New Kid on The Block: The Niche Movement Reaches a New Milestone

The Niche Movement has met yet another milestone and hired another piece to this growing puzzle! Hi everyone! I'm Emilie, the newest addition to this growing tribe.

I'm a brand new transplant to Washington D.C., just moving here this summer. In just two short months I've fallen in love with the District, mastered the metro, and had my fair share of battles with the DMV. One of my favorite things is being told fun facts about new people and so naturally, I'm going to share a few with the NM community.

• I aim to leave no Froyo store untried. My newest discovery is Blue Moo. Check it out! You might even see me in there.
• If the real housewives series are wrong, I don’t want to be right. (#TeamBethenny)
• I love my niece Lola and nephew Cason. I'm that annoying Aunt filling my Instagram with fun pictures of them.

Born and raised in Millville NJ, I attended Rutgers University and am a proud Scarlet Knight. While in New Brunswick, I served as project manager under Kevin for the university’s rec marketing team. The role developed my passion for social media and project management that I didn't know I had. But after graduation, like many millennials, I took the first job offered to me. After the honeymoon phase with my new company was over, I found myself unhappy with the lack of creativity and autonomy, and wanted something more. All signs kept pointing to D.C. and when timing matched up, I took the plunge and made the move.

At the Niche Movement, I will primarily serve as Director of Community & Lead Strategist. Those are fancy words but what do they mean? To me, I will mark this role a success if I can look back and be able to easily identify growth I brought to this company. Whether that be through content curation, branding, social media, or new clients, it is important for me to see specific growth both in myself and The Niche Movement. One thing I'm most excited about in taking on this new role is learning about and meeting other individuals and companies who are living their passions. Undoubtedly, surrounding yourself with progressive people inspires and benefits you. It is one of the best things I've done post-graduation so far. If you know of anyone like this, share them with me! (Think: Gary Vaynerchuck and Vaynermedia.) The Niche Movement would love to tell their story and I'd love to get inspired by them.

I am so excited to be expanding and spreading The Niche Movements mission. I truly can't wait to add to its ever evolving success story! If you want to know more about me (or see Cason and Lola!) follow my life on Instagram and Twitter. You can also chat directly with me at emilie@thenichemovement.com.

I Love My Job: Kim Gabuardi

Meet Kim Gabuardi, founder of Not Just Danze Zumba studio in Toms River, NJ. Before starting her own business last May, Kim spent four years teaching Spanish to High School students in New Jersey. On July 29th, we had the opportunity to speak with her about the unique path she took to find her niche.

What Gave You the Inspiration to Start Your Own Business?

"I’ve really only been doing Zumba for two years and teaching for a year and a half. I was really lucky because I didn’t even have my license to teach, I was just taking classes and I fell in love with it. I also loved my instructor, who actually became a really great friend, and she decided she was going to sell her studio. She kind of nudged me and said, ‘Hey Kim, if you’re thinking about this, now’s the time. Go get licensed and maybe you’ll take over the studio!’ I thought ‘Oh, that’s so nice’ and ‘you’re crazy’ but that’s actually what ended up happening. It was great to have that little push from her."

How Was the Transition from High School Teacher to Running Your Own Business?

"It was amazing! Looking back, I didn’t think it would happen this quickly. I figured, maybe in five years, it was something I could accomplish. I never thought I could really do it in two. It was really exciting. First, the Zumba thing happened, which made me think, if I’m teaching three or four nights per week and then burning the candle on both ends, waking up to teach [high school]… I’m taking so much away from the kids and from anybody else who wanted to teach. I was never in love with teaching; I just did it as a fallback plan. I had lived in Costa Rica and when I came home, there was a teaching job available. I was like, ‘I’d be stupid to say no to a salary and benefits now’ and I just kind of got stuck. So, I said, ‘teaching is getting in the way of my fun life’. I just wanted to coach people on weight loss products, I want to be happy and I want to dance. That [realization] was what made my decision, so I cut out teaching because it was just not working for me. I thought, ‘I just can’t get passionate about this’. If I have to force myself to get up every morning and convince myself on the way to work, ‘Ok, this jobs isn’t so bad; I get home around 2:00 pm’, that’s not the way anybody should live. It was scary but I said ‘if I don’t do it now, when am I going to do it? Am I going to wait 10 years?’ Then, I’d feel like I would be really stuck."

