Going from entrepreneur back to employee: Job search tips after being your own boss
EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Courtney Nicholson, a sales and marketing professional that ran a boutique digital marketing agency for 7 years before joining a company in Indiana that provides energy code compliance services to residential and commercial builders. Courtney discusses how she ended up becoming an entrepreneur and what led her to close her business to pursue other opportunities. Her main message in this episode is to embrace your entrepreneurial roots if you decide to go back and join a company, as many companies would value your entrepreneurial experience that they can’t get from someone that’s always been an employee.
QUOTES
“[When starting a business] Know yourself, really really well, be firm in your beliefs in terms of why you are going into this business.” - Courtney Nicholson [15:41]
“For me, at the end of the day [when it comes to incorporating my entrepreneurial experience on my resume], I am all for transparency and I was as honest as could be and I thought well this is me, take it or leave it and if it’s not meant to be then it won’t be.” - Courtney Nicholson [28:27]
“You have a skillset [as an entrepreneur] that somebody who’s coming from a similar position as an employee wouldn’t have, there’s just a different level of acumen there and some of it can’t be taught without actual experience.” - Courtney Nicholson [36:00]
TIMESTAMPS
[1:06] Meet Courtney
[3:57] How Courtney ended up starting her business
[13:25] Things that Courtney learned as an entrepreneur that she wouldn’t have learned as an employee
[15:31] 1 tip Courtney would give to upcoming entrepreneurs
[16:54] When it was time to hire her first employee and how she found and evaluated candidates
[21:11] Courtney’s decision to close her business and her next steps
[25:55] Courtney’s journey to landing her current opportunity
[27:43] How Courtney crafted her entrepreneurial experience onto her resume
[29:38] The interview process where she landed her current opportunity and what did the hiring team thought about her current founder experience
[35:45] How having previous entrepreneurial experience can help you stand out as a candidate compared to others
[37:32] What skills Courtney learned as an entrepreneur that she was able to bring to her current company to provide immense value
[40:10] Discussing the closing of her business and her future career plans
[45:48] The resource that was instrumental in helping Courtney in her career development and her main tip for others when it comes to professional growth
[47:47] Contacting Courtney
[48:39] Outro
