Here to Help

“That’s one thing - everyone is just so willing to help, and I think that’s part of what is so special about it [CEO]...” - Kyle Sinn, WACC CEO Alumnus

As each of you considers your next steps, don’t forget that the relationships you built in CEO are not over! As a CEO alumn, you have an amazing network that can continue to develop even after your time in the class.

Do you have questions about what to study? Questions about your current job? How to make future plans? The relationships you built during your time in CEO are relationships you can fall back on.

It is our goal to provide you with additional tools to be successful and remind you of the amazing network you have and can continue to develop with CEO. If you’re not sure where to start contact us today with your questions. Or respond to this email, and we will happily point you in the right direction!

Taking Advantage of Every Opportunity: One Design at a Time

Having started showing horses when she was just five years old, Jessica had discovered from a young age that she loved dressing for success along the way.

“I always loved wearing something different,” Jessica remembers about her first few years competing in horse shows, “but horse show clothing is kind of expensive...I had some designers that were my idols, and I thought, hey, I could do something like that.”  

So she did. And since then,  it’s safe to say, Jessica has seen amazing success.

“Things in my business have totally changed since CEO,” states Jessica, ““When I got involved in CEO, I had a platform of people to ask questions. The networking has really been one of the biggest parts.”

On her own, she says, “I don’t know that I would have networked. I don’t know that I would have found those connections.Since CEO, my business has grown so much.”

Her work has begun to thrive so significantly, in fact, that the American State Horse Association is recognizing it, too. Jessica recently had the opportunity to showcase her show clothes in the Association’s main publication, the American State Horse Journal - a spotlight that promoted her work alongside that of one of her design idols, Trudy Black Label - a dream come true for this up and coming designer.

“It was great. They just emailed me through my business email and said, ‘we want to feature you in our main magazine. It’s a full page, and you don’t have to pay for it.’”

When thinking about how her time in CEO prepared her, Jessica has a lot to say. “If I hadn’t been in CEO, I don’t know that the Journal would have found me, and I don’t know that I would have reached back out to them… but after that ad, I was booked for 4 months straight - in the off season! ”

In the years following her time in CEO, Jessica’s learned, “just take every opportunity. There are so many different paths that you can take, and you should really explore all of them because you don’t know what’s going to happen.”  

Visit Jessica’s Facebook page, DKJ Designs and Show Clothing, to learn more about her work and to see how she’s embracing this value every day -  taking advantage of every opportunity, one design at a time.

Thanks For Your Feedback!

Alumni, thanks for watching the Speaker Spotlight featuring Kristen Hadeed and giving us your feedback! We loved hearing from you.

Here’s what some of your fellow Alumni are saying…

“It was a great example of a very inspirational entrepreneur. I also liked how Kristen shared some of her ugliest moments while she was trying to figure out how to run her business.”

"..I really enjoyed how she pushed herself to work for the $99 pair of jeans, and how she wouldn't stop until she got them."

"...she gave up going to New York to pursue her business!"

“It showed me that I could do anything I set my mind to!”

Did you miss out on this opportunity?

Watch the Speaker Spotlight featuring Kristen Hadeed HERE using the password: speakerspotlight

Life Ain’t No Laser Beam

You want to know what life is really like?

Precious little of life happens in a straight line, and, while it can be scary not knowing what’s coming next, it can also be a very good thing. The truth is - you can look backward from your current position in life, and the path to where you are makes perfect sense. It’s usually such a weird path that you could never suggest to someone else that they try and follow it.

It’s important to remember, though, that each experience in your life moves you a step closer to where you’re supposed to be. The key is to be a successful person. That’s the most critical and difficult thing. Successful people do successful things, and those things make a positive difference to the people around them.

If you can understand this perspective, you’ll gain the freedom to grow, explore, discover, and set yourself on a path that will turn the rest of your life into an exciting adventure.

Life Ain't No Laser Beam