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

Esther Deutsch

I learned that the who and the why are always more important than the what. Before working in my current job, I worked in about 5 other organizations; never staying longer than a few months in each. This was because the culture (and in most cases my boss) did not align with my core values and belief. Read more>>

Kristen Fonseca

In my journey as a business owner, I’ve learned valuable lessons from various jobs I’ve held. Here are a few experiences that have shaped my entrepreneurial journey: 1. During my time as a Private Investigator, I discovered the importance of discretion and the power of information. Read more>>

Stacy Cook

Navigating the intricacies of workplace technology can be a complex task, and the choice of operating systems and productivity tools can significantly impact efficiency and collaboration. In my previous role at a predominantly Windows and Office 365-centric company, I, as a Mac enthusiast, encountered numerous challenges that extended beyond personal preference. Read more>>

Olivia Marie Valdez

The most important lessons I’ve learned are the importance of leading with compassion and how to work as a team. These lessons kind of came to me retroactively. I first endured some pretty awful jobs and co-working situations in my previous career, and wasn’t able to understand the value of a HEALTHY team dynamic until I came to my stop motion work. Read more>>

Katie Peyton Cocco

Starting at 16 years old, I have consistently held a job of some sort. Prior to graduating college, the jobs I worked were all in retail. I had a fantastic first job; despite only being 16 and in high school, my co-workers and leadership team treated me with respect and I was given the opportunity to acquire new skills and take on new responsibilities. Read more>>

Katy Ferguson

My first “career job” was a kindergarten teacher! I have a Bachelors and Masters degree in Education and have found it to be SO helpful in my new career path as a personal trainer, nutrition coach, and business owner. Results in fitness & nutrition come from consistency- specially in small daily habits overtime. Read more>>

Jared Woods

The most important experience I had in a job that helped me as a business owner was the countdown of the clock before I began each shift. Because I hated every job I’ve ever had, I always had a hard time feeling motivated to even go to work in the first place. Having to count down the hours, minutes, and seconds before a shift started was one of the main things that motivated me to become an entrepreneur. Read more>>

Michelle Saldana

When I started working with animals at the young age of 12 and even when I had my first “ actual “ job at the age of 18 at an animal hospital I was faced with challenges. The hands on animal care and husbandry of many animal helped me understand my strengths. I learned how to handle  animals with safety and respect. Read more>>

Andria Van Mierlo

I served as a St. Louis County Police Officer for 20 years. During my 20 year career as a police officer I worked under cover, intelligence, and special operations. I retired early in March of 2022 to pursue my fitness business full time. Read more>>

Gittyman (Nick Gittemeier)

Before I started producing music I actually worked as a delivery driver for jimmy johns. I learned a lot there but the most important thing it taught me about life was the importance of discipline and hard work. I knew this wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life and I realized to get anywhere you want to be in life you are in for a lot of hard work and you are gonna have to do a lot of stuff you absolutely don’t want to do. The only things that come easy in life is problems. Read more>>

Leah E.B. Ogle

My journey in the baking and pastry world has been full of experiences; from chocolate shops, cupcake shops, to small local bakeries. Yet, it was the eight years spent in a busy grocery store bakery that truly prepared me for the challenges of running my own business.Handling the hustle of customer demands, inventory, and holiday rushes taught me the skills of multitasking and efficient time management. Read more>>

Carles Marsal

One of the most important things I’ve learned is to say NO to those projects that I don’t feel confortable with. At the beginning it is something really difficult to do, specially because of the money you won’t earn, but you’ll learn soon enought that those projects are preventing you from taking the interesting ones, or simply from creating better personal works that will lead you in the correct direction. Read more>>

Shane Hunter

Before I made the move to go into business full time I was in the Communications field and while working at Comcast, I had a the pleasure of working for one of the coolest Supervisors I ever had. One thing that he said to me in one of our one on one meetings about personal metrics he said something that to this day repeats over and over in my head when i’m going through something tough or anything weighing me down mental and it was so simple but sometimes it takes someone that you look up to to say something that will have a huge impact on your life. Read more>>

Serena Kumara

At my first corporate job, there was a period of time when we focused heavily on our personal vulnerabilities, how they impact our work, and how we could either move past them or use them to our advantage. In doing those activities I was able to see how much I didn’t trust myself. Up until that point I had been completely unaware of how that mistrust was blocking me from performing at my best. Needless to say, that self reflection revealed way more than I bargained for. Read more>>

Aimee McDonald

When I was a twelve years old my mother worked in a gift store owned by a single mother, independent business woman. Being short staffed they brought me in to help out during a busy Christmas season and I ended up working there part time all through Jr High, High School, and college. What I learned from the business owner, Carol, was that no matter how tempting it is to take a short cut to greater profit, or overlook the needs of people in the community to make things easier for yourself in the short term, there’s no excuse for compromising your principles for anything, including the sake of your business. Read more>>

Foday Sillah

The best lesson I have learned from prior jobs is that one must always take chances if you want you dreams to come true. Read more>>

Tomas Altamirano

One of the most pivotal moments in my career actually began when I was still a student intern in grad school. I was interning for a mental health hospital as an outpatient therapist intern, and at that point I had no experience in actually being a therapist. I had learned a couple of things in class sure, but I had yet to actually do the job. Early on I did ok since therapist interns had the option of leading the psychoeducation hour of group therapy, essentially this meant you got to work off of something pre-written and teach it to a group of patients. Read more>>

Lauren Smith

My previous occupation was in the Army, where I enlisted at the age of 19. This marked the beginning of my professional journey. Over the span of a decade, I gained invaluable insights and experiences. I started as a novice private, unsure of my role, and eventually progressed to becoming a leader in special operations, entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring the safe return of my teams from deployments. Read more>>