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.

Meg McKeen

The insurance industry – where I landed (and never left!) when a broken heart rerouted my plans post-college – is known for stability and tradition. We celebrate longevity and loyalty with higher pay and promotions. All good things in many ways, of course, but as many humans are evaluating the way “work” fits into “life” today, we’re challenged to reconsider that the stability and tradition within the industry may actually be holding us back. With five generations now working in the industry, and five generations of individuals out there in the world buying insurance products, we have just as many, or more, differing motivations for our work, and the meaning and purpose we want to gain from it. Read more>>

Zackery Russell

The Corporate Beauty Industry today sells each person a formulaic approach to beauty never including the individual wants or needs. We at Serenity and Scott start first with the individual. From there we find their wants and tailor the products that they will need to accomplish those wants. Read more>>

Jala Eaton

In the financial industry, everything is tailored to the high net worth clients which leaves out the majority of Americans. The industry has withheld information and created complex terminology so that at times it was almost required that you have an advisor. (which often meant absorbitant fees or high-pressure sales tactics). Worst of all there aren’t enough people of color in the industry. Often, people of color get taken advantage of in this system. I wanted to do my part to change that by educating. Read more>>

Gabrieline Reece

The advancement of women from diverse racial backgrounds is significantly slower compared to their counterparts. Throughout the entire process, the proportion of women of color in leadership roles consistently declines in comparison to White women and men of the same racial and ethnic group. Unless companies actively confront this inequality, women of color will continue to be significantly underrepresented in leadership positions. Read more>>

Samantha Richardson

I worked as a Brand Designer in finance for a couple of years in between freelancing full-time. I signed onto my first finance job at the end of 2020 in search of emotional and financial stability. I had lost my grandmother a couple of months prior and I was emotionally devastated. I entered corporate finance to move to a new city and hoard my savings while I recovered from losing my mother figure. My passion for freelancing had to take a backseat. Read more>>

Michelle Driscoll

Corporate America has tried on numerous occasions to break into the home services industry, specifically home cleaning. We have watched a handful of large national brands come and go (not including the national franchises). The premise always seems to be the same – cheap service on demand. At the surface, this is of course attractive to consumers, but we believe what has made us successful in our industry, is treating employees and customers with respect and dignity. Read more>>

Heather Butler

One of the key aspects that Corporate America often gets wrong in our industry is their unyielding focus on profit margins, to the detriment of talent and individualism within their staff. Many companies prioritize numbers and financial gains at the expense of recognizing the unique qualities and contributions of their employees. The result of this approach is a corporate culture that can stifle creativity, innovation, and the overall well-being of their workforce. Read more>>

Jodelle Duverseau

Corporate America often struggles with the true essence of a sensual brand due to the complexities associated with embracing the raw, unfiltered aspects of human sensuality. This includes the comfort with pleasure and the celebration of soft, pleasurable sensations as desirable and liberating. The corporate world tends to gravitate toward more conventional and sanitized portrayals of sensuality, fearing that embracing the raw and authentic might be seen as too provocative or uncomfortable for some audiences. Read more>>

Lindsay Kennedy

Corporate America has created an image that highly processed cheese products are cheese but it is nothing like real cheese. I always love new guests who have never tasted quality cheese. They often start out a bit hesitant but once they put it in their mouth, suddenly their whole energy changes. Their eyes begin to sparkle! Read more>>

Kathleen Michael

Money moves the media and “the media is the message” (Marshall McLuhan). Consumers thirst for art is ultimately greatly affected by trends that are repeatedly messaged and which ultimately become the profitmakers for companies, galleries, and auction houses that look to move their “products” quickly. Fine Art companies selling paintings and photography are popping up all over and looking to satisfy the consumer desires of quickly decorating walls with creative and pleasing images. But the very nature of the corporate connection challenges the need for authenticity, originality, creativity, and quality assurance. Read more>>

