There’s something unique about each industry and that’s what makes it enjoyable to continue doing business. The people we work with and collaborations we build make the experience worthwhile. The challenges we encounter help build our resilience. More importantly, technology and everyday innovations continue to change the way various industries operate for the better.
We asked entrepreneurs and business owners what they love about their industries and here’s what they had to say.
#1- The predictability
I am an adult with ADHD, so I yearn for change on a routine basis. I absolutely abhor working in an environment that is predictable and every day starts and ends the same. So, my career in digital media marketing allows me to meet my two criteria for a career – I must have an outlet for creativity and the ability to work with flexibility. Every day is a new challenge or opportunity. New clients. New tasks. New campaigns. No set hours. No one to tell me what to do as I am a solo-preneur. I love it!
Thanks to Louise Sattler
#2- It's my lifestyle
I love that my industry (RVing and Camping) is not only what I do for my income, it’s also my lifestyle. (RVing and Camping) This is what makes my work and my days flow with ease. When your passion is also your work, it’s easier to be good at it and to enjoy it. My business partner and I found a way to fill a niche for this industry and for our lifestyle. There’s nothing better than enjoying what you do for others.
Thanks to Marshall Wendler, Camp Addict!
#3- Constant changes and evolution
As new platforms come and go, our understanding of marketing also changes and evolves with it. For example, social media has forever altered the landscape of digital marketing. There’s platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and more that contains millions (if not billions) of monthly active users. As marketers, it’s up to us to adapt and be active on the platforms that our target audience is hanging out on. Another example would be the rise of mobile advertising. Now more than ever, people are on their smartphones consuming information at an unprecedented scale. This has also forced marketers to consider how their campaigns would look on mobile as well as take a mobile-first approach to their advertising.
Thanks to Jacob Laguerre, Writtenhouse Inc.!
#4- The bad reputation
When people think about real estate agents, they think of people who bend the truth and are looking to squeeze as much profit as possible. However, when you're in the industry, you see so many happy landlords and tenants that praising their agents. On a day by day basis I see good agents find people the right tenants, locate that perfect home and reduce rental costs. When the reputation of the industry is poor, it makes the positive feedback so much sweeter (and there's a lot of positive feedback!)
Thanks to Raj Dosanjh, RentRound.com!
#5- The diversity
I love how diverse the charter bus industry is. Instead of large monopolies, there are many small mom and pop companies who have been in the transportation industry for a long time. Not much has changed so it provides opportunities for newcomers to do something different. For example, customer service is the bane of the industry. However, our company has chosen to embrace and provide over-the-top customer service to ensure our customers come back.
Thanks to David Pike, New York Trolley Company!
#6- The close relationships
I produce and distribute raw and flavored honey and sell at local farmers markets/specialty shows. Most importantly, I sell direct to my end customers to avoid retailers. What I like best is the close relationship I have developed with these clients. My customers are a better advertising vehicle than ANY ad campaign I have employed – by far. They act as cheerleaders on a regular basis to the point where not a week goes by that a new customer comes to my little store to buy and says I was referred to you by so-and-so. For many years I worked in banking and corporate advertising and heard stories of the benefit of personal relationships from senior sales professionals but, after 15 years in the corporate world, I never saw evidence of this from my own customers. My sales stayed very transnational and sterile. Now that I run my own store, the value of relationships permeates everything I do and guides the growth of my store. Being able to interact first hand with my clients (without sales being impeded by bosses or sales managers) allows for real human connection – this is accentuated when you sell food. Before I knew it, I became the premier destination for all the families with small children at every market I attend – what could be better than that?
Thanks to Jay Jermo, Hey Honey!
#7- Knowing what I do
The best thing about my industry is knowing that I'm helping people protect their largest financial assets, their ability to have an income. Most people think about heath and life insurance, but disability is pretty far down the totem pole in regards to a perceived need. However, once people get that it's the foundation of their entire lives, I feel pretty satisfied in knowing I can help them.
Thanks to Travis Price
#8- Two things
I'm in love with the people and the ability to follow my passion. Growing up I never knew that fishing would take me around the world in the quest to catch large creatures and share the journey with others. Lately, I've been venturing into the spearfishing circle, which is a sub-niche of fishing. Like fishing, it's a tight community so it's important to pay respects to those who've been doing it for ages. It's a different beast than the tech world where I'm coming from, but being closer to nature has been good for my soul.
Thanks to Jon Stenstrom, Cast & Spear!
#9- Three things
First, as a relatively new category/product the rules of the game are being written as we grow. Second, there is an opportunity to establish a successful brand as consumers have not chosen a true leader yet and the established companies that are looking at the CBD Space have not jumped in with both feet. Third and most importantly, we sell a product that truly makes lives better. We get emails daily from our users telling us how CBD has improved their lives. And how do you put a dollar value on that?
