#82: The Misunderstood Millennial with Gabrielle Bosche

[00:00:00] Hala Taha: You're listening to YAP young and profiting podcast, a place where you can listen, learn and profit. Welcome to the show. I'm your host, Hala Taha. And on young and profiting podcast, we investigate a new topic each week and interview some of the brightest minds in the world. My goal is to turn their wisdom into actionable advice that you can use in your everyday life.

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Our subject matter ranges from enhancing productivity. How to gain influence the art of entrepreneurship and more, if you're smart and like to continually improve yourself, hit the subscribe button because you'll love it here at young and profit podcast today on the show we're [00:01:00] chatting with Gabrielle Bosche.

Gabrielle is one of the most booked millennial motivation experts in the world. She's the founder and president of the millennial solution, an international training and consulting company bridging the generational gap. Working with high profile clients, such as Microsoft, Audi's Volkswagen and the US Navy. Gabrielle has written several books focused on millennials including the five millennial myths, the millennial entrepreneur and keep them longer.

In this episode, we'll learn key characteristics of millennials and we'll debunk common myths about them, whether you're a millennial yourself or work with them on your team, this is an episode you won't wanna miss. Hey, Gabriella. Welcome to young and profiting podcast. 

Gabrielle Bosche: Hey, thanks for having me on 

Hala Taha: Of course, we're looking forward to this conversation, you are America's number one, millennial expert, and most of my listeners are millennials.

So I know they're gonna love this conversation. You've worked with a number [00:02:00] of high profile clients, Microsoft, Audi's Volkswagen, the U S Navy. That's super impressive to me. And I'm always curious to know more about people's come up stories, how they became so successful, especially you at such a young age.

And I know that religion actually played a big role in that for you. We don't typically talk about religion on this show. But since it was such a foundational piece in terms of why you actually got started in the work that you do. I'd love to hear more about that here, about how faith played a role in your come up story and learn how you became America's number one, millennial expert.

Gabrielle Bosche: Yep. Awesome. Very cool. I'm super excited to spend some time with you and your listeners. It's so true that my faith was a really important part of my coming up story and a big part of that was when I was young, I recognize that a lot of leaders of older generations and the faith community were trying to reach young people and they were scratching their heads.

They were frustrated and they were [00:03:00] like, what's wrong with you kids. And and I just noticed a hole in the market. So at 17 years old is when I wrote my first book about how leaders of older generations can reach and engage with a younger generation. And it took off from there. I always tell people when they're looking at starting a new business or a podcast or a new idea is to niche early, because really niching early for me provided so many open doors that really wouldn't have been possible in any other instance.

And say I really just wanna help everybody. Go wanna help everyone with everything. And I call that the miss America answer. It's a terrible business model and frankly, it just doesn't work at all. So I niche really early recognizing that leaders of older generations needed to have a translator, someone who could help them better understand the next generation.

And that's really where I started, where I focused my studies and ultimately where I've written my five books. And why I'm talking with you here today. 

Hala Taha: Very cool. And speaking of miss America answer, [00:04:00] I know that you used to be involved with pageants in high school and I think college. So that's really interesting.

We actually have that in common. I was Miss talented team New Jersey back in the day. Sorry. 

Gabrielle Bosche: I said yeah, I think that's so fun, man. It is a, it's a really cool experience. I've met some of my closest friends through pageants. I did my first pageant in high school as a dare. I was like total tomboy. We're backwards, hats to school constantly.

And my girlfriend at the time was. Really into pageants. And she would basically just dared me cause she knew I'd do anything she dared me to do. And I ended up tripping onstage dislocating my knee definitely didn't win, but I learned number one, how competitive I am. So it was really good for me in that regard, but also to just what a cool community and a cool platform it is for people.

Hala Taha: Yeah. Being in pageant was I only was in like one pageant. I didn't, I'd like sing Mandy Moore for my talent and crushed it besides realizing that you were competitive. What [00:05:00] else did you learn from your pageant days? Like anything in terms of stage presence or something along those lines?

Gabrielle Bosche: Oh my gosh, so much. So a big part of pageants, obviously, at least my favorite part was the interview process where you get to chat and you have a platform you get to talk about what's most important to you. And now as a public speaker, I speak around the world. I have a TEDx talk. I get to speak with

amazing leaders in the military. And I always harken back to my pageant days. Cause it actually really helped you understand how to answer quickly answer effectively and look like you're having fun while doing it. Cause sometimes folks will ask you questions, I've, I mean being an expert on millennials, I've had people say the most inappropriate things, angry things mean you, you think of it, I've heard it on stage.

