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

Michelle Griffith

When I first started working in corporate America, I was intimidated by the experienced employees at Carrols Corporation. However, I quickly learned how important it was to be vocal and communicate with the managers of the 100 restaurants that I was responsible for. I also learned how to manage my daily workload, emails, and call logs. These experiences helped me develop my organization and multitasking skills, which have been essential in my career as CFO at Calabrese & Winkler Holdings. Read more>>

Claudia Guajardo

Don’t be so eager to do more work than you signed up for if you’re not prepared to ask for a raise. You will get taken advantage of if you’re not careful, get burned out and grow bitter. Companies have a way of guilt-tripping employees into thinking they are not good enough to distract them from realizing their own worth. Read more>>

Zakiyah Simms

I learned that if you’re working at a place that’s affecting your mental health in a negative way, it’s not worth the paycheck. At my prior job I started to feel like a robot and at that moment I realized it wasn’t for me. Read more>>

Carla Jones

I think of my last job as the place where I was introduced to a part of myself. And that experience shapes every corner of the work I do. Then, I worked for the Federal government acting as a business and community liaison in the workforce development sector. Read more>>

Colleen Laux

Prior to starting Cottonwood Soap Company, I worked as an attorney for 25 years. During that time, I learned the importance of having your business structured properly from the get-go: i.e creating an LLC for liability protection, registering your business with the state, getting all the necessary licensing and insurance, etc. I see too many small businesses operating without these structures that end up with big problems as they grow. Read more>>

Isa Murphy

In my journey as an actor, I delved deep into the intricacies of evoking emotions on camera, and this experience was transformative. I learned to convey compelling narratives, capture high-quality footage, and genuinely connect with the audience on an emotional level. Authenticity became my cornerstone, as I recognized its indispensable importance in content creation. Read more>>

Ashley Hathaway

I learned a lot about success and sales when I worked in Corporate America. Over seventeen years, I worked my way up the corporate ladder and found that all of my success came from one simple thing – relationships. I developed relationships by keeping my promises through follow-up. This brought a lot of value to my clients which helped build trust. Read more>>

Alissa Wehrli

The most valuable thing I’ve learned so far is that there’s always more than one way to get things done! Early on I knew I didn’t appreciate an aggressive approach to leadership and using intimidation to gain influence. I always maintain for tricky situations that it’s better to kill with kindness than steamroll over people. Read more>>

Jenny Berglund Castro

The most important experience I have had in a job comes from leaving a solid job to explore a new side of me. I left a full time job in 2016 and decided to stay at my current location in Los Angeles California. I had moved there on an ex pat contract and was due back home in Sweden after a year. However, something inside me said I should stay and explore life in Los Angeles longer. Read more>>

Gena James

A few years back, I was a store manager in a sales environment – a job that’s no stranger to long hours, demanding customers, managing people, and building rapport, to say the least. But little did I know that job would put the finishing touches on what I needed to become a successful business consultant. I learned multiple lessons during those times but two that stuck with me the most are: Read more>>

I. Destiny

So I’ve had the benefit of working as an employee, independent contractor and business owner. They all require a different level of commitment depending on a variety of factors. However when I was an independent contractor working in fashion the biggest lesson I learned was no matter what you have to do, just get the job done by the deadline. Read more>>

Adrian Campbell, PhD

During my 8 years in the US Coast Guard I learned a lot, but the one thing that has really stuck with me, is that quitting isn’t always an option. Sometimes, you have to figure out how to push through, no matter how tired you are, how much your body hurts, and even when you have no idea how it is going to work out… you just have to make it happen. Read more>>

Dawn Mikkelson

Historically I’ve worked with one to two other people to drive a film forward. Sometimes they were a co-director, sometimes they were an editor, sometimes they were the participants in the film. I’d periodically hire folks who had skills I didn’t, like sound mixing, etc, but largely I was on my own or with 1-2 other people in terms of making sure that this film was made and found it’s way into the world. This was particularly true when it came to the distribution of the film. Read more>>

Jacqueline Rosenthal

Your team is equally as important as the project itself. Read more>>

Vanessa Rodriguez

I previously worked at a commission based salon with other stylist. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the people I worked next to but there were certain policies, regulations and daily task that I didn’t often agree with but of course as any employee would do I abided by them. But it taught me and showed me the things I would want to do differently to run my own business. I learned how to make sure to be more organized and stay consistent with my customer service. Read more>>

Sarah Stone

My first bona fide paycheck job was Fry Cook at our local McDonalds. That job lasted until I got to the point where I couldn’t get the smell of fry grease out of my skin. In other words, about 2 weeks. Read more>>

Karis Battle

One of the most significant lessons that has shaped my journey as a business owner is the principle to “Fail Forward,” something I learned during my time working at Belk. This isn’t merely a motto; it’s the foundation upon which I’ve built my professional and personal endeavors. Read more>>

Hilary Hartling

As a Brand & Messaging Strategist running my own business, I often draw from the lessons and experiences I had in my prior job where I spent 15 years running Integrated Marketing & Synergy for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Marketing (working on beloved, global entertainment brands: Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Touchstone). Read more>>

Christe Konopitski

There are so many lessons that I learned at the nonprofit and for-profit jobs I held prior to starting my own business, but there is one thing that I have seen emphasized through my work at both for-profits and nonprofits that makes up the core of my business – honesty. Read more>>

Lisa Joshi

One of the most important lessons I have learned at jobs I’ve done in the past, is how your treat your Employees/Cast members matter! I remember not feeling valued or appreciated at a past job and I vowed to never make anyone else feel that way with my company. I strongly believe in treating everyone with kindness and respect. I have seen first hand how much more of an effort others make when they feel valued, and that their ideas matter. Read more>>

Lindsey Bean

When you’re on film sets it is expected for something to go wrong. Whether there’s budget issues, equipment not working, over inflated egos, or scheduling conflicts; you will always learn how to keep moving. I’ve been on film sets where it was complete chaos with no organization or proper planning. Read more>>

Ashley Berry

One of my first jobs out of college was working as a Research Assistant conducting in-person interviews for a National Institute of Health-funded study on drinking behavior. In this role, I would go into the homes of people all over the SF Bay Area and ask them to tell me their life story and what their relationship to alcohol had been across their life. The subject matter was very personal and sometimes quite sensitive depending on the participants’ life experiences and the interviews would often last anywhere from 2-4 hours. Read more>>

Kevin Tan

The most important lesson I’ve ever learned in my life is time management. I learned this early on in childhood from playing sports at a young age and school. Throw in a season of piano in there and now I have to learn how to juggle homework, being a good student, and learning how to compete in the numerous sports I played growing up. Read more>>

Antoinette Beeks

In my two decades of being one of the most promoted individuals in the company, I’ve identified two keys to that led to my success, continued growth and development. Read more>>