How Did Your Friends and Family React to Your Change in Employment?

"I’ve had some interesting jobs, so people were like, ‘Oh, this is right up your alley!’ I did have a lot of support from everyone but it was a little tricky when I decided to leave my high school teaching job to take this on. That was where I met a little resistance from my family because my dad was a teacher, my mom always pushed it and my brother became a teacher… so it’s always been a pattern in my family."

What Else Do You Have Going On?

"I have a nutritional cleansing company, which I run from home and it’s actually my main source of income. It’s really big in the States now, so that’s really exciting. It’s wonderful because it goes hand-in-hand with Zumba. I feel as though it’s been a really good marriage between the two things and it’s something that I can offer my Zumba participants because most of them are coming because they want to loose weight or get in shape. It’s the perfect way to get your nutrition and your physical activity. It’s a shake-based product called Isagenix. I also work part-time as a Spanish interpreter. This is actually what I do have a master’s degree in. It’s funny because I never had a job offer before, but when I left my teaching job, I got three different companies calling me. I do it for several reasons; it gets me out of the house, it gives me a way to contribute back to the community and it keeps me mentally active."

What Direction You See Yourself Going In?

"Right now, it’s been awesome having the combination of everything because it never lets me get bored of one thing. In the same respect, I also struggle with ‘Ok, I’m doing all of these things, but am I doing any of them well enough?’ I’d have to say that I definitely see my nutritional cleansing business growing. With Zumba, I may get to the point, maybe a year or two, where I say I’m not going to be teaching anymore, but traveling and doing fundraising teaching."

What Advice Do You Have For Young Professionals?

"Don’t get stuck and don’t feel like you have to take the first thing that comes along. Do whatever speaks to you because it has to be something that you feel passionate enough about to wake yourself up in the morning and to go to work every day. Don’t get stuck in something just to pay your bills or just because your parents say you have to. Don’t ever stop dreaming; your dream when you were 7-years-old wasn’t to pay your bills. Don’t be afraid to dream and don’t get stuck. Follow your passion and don’t worry how it fits on a resume."

What Did You Want to Do/Be When You Were Little?

'When I was little, I used to dance all of the time. I used to dance for 13 years and I loved it but I gave it up to play sports in high school. I always say, that’s the only thing I regret in life. I wish I had kept doing it because I wanted to be a Knicks dancer, for the basketball team. That was always one of my dreams, as well as to dance in a rap video."

If you or someone you know is working at a job they love and would like to be featured on our blog, reach out to us at kevin@thenichemovement.com.

I Love My Job: Brandon McCollough

We are excited to introduce the I Love My Job campaign! Each month, we will feature a different professional who has found their niche. The Niche Movement's mission is to help young professionals discover what they're passionate about and to inspire them to find a career they love. 

Meet Brandon McCollough, founder and CEO of Generation Next in Washington, DC. Brandon, a New Jersey native, left his position at the National Society of Black Engineers in October, 2014 to launch his own company. Last month we had the opportunity to sit down with Brandon and pick his brain about his change in career and how he found his niche. 

Why Did You Become an Entrepreneur?

"I actually was just thinking about this a few weeks ago, so it’s funny you ask. Throughout my life, I’ve always had the ambition to do something on my own. It wasn’t necessarily that I wanted to become an entrepreneur; I just wanted to start my own thing. I was a little bit of a tech geek when I was younger. When I was in middle school, I remember a friend and I decided that we wanted to build our own video game. We drew out all of the characters and started to learn what it meant to build a video game. That’s what kind of drew me into the tech space. Then in college, when my friends and I would have events, I would be in charge of the operational aspect, bringing people together and building things out. Professionally, though, everything I’ve done has been in the space of community development. The job that I left was at the Society of Black Engineers and I kind of see my work here as a continuation of that. They were both community oriented in terms of creating a pipeline for talent and helping people find their passions."

What is Generation Next?

“We are a social enterprise that helps young Millennials in the DC area connect to job opportunities, advance their careers or launch their own businesses. That’s what we’re into, trying to help people find out what they’re great at and what they love. I would say our real birthday was last year in November. That is when I started doing this 9 to 5. Before that, we started with just a few folks who like to connect people and have events in their spare time. Now we are in the position to have two people full time and we’re looking to add some more team members."

