Entry-Level Positions for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Jessica, CEO of IRR Investments, emphasizes the importance of aligning with mentors and enjoying the work, suggesting entry-level roles in accounting or finance to gain foundational experience, as she did. The executive also advocates for proactive, entrepreneurial experience—"just get going"—highlighting the valuable lessons learned from failures, stating, "you will not learn as much from your successes and wins. You'll learn so much more from your failures."
Entrepreneurship, Risk-Taking, Problem-Solving, Financial Literacy, Adaptability
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Jessica Thumati
CEO
IRR Investments
University of Arizona
N/A
Business & Related, Finance, Accounting
Consulting & Related Professional Services
Finance
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. Consider entry-level positions in accounting or finance to gain experience and potentially obtain a CPA license.
2. Align with people you can learn from and enjoy working with.
3. Embrace a proactive, problem-solving approach; it's okay to fail and learn from mistakes, even if you don't know all the answers. Take action and don't be afraid to experiment
Transcript
What entry-level positions are there in this field that an undergraduate college student might consider?
This will vary based on a couple of things. I started my career in a very accounting and finance-specific path. Being able to work at a firm and get that experience was important to me. I also wanted to get my CPA license; that was something I just wanted to check off the box. I was very goal-oriented about that.
At the end of the day, you're going to be doing the same work no matter what. So, figuring out who the people are that I really align with, who I'm going to learn the most from, and who I'm going to have fun with is key. You should be having some fun at work.
When you're coming out of school and doing something a little more specific and technically focused, those are the things to think about as far as business ownership. Just get going.
I have my kids working as little entrepreneurs. They made bracelets during the pandemic and sold them to neighbors. They have started a cleaning business to clean out the pantry, and I'm their only customer, but it's just getting them going.
Everybody has little trinkets around their house that they want to sell. I have my oldest daughter post on OfferUp because I want her to start thinking that way and learning. I'll tell her what she needs to do and encourage her to just go do it.
She'll have questions, and sometimes I'll help her. Other times I'll say, "I don't know, figure it out." I think a lot of it is just problem-solving and figuring it out. Half of the time, I don't know what I'm doing, and I just figure it out.
So, it's being willing to take some risks and learn from those risks. Then, figure out what you learned from that. You will not learn as much from your successes and wins. You'll learn so much more from your failures. It's totally okay to fail.
I have failed 1,000,001 times, and I've also succeeded 1,000,001 times. Just be really open-minded, and just keep moving. Just take action and just go.
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