64: Entrepreneurship & Employment Are Not Enemies with Dannie Fountain

This week on Worth It, we have a very special guest. Dannie Fountain is a business strategist and marketing expert who helps creative entrepreneurs grow their businesses. She’s also written four books, travels the world for speaking engagements… and works at Google. And she’s also only 25. For real.

Dustin and Danielle were so honored and excited to chat with Dannie about her journey through entrepreneurship and “traditional” employment in this episode. In this episode, they talk about how she does it all and how her speaking and travel engagements helped her create a resume that caught the eyes of Google.

Dannie, Dustin, and Danielle also talk about entrepreneurship through the lens of opportunity and financial security, and how corporate jobs and employers are beginning to leverage the power of entrepreneurs. Dannie also shares her views on employment and entrepreneurship, especially in regards to the idea that entrepreneurs don’t make good employees.

This conversation goes into a deep discussion about what it’s like to juggle so many moving pieces, how employment and entrepreneurship can help support people’s best work, and the truth about the “not so glamorous” side of it all.

It’s a great discussion with tons of insight, so make sure to check it out.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

3:25 The leaders and laggers of the Millennial generation

5:05 When Dannie Fountain’s entrepreneurial journey started

6:10 Dannie’s original career path

8:05 How a fast food job helped her pay for college

9:30 How drunken LinkedIn changed her life

10:40 Why she almost deleted an email from Google

12:45 What 2017 brought to Dannie and her business

14:00 The power of resumes and experience in getting Google’s attention

16:45 How Dannie climbed the ladder at Google

19:25 Why Dannie doesn’t really use video

21:00 Dannie’s tips for public speaking

24:30 The symbiosis between a traditional job and a side business

26:00 The financial security that comes with working for a company (and how to leverage that in your business)

29:05 Why Dannie has focused on compound interest to grow wealth

32:15 Why paying off debt is Dannie’s goal for 2019

35:40 How Dannie sees herself impacting the world now and in the future

37:05 Why Dannie dreams of teaching entrepreneurs to use their experience to make a difference in the corporate world

37:55 The four ways entrepreneurs are assets for larger corporations

43:50 The #1 thing Dannie tells people when they ask how she does it

45:00 The four motivators

48:10 Dannie’s biggest message about entrepreneurship

48:54 Whatever your reason is for doing something, that’s enough - Dannie [paraphrased]

50:05 What Dannie would ask about money and financial planning

50:28 What the 25% Rule is and why it’s important for entrepreneurs

52:18 The difference between retirement and revivement

54:30 Where you can find Dannie on the interwebs

 

HOW A FEW DRINKS LED TO A JOB AT GOOGLE

For most people, a few drinks lead to some laughs with friends or maybe falling asleep watching Netflix. But for Danni Fountain, a few drinks leads her to LinkedIn. One night in 2017, she had a few drinks and got on LinkedIn and applied to over 300 jobs. Her business was in a slump and she was in the “famine” mindset, so she applied to everything she could find. She woke up in the morning and went about her day… and then received a message from Google. They were interested in her resume and wanted to have a phone interview.

Out of the 300+ applications she put out that night, only one got back to her — and she’s worked for Google ever since. But why did Google want to work with her when nobody else reached out? Because of her resume

RESUMES ARE CHANGING, AND SO ARE EMPLOYEES

As Dannie points out in her discussion with Dustin and Danielle, her impressive and eclectic resume was what caught Google’s attention. She had been a jet setter, public speaker, and marketing professional for over 8 years and had owned her own business for over 2.5 years when she applied for their job posting. More than that, she showed an innate ability to self-start, problem-solve, and consider costs, clients, and all the elements that go into managing your own business. Essentially, she had all of the skills they found ideal in an employee.

For many corporations, employees like Dannie are a huge asset, and their entrepreneurial heart isn’t crushed in a corporate setting — it’s given free rein. In this episode, Dannie talks about how many entrepreneurs think they’re “not made for corporate work anymore,” but she believes that’s not always the case. Work is changing from a 9-5 to something more fluid, something that allows people to work with a company and to also explore their interests and skills, as well. Entrepreneurs are scrappy, they don’t ask questions, and they’re keeping the bottom line in mind. All of that is great for traditional employers and corporations.

More than that, it also gives entrepreneurs the financial security to do what’s most important in their lives.

MONEY, BUSINESS & JOBS

Entrepreneurs know the hustle well. They also know that sometimes, no matter how hard you hustle, there will always be feasts and famines. Those famines are very hard to navigate and it’s even harder to balance the feasts to see you through. That’s why, for many spirited entrepreneurs and side hustlers, a day job is just what they need to bankroll their interests — and to create a secure future.

While not everyone works at Google, many have jobs that provide 401(k)s, health benefits, PTO, and more. That provides a level of security that makes it easier to take risks with business or to pursue other interests, and many companies are open to supporting their employees in their efforts. And for many Millennial entrepreneurs who enter the workforce with student loan or business debt, it can be great to have consistent income to help pay that down.

Of course, the conversation delves even deeper into Dannie’s background, her passion for working with creative entrepreneurs, and how she does it all at such a young age. Dustin, Danielle, and Dannie also talk about business expenses, debt, and why retirement isn’t the goal for most entrepreneurs.

If you’re wondering what entrepreneurship looks like for Dannie, or how her career at Google has helped her grow her own business, check out this episode.

RESOURCES & PEOPLE MENTIONED

• Dannie Fountain’s website
• Dannie Fountain on Instagram (@dannielynnfountain)