And so I think my pageant prep has probably helped me have a bit more poised than I probably would have if I hadn't gone through it. 

Hala Taha: Oh, that's awesome. So you just mentioned previously that you've wrote a book when you were 17. Like that's quite young. I know that you started your [00:06:00] first company when you were 25. So again, very young to, to be an entrepreneur.

How did you have so much drive in focus at such a young age? I think I remember reading that you saved up $2,000 working at a Frozen ice cream shop or something to write your first book, to get the money, the funding, to write that, how did you have so much drive and like responsibility, because most people, when they're, freshmen in college, 17, they're spending $2,000 on new clothes, booze and partying, and so why were you so different? 

Gabrielle Bosche: Yeah I think part of it was just knowing that I had a message inside of me. I think as a generation, we are all really driven towards justice, driven with a passion inside of us. No one taught us, that it's wrong. That like human trafficking exists or like kids in Africa need water.

Pick an issue. This generation is really passionate about it. And so I think as a generation, most of us have that drive from a younger age. I think that I was just really empowered to pursue it. My parents were both [00:07:00] entrepreneurs. I didn't want to be an entrepreneur. Opposite of being an entrepreneur.

And I started working for the government outside of when I finished that when I finished my undergrad. And and it just got to a point where I recognized that if I was gonna be true to myself and true to my purpose, that I was going to have to dig down deep and be willing to put in the time, put in the sacrifice that was, not going out and not having a super fun time, even in college and after, but I was really obsessed with finding a platform to be able to help people. 

Hala Taha: Do you ever look back and wondering oh man, I missed my best years growing up. I grew up too fast. Do you ever think about that? 

Gabrielle Bosche: I definitely don't. I think that really. So much of who I am today is just because of the kind of intentionality that I have with everything.

I think that a lot of young people, we give ourselves too much grace saying oh, I'm just in my twenties, like thirties, the new 20. And I think we really rob ourselves of impact. That doesn't mean that you don't have fun and you don't go out with your friends and have a good time. I That's [00:08:00] definitely a part of growing up.

And I did that I still do that. I'm only 31, but I think that when you become so obsessed and addicted to the transformation of helping other people, when you stock success and you recognize that the only way that you're going to be happy, fulfilled, ditch anxiety and depression, the only way you're gonna get there is when you are obsessed with helping people.

Hala Taha: Yeah, totally. I completely agree. So let's talk about some of these high profile clients. You had clients like the us Navy. I think they were your first client right off the bat. So tell us a story about how you snagged them as a client. 

Gabrielle Bosche: Yeah, that was definitely one of my most kind of surprising clients.

So at the time I was working as a fundraiser at a nonprofit and I was the worst fundraiser ever. I was like, if you wanna give you can, that's fine. If you don't totally fine. Like I'm just the worst fundraiser. And and I was at this networking event and I think I just finished my second book, five millennial myths.

And there was a woman at the networking event and she said what do [00:09:00] you do? And this is one of my most defining moments in my career because instead of saying what I did for a living, I said, who I was. So I could have said I'm a terrible fundraiser. I suck at asking people for money, which would have been true.

But instead of saying that, I said who I was, and I said, I'm an expert in millennials. And just having a clear expert statement, changed everything for me, because a lot of people will come to me now and they'll say Gabrielle, I can't call myself an expert. I'm, twenty-something or I don't have a PhD, or I'm not recognized by my industry, but all an expert is someone who knows more about a subject can anybody else in the world.

With published yourself an expert for other people, not for you. So I didn't need to be called a millennial expert for me. I still don't for me. I really don't care, but that's like going into a doctor and saying, it's okay, you don't need to be the expert. I just hope that you're pretty good at this. You would never want someone to cut into  who just says, oh, I'm not the expert.

So we call ourselves experts so that the people that we're supposed to help have confidence that we have that [00:10:00] solution. So when she asked me what I did, I said, I'm a millennial expert. And she looked at me and instead of doubting me, which I totally had the imposter syndrome moment where I was like, she knows I'm lying.

She's totally gonna call me out. She'll laugh. All of those things, she didn't do any of those things. She simply said, wow, we could really use you. And I was like, oh, okay where do you work? Thinking she was gonna say some consulting firm. It was DC who, so who knows. And she said, I worked for the Navy.