Who is Your Demographic?

"Definitely Millennials, that’s our sweet spot, that’s the age range we’re targeting. We help folks that have two years of experience onto five to seven years of experience, so about 20-years old to 35-years-old is our sweet spot. They’re a whole range of folks in terms of backgrounds and industries. You know, we get a lot of people in DC from the Federal background that either want to transition into the private sector jobs or folks in the tech space. That’s kind of our niche within our niche because DC is a growing hub for technology."

What Has Been Your Biggest Success?

"Yeah, I’d have to say the Millennial Job Summit. It was our first big Generation Next Sponsored event. We were able to connect about 400 registrants to startups, businesses and Millennials who are looking for a job. We also had an entrepreneurial panel to give registrants information about starting their own thing. We got a lot of good feedback. Even though it was on a smaller scale, the registrants were able to make a lot of good connections whether it was finding co-founders for their own organizations or taking on new employees. It was great to play a role in the economic development of young folks, that’s what we’re all about, that’s the space where we’re trying to make a big impact."

What Advice Do You Have For Young Professionals?

"I like that this generation has come to embrace mistakes and failures and can learn from them. You can’t have people who are scared to try something different or try something new because that’s when the best things are created. Have the tenacity to put your ideas out there. Especially for the DC area, there are so many resources and Meetups or groups, you should always try to meet new people and make new connections. It’s really important in a “Who You Know” kind of city like DC. Don’t be afraid to go outside of your own expertise. I didn’t study computer software when I was in school, but I go to hack nights and code for progress events where they teach you how to create your own website from scratch. There are folks in there who’ve never written a line of code in their life, but they’re building websites better than people I know who when to college for it. Do something outside of the box because you might find something that you’re good at that you would’ve never known. Definitely get out there and meet new folks. Every week I try to set up coffee or lunch with three people that I’ve met. A lot of times you’ll go out to an event in DC and have this whole collection of cards but most people don’t follow up after that. If you don’t tap into that, what’s the purpose? By following up, you build a good personal brand and as long as you’re selling something dope, something that people understand, they’ll be your brand ambassadors."

What Are Your Favorite Places in DC?

"Aw man, well I’m a foodie so… I like a lot of places. I like the whole 14^th street district because they have everything in there you could want within walking distance. There’s this place on 14^th and T street called Tico that I really like and my favorite bar is down there too; it’s called Pearl Dive Oyster Palace. My favorite restaurant is Fogo de Chao which is a Brazilian steak house. They bring by every cut from filet mignon to sirloin and they just keep chopping, it’s awesome."

If you or someone you know is working at a job they love and would like to be featured on our blog, reach out to us at kevin@thenichemovement.com.

I Love My Job: Eppa Rixey of Lagunitas Brewery

Vignette from our up coming book During his first couple of years working full time, Eppa Rixey spent his nights and weekends immersing himself in the history and making of craft beer. He had a passion outside of his day job that really peaked his interest. So when given the chance to complete a 6-month externship, Eppa began looking for opportunities in the craft beer industry, one that he had always been enthusiastic about. He was constantly learning about the process of making craft beer and organizing special craft-beer happy hours for the company. He wanted to gain hands on experience in the industry. With a little bit of curiosity, not being afraid to network and after contacting a variety craft brewery industries leaders, he ultimately winded up connecting with an employee at Lagunitas Brewing in Petaluma, California about the possibility of completing his 6-month externship with them.

At the end of their initial conversation, the employee asked if Eppa would be available for an interview. Eppa being one for not wasting time, fired off his resume immediately, and within a couple of hours had completed his first interview in the same day. He was then referred to the CEO and one of the managers of the finance department. Eppa clicked with both immediately and within a couple of days, he received a phone call.

Lagunitas did not want to hire Eppa for an externship...instead, they offered him a full-time position at the company.

The Best Advice Eppa ever received:

Andy Thomas, now CEO of the Craft Beer Alliance, gave Eppa a piece of advice that he never forgot: whatever you Google in your free time, find a way to make money off of it. You’ll be taking something you’re already interested in and putting the time you spend researching it to good use. Looking at your Google history is a great way to determine what industry you’re passionate about. Even things that don’t seem like typical jobs can be segued into a profitable career.

To read Eppa's full story order our up coming book The Niche Movement: The New Rules to Finding A Career You Love