Thanks to Paul Miller, Lokus Nutrition!
#10- In PR, you become an expert in everything
When you represent clients in different industries, we dive in and learn all we can about how the businesses work in order to promote them in the best way. It is an ever-changing industry as well which keeps things exciting! I also am a huge people person and in my 25 years in the business my network continues to expand. Plus, PR is basically about helping other businesses achieve success. So at the end of the day I feel rewarded for the work! We work with many non-profits as well as for-profit businesses and PR definitely works and makes an impact.
Thanks to Michelle Mekky, Mekky Media!
#11- The results
Seeing housewives, single women and the elderly becoming empowered and taking their vulnerability back! I watch timid souls lacking confidence come in off the street who have in most instances never held a gun. They literally know nothing about guns, self-defense or personal protection. After the first few hours of class I watch them start to blossom as they handle the training guns, and as they progress to unloaded real guns you can see the look of confidence and self-assured swagger. These vulnerable people get a realization and suddenly wake up, and accept they don’t have to be victims. The tearful lady who described being a victim of crime has a heart-filled smile and a glean in her eyes as she masters the shooting qualifications on day 2 makes it all worthwhile to me when she says never again! The elderly couple who owns their business and has to go in the middle of the night to check on an alarm, qualifies and feels power they hadn’t in years! I love these things about my industry! I love being the person who gives them their power back!
Thanks to Kevin Flowers, Pew Pew Guru LLC!
#12- It's a positive investment
I love the team building industry because it represents a really positive change in workplaces across America and around the world. Many employees report feeling disengaged and under-valued at work. Organizations that invest in team-building activities are making an intentional effort to renegade employees and help them building meaningful connections at work. From Los Angeles and San Francisco on the West Coast, to Boston, NYC and Philadelphia in the East, team building is a powerful motivator.
Thanks to Michael Alexis, Team Building!
#13- Massive returns on small investments
Name another investment where you can put in $1 and take out $3, $5, or $10. With a strategic marketing campaign, that's not only possible, it happens thousands of times over for companies every month. I laugh when people brag about their real estate, stock market, or Bitcoin going up 20%, when a digital advertisement to a conversion page can repeatedly net a 300% return on a bad day. For this reason alone, I love the digital marketing industry.
Thanks to Brian Robben, Robben Media!
#14- Not two days are the same
I love working in the architectural and entertainment industries because no two days are ever the same, and I learn something every single day. Some days are spent working out complicated planning issues, so it's a spatial planning, Tetris type of day. Other days are about a new piece of technology, or visiting a manufacturer to see what's coming next, or how they are solving an old problem in a new way. And the, and it never fails, I learn something new about something….it can be as simple as a new keyboard shortcut, or learning about using cold water to slow concrete curing in a hot environment. There are slow days, but I still learn something!
Thanks to Michael Ferguson, TheatreDNA!
#15- Helping people
There is no better feeling than building and booking someone a wonderful vacation which they thoroughly enjoy. I joined the travel industry to help people with my inside knowledge and every year as new destinations and trips become available we are able to help people break new ground. My ambition and passion knows no bounds and the more I help others then the more I help myself. My life is good, but it is made great by my work.
Thanks to Jeremy Scott Foster, TravelFreak!
#16- We make ugly neighborhoods beautiful again
In the world of real estate, you'll often hear the phrase highest and best use. A real estate investor's job is to take an old house falling apart, or even just starting with a plot of dirt, and transform it into the highest form of economic value that can be supported by the local market and give it back to the neighborhood. A beautifully renovated home is literally a work of art that you can see, touch, walk into, and live in. You know you've done a great job when you see the expressions on the faces of the family moving into your work of art. It is extremely satisfying watching something growing before your very eyes, becoming more refined and beautiful with each passing day. It's very much being like a kid playing with a new Lego set, except that's it's much larger, sometimes more frustrating, and always more expensive!
Thanks to Caleb Liu, House Simply Sold!
#17- The excitement this market offers
The blockchain industry is moving at lightning speed with new innovations coming out every day. It’s similar to the early days of the Internet, only now it’s not just about connecting the world, it’s also about enabling complete ownership of your assets and leveraging technology to cut out inefficiencies and bureaucracy. I love the excitement that this new 24/7 market offers. What makes it especially amazing is the people you meet in this industry. It takes a special breed of entrepreneur to stay long term through bear markets and through years of negative press to build the infrastructure for what they believe will one day be as mainstream as the internet.
Thanks to Dave Waslen, HedgeTrade!