Martin Burt

In the pet sitting industry, there has been a rise of app-based corporate platforms that offer quick and convenient pet care services. However, these tech-driven models often overlook the personalized relationship-building that is central to quality pet sitting. Read more>>

Cody McCollum

Lack of Personal Connection: Corporate entities often overlook the importance of building strong relationships with both customers and the environment. In contrast, The Big Bend Fungi Company prioritizes creating a personal connection with our community. We engage with our customers, sharing our passion for mushrooms, and ensuring they understand the benefits and uses of our products. This personal touch is something I believe sets The Big Bend Fungi Company apart. Read more>>

David Steele

Sometimes companies’ projects are only driven by either budget or a set shot list. These constraints can lead to acceptable but very average results. If a project is a collaboration between the creative and the company it can lead to exceptional results. Often times this can still be achieved within a budget. But the point is when hiring a creative for a project, allow some flexibility to achieve interesting results. Read more>>

Dilcia Guzman

So, in my work, as a freelance performer, I mainly work and doing live entertainment for events, such as children’s birthday parties, community, outreach, etc. and one of the biggest assumptions with my line of work is that clients are paying for a babysitter for an hour or two. While I do my absolute best to keep children’s safety in mind, especially working at birthday parties, I am not there to watch over your kids, I am there to entertain them, as well as the majority of party guests. I am not there to discipline them, or tell them what to do , I am there to make magic for all, and it would be extremely helpful if a lot of the adult gas at an event, would do their part in parenting their children properly. Read more>>

Matt Ramey

The commoditization of the arts has always been a 2 edged sword. On one hand, we want to be paid for our work. On the other, we often have to do watered down work or work that doesn’t speak to us to get paid. Read more>>

Malory Wride

We live in a world of immediate gratification. Often times when we require something, many of us are inclined to turn to Amazon for the quickest and cheapest option. But if this object is part of our everyday life, do we really want it to be a boring, run of the mill? No! Or at least I hope not! Consumerism is meant to be a slow and intentional practice. Imagine wanting something for our home, and instead of buying a piece of art from a store that mass produces the same exact print, we save up and fall in love with the search. Read more>>

Zig Zag Claybourne

The saddest thing about publishing as an industry is it still operates as if Dickens is their primary client, as in, acting like it’s still 1850. It’s an industry that actively runs from change or innovation, particularly in how it views its literal source of existence (authors) and source of income (readers). Corporate publishing still thinks telling readers, “We will tell you what you want and you will love it” is as viable an approach in the internet age–when wants move around the world at lightning speed–as it was in the beginning days of the industry when technological and social limitations meant if readers wanted the printed word, they had one or two options. Read more>>

Ne-Dah-Ness Greene

Corporate America should understand small businesses because they are vital to our economy. Small businesses create jobs and drive innovation. Many small business owners struggle with cash flow, waiting months for payments from bigger companies. Understanding this can lead to fairer business practices and stronger partnerships, helping both sides thrive and contributing to the overall economy’s health. Read more>>

Michael Kummer

In my industry, Corporate America is all about selling people quick and easy fixes. But in the vast majority of cases, these “fixes” are worthless, because to improve your diet, fitness or overall wellness, you have to make meaningful lifestyle changes that you can sustain over time. This is where, as an independent and family-run business, we try to be different from our much larger competitors; instead of just saying whatever we need to say to sell as much as possible, we actually care about our customers and obsess over how to help them live better, healthier lives. We don’t just care about sales, but also about outcomes. Read more>>

Calvin Turnbull

Well, nowadays it’s hard to even find a time traveling space pirate in corporate America, and when you do they’re usually more about status and money, than the actual adventure side of temporal mayhem. Just look at the new logos, you hardly ever see an actual Jolly Roger. Same thing with record producers, though there are some exceptions, and thank the maker for ‘em, the majority are so concerned with outside perceptions that they force themselves to follow the established industry formulas and create music by committee. Corporate and art do not belong in the same sentence. Read more>>