Three entrepreneurial trailblazers share what it takes to become your own boss
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 met anybody yet that doesn鈥檛 love being their own boss,鈥� said Trish Tervit, an award-winning journalist, PR professional and principal owner of . 鈥淲e plan our own days. It鈥檚 a whole different dynamic.鈥�
As the work landscape continues to evolve, the Oct. 26 GRADTalks panel 鈥淲orking for yourself: Start-ups, consulting and ventures鈥� welcomed three entrepreneurial leaders who offered candid and unique advice to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows on seeking alternative routes to a fulfilling career. The panel discussion, moderated by YSGS Associate Dean, Student Affairs Dr. Nancy Walton, featured Tervit; 成人大片 alumna Rose Genele, CEO of revenue operations consultancy and founder of ; and Jon Medow, experienced public policy analyst and founder and President of .
鈥淪ome of you may already be working for yourselves, or planning to do so, while others may not have considered self-employment as an option,鈥� noted YSGS Vice-Provost and Dean Dr. Cory Searcy. 鈥淭he work world is always evolving, and there are more opportunities to take other routes into rewarding and productive careers working for yourself, either through starting your own venture, business or company, or through becoming a professional consultant.鈥�
Make working for yourself work for you
Contrary to the popular belief that one needs to participate in 鈥渉ustle culture鈥� to be successful when going out on their own, all panellists agreed that taking the time to deeply reflect on the kind of structure that enables your best work will allow you to show up authentically and consistently in becoming your own boss.
鈥淚 want to be free, feel free and be able to design my life in a way where I don鈥檛 design it around work,鈥� remarked Genele. 鈥淚 stretch my working and living in every day. I end up working 10 hours a day because I鈥檓 not sitting at my desk at a certain time. I have some structure, but it鈥檚 free-flowing.鈥� While many find starting out to be the most challenging aspect, panellists emphasized that it鈥檚 best to create achievable expectations to set yourself up for success.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard work, especially if you鈥檙e starting out, without many years of experience or a built-up contact list,鈥� said Genele. The importance of being open to experimentation in the beginning is essential for setting realistic expectations and establishing a growth mindset from wherever you may be starting.
鈥淎re there ways you can tiptoe into whatever it is that your vision may be? Are there ways you can try it out first?鈥� asked Medow. 鈥淎nd if it鈥檚 the kind of thing where you just have to go for it, give yourself a framework鈥斺�業鈥檓 going to try this for six months, one year鈥欌�攁nd see what you learn from it. The agency/power that you have as an independent consultant/worker is the space for creativity.鈥�
Medow, who came to Canada as an international student, offered advice to those considering a similar path. 鈥淏e aware that how working independently versus working for an employer factors into immigration pathway. Do some research on how working independently might fit in with your post-graduation vision.鈥�
Draw on supports
Though the transition to self-employment requires an amplified sense of independence and self-reliability, having supports in place can play an equally critical role in your success.
All panellists addressed that with increased agency comes a heightened demand for personal responsibility. 鈥淚鈥檓 very happy on my own, but there鈥檚 only so much you can do in a day alone,鈥� noted Tervit. Genele agreed that 鈥渢here is always that component of 鈥榓t the end of the day you have to deliver.鈥欌��. With the increased responsibilities and precarity that comes with working for yourself, having a supportive network of friends and colleagues along the way can have an invaluable positive impact.
鈥淎fter the pandemic, I had lunch with a friend who had been running her own PR agency for 13 years, and I mentioned I was thinking of doing it, and she was so emphatic about it: 鈥楧o it, do it, you鈥檒l love it, there鈥檚 tons of work out there,鈥欌�� said Tervit. 鈥淚 have a long career behind me and a large network that I didn鈥檛 realize would come back in spades, in a good way.鈥�
鈥淲hen I first left and started out, a friend of mine who owned a company gave me a desk in his office and hosted me there and gave me a lot of advice,鈥� said Medow. 鈥淭here were a lot of people that helped motivate me and provided different kinds of support, whether helping out with the website or mentorship. And now Medow Consulting is myself and four employees.鈥�
Conversely, Genele advises not to underestimate the power of individual will. 鈥淵ou can always reach out to others for support, but you are your own greatest resource.鈥� Genuine sources of support can also be found by strategically expanding your professional network.
