Starting Before You’re Ready: From Temp to CEO in 9 months

After my year as an AmeriCorps VISTA, I became a temp and got a long-term assignment at a consulting firm. I used this time to plot my next employment move, public public development. Because I spent a year supporting local labor rights reform, I was intrigued by changing legislation to improve the quality of life. This was a bridge between where I was and where I wanted to be.

When there was a lull at the consulting firm, I met an accidental mentor at the copier machine. I was working on a major recruiting project and spent hours copying, collating, and stuffing envelopes for the week. Halfway through the project, I met Ebong Eka and we struck up a conversation about entrepreneurship. He encouraged me to take small steps toward entrepreneurship by listening to what people are coming to me for. For the next two months, these copier chitchats became gem-dropping sessions, small business advice for the young under-employed soul. Coincidentally, the conversations became the roadmap to working for myself.

After wrapping up the temp assignment, I landed a public policy and kept those gems in mind. This position was my first experience with philanthropy and community development. I remember sitting in a meeting and hearing millions of dollars allocated to great causes, which moved me. I began asking mentors to connect me to leaders in the non-profit industry, charities, fundraising and development, and corporate social responsibility. At each meeting, I learned people made a way out of no way to bring their vision to life, and they assured me that I could, too. Within nine months, the opportunity came.

During an administration change, a local charity offered me a six-figure contract. I was dismayed initially because I imagined having to work to secure my first contract, and here was it coming from a colleague who I spent these last nine months working alongside in public safety meetings. It felt too good to be true. I took the wealth of information from those coffee dates, gems from Ebong, and business plan outlines from the Notes app. This was all preparation. By the beginning of 2015, I registered my business with federal and state regulatory agencies and secured my first contract.

There are a few things that helped me go from temp to CEO in 9 months.

1. Take a temporary risk: Honestly, becoming a temp felt like a huge professional downgrade. It was a blessing in disguise. The temp agency allowed me to gain more employment experience while I continued to practice interviewing and revising my resume.

2. You can’t dream with everyone: Entrepreneurship is a huge responsibility and a desire that certain people have. Initially, I began discouraged when I shared my aspirations with my direct supervisor, who lovingly yet dismissively tempered my dreams saying, “Yeah but how will you get a job”. WHEN I shared that with Ebong, he dropped a gem, what the hell have they done with their life? It took a long time for the truth to hit, but when you’re dreaming big, you can't dream with everyone. Seek out people who are doing or have done what you would like to do.

3. Start where you are with what you have: Evaluate opportunities as they come. Even as I temped, I continued to find ways to connect people, places, and things related to my larger goals.

4. Speak Your Dreams: During one fateful lunch with a co-worker, I was told, " You can't dream with everyone." This was a huge lesson in discernment as I considered working for myself. I began to

5. Take Note: Write down your ideas. When I needed to name my business, I had everything in my notes app on my phone. I spent a few months jotting down words and phrases until I found the right combination.