We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kendra J. a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kendra thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Well, as we all know, it’s 2025. The economy is terrible, the job market isn’t much better, and everywhere you look, people are fear-mongering about holding on to your job. But I actually took the risk of resigning from mine (yes, in this economy) to focus on building my own business ventures.

Before quitting, I decided to take a leave of absence for mental health reasons because I finally realized my job was breaking me down. I would have daily crying sessions, sometimes even during my breaks, along with depressive episodes and harmful thoughts. It reached a point where my psychiatrist diagnosed me with anxiety and prescribed medication for both anxiety and insomnia because I could barely sleep. That was when I knew something had to change.

As I got older, I noticed that my values, goals, and even my desired lifestyle began to shift. I finally came to terms with the fact that while I appreciated having a job and earning the most money I had ever made, I didn’t enjoy traditional employment anymore. The set schedules, constant meetings, KPIs, micromanagement, having to practically beg for time off or PTO, and the hoops you have to jump through just to take a leave of absence or short-term disability all started to feel suffocating. I wanted freedom and control over my days again.

Now, I want to be clear that I’m not sh*tting on traditional employment. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with having a 9-to-5. It just isn’t for me anymore. Sometimes you simply grow out of it. And that’s not to say that if it ever came down to it, I wouldn’t get up and get another job if I absolutely had to. But in this current season of my life, it’s not feasible. I feel called to do my own thing again.

So, I stepped away. Now, I’m in a new phase of life that most people would call “the unknown.” It’s risky. What if my business ideas fail? What if sales don’t come in? Those are normal fears every entrepreneur has. I do have a financial cushion that allows me to sustain myself for a while, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t scared. I constantly wondered if my business would actually do well, if people would buy from me, and if I made the right decision walking away from stability.

Most people wouldn’t dare quit their jobs during times like this, but I did. I’ve always been somewhat of a job-hopper, and I’ve had enough jobs for this lifetime and the next, but this resignation felt different. I was terrified to actually submit it and kept putting it off, but when I finally did, it felt damn good.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My entrepreneurial journey started in 2017. I started out selling hair extensions as a Mayvenn Hair affiliate and then began selling handmade wig units, making a significant income. Once I phased out of the beauty industry, I went on to freelance in graphic design and then eventually opened my own design agency right from my bedroom.

In the beauty industry, a lot of women have made it a priority, and hair is everyone’s priority. We will cancel events, not go anywhere, etc., if our hair isn’t done. So it was definitely serious, lol. I marketed and advertised my ass off with Mayvenn, and sometimes I’d be up all night sewing wigs. I was always hyped whenever someone wanted to buy one because everyone deserves to feel beautiful in their own way.

For graphic design, I was in a group chat with a bunch of other entrepreneurs and dropped a sample pic of a logo I made in PicsArt, and they loved it. Then everyone started asking me to make theirs. That’s how I got started with that. As time went on, I perfected my craft, got better at designing, refined my offers, and it was up from there. After a while, I slowed down with graphic design because I had gotten bored with it around five years in, and I had gotten a job to continue supporting myself financially, so graphic design has been in the grave since then.

What sets me apart? I’d say I’m set apart simply because I’m my own person. I have my own way of thinking, my own way of doing things, etc. Most people don’t realize that that’s their power by simply being themselves, who they are, and embracing their unique way of doing things.

So, I know you’re probably wondering what I do now since I’ve lived a bunch of lives, especially career-wise, because I’ve job-hopped a lot. But now, I’m rebuilding my resume writing agency, APPLYD™.

Throughout my career, I worked as a talent sourcer and recruiter. Before that, I was writing people’s resumes for dirt cheap, and they got jobs in a flash. That’s how I knew I was good at resume writing, on top of my blended experience with job hopping, knowing how to interview, and how to make a good impression.

Combining all of that experience with what’s happening in today’s job market, I felt like I needed to step up, package my experience and expertise, and continue with the business venture because so many people are struggling and don’t understand why they aren’t hearing back from companies. Meanwhile, I’m sitting back with my legs crossed, already knowing how this sh*t works and what I did to change jobs over 20 times. I know it sounds horrible and unstable, but I did it, and I don’t regret it.

I’m currently finishing up the final touches on a course I’m creating called The Offer System™, which teaches candidates how to have leverage in today’s market, what to do, how to lessen the load of manual job searching, and so much more. It’s jam-packed with everything I’ve done, and I’ve put my heart into it.

What I want people to know is that I’m very big on integrity, and I don’t believe in selling people bullsh*t. Whatever you see me teach, speak about, or offer is something I’ve done and most likely mastered in real life, whether it be through entrepreneurship, my career, or academically. My hand was in it somewhere. I don’t like it when people package up a bunch of bullsh*t and sell it just to make a profit because it only ends up hurting the consumer in the end.

I also have two other business ventures in the works that will launch in 2026, but right now, APPLYD™ is my main priority.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

For graphic design, what helped me build my reputation was consistency, posting my work regularly, networking, and maintaining great customer service. Having a satisfied client was always a top priority for me, and it still is.

For my resume writing agency, word of mouth was actually my main marketing tool in the beginning. The people I was freelancing for ended up referring others to me, which really helped my name spread. Later on, I participated in the ServiceNow NextGen Externship and helped my cohort members land roles starting at $60K and up right out the gate. That’s when things started to take off even more. From there, I began posting regularly on LinkedIn, connecting with professionals, and setting up my services page with client reviews, all of which helped build credibility and trust. About three years later, I officially launched APPLYD™ to take everything I had been doing and turn it into a structured business.

People work with those they trust, and that experience made me realize just how powerful word of mouth really is. As long as you’re trustworthy, authentic, transparent, and genuinely do your best to serve your clients, you’ll always have business, and more importantly, you’ll always have a good reputation.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Oh, for sure. Earlier this year in February, I completed Cornell University’s Women’s Entrepreneurship program, and I loved every bit of it. I connected with some of the greatest people, especially the course instructors. The program is incredibly enriching and will literally have you rethinking your entire business structure, model, and offers, the whole nine. The most impactful part for me was the lesson on validating a business idea. When you think about it, that is the foundation of everything, the bare bones of your business and your why. It made me realize that a lot of people don’t actually validate their ideas; they just want to start doing. When I was a fresh entrepreneur, I had that same mindset. But validation matters. That is the core. I also appreciated other lessons in the program about building product offerings, exploring additional ways to fund your business, and so much more.

As for books, I really enjoyed “Two Weeks Notice” by Amy Porterfield. It gave me the push to start believing in myself again, to get serious about eventually quitting my job, and to shift from employee to CEO. Mind you, I had quit entrepreneurship shortly after doing graphic design, so that book was a much-needed reset. It also emphasized the importance of building an email list because we don’t own or control the social platforms we use every day, and that really stuck with me.

Another book I liked was “The 4 Hour Workweek” by Tim Ferriss. If there is one thing I believe in, it is automation and hands-off work. That book helped me finally get comfortable delegating and hiring people to complete tasks so I could focus on the bigger picture. It is all about freeing up your time and working smarter, not harder.

And when it comes to people I enjoy learning from, Alex and Leila Hormozi are at the top of my list. Leila is actually my favorite (sorry, Alex!) because she reminds me of my real self, that zero fluff, no BS, forget your mood, follow the plan type of gal. Whenever I feel scared to take a leap or find myself getting discouraged, I listen to Leila. She always reminds me that I already know what I want and that I am fully capable. I just have to get out of my own way, stay disciplined, and do the work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bio.link/kendradjohnson