Entrepreneur recently invited fifteen successful entrepreneurs, including our CEO Evan Hackel, to answer this question . . .
What was your first summer job and what did you learn from it?
The result was an article that just appeared in Entrepreneur, “What 15 Entrepreneurs Learned from their First Summer Jobs.”
What Did Evan Hackel Tell Entrepreneur about His First Summer Job?
“My first summer job was raking leaves in a cemetery,” Evan told the magazine. “The other workers never worked at all – unless someone was watching. I had tremendous peer pressure not to work. The experience taught me how important culture is to creating an atmosphere of effective work and to inspect what you expect.”
We think that quote tells a lot about where Evan was in his thinking, even back when he was a student. We also think it offers a glimpse into the thought process that led him, years after that summer job, to write his groundbreaking book Ingaging Leadership.
Other Entrepreneurs Share their Insights too
What did the other entrepreneurs tell Entrepreneur? Because we would like you to read the article, we will only give you a few samples of what they had to say.
- Heather Nichols, a health, wellness and fitness consultant, worked first for a stingy boss, then for a generous one, and learned the value of being generous toward your employees.
- Chutisa Bowman, founder of BeFrabjous, worked as a fashion model for a top designer and learned the value of radiating confidence, professionalism and a positive attitude.
- Daniel Young, C-Founder of B Invested, had a strenuous job delivering kegs of beer and learned the value of “working smarter, not harder.”
- Tom Harari, CEO and co-founder of Cleanly, worked in a warehouse for a boss who was very hands-on, and learned from him the value of knowing everything that is going on in your organization, from top to bottom.