I was like, oh my gosh, like of the United States of the United States. And so that was my first client. I've had the opportunity to be on over nine different Naval bases work with the us air force work with the 37th training wing and just had incredible opportunities all because of that one moment where I stopped saying what I did for a living and started saying who I was 

Hala Taha: Wow. I'm so glad that I asked that question. I did not know about that awesome story. That's really cool. It's a couple of lessons there. First of [00:11:00] all, when she said we could really use you, you didn't say oh no, I'm not ready. You embraced it. You obviously went for it and had that confidence and kind of sold yourself right then and there instead of hesitating and being like actually I don't have the resume to back that up, or I've never done this before, because at that point you've never, that was your first client. You've never done it before. And you have to learn as you went go along. And I think that's a big lesson for everybody because a lot of people think that they need the previous experience before they can actually get started. And it's no, you can just learn as you go

And make it happen. A lot of entrepreneurs are making it happen as they go. They don't really know their end, end point or they didn't have the processes before they actually started. So I think that's really cool. Cool. So speaking of being an expert, you just mentioned that you weren't necessarily like you have, not a loose definition of expertise

but you were generous with yourself at that time in terms of calling yourself an expert. So since then, as of now, like you are America's [00:12:00] number one, millennial expert, what research have you done? What do you have to back up that statement before we get into the meat of this interview, where we really talk about millennials, what makes you America's number one expert on the millennials? 

Gabrielle Bosche: Yeah. When I first really established myself as an expert in millennials and very much to your point, I think a lot of times as young people, we're taught to fake it until you make it. And I think that's terrible advice because I think that it means that you're going out there and putting subpar content out there.

Being that you're gonna trick someone long enough that they pay you. That's not at all what it means to be an expert. Again, everything's about helping people. So when you know that you can help people, it's actually unjust for you to not call yourself an expert, because if they're not going to hire you, then they're gonna hire someone else who doesn't have your story.

Doesn't have your experience. Doesn't have your brilliance. Doesn't have the unique way that you would be doing things. And that's really, I think one of the powerful parts of knowing your purpose is that your purpose is that permission that a lot of people I think are waiting for it to really walk into who it is that [00:13:00] they're supposed to be.

And I think especially as a generation we're taught to ask for permission, like permission from our parents or our partners, or another degree that we're not quite ready yet. We're on this kind of like hamster wheel of trying to go to the next level and like level up. And we're really competitive. I think as a generation of which I think is a superpower.

But it's also to kryptonite as well, where there's this like arms race of education where it's I need the next certificate and I need the next thing I need the next gig to keep going. For me, my expertise really developed over the 13 years that I've been studying millennials and not only understanding who we are as employees, which is really my first 

I teach people in our programs how to find your primary and your secondary audience. So my primary audience was millennials, but it did not take very long to realize millennials were not going to pay me for my expertise or like me. So when I identified my secondary audience, which was their [00:14:00] employers, so I still wanted to help young people, but I couldn't go directly to them because they didn't have, I didn't have the access and they didn't have the income.

But their bosses did. And so I started working with these major brands, these major companies like Audi Expedia, Comcast, helping them understand how to reach the next generation and still meet my audience that I really wanted to help. So over the 13 years, we've done everything from working with major brands on how to market, to millennials, developing social media campaigns, working with the us military on recruiting the next generation.

And now we get to spend a lot of our time looking at millennials as managers and leaders, because we're not just the interns anymore, which I think a lot of people assume, oh, you're a millennial you're 19 or 20. No, we're almost 40. So how can the leaders understand that the next generation leads differently and then helping us as the next generation understand that we lead differently?

And it's really okay. So that's where a lot of our research has really been is on generational leadership. Siri [00:15:00] is helping people our age understand. We leave very democratically. We want more input. We believe in flat leadership structures. And how do we communicate that to a world that doesn't see leadership the same way that we do?

Hala Taha: I'm gonna dig into all of that, especially millennials in the workplace. So let's just kick it off. Let's kick it off with getting some clear definitions. How do you define millennials? What's your definition there? 

Gabrielle Bosche: Yep. So the data that we use is what the us census bureau uses. And now peer is in alignment with it as well, which millennials are born between 1982 and 1996.

Hala Taha: Okay. So like you said I think the higher end of millennials are probably like 37 38s. 

Gabrielle Bosche: Yeah. 

Hala Taha: Yeah, so one of your unique selling points is that you are a millennial who is talking about millennials, at least when you first started. Is this still the case? Are millennials still not talking about millennials? And if so, why don't millennials talk about themselves? 

Gabrielle Bosche: Yeah. I think that there are [00:16:00] probably more people who are coming up through the ranks. We have a certification process. So we certify a lot of people to talk about millennials, because we found a lot of people who are passionate about bridging the generation gap, but they didn't have the research.

They didn't have the business structure of the business model or the certification. So we really have established ourselves in that niche as well. But I think. The millennial monikers, something that as a generation we don't necessarily rush to because millennials, we're not dