Hustle Culture- Ann Eileen Thompson

Hustle Culture is a buzzword that's turned into a lifestyle for a lot of people. I had an insightful chat with Ann Eileen, and she really gets this topic because it's something she’s experienced firsthand. 

While hustling can sometimes seem like the only way to succeed, it's important to remember that it has its downsides. Statistics show that 83% of workers in the U.S. suffer from work-related stress, and 25% of them say their job is the primary stressor in their lives. Additionally, those who work more than 55 hours a week have a 33% higher risk of stroke and a 13% higher risk of heart disease compared to those working standard hours. So, while the grind might seem necessary, it's crucial to consider the toll it takes on our health and well-being.

 

Join us as we learn more about Ann Eileens story..

After graduating from The Ohio State University in 1993 with a degree in Journalism, I started my career in retail sales, working as a sales manager in what is now Macy’s. It was a job I took hoping to learn in real time, why people buy what they buy. 

A well trained journalist, I wanted to learn their stories. 

I learned how to sell and how to manage people, and what shoes were best for long hours on my feet. Alas, retail is a bit of a grind. Don’t get me wrong, I did hear some stories, but I wanted more. 

So, in 1995, after one too many nights, weekends, and holiday return seasons in Retail, I wrote up a resume, worked my limited network, and landed a job at Procter & Gamble in the Market Insights organization. 

It was during my 12 years at P&G that I learned about understanding consumer beliefs and behavior, marketing, product development, and innovation. I learned how to manage up and down and across massive, complex corporate hierarchies. I touched nearly every business unit and region as I moved up and across the organization, from Fabric & Home Care, to Hair Care, Corporate Design, and Global Volume Forecasting and Market Mix Modeling - a discipline we re-named as “Integrated Business Optimization” during my tenure. 

But, more important than any product or team I worked on while at P&G, I learned how to lead with my faith; I fell in love with Jesus and His steady, constant presence, even in the details of my work; and I learned that, driven by my faith, I’m a risk taker and an entrepreneur. 

Then, in 2007, I heard the Lord was calling me to step off the ladder and into something new.

I joined a small, but quickly growing, forward-thinking company providing market research and innovation services to companies like Procter. I learned how to create and sell meaningful projects that would enable clients to learn and grow their businesses. I learned how to develop and nurture relationships with clients who had roles like the ones I’d held at P&G. I learned the ins and outs of running a small business. 

And then I got fired.

Financial strain, and a mismatch between me and the future direction of the business fast tracked my move to the next adventure. 

A blessing in disguise.

Energized rather than discouraged, I seized the opportunity of a small severance package that bought me just enough time to try something new.

Along with a business partner, I co founded The Garage Group in 2011. Inspired by small-company, entrepreneurial spirit and practice, TGG works with large companies to enable them to solve big challenges with innovative new approaches, borrowed and adapted from the world of startups. TGG grew rapidly and my role ebbed and flowed as the business required - from sales, to project design and delivery, to client relationship development, to content and capability creation, to industry leadership, staff development, creating and shepherding culture, finances, and every other aspect of running a small business. 

I learned a lot from our successes, but even more from our mistakes. 

In 2019, just before the COVID pandemic hit, my co founder and I stepped into new roles while we brought in a new CEO to take us to the next level. Within a year, I’d worked myself out of my role, as we sold the business to the next generation of folks from our team. 

I moved into what I thought would be a short sabbatical.

That sabbatical turned into almost two years of rest and reassessment. Lots of writing and dreaming and napping and quieting myself and my own dreams long enough to hear the Lord wooing me into something new.

Launching into this new season of coaching, consulting, community building, writing, podcast hosting, and speaking is a whole new adventure. Walking even more closely with the Lord, I’m ready and willing to go where He leads.

I live in my hometown of Cincinnati, OH with my husband Rich and our people-loving Bernese Mountain Dog, Faith. We’re enjoying the empty nest and the beautiful stage of parenting young adult children. Our latest side hustle venture is short term rental properties, which have proven to be a great creative outlet, and have given us a beautiful way to welcome folks to our fine city. We love to travel, read, and fan flames of revival in Cincinnati through prayer, worship, and fellowship with others. 

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