Making The Leap From Employee → Entrepreneur [Q224]
What does it mean to be an entrepreneur?
Entrepreneurship is the journey of starting, developing and growing your very own business. It comes with the ability to set your own hours/schedule, work wherever you want, follow your passion, and make a career out of what you love.
Women in Entrepreneurship
It’s not a new idea by any means, but is becoming a growing position especially amongst women. As of 2022, women-owned businesses contribute substantially to entrepreneurship in the United States and now make up 42% of businesses in the U.S. Over the last decade, the number of women-owned businesses have increased 114%.
After the pandemic, millions of Americans walked away from their corporate jobs to pursue entrepreneurship — there was a mass exodus in all industries, where according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4.5 million people voluntarily left their positions.
Last quarter, I highlighted three other women in this blog who are running their own business(es) and also made that leap from being an employee at a company to being an entrepreneur of their own.
Entrepreneurship may be scary, but that’s the fun of it! The journey is hard and like a winding road up a mountain— it’s inviting and exciting yet scary, but so incredibly rewarding as you get higher and higher to the top.
I’m so excited to continue this series and continue to highlight women in business in this quarterly series: Making the Leap from Employee to Entrepreneurship.
Creator of Growthtrackers and Host of Low Energy Leads, a podcast show that lowers the bar on how we get leads as small business owners.
What were you doing before?
I was a growth designer for Silicon Valley startups. I worked with companies like Gusto, The Black Tux, Prosper, Joyable and Burner. I also did innovation work for bigger brands like Toyota, Nissan and Macy's. Before that, I worked freelance in television production on shows like The Office, Dexter and Party Down.
What was the tipping point?
I had taken a contract at The Black Tux thinking it would be a freelance gig for three months, after three months, they asked me to stay on full time. I agreed but sort of knew I didn't want to have a job. I was right. I only lasted a year before I got the itch to be on my own again so I booked a new contract and headed out the door!
What is the new / current venture?
I've been working for myself since 2019 but this current venture is growth marketing for creatives. I run a membership called Growthtrackers which is a growth accelerator and experimentation community and I did consulting for small studios and agencies on how to fill their pipeline with clients.
How's it going?
In many ways fantastic and in other ways it could be a lot more dialed in. One thing I'm exploring this year is how to make my projects more team efforts without bringing on a full time staff. Thinking a lot about collectives and co-ops. More to come!
Founder of Uproar Coaching, a safe space for women and femmes to own and amplify the things that make them different instead of hiding them! Kari offers executive and life coaching, custom workshops and talks, and change management transformation at Uproar.
What were you doing before?
Before launching Uproar in June 2020, I was a Lead People Strategist for a Fortune 500 company, supporting "people-ly" efforts, like culture, organizational development, and change management. I also had a small side hustle providing executive & life coaching and consulting, I was a Teaching Artist in a local school district, and I was performing in equity regional theater houses.
What was the tipping point?
Like so many entrepreneurs and SBOs I know: the pandemic and a toxic leader. My high-performing team was realigned under a new leader, who then actively dismantled our processes, relationships, and reputation. Then, the pandemic arrived and all of the other activities in my life halted overnight. I realized that
The 16-hour-a-day hustle for someone else was no longer in values alignment with where I wanted to spend my work time, and
I was trying to protect my team by staying when the best thing I could do for them was model growth behavior and move on; to hopefully inspire them to do the same (spoiler: it did.)
I had worked too hard and was too good at my job to let one person sink my career, because that's honestly what it felt like was happening.
After one particularly brutal day, I stepped away from my at-home workspace and found my partner in the kitchen. I told him I was miserable (His response? "I know"). I told him I wanted to quit ("I know”). And I told him that I wanted my little side hustle to become my only hustle ("Let me grab my laptop"). Together that night, we made immediate moves to reduce unnecessary household expenses to give me some room to breathe financially. I set up an LLC, a website, and I printed business cards over the weekend. For three months, I worked my full-time corporate job, albeit at a reduced 10 hour workday, and then spent 4 hours a day (including Saturdays and Sundays) building my book of business. Then, I quit. And I've never looked back.
What is the new / current venture, and how is it going now?
Uproar is a coaching/consultancy for nontraditional women and femme leaders who want to amplify the things that make them different instead of hide it. We wave their freak flag proudly, together. I offer a variety of coaching services specifically tailored for an overextended misfit leader's life. I also provide workshops, team development, and presentations.
Since June 2020, I've supported over 250 individuals in unabashedly and unapologetically identifying and crushing their goals. I love my work. I love my clients. It's a huge privilege that I don't take for granted.
Founder of Nosh and Gather, a Minneapolis-based boutique caterer creating pop-up dinner parties, weekly meal subscriptions, cooking classes and more.
What were you doing before?
I’ve always been a foodie and have loved to cook and have worked in or adjacent to food and catering most of my career. I was a stay-at-home mom for 11-years and when I turned 40 and my youngest kid started kindergarten, I knew it was time to start something new.
What was the tipping point?
I’m a creative person at my core and knew that I could marry several concepts together to build a catering business. Feedback and encouragement from friends and neighbors gave me that final push to make it happen.
What is the new / current venture, and how is it going now?
I am working on adding food trips to my services. Gathering a group of foodies together to travel to a new city and experience its food and culture. It’s got me feeling so excited.
I’m excited to continue sharing the stories of fellow female entrepreneurs throughout the year. I truly believe there is room for more businesses in the world and women-founded and -run ones, at that!
† Reference 1: 2022 Annual Report from the National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) https://cdn.www.nwbc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20105617/NWBC-2022-Annual-Report.pdf
HI THERE, I’M JORDYN
Serial entrepreneur, strategic integrator and financial aficionado.
My mission is to revolutionize the way businesses grow with strategic clarity and implementation. It goes beyond consultancy—as I want to be a dedicated partner in propelling your success with strategy and impactful execution with zest and honesty.