Combining Finance, Fashion, and Entrepreneurship
I had the privilege of photographing Emil George, a CPA, real estate investor,
entrepreneur & men’s stylist for J.Hilburn. He shared some of his experience and advice.
“Career-wise, I became a CPA & felt stereotyped as a number cruncher, not people-orientated & not an entrepreneur. It is interesting how labels attach to us. But I’ve always been independent-minded. I think if you want personal satisfaction, you should be open-minded and take risks.
Since I appreciate nice clothing & dressing sharply I shifted those interests into an additional career working as a stylist with J.Hilburn, a luxury men's custom clothing brand with a full range of custom men’s wear from casual to suits. As a stylist, I help clients shop smarter & save time not sorting through racks & trying items on in a store. I really enjoy it!
Throughout my life things happened, signaling to me to be creative because, despite a great resume, no job is secure, so to accommodate the chaos of living; I try to pursue other paths too. America is built on people taking chances & being entrepreneurs. Sometimes trying new paths leads to rejection, but I always have faith and tenacity to keep trying new things.
I advise students to keep their eyes open for interesting opportunities that may lead to eventual success. At the beginning of your career establish your experience & feel what it is to be an employee. Keep your alternate path separate & build that as you go. You don’t need to lock yourself into one skill set for the rest of your life. You will still use your learned skills. But, if you have passion, energy & curiosity, you will develop in ways you never thought of in college.
My advice to my younger self is:
· The earlier you can be curious & see what’s out there, the earlier you can set yourself up for more options.
· Take online classes to start a business or side hustle.
· Go on YouTube & find successful entrepreneurs & motivational speakers. Follow some & pay attention to trying different things. Many seminars are free, so show up & start talking with people & build connections.
· Instead of using your young life just to hang out & party & spend what you make, set aside $ & think about what you need to do to set yourself up 5 or 10 years from now.
· Keep your mindset on how you will conduct your day-to-day and week-to-week life. Stay curious, open-minded and take some chances!
I found Alissa through a Google ad on a webpage, it caught my attention & I clicked on it. I did the scheduling & got more curious.
Once at the studio, I found that I was nervous in front of a camera, & it was hard to smile naturally. The way she structured the session, she knew how to get me to portray myself. I got to try different outfits. I was happy & much better able to capture myself smiling which is so rare for me.
With one headshot experience, I have a variety of images and photos for all sorts of purposes. It was a great session!”
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