One of the biggest opportunities for folks who want to make an impact through entrepreneurship is to tackle things that Corporate America has gotten wrong and so we’ve asked some of the best and brightest in the community to share examples of what Corporate America is getting wrong in their industries.

Tarik Bradford

One of the main issues that I feel corporate America gets wrong in my industry is the basic lack of knowledge about how the world of film, tv and advertising placements works. Oftentimes there is an assumption that any song or artist that is signed to a label should have great success in the sync world if they have a certain amount of sales, followers or social media engagement. Most of the songs and artists that have success in the licensing world do so because they create songs that fit a particular narrative or style need that’s in demand. Read more>>

Hannah Keiffert

Oh…everything? Haha I mean, it’s a shame that art has to be tied to business at all, but I get that that’s how the world works. To get more specific, I could go on and on about the strikes, use of AI, underpaid/undervalued employees, etc. but what I’ll settle on, plain and simple, is this: the creative never comes first, and it should 100% of the time. Companies follow trends and look at data, but they don’t really value original ideas. They don’t take risks. Read more>>

Elena Nardini

Corporate America is about money and industry, not people. I’m someone who’s definitely of the people. I’m driven by creativity and human connection and I do what I do in both my industries because I want to interact with people here on the ground. I’m not looking for an ivory tower, I’m looking for artists. I love collaboration and new ideas, and I believe that this is what true artists care about too. The corporate world, as we’re seeing with all the Hollywood strikes, does not care about the experience here on the ground for us. Read more>>

Andrea Goodwin

Through my own personal work experiences and my clients sharing what they appreciate from me compared to corporate companies that run spas, I see that the client becomes a dollar amount. Time is money but that concept gets pushed to the limits to a point where it dampens the clients’ experience. 

Yes, time is money in business but there’s a balance. I’ve seen it and worked in this setting over and over where they want to squeeze in everything they can to press the amount of time the client is in and the amount of money they spend. This ends up making the client and the service provider feel like they are under a time crunch, giving a rushed feeling to the whole appointment. Read more>>

Linda Salazar

One thing that Corporate America gets wrong is how they treat the talent development/training department like a “nice-to-have” rather than a crucial function of the organization and a strategic partner in solving business problems. Whenever money gets tight, trainers are the first to get cut. I, personally, have been laid off four times. The fault lies on both sides. Often, corporate mistakenly views its training department as a necessary evil, a line item under expenses. They see us with our colorful markers and flipcharts. They peer into the classroom and watch employees doing fun activities instead of sitting at their desks being productive. It’s no wonder that when setting the annual budget, training is often not prioritized. Read more>>

Jay Gerren

In the vast landscape of the entertainment industry, numerous voices echo, yet only a handful find their way onto the prominent streaming platforms. Recognizing this disparity, I embarked on the journey of creating Melaninflicks.com. Its mission? To amplify the voices of African American creators in the streaming realm, countering the historical neglect we’ve faced within corporate America. Read more>>