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.

Terra Jarvis

One of the best bosses I‘ve ever have ever had was my district manager when I was in retail, who promoted to have my own store. I was given the title of Store Manager for a global retail brand, one of my biggest dreams at 24. I was a single mother at the time, and this woman saw something in me that I didn’t know existed within myself. Read more>>

Jennifer Martinez

My first manager at Massage Envy was Misty. She was absolutely amazing. She always made the therapist feel valued. She was stern but very fair. I strive to be boss just like her. She had the biggest heart. One time I was working back to back because another therapist called out When I finished my session that fell in my break she had my cavort smoothie waiting for me. Read more>>

Jorge Rivera

I would love to name all of the people who have been an important part of my career and training, but without a doubt, one of the most important people has been Dr. Sharif Tabbah. He was not only the first person to give me the opportunity to work in the United States despite the many difficulties that the language difference generated, but also because he taught me that there was a lot more than just the medical part of the job. Read more>>

Troy Timpel

Philadelphia Eddie. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him Read more>>

Cody Smith

The best and only mentor I ever had was Joe Godby. Joe taught me a good bit about tattooing and a lot about life. I think I started apprenticing when I was 20 years old. I didn’t really know him prior to that besides getting a small tattoo or two; so being asked to apprentice was really rad. It’ was kinda a blind jump for both of us honestly. I’d like to think we both didn’t know exactly how to handle the situation haha, but it worked out just fine. Read more>>

Robert Sher-Machherndl

My career began at Theater an der Wien, Austria where I performed works by Hans Kresnik. Early in my professional life, I became a soloist with the Bavarian State Ballet under the direction of Edmund Gleede. By the age of twenty-one, I was identified by the Suddeutsche Zeitung as “… a born danseur noble” and “… predestined him to be a danseur noble”. Read more>>

David Ralston

So I use to work at a Franchise who went through all types of bosses. Than they got into a jam one day and they hired this guy named Dave who was not a pointer or a delegator nor was he hung up on ego he was a rare breed of person he was a type that just took action to get things done. INITIATIVE A very hard skill to find in people and one could go to school for years and still not acquire this skill. Read more>>