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Once upon a time, long ago, I thought I would be an entrepreneurship minor in college. My notes app has housed a running list of yet-to-be-fulfilled business ideas for as long as I can remember, and I’ve always loved the idea of working for myself. Unfortunately, I also learned that in order to be an entrepreneurship minor I would have to take calculus, and I decided that no potential business idea of mine would ever be worth having to take another math class.
Luckily, female entrepreneurs like Jaclyn Johnson prove that you don’t have to be formally schooled in entrepreneurship in order to create wildly successful business ventures. This week on The Everygirl Podcast, Josie and Alaina sit down with Jaclyn, serial entrepreneur and founder of Create & Cultivate, to discuss all things entrepreneurship, building a career that you love, and selling an amazing product. Jaclyn’s story is full of helpful tidbits for all of us who have that list of dream careers sitting in our notes apps. Read on for a few of Jaclyn Johnson’s tips for creating the career of your dreams, and listen to this week’s episode of The Everygirl Podcast for more.
Learn how to sell, even if you learn by working for someone else
Jaclyn didn’t start her corporate life by diving right into entrepreneurship. Instead, she learned some of her most important skills by watching the things that her bosses did in the marketing scene of New York City. One of the most important lessons that Jaclyn took away from her time job-hopping was how to present information to sell a product. “One of the weird things that you need to be good at as an entrepreneur is information design, and how you put together information in presentations, in documents, or for employees,” Jaclyn said.
Even if you’re not quite ready to start your dream business yet, learning sales tactics from your current job can be a great way to figure out some of the strategies you could use in the future. Having a great example in a boss, CEO, or founder at your current job can be just as valuable as gaining these skills solo.
“Network your face off”
When Jaclyn first graduated from college at NYU, she was under the impression that the most important key to success was working hard. However, this quickly changed when she realized that having long-term relationships in the business world can be just as valuable as a great education or a hefty skill set. “What I wish someone would have explained to me in college was that yes, it’s important to work hard, but the other thing that’s really important is that network of people that you have around you,” Jaclyn said. If you’re looking to start your own business in the future, take a page from Jaclyn’s book and connect with whoever you can whenever you can.
Create a brand that aligns with your interests
Create & Cultivate was just the beginning of Jaclyn’s entrepreneurship journey. Starting the media platform spoke to Jaclyn’s motivation to help support hardworking female entrepreneurs, which eventually inspired her to co-found New Money Ventures in order to invest in female-led companies. Most recently, Jaclyn co-founded Maie Wines, a single-serve wine brand, as a way to meld her passions together. “I love wine, obviously, but my co-founder and I were both training to be sommeliers and were very interested in the business side of the wine,” Jaclyn said. “For us, it’s just been extremely fun.” Achieving your dream career means that you have to create something that you love and are passionate about beyond a business perspective, and Jaclyn is proof.
As you grow, learn to delegate
One of the biggest learning moments in Jacklyn’s entrepreneurship journey came when she allowed herself to delegate tasks to team members. For Jaclyn, approaching her success and interactions with coworkers and clients with humanity made all the difference. If you’re getting to the point in your career when it’s time to turn over some responsibility to others, realize that allowing yourself to delegate is the best way to maintain the longevity of your brand, and that everybody else is learning and growing too. Approaching your growing workplace with empathy will truly round out your experience as an entrepreneur—and, as Jaclyn said on The Everygirl Podcast, remind you that everyone on the other end of the email is human.