#18- Several things
I love seeing how bitcoin changes people’s lives and the fact that this industry is different every day. Being in the bitcoin ATM industry, we are at the forefront of a financial revolution, with our ATMs allowing the unbanked access to cryptocurrency to preserve their wealth and enjoy the benefits of online commerce. This has allowed us to serve as the grassroots of cryptocurrency adoption. Additionally, there are few other fields growing as fast and benefiting the masses as much as the cryptocurrency sector. We are seeing more traditional companies start to accept bitcoin as a currency, and even some governments around the world are acknowledging its legitimacy. Our industry is entirely novel, and I love the fact that many of the problems we face do not have an existing solution. As we continue to scale, we often find ourselves brainstorming to contemplate issues that simply do not exist in other sectors, and this is incredibly exciting for me and my team.
Thanks to Daniel Polotsky, CoinFlip!
#19- Paying homage to my grandfather’s business
What I love most about the furniture industry is having the opportunity to pay homage to my grandfather’s mid-century modern furniture business and create beautiful, modern furniture that is both accessible and affordable to the masses. Growing up, I always admired his passion for creating beautifully crafted furniture and I was inspired by his works of art. No matter what you do, you need to love it in order to keep yourself grounded, and my grandfather did just that. Even after his furniture company grew with many people working under him, he never stopped creating and designing furniture because that is what he loved to do. I am proud to continue his legacy in the furniture industry.
Thanks to Art Lee, Rove Concepts!
#20- Opening up doors
We help individuals learn how to senior-proof their homes for elderly relatives who come to stay with them. I love that we are able to help people spend more time with their loved ones. I believe many children end up having their parents move into assisted living or retirement homes due to their lack of confidence in how to navigate living with an elderly individual. Their needs are unique and sometimes overwhelming to those who are not familiar with senior care. We have the knowledge and insight to help people learn what they need to do to make their homes suitable for elderly relatives, and that opens up so many doors for new caretakers!
Thanks to Meg Marrs, Safer Senior Care!
#21- Using both my creative and analytical sides
As a true Gemini, I love that the event industry demands that I use both my creative and analytical sides. At The Side Lobby we help small- and mid-sized non-profit and arts organizations achieve fundraising and marketing goals — all through face to face interactions at special events! I love the strategy component where we ensure there’s a clear objective for the event that’s grounded in historic data. I get to geek out with spreadsheets and past event survey data, and then take the data to inform the creative choices we make in designing and executing an event.
Thanks to Sarah Cissna, CSEP, The Side Lobby!
#22- Helping and creating impact
I fall between the healthcare and retail industry. Running an ecommerce business coupled with my training as a doctor allows me to expand my ability to help beyond just the traditional doctor/patient relationship. I love it because it allows me to help more people and create positive impact the lives of so many chronic pain sufferers. I don’t think staying exclusively in healthcare would have allowed me to do this and this is why love being a doctor entrepreneur.
Thanks to Dr. Saurabh Srivastava, Doctor Arthritis!
#23-Two things
Two of the many things I love about the Safety Consultant industry are: First, being a Safety Consultant allows me to interact with several different industries and every level of employee. I spend time on construction sites – both industrial and commercial. I spend time in food, chemical, and industrial manufacturing facilities and Distribution Centers. I have worked various positions in all of these industries prior to my career change to Safety Management. The second thing I love about my industry is that the goal is for workers to be empowered to make a difference in their places of employment. At heart, I have always been a teacher, in the context of helping people grow in understanding and recognize opportunities for improvement. That is the Safety Industry at its best.
Thanks to Jon M. Isom, 3836 Safety, LLC!
#24- The discoveries
What's there not to like about tasting thousands of wines a year, discovering the best of the best then sharing them with customers throughout the country? It is our passion to connect small-production, family-owned wineries with eager wine enthusiasts-it's a positive experience for both. We get to travel the California wine country as well as wine regions all over the world. It's a joy to talk to winery owners who love to share their stories and who are eager to share their wines with an accepting audience.
Thanks to David Chesterfield, Gold Medal Wine Club!
#25- Meeting people who inspire me
For a decade I worked as a journalist, last reporting for the NBC station in the San Francisco Bay Area. But my life changed in 2017 when I would end up undergoing nearly 700 hours of chemotherapy. I had been diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, an aggressive blood cancer. It was in that time I realized how isolated and lonely the cancer experience was, not just for me as a patient, but also for all my caregivers. That’s how The Patient Story was born. We interview recent survivors and put their stories in-depth online so anyone at any time and anywhere can get their answers from actual humans online – not the medical jargon we find everywhere. It’s about connecting people – the most vulnerable people there are dealing with an unimaginable kind of trauma. I absolutely love what I do because I meet people who inspire me to live life even more fully.
Thanks to Stephanie Chuang, The Patient Story!