Often we don’t have to reinvent the wheel to learn something new – we can just ask experts in the field who can draw on their experience to enlighten us. Below, we’ve shared insights insiders from various industries have shared with us.

Macklyn Mosley | Music Artist and Graphic Designer

As a music artist, I know that people believe that it’s work in some way, as in it takes time and effort to do it, but what I don’t think they are aware of, or may struggle to understand is the fact that it is also time consuming, requires physical, mental, spiritual, and financial investment, and furthermore that it’s equal to any other career or job out there. I think some people, while seeing it as work, also see it as a hobby more than anything. As a Graphic Designer I believe people are unaware of the time and research that we as designers do to make sure that the product is up to standard and is ready for the client. I know plenty of times I’ve heard the word “Just” or “Only” from clients when it comes to a design, i.e. “it’s just a simple design.” Little do they know that what may seem little or simple takes work. We have to make sure we’re making it according to what the client desires, still have it be unique. Read more>>

Jahnesta Watson | Private Celebrity Chef

One thing that the industry that most are unaware of if the amount of times you are going to hear “No” before you hear “Yes”. The chef industry, especially in Atlanta is overrun with people who cook. It’s imperative that you do what must be done to separate yourself from others. Something has to stand out as to what makes you different from anyone else that someone can hire. In order do that you’re going to have to bump your head allot to find out what works for you. Read more>>

Kiara Pierre | Nail Technician

On the outside looking in being a nail tech is seen as hobby not as a career. It can be very degrading to have your passion called a hobby when you are making a career out of it. Another thing that many people are unaware about is that fact nail techs of color specifically Black Nail Techs have to work harder to be seen, recognized and given credit for the talent we have. Many deem self taught nail technicians as the lowest level of being a tech. When we provide high quality work, long lasting sets and make sure to take the necessary sanitation steps for every client. Read more>>

Faren Collins | Artist and Yoga Instructor

My painting technique and process is unconventional. I paint based on how I feel about a particular subject. All of my paintings are based on the energy of a person, place or object. I close my eyes and meditate on a subject. I paint with my eyes closed or I may gaze without focusing on the paper and paint. I don’t judge my art. I just create it. This is my precipitation, interpretation and vision of a subject. I am also a 200hr RYT and Barre Instructor. I created an athleisure wear clothing line. This line transforms positive energetic painting and designs into wearable art. Read more>>

Lee Campbell | Business Educator

As a business educator, I am in the business of building businesses and most people are unaware of how HARD it is. Entrepreneurship is glamourized as working from bed, taking as many exotic vacations as you like, constant parties and celebrations and of course, UNLIMITED MONEY. Sure, that can and will happen for every successful business owner, but most do not realize all of the intricate details that come along with running your own business. Learning to be organized, understanding target audiences, sales, marketing, funding and least favorite, ACCOUNTING are all pertinent parts of running your business and most do not have an awareness of the difficulties of this journey. It takes vision and persistence to find success and a will NEVER to quit no matter how tough it gets. Read more>>

Tiffany Blassingame | Organizing and Productivity Strategist

I am a professional organizer. When many people think about organizing, they often believe that everything must be Pinterest-ready or MarieKondo-ed in order to be organized. And this belief often leads to procrastination for those who desire to be organized. A professional organizer helps to create systems and routines that will assist others to get organized and maintain it. The system is created to match the needs of the individual and/or their family. There are also many specialties among professional organizers. There are closet designers, general home organizers, productivity and time-management organizers, financial organizers, organizers that specialize in hoarding, etc. I specialize in student and family organization. My goal is to help families with organized solutions for home, work, and school. Read more>>

Donna McDonald & Judy Goldberg | Owners of MUSE & Co. Fine Art

Not as glamorous as it appears. Read more>>

Dennis Hornsby | Food Blogger & Actor

Just how hard it is to get your website in front of people. For the first 6 months, I was getting zero traffic on my blog. You are completely at the mercy of Google. Every gripe you might have with food blogs (walls of text, recipe at the bottom of the page, etc.) is all because the search engines have decided to reward this behavior. Longer articles are more likely to rank for more keywords, bringing in more traffic. Putting the recipe on the bottom means you have to scroll through all the content on the page, and hopefully, this will increase the time you are on the page. Search engines love it when you spend a lot of time on a page. More recently, Google decided that a recipe isn’t “complete” unless it has a video and a rating. So, that adds a lot more work. Now, I need to make video content as well to beat the blogs that are being shown above me. Read more>>

Jasmine McClain | Journalist & Brand Strategist

People see journalists and assume the work is all glitz and glam (writing, interviewing and attending events) but many don’t realize it takes strong networking skills and a unique niche to break into the industry. This is a DEADLINE driven industry and very competitive. On the flip side, we are taught to be calm in the midst of chaos and take risks! Working in media means having a voice and a platform to change the narrative of societal standards. It means being your harshest critic and investing your best energy. I think many aspiring journalists need to know how much work goes into creating your own lane and standing out from the crowd. Read more>>

