Chicago I met Katheryn Faull of Maresca Textiles. Read more>>

Nishaea Richardson

Yes, I’ve had a couple of amazing bosses leading me, but I’ll talk about one specifically. She was a ball of energy and took no nonsense from anyone while being caring, understanding, fair, supportive, and down to earth. She came into the Manager role of a unit that was a mess and whipped it into shape. She advocated for the employees putting in the hard work and had the difficult conversations other people wanted to avoid with the employees who weren’t. Read more>>

Melyssa Allen

When I was in graduate school for my Clinical Psychology Masters degree, one of the faculty members – Dr. Monique Levermore – made an effort to educate us on the business side of our post-graduate lives. She consistently offered a unique perspective of what kind of options existed for us and how we can set ourselves up for success after graduation. After meeting with her about my passion for teaching group fitness classes, she encouraged me to set up my own business, provided me with the resources required to get my business created, and made herself available for questions I had along the way. Read more>>

Abel Meji

In fact, right now I work with him, he is my boss, my uncle, but also a person who inspires me from all angles. As a human being and as a professional. I lived in Ecuador when the pandemic started, I had a restaurant and I had to close it, that’s when he called me and invited me to come to Tampa. Right now I work with him in his company but he also values ​​and promotes my artistic part a lot. I owe him a lot. Read more>>

KADEEM WALKER

The best Boss Ive ever had is myself. I mean that in the most respectful way possible. I honestly feel Im my best boss which is why I decided to go into business for myself. Everywhere I have worked, I have always been on the top of the list for best employee. In most cases I found myself more knowledgeable and better than a good bit of bosses Ive worked for. Read more>>

Jenny Frank

In the summer of 2011, about 11 years ago, I moved across the country from New York City to San Francisco as I had volunteered to relocate with the company I worked for at that time. I was still somewhat junior in my career in digital marketing, but I was eager to grow and learn and was putting in my time at a very fast-paced and stressful agency. Not long after I made the move out west I was told that they had hired a new VP of Digital and she would be my new boss. Read more>>