Lauren, Founder at Coach Lauren Wong: Advize Career Interview
From entertainment internships to a thriving consulting business, Lauren's career path showcases the power of diverse experiences and a proactive spirit.
Coach Lauren Wong supports clients through application processes, imparts essential life skills, and builds confidence, especially for international students.
The role demands a self-starter attitude, strong time management, empathetic communication, business acumen, and resilience.
Lauren finds joy in helping others achieve their goals and craft compelling narratives, though the lack of financial stability poses a significant challenge.
The education industry offers a chance to combat loneliness, provide crucial mentorship, and empower individuals, emphasizing authenticity and a genuine desire to help others succeed.
Advice for aspiring professionals includes seeking hands-on experience, embracing diverse opportunities, and developing strong marketing skills.
A pivotal lesson involves resilience and proactively pursuing opportunities, turning challenges into stepping stones for growth.
College is a great time to explore interests, push comfort zones, and develop confidence and communication skills, setting a strong foundation for a fulfilling career.
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Lauren Wong
Founder
Coach Lauren Wong
UC Berkeley
UCLA Anderson
Communications, Economics, Political Science, American Studies
Coaching
Education
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member, LGBTQ
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Career Path Of A Founder At Coach Lauren Wong
Lauren's career path began with entertainment internships, including a highlight at Disney, followed by a contractor position at NBCUniversal that turned into a full-time role. After realizing the entertainment industry was too slow-paced for a liking, the professional pivoted to tech and then consulting, ultimately "combin[ing] what [they] learned in consulting with [a] passion for education" to found a higher education admissions consulting business, leveraging diverse experiences to help international clients with their applications.
Main Responsibilities of a Founder at Coach Lauren Wong
Lauren's main responsibilities as a Founder at Coach Lauren Wong are, as expected, advising clients with their applications through "resume editing, essay brainstorming and editing," and interview practice. More importantly, Lauren sees the role as providing support, building confidence, and teaching "sustainable life skills" such as communication, especially for international students adjusting to new cultures and working towards success.
Most Important Skills for a Founder at Coach Lauren Wong
Lauren highlights that "self-starter" attitude and discipline are crucial, especially with no direct oversight, alongside strong time management skills and "customer management" with empathetic communication, understanding the emotional weight of career transitions for clients. To grow the business, curiosity, proactivity, and business development skills are essential, coupled with the wisdom to seek help when needed, such as consulting others for areas like marketing.
Favorite Parts of Being a Founder at Coach Lauren Wong
Lauren enjoys helping people achieve their goals and build confidence through sharing personal experiences and lessons learned from failures, finding it incredibly satisfying to inspire others. Furthermore, Lauren enjoys "storytelling" and helping people "unpack themselves" to craft compelling narratives, especially when assisting with essays.
Biggest Challenges Faced By A Founder At Coach Lauren Wong
The biggest challenge in Lauren's role as Founder at Coach Lauren Wong is the lack of stability, since "there's like no guarantee" of a consistent paycheck or client acquisition, which can be "tiring and even a little bit discouraging" when marketing efforts and new ideas don't pan out as hoped. Therefore, resilience is really important in this role.
Favorite Parts of Working in the Education Coaching Industry as a Founder
Lauren expresses deep appreciation for the education industry, stemming from personal experience as a first-generation college student whose life was transformed by attending top universities like UC Berkeley and UCLA Anderson. What Lauren loves about the coaching/consulting aspect is how it combats loneliness and provides necessary mentorship, building confidence and resilience by offering support and concrete strategies to move forward, emphasizing that it's about having someone who says, "no, you can do this."
What Type Of Person Thrives In The Coaching Industry, By Founder Coach Lauren Wong
To thrive in the coaching and consulting industry, one must be a "self-starter" with excellent time management and communication skills, coupled with resilience in the face of rejection and a willingness to experiment; above all, "genuine authenticity" is crucial, as clients can sense when a coach truly cares about their success versus merely seeking financial gain. Having a genuine love for inspiring and helping people is what separates a good coach from a great one.
What A Founder At Coach Lauren Wong Wishes They Had Known Before Entering The Coaching Industry
Lauren wishes someone had emphasized the "lack of stability" in being self-employed, specifically regarding financial management, needing to save money earned in good quarters and plan for inconsistent paychecks. Moreover, Lauren highlights the importance of marketing and branding, noting that "coaching sometimes can come up kind of be a brand," and expressing a need for more knowledge and exploration in this area, potentially through partnerships or other strategies to increase visibility.
Entry-Level Positions for Aspiring Founders
For entry-level roles in education-related consulting or coaching, Lauren emphasizes that tutoring, volunteering, or even admissions committee involvement can be helpful. However, for consulting or coaching more broadly, Lauren suggests gaining "real life experience" and consulting experience to show credibility and acquire skills like client management, recommending industry experience alongside roles like tutoring, as their own path combined entertainment, consulting, and tutoring experience.
Significant Career Lesson From A Founder At Coach Lauren Wong
Lauren learned the importance of resilience and proactively creating and pursuing opportunities throughout a career, and this lesson became particularly significant after losing a job during Covid. Instead of giving up, Lauren took "every opportunity" available through an MBA program, including virtual events and coffee chats, ultimately discovering a passion for business development and consulting and realizing "that's what life is about."
College Experiences That Helped A Founder At Coach Lauren Wong Succeed
Lauren Wong emphasizes exploring interests in college to learn more about oneself. One of the best things someone can do is push oneself out of their comfort zone by doing things like studying abroad, which helps one learn to communicate with different personalities and project confidence, skills crucial for being a successful coach.
How To Get Your First Job Coach Lauren Wong Founder
To be more organized, social science students should pursue internships to gain experience and be open to diverse opportunities, even contract roles. "Don't be afraid to take any job, really, right? As long as you're learning and growing," as skills gained, like customer management, are transferable and can lead to unexpected career paths.
Advizer Personal Links
https://linkedin.com/in/lwong89, coachlaurenwong@gmail.com, instagram.com/coachlaurenwong, facebook.com/coachlaurenwong