Maggie Baker

I think entrepreneurs are very much wired differently, and there's a point where you have it in you. I'm not going to say I'm better than anyone, but at a certain point, you kind of want to live your authentic life, right? And if you're an entrepreneur, you always have, in my opinion, these ideas in your head and this drive. I would go to work every day and try to do my best, but in the back of my mind and in myself, I've always been thinking of, like, I want to be doing my own business, I want to be having my own hustle, and it's more than just I want freedom. It's like, I have to do this thing. And eventually, you're gonna have to do the thing, you know? Because it's just in you, and it's just talking to you all the time. I know I'm wired differently than someone that goes to work and just takes a paycheck and lives their lifestyle. But I don't have that - that's not how I'm wired, you know? I'm a little bit crazy, and I think entrepreneurs are very much wired differently.

From an entrepreneurial perspective, the best advice I received from another entrepreneur was, whatever you think you're gonna do, double the amount of time and the money you think it's gonna take. And if you think it's gonna take you a week, it's probably gonna take you a month. If you think it's gonna take you $10,000, it'll probably cost $20,000. And the reason that was such great advice is because it's really true. Like, if all the variables were exactly how you thought it was gonna go, then that might be true, but that's not life. Things come up as you're launching a product into the world, or as you're getting a business going - things that are unforeseen come up, or they just take more than you thought. For me, why that was so helpful is because it just makes you not feel bad when you realize, oh, this is what they were talking about. Because as an entrepreneur, you can feel kind of guilty, like, oh shoot, why is this taking me so long? I thought I'd have this done by now. But then you kind of remind yourself, wait a minute, that person told me it's going to take longer, just be patient, keep doing the work. And I tell a lot of entrepreneurs that, young entrepreneurs, because I'm like, just don't beat yourself up, don't feel bad. And when it starts taking a little longer than you thought, or a little more money than you thought, or you feel like you're behind, just know that everybody faces that, and just keep the course, keep going. Especially in terms of turning a profit - I thought my store would be profitable on year two. We're now in year four. Finally, we're profitable. It's three years of coming to work every day and not making a paycheck. It's so hard! Finally, this year, we're taking a paycheck, and it feels really, really good.

From a hiring perspective, having been a recruiter for 20 years, you gotta learn the tools out there, you gotta make yourself someone who - they need you more than you need them. If you become an expert in something, you're gonna get hired. What I saw happen in the entertainment industry is people thought that if they did everything and were all the things, then they had more to offer. But truthfully, what people want is you need to be that expert at that thing, and they only need you. We need Maggie because she's the one that's gonna do this better than anyone for our company, and no one else can do that. Then you become invaluable. Otherwise, you're gonna water down your resume with all this different stuff, and you're kind of a master of none - they're not gonna think of you specifically for anything. The people that the companies I would hire, they'd be like, we don't care, we need to get that person. It was because they brought some skill sets and also a personality that matched with the company - they fit well. And they're like, we just need that person here. You have to kind of figure out what that is for you, and where that person needs to go - what company needs that. Maybe it's multiple companies need that, and you become more of a consultant and work for yourself, and just become the expert in that thing and help multiple companies. Pay attention to what's happening and be early on the trends, because there are new trends that are going to shape entire industries. AI is going to shape new industries. I think live shopping is huge, auction-based live shopping. You've got to pay attention to what's going on and the trends and try and get kind of early, because there's new industries that are forming. Even though certain things are dying out or changing, doesn't mean there's not a huge opportunity to come in early on something that's gonna be in 5 to 10 years everywhere. Don't work against AI, but with it. Like, it's here. You can't be afraid of it - you have to go, okay, it's here, how can I become the expert. Employers want people that know AI, but you can't just say AI. You have to know what tools, and why, and what's my lane? Is it using it for content? Is it using it in writing? Is it analytics? The applications are endless, so find out what you love to do, and use it as a tool to say, hey, I can work with this as well, and I know it's going to help me be more efficient.

When I graduated 24, 25 years ago, it was a tough time because 9-11 had just happened, and it was really hard to get hired too. It was a very hard time. I would say just pay attention to what's happening and be early on the trends, because there are new trends that are going to shape entire industries. AI is going to shape new industries, and I think live shopping is huge, auction-based live shopping, like whatnot - these sorts of things are gonna be huge. So you've got to kind of pay attention to what's going on and the trends and try and get kind of early, because there's new industries that are forming. So even though certain things are dying out or changing, doesn't mean there's not a huge opportunity to come in early on something that's gonna be in 5 to 10 years everywhere. Some of the things I see being that are AI - figuring out how you can make AI work for you so that you're an expert, and don't work against AI, but with it. I think live shopping and auctions is another really, really big one. A lot's happening in the learning space around AI. You can't be afraid of it - you have to go, okay, it's here, how can I become the expert. Because employers want people that know AI, but you can't just say AI. You have to know what tools, and why, and what's my lane? Use it as a tool in your arsenal, and a key tool.

I would just say authenticity and impact. Be real, be who you are, say what you're gonna do, and do what you're gonna say. And impact, to me, is always going to be the number one. Like, if this business ends up where there's however many kids in foster care that now have new clothes, new toys they didn't have - of course, I have to provide for my family first, but I'll choose impact over money any day of the week. You need revenue, right? You need to be able to sustain your business and your life, but outside of that, if you could have this impact and help this many people, or you could have this much more money, I'm always going to take the impact side, just because leaving and knowing that you helped is, to me, so much more in terms of having a legacy, so much more valuable and rewarding. Just having a business is one thing, but if you can have a business then impact - I mean, I'd choose impact any day of the week, because it's important to leave the world a better place.