Creating strategic networks means being authentic; seek out people who are experts in your area of interest and are where you want to be in the future. All panellists emphasized the importance of being genuine when opening lines of communication. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e a naturally outgoing person, don鈥檛 think about networking too much. You鈥檙e probably naturally doing it,鈥� said Genele. 鈥淚ntroverted? Take advantage of groups and associations, online opportunities to find like-minded folks in community.鈥�
Much of the work of being your own boss involves proactively forming and managing your relationships with others. When considering venturing out on your own, Medow noted that 鈥渋t鈥檚 important to assess whether forming new relationships and expanding your network is something you feel drawn to.鈥�
To help support your transition to working for yourself, J.P. Silva, manager of Zone Learning at 成人大片, recommended taking advantage of the resources available to 成人大片 students at The Office of Zone Learning. 鈥淶one Learning is a vibrant community of 7,000 members. Everyone is working on their own venture. Zones provides students with access to mentors, experts, working space, access to grants and subsidies.鈥�
Take the plunge and don鈥檛 look back
Panellists recommended ensuring you are ready before taking the plunge.
鈥淓veryone going off on their own needs to be aware that it鈥檚 going to be a ride. This is not at all a reason not to do it. It鈥檚 just having that awareness that鈥檚 key,鈥� said Medow. 鈥淪ometimes not just starting is hard. It can be hard starting, it can be going great and then it gets hard again. It鈥檚 the inconsistency that happens when you step outside the framework of a formal institution where you have an employee-employer relationship.鈥�
鈥淢ake sure you have the credentials, experience, skills that you need,鈥� said Tervit. 鈥淵ou can enhance them along the way, but you need to have a foundation of being able to deliver whatever service/expertise you want to give to your clients. Listen to your gut. If you know in your heart it鈥檚 the right time, be fearless and take the leap. You keep working at it, touching base with folks, it ends up working out. The challenge is riding the ups and downs.鈥�
Reflecting on your vision, and taking the time to break it down into smaller, achievable steps can provide the clarity and readiness needed to continuously actualize it. 鈥淐onsider the why before taking the plunge, and then don鈥檛 stop,鈥� Genele recommended. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a fraction of people that have an idea that get started, and there鈥檚 an even smaller fraction of people that continue, that keep going, that don鈥檛 say 鈥業 can鈥檛.鈥� Don鈥檛 lose the momentum. Once you go forward, there鈥檚 no going back.鈥�
Zone learning at 成人大片
成人大片's 10 zones are incubators or spaces where people come together to brainstorm, kickstart projects and build startups. Each zone offers one-on-one mentorship from experts as well as access to state-of-the-art workspaces and technologies. With zones you can develop your own ideas or put your skills to work by collaborating with a team. Zones can help grow your network, gain experience, build your resum茅 and even access funding.
DG 8116: A new graduate elective to help you launch and grow your passion project!
As a graduate student, time is a valuable asset. On top of classes and life, building a project may seem like a daunting task, but if it鈥檚 something that you鈥檙e passionate about, you should do it.
DG 8116: Special Topics: Zone Learning Project allows you to get course credit towards your graduate degree and connect with a community of like-minded students from across the university. This new elective course from Zone Learning allows graduate students to launch and grow a project under the guidance of an instructor. The course also offers a very hands-on experience to gain deeper insights into the highly transferable skills and competencies needed to launch and grow projects and ventures.
GRADTalks interactive speaker series
The GRADTalks series is designed to provide relevant information and professional development resources to enhance the graduate experience at 成人大片. Speakers highlight the critical importance of graduate education in their professional experiences, inspiring and challenging graduate students to consider career pathways beyond their current degrees.