Emma

And eventually, when I needed to raise money for my first startup 10 years later, who did I go to? Not a fund or a VC. I didn't know any of those type of people. I went to a client who I had a reputation of delivering excellent work with and a long and trusted working relationship with.

And eventually, when I needed to raise money for my first startup 10 years later, who did I go to? Not a fund or a VC. I didn't know any of those type of people. I went to a client who I had a reputation of delivering excellent work with and a long and trusted working relationship with.

And not only was I able to pitch my idea and the potential of an investment, but I also managed to make that person a trusted advisor and someone that would help me throughout the years. The key take out here is that it's not always easy to see your path forward. And I have so many people that come to me asking about the next step.

And not only was I able to pitch my idea and the potential of an investment, but I also managed to make that person a trusted advisor and someone that would help me throughout the years. The key take out here is that it's not always easy to see your path forward. And I have so many people that come to me asking about the next step.

How do they get from where they are today to where they want to be? And my simple answer is that you have to be excellent at what you're doing right now, where you are today. The single best way to be noticed and to be able to use the leverage that you might have is for people to notice how good you are right now at what you're doing in this moment.

How do they get from where they are today to where they want to be? And my simple answer is that you have to be excellent at what you're doing right now, where you are today. The single best way to be noticed and to be able to use the leverage that you might have is for people to notice how good you are right now at what you're doing in this moment.

And for you to find ways that you can take what you have today and use those things to springboard you to your next move. That's leverage. And it's really something that all of us can access. Number three. Always be yourself. Always be yourself. Everyone else is taken. I think it was Oscar Wilde that said that. And I love this quote.

And for you to find ways that you can take what you have today and use those things to springboard you to your next move. That's leverage. And it's really something that all of us can access. Number three. Always be yourself. Always be yourself. Everyone else is taken. I think it was Oscar Wilde that said that. And I love this quote.

Depending on what type of person you are, the idea of being yourself is either something that's so obvious or not even a discussion point, or it's something that you'll really struggle with. I've always felt pretty comfortable in my own skin. Until I was about 17, I was doing a lot of work experience.

Depending on what type of person you are, the idea of being yourself is either something that's so obvious or not even a discussion point, or it's something that you'll really struggle with. I've always felt pretty comfortable in my own skin. Until I was about 17, I was doing a lot of work experience.

I'd go into different PR agencies in London and I would realize very quickly that I wasn't like the other interns. I didn't look like the other interns. I definitely didn't speak like the other interns. And I didn't have the lunch budget of these kids, which really, really annoyed me. They'd all go off to these fancy lunches and I was so pissed about it.

I'd go into different PR agencies in London and I would realize very quickly that I wasn't like the other interns. I didn't look like the other interns. I definitely didn't speak like the other interns. And I didn't have the lunch budget of these kids, which really, really annoyed me. They'd all go off to these fancy lunches and I was so pissed about it.

For a while, I thought the name of the game was to fit in until it came to being chosen for a specific assignment. And I remember the moment like it was yesterday. Quite rudely, one of the account directors said, I'll use her and went on to refer to me as the one who sounded like a Cockney Barrow boy. Now, to a lot of American listeners, you won't really understand that.

For a while, I thought the name of the game was to fit in until it came to being chosen for a specific assignment. And I remember the moment like it was yesterday. Quite rudely, one of the account directors said, I'll use her and went on to refer to me as the one who sounded like a Cockney Barrow boy. Now, to a lot of American listeners, you won't really understand that.

But let me tell you, it is not a term of endearment. But rather than take huge offense, something inside me was so happy at being chosen to work on this specific account. I just let it slide. Once I had a chance to digest the very shitty comment, I reasoned that for me, and in that moment, it was better to stand out, to not change my accent and the way that I was raised to speak.

But let me tell you, it is not a term of endearment. But rather than take huge offense, something inside me was so happy at being chosen to work on this specific account. I just let it slide. Once I had a chance to digest the very shitty comment, I reasoned that for me, and in that moment, it was better to stand out, to not change my accent and the way that I was raised to speak.

And in that second, and from then on, I've really understood what it means to be unapologetically yourself. What I learned as I got older is that all the things that made me stand out in a room at work and in business are the things that became huge points of differentiation for me.

And in that second, and from then on, I've really understood what it means to be unapologetically yourself. What I learned as I got older is that all the things that made me stand out in a room at work and in business are the things that became huge points of differentiation for me.

The fact that I dropped out of college and went straight to work meant that I was younger than most of the people that I was working around. And as a result, people really looked after me. I was like the baby. And for a while, that was really good for me. Because I hadn't been trained in attacking a problem through the lens of business school, I would go straight into figure it out mode.

The fact that I dropped out of college and went straight to work meant that I was younger than most of the people that I was working around. And as a result, people really looked after me. I was like the baby. And for a while, that was really good for me. Because I hadn't been trained in attacking a problem through the lens of business school, I would go straight into figure it out mode.