Josh Bruce
Josh Bruce tells us that, “I’ve been working in software development in various forms since 1998. Academically trained in fine arts. A consultant, coach, and mentor since 2007.”
What were your initial years of growing up like? Tell us about your life before starting your corporate journey/venture/initiative.
I grew up in a military family and moved around a lot. This exposed me to many different (primarily American) cultures. It also made me resilient and flexible. Adapting quickly when thrust into a new context and culture every couple of years is vital. This has helped a lot in my career and journey through life.
Every industry that is now a large-scale, top-notch business once started as a small idea in the minds of entrepreneurs. What was that idea or motivation that made you start your business /initiative? What motivated you within to say YES, go for it!”
I started as a full-time solo consultant in 2007. I loved being able to choose my clients, set my hours, and prioritize my own schedule. I didn’t like being alone, marketing, and finances. I started working as an employee in a consulting firm in 2012 and loved that someone else did the things I didn’t appreciate from working solo. I didn’t like not choosing my own clients, working on someone else’s schedule, and not owning my intellectual property. I wanted to create an organization that could accommodate the positive things from working solo and the positive things from working for “corporate.” Since starting the company, I’ve found more and more organizations solving similar problems in various ways, and that’s helped to make me feel less scared to pursue it.
Tell us something about your initiative or current role. What is it about, and what impact are you trying to make?
I always have multiple initiatives I’m working toward at any given time. I prioritize my time and focus based on feedback and personal desire. One of my practices is to cater to the most constrained. I’m currently working on my second book to help folks improve time- and self-management at an individual level. I hope it helps give more explicit ways of making peace with time.
Your journey and your vision are very inspiring, but are there any achievements or accomplishments you would like to mention?
I’ve been able to observe and join various communities to hear ways to help improve the way folks work and how many of us feel about working.
Would you like to share with our young budding women entrepreneurs the change you would like to see in the world if given an opportunity?
I would like to see a world in which we all embrace the idea that we all work with others, not for them. Whether employer or employee. We are all solopreneurs, the only thing that changes is the contracts we operate under.
Women are a growing force in the workplaces worldwide, standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. There are cracks in glass ceilings everywhere, with many women breaking through to carve out a space right at the top of the pyramid. What are your thoughts about women leadership today?
I tend to separate leadership from management. I think women have always been at the forefront of leadership in any society and time period. Helping secure the right to vote. Establishing nonprofit organizations to aid those in need. And many more examples. My hope is that having more women in positions of authority (management) will reveal what’s been there all along.
What would you want to say to our young women leaders/audience reading this?
Be kind. You got this! Have fun.