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Ep. 62: Tori Dunlap Has Thrived As An Entrepreneur Since Age Nine

"You have to be open to the things you could never have planned for."

A lot has been written about workplace conflict between Generation X'ers and Millennials, but Tori Dunlap shows that the younger generation has its own wisdom to share. Tori tells her story of starting her first business at age 9, and taking ownership of her life ever since. She talks about managing a corporate job and a side hustle, being open to unexpected opportunities, finding a support network, and trusting in the goodness of people. This episode made me hopeful for the future, and I hope it makes you hopeful too!

"It's just about prioritizing your life and figuring out: okay, if I have a specific goal I want to achieve, how am I going to achieve that? And I think again, it's also realizing that there are people around you who are doing the exact same thing and there is no shame if you need to be held accountable by asking somebody else to help you do that."

We discuss how millennials view work, the digital nomad trend, supporting other women, not leaving power on the table, the importance of prioritizing, why finding your story (and using it!) is so important, lessons learned from owning a business as a child, her advice for staying sane while juggling a main job and side hustle, the importance of finding people who inspire you, how planning things out really detracts from your life, going with your gut, and more.

"I think what people fail to realize about the millennial generation is that we are some of the hardest working people, it's just not in the traditional "corporate" way."

What you'll learn:

  • Tori is the head of marketing and communications at Security Industry Specialists, a company of over 5000.
  • In this role she also works with the recruitment manager to hire through social media.
  • Tori also has a side hustle where she runs a digital marketing business and has her own blog called victorimedia.
  • Tori started her first business when she was 9 with the help of her father.
  • She owned a group of sweets machines that she placed around the city and collected the money.
  • From this small business she learned how to pitch business, look after money and invest in new products.
  • Tori values self-care when balancing this many jobs.
  • Extra-curricular activities are important when applying to college however once college is over it’s easy to find yourself with a lot of free time to fill.
  • Social media can be enjoyable but can also become a trap making your life feel like a performance.
  • It’s important to know whether you’re doing something because you enjoy it or because you want to show off about it online.

"I think this is so important for people just starting out in their careers: to find your story and be able to tell it."

Advice:

  • Find like minded people who inspire you. 
  • Surround yourself with people dong the same thing and get them to hold you accountable.
  • Find your story about what makes you stand-out and be prepared to tell that story to sell yourself. 
  • There are people out there who want to support and help you even if they've never met you, so just ask.
  • Don't be afraid to reach out to people online and ask questions.