My first job was working for a campaign. I’m not going to tell you which side I was on… honestly, it really doesn’t matter now. Like, at all. What I remember most isn’t the politics.

Every day. Every single day I would go into work, someone would leave crying. Sometimes it was me.
It wasn’t just my bosses. It was also the work. Endless cold calls with no training. Stuffing envelopes until our brains turned to mush. That sort of thing.

I remember when I was given my first real job. I was tasked with designing & writing the candidate’s newsletter.

I was so relieved to get my own desk and a computer. It was the first time I felt like I could literally hide inside the machine. I would tweak spacing for hours, just trying to stay out of the way of… everyone else.
Now, this is an extreme example of a bad boss and a bad working environment. But the boss-supervisor-employee hierarchical model is something we’ve all experienced.

As an entrepreneur at my core, I didn’t last very long in a traditional working setting. And it wasn’t until recently that I fully understood why… why I feel undervalued when handed task lists. Why I push back when nobody listens to my ideas. Why I hate being told what to do. Why I thrive on variety and shut down with repetition. Why micromanagement slows me down. All that and I finally understand: the problem isn’t me.

The fact is, I’m built differently. My blueprint. The gene codes I was born with. My… human design. I have my own, unique-to-the-core way. And so do you.

I know that experiences are necessary to learn… BUT… what if… What if I had known who I was from the beginning? If I knew at 30… or when I had my first job at 17… what if I’d been given permission to learn me from the beginning? In school. In church. Growing up. Not taught to memorize, to follow a hierarchy, or a cultural order—but actually taught to think. And to lean into my uniqueness.

When I turned 42 in October, I decided this was going to be the best year yet. I’m excited to implement everything I now understand about myself.

But just do me one big favor… Don’t tell me what to do.

Jen Bailey

Hi! I’m Jennifer Bailey and I partner with entrepreneurs who have massive ideas that could change the world. Most marketing is meaningless. Filled with empty promises, its only job is to bring in new traffic, new leads, and new customers. But I’ve drawn a line in the sand, and I’ve learned that marketing can do so much more than reach business goals and build profit. My methods give businesses the fire and soul they need to reach the right people, set the groundwork for sustainable relationships, and offer true value to the people on both the giving and receiving ends of marketing.

Read more about me here