We all had our own start in everything and we certainly all had our own firsts in every aspect of life. Successful people didn’t just become successful instantly. They had to overcome the obstacles throughout their career before achieving their success and one of the obstacles was; their first job. First job, out of every job we have taken in this life, was the hardest part of our starting point because we were much more inexperienced and still honing our skills, plus there were still many things we didn’t know about. I remember the first job I had before providing SEO services; I was an assistant lecturer and a private tutor at the same time as my first job(s). While I was a good university student with very good grades, teaching was still new to me at that time. Fortunately, teaching has been one of my work passions because I really love helping people learn something new. Despite the fact that I am no longer a teacher, my current job was also my first time working at a creative agency that involves SEO, web design and everything digital – something I have never imagined myself ever being involved with. Back then I used to hate being involved in projects that require me to learn IT and computer related stuff. Using digital items is one thing, but learning more about it? I’d say no, thanks. However, when I got this job and started learning about it, I learned the value of digital marketing and how to really grow a business. Turns out, it is not just me. Successful and famous people out there learned many things from their first job that actually made them who they are today. Whether you are a business owner or someone who works in the marketing world, maybe you will be inspired by what they say. Keep reading to find out!

“Appreciate the jobs that fulfil you emotionally.”

Ryan Carson, CEO and Founder of TreeHouse said he once worked at a windowless chemistry lab where he had to wear a full-body protection suit to clean glass beakers with acid. It was painful, boring and low-pay. From this experience, he learned that an important job is the one that can fulfil a person emotionally – something that has direct positive impact on people’s lives. Even though some job may have no more than minimum wage, if it can make you grow and learn new things, you can still be happy and money will follow.

“Make the most of limited resources.”

Mike McDerment, CEO and Co-founder of FreshBooks told the story of his first job as a camp counsellor during high school taking a bunch of kids on canoe trips for as long as 40 days on summer. The limited resources during the trip taught him a lot about teamwork and hot to make use of the limited resources that can only fit into a backpack. A lot can go wrong when you are in a seclusion area. However, after overcoming difficulties in the trip, McDerment learned a lot about perseverance and hard work. This made him realise that the attributes that helped him survive in the woods are the same attributes that can help him be successful as a business owner. The same principle applies to you as well. Business is not an easy journey and there are no shortcuts to success.

“Maintain a winning mindset.”

Mike Katchen, CEO and Founder of Wealthsimple, had three first jobs when he was a second year university student. He learned confidence and the ability to figure things out from working with Mezzanine Consulting. He learned about a winning mindset where he should think big and set huge aspirations from working with a photography company Blacks, while working at McKinsey, he learned a lot about how to solve problems. Overall, no matter how many obstacles you are facing when starting a business, you should maintain a winning mindset. Once you have got this strong winning mindset, you will never give up on solving problems and overcome your fears.

Famous people out there didn’t just grow their business or career that fast. They started from zero. In short, there are no shortcuts to success. However, what’s more important is your mindset. If your mindset is not ready to face your fears and obstacles, then having a business is not meant for you right now. That being said, if you have a winning mindset, you can overcome everything.