Julia McGuinn

Honestly, I'd have to say my local community and the connections that I've made. I think that that has really, really helped me with making, you know, using my resources and you know, making those connections work, in the business side of things, too. So I would definitely say that. My friends and my, like, my fellow, like, you know, community partners are definitely what I would attribute my success to.

I would say the best career advice I received is to kind of, like, not forget about, like, the small little gestures that people do overlook, because it turns out that sometimes you are one of the only people that do do that, so I think that it makes you stand out and helps you, you know, be remembered when someone is looking to use a service that you sell. So, I think a lot of people like a, like a handwritten thank you note, or just a message, more friendly, you know, less business-related, but just something that kind of makes you human, and also, it kind of sets you aside, and it's just very simple and often overlooked, but it, it definitely, you know, helps.

I would say, that it's definitely a great field to go into, because it does give a lot of autonomy with your schedule, so you can do a lot of other, you know, other endeavors or fundraising or other things that might be important to you, so I do think that sales, outside sales, is good for that because you have, you know, a lot of autonomy with your schedule, but I would just say to be persistent and, you know, try not to dwell in the defeats, because they definitely are inevitable. But you can just kind of pick yourself back up, and I have to still tell myself that, you know? So maybe just not, not dwell in feeling discouraged would be my advice.

I would actually say that one of the biggest challenges in working in a remote, like, kind of a remote role, or in an independent role where it's outside of the office, like the sort of kind of lose, like, the sense of belonging or the camaraderie that happens, like, within the office, so I feel like kind of, like, combating, like, kind of sometimes feeling lonely throughout the day can definitely be a challenge. So I sort of have come up with different strategies and, you know, staying in touch via text messages and, you know, since I don't get to interact a whole lot in person with co-workers, so I would say that's kind of one of the biggest challenges, is just kind of still feeling, you know, like part of the team when you're not there so often.

Honesty and transparency, especially in my professional life, because with the services that I offer, it's really, you know, contractual, and there's, a lot of, like, legal jargon mixed in, and it can be tricky, you know, especially if that's not something that you're used to reading through contracts. So I think the most important thing is to really just be transparent with people and let them know what it is that they are signing. And I think that that has helped me avoid, like, future potential conflict, or people feeling like you were maybe not, you know, 100% honest with them. ... that's probably one value, is just really transparency. And I think that goes well in, you know, both business life and, of course, in personal life, too, so.