Debra Gibson-Welch | Marketing and Communications | Website Specialist | Content Strategist | Training

Outsiders think that developing and designing a website or curating content for social media is less work than it seems. They put little monetary value on these roles until they have to tackle them themselves. These jobs require patience, creativity, and time. It is not easy and a certain level of skill, technical skill for good web development. People do not understand the scope of the work or the complexity until they have spent time working with a professional or they have decided to do it themselves. That is the real test. Do they have the patience, time, and creativity to invest in it? Many times the answer is no. I decided this was the field I wanted to be in and I have the patience, time, and creativity for it. Read more>>

Larry Young | Photographer

I believe most people don’t realize the amount of pre and post work that is involved in creating really good images. Read more>>

Bethany Wheeler | Registered and Licensed Dietitian

My industry, the health/nutrition/wellness industry, trains dietitians to be someone who tells people what to eat, helps people lose weight or “manage” their weight, always eats “healthy” and is expected to live in a thin and “fit” body with minimal health issues. We are trained to perpetuate diet culture, a system of beliefs that endorses the idea that health is indicated by body size (thin or “fit” = healthy) and that being in good health is a moral imperative. This system also believes that everyone has the same access to food and healthcare, and thus, there are “no excuses” for not being healthy. Unfortunately, I have seen individual’s health worsen as a result of our industry. A profession that claims to improve the health and well-being of humans actually diminishes it, and it contributes to individuals developing disordered eating patterns and eating disorders. Read more>>

Greg Whitted | Professional Photographer & Videographer

The amount of time that goes into being a professional photographer and videographer. There is a set time allotment pre, during, and post shoot. There is a timeframe prior that includes communications, consultations etc. Then you have the actual shoot which requires travel to and from and the time actually shooting. Then post is honestly where majority of your time is spent color correcting and professionally editing your images. So a 1 hour shoot can easily add in excess of 7+ hours. Read more>>

Webhead Fitness | Health and Fitness

One thing about our industry that outsiders are probably unaware of is that we made our business for a purpose and not an investment. A lot of companies that get launched were created for a investment, thinking that such a great idea would bring in great revenue. Webhead Fitness was launched to create opportunities for overlooked athletes and dispense our free services to the less fortunate. Read more>>

SPECS Management, Inc. | Co-founders – Nina Hines (CEO) & Char Davis (COO)

We think the most vital piece of information most outsiders are unaware of is that association management firms actually exist. We meet other professionals and business owners all of the time and they have no idea this type of industry is even a profession. Once we begin to divulge all of the services we provide many are left in awe that we have this level of experience and it’s usually an overwhelming conversation to say the least. Read more>>

Kimberly D. Worthy | Author, Actress, & Media Personality

Many people believe that you have to be a natural born extrovert to work in television, but that just isn’t true. I consider myself an introvert with extrovert qualities when needed. It is more important to know when to turn up and when to turn down versus just being wired constantly. Read more>>

Rahkal Roberson | Certified Professional Life Coach & Author

One thing about my industry that outsiders are probably not aware of is that coaching isn’t about telling people what to do, nor is it telling people what I think they should do. True coaching is about the coachee, LISTENING to them, supporting, validating, and helping them discover answers, solutions, and making the best decisions for their lives. Coaching is about empowering and helping individuals tap into THEIR unique God-given skills and talents for their success. Read more>>

Maria Palacio | Creating The Future of Specialty Coffee

The one thing that most outsiders don’t know about the coffee industry is that most farmers are producing below margin, creating a deep poverty loop. Read more>>

Jamee Niehoff | Music Producer

In the music industry there is a lot of gatekeeping. If you want to get something done, most of the time you have to figure it out on your own (unless you want to pay someone good money to do it for you). Read more>>

Siedah Johnson | Crystal Store Owner & Self-Love Author

The one thing about the crystal business that most people are not aware of is the profit margin. Most folks don’t like to talk about money when it comes to selling metaphysical tools. When it comes to running a crystal business the profit margin is much larger than other industries, such as, beauty. Where beauty might be between 10-30%. The crystal business is between 40-70%. With that in mind, it is a great business to get into and scale from a financial standpoint. Read more>>

Maeghan Jones | Realtor and Team Lead of The MWM Team

The true commitment, discipline and dedication it takes to market yourself and bring in clientele. It’s a daily balance of lead generating constantly, self care, educating yourself on the market, laws, contracts, etc. It’s so much more to real estate than what HGTV highlights and I love HGTV lol but I wish people knew what all really went into the world of being a full time Realtor. Read more>>

Corie Raine | Digital Marketer

One major take away for me is that Digital Marketing isn’t just “posting pictures and creating videos.” Digital Marketing is a skill, and it’s a skilled acquired over time. It takes true talent, determination and consistency to see the fruits of your labor in this industry. Never giving up is key in this number driven platform. Read more>>