Three entrepreneurial trailblazers share what it takes to become your own boss

“I haven’t met anybody yet that doesn’t love being their own boss,” said Trish Tervit, an award-winning journalist, PR professional and principal owner of Tervit Communications (external link) . “We plan our own days. It’s a whole different dynamic.” 

As the work landscape continues to evolve, the Oct. 26 GRADTalks panel “Working for yourself: Start-ups, consulting and ventures” welcomed three entrepreneurial leaders who offered candid and unique advice to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows on seeking alternative routes to a fulfilling career. The panel discussion, moderated by YSGS Associate Dean, Student Affairs Dr. Nancy Walton, featured Tervit; TMU alumna Rose Genele, CEO of revenue operations consultancy The Opening Door (external link)  and founder of the New Face of Inclusion Summit (external link) ; and Jon Medow, experienced public policy analyst and founder and President of Medow Consulting (external link) .

“Some of you may already be working for yourselves, or planning to do so, while others may not have considered self-employment as an option,” noted YSGS Vice-Provost and Dean Dr. Cory Searcy. “The work world is always evolving, and there are more opportunities to take other routes into rewarding and productive careers working for yourself, either through starting your own venture, business or company, or through becoming a professional consultant.”

Make working for yourself work for you

Contrary to the popular belief that one needs to participate in “hustle culture” to be successful when going out on their own, all panellists agreed that taking the time to deeply reflect on the kind of structure that enables your best work will allow you to show up authentically and consistently in becoming your own boss. 

“I want to be free, feel free and be able to design my life in a way where I don’t design it around work,” remarked Genele. “I stretch my working and living in every day. I end up working 10 hours a day because I’m not sitting at my desk at a certain time. I have some structure, but it’s free-flowing.” While many find starting out to be the most challenging aspect, panellists emphasized that it’s best to create achievable expectations to set yourself up for success.

“It’s hard work, especially if you’re starting out, without many years of experience or a built-up contact list,” said Genele. The importance of being open to experimentation in the beginning is essential for setting realistic expectations and establishing a growth mindset from wherever you may be starting. 

“Are there ways you can tiptoe into whatever it is that your vision may be? Are there ways you can try it out first?” asked Medow. “And if it’s the kind of thing where you just have to go for it, give yourself a framework—‘I’m going to try this for six months, one year’—and see what you learn from it. The agency/power that you have as an independent consultant/worker is the space for creativity.”

Medow, who came to Canada as an international student, offered advice to those considering a similar path. “Be aware that how working independently versus working for an employer factors into immigration pathway. Do some research on how working independently might fit in with your post-graduation vision.”  

Draw on supports

Though the transition to self-employment requires an amplified sense of independence and self-reliability, having supports in place can play an equally critical role in your success.

All panellists addressed that with increased agency comes a heightened demand for personal responsibility. “I’m very happy on my own, but there’s only so much you can do in a day alone,” noted Tervit. Genele agreed that “there is always that component of ‘at the end of the day you have to deliver.’”. With the increased responsibilities and precarity that comes with working for yourself, having a supportive network of friends and colleagues along the way can have an invaluable positive impact.

“After the pandemic, I had lunch with a friend who had been running her own PR agency for 13 years, and I mentioned I was thinking of doing it, and she was so emphatic about it: ‘Do it, do it, you’ll love it, there’s tons of work out there,’” said Tervit. “I have a long career behind me and a large network that I didn’t realize would come back in spades, in a good way.” 

“When I first left and started out, a friend of mine who owned a company gave me a desk in his office and hosted me there and gave me a lot of advice,” said Medow. “There were a lot of people that helped motivate me and provided different kinds of support, whether helping out with the website or mentorship. And now Medow Consulting is myself and four employees.” 

Conversely, Genele advises not to underestimate the power of individual will. “You can always reach out to others for support, but you are your own greatest resource.” Genuine sources of support can also be found by strategically expanding your professional network.

Creating strategic networks means being authentic; seek out people who are experts in your area of interest and are where you want to be in the future. All panellists emphasized the importance of being genuine when opening lines of communication. “If you’re a naturally outgoing person, don’t think about networking too much. You’re probably naturally doing it,” said Genele. “Introverted? Take advantage of groups and associations, online opportunities to find like-minded folks in community.”

Much of the work of being your own boss involves proactively forming and managing your relationships with others. When considering venturing out on your own, Medow noted that “it’s important to assess whether forming new relationships and expanding your network is something you feel drawn to.”

To help support your transition to working for yourself, J.P. Silva, manager of Zone Learning at TMU, recommended taking advantage of the resources available to TMU students at The Office of Zone Learning. “Zone Learning is a vibrant community of 7,000 members. Everyone is working on their own venture. Zones provides students with access to mentors, experts, working space, access to grants and subsidies.”

Take the plunge and don’t look back

Panellists recommended ensuring you are ready before taking the plunge. 

“Everyone going off on their own needs to be aware that it’s going to be a ride. This is not at all a reason not to do it. It’s just having that awareness that’s key,” said Medow. “Sometimes not just starting is hard. It can be hard starting, it can be going great and then it gets hard again. It’s the inconsistency that happens when you step outside the framework of a formal institution where you have an employee-employer relationship.”

“Make sure you have the credentials, experience, skills that you need,” said Tervit. “You can enhance them along the way, but you need to have a foundation of being able to deliver whatever service/expertise you want to give to your clients. Listen to your gut. If you know in your heart it’s the right time, be fearless and take the leap. You keep working at it, touching base with folks, it ends up working out. The challenge is riding the ups and downs.”

Reflecting on your vision, and taking the time to break it down into smaller, achievable steps can provide the clarity and readiness needed to continuously actualize it. “Consider the why before taking the plunge, and then don’t stop,” Genele recommended. “There’s a fraction of people that have an idea that get started, and there’s an even smaller fraction of people that continue, that keep going, that don’t say ‘I can’t.’ Don’t lose the momentum. Once you go forward, there’s no going back.”

Zone learning at TMU

TMU's 10 zones are incubators or spaces where people come together to brainstorm, kickstart projects and build startups. Each zone offers one-on-one mentorship from experts as well as access to state-of-the-art workspaces and technologies. With zones you can develop your own ideas or put your skills to work by collaborating with a team. Zones can help grow your network, gain experience, build your resumé and even access funding.

DG 8116: A new graduate elective to help you launch and grow your passion project!

As a graduate student, time is a valuable asset. On top of classes and life, building a project may seem like a daunting task, but if it’s something that you’re passionate about, you should do it. 

DG 8116: Special Topics: Zone Learning Project allows you to get course credit towards your graduate degree and connect with a community of like-minded students from across the university. This new elective course from Zone Learning allows graduate students to launch and grow a project under the guidance of an instructor. The course also offers a very hands-on experience to gain deeper insights into the highly transferable skills and competencies needed to launch and grow projects and ventures. 

GRADTalks interactive speaker series

The GRADTalks series is designed to provide relevant information and professional development resources to enhance the graduate experience at TMU. Speakers highlight the critical importance of graduate education in their professional experiences, inspiring and challenging graduate students to consider career pathways beyond their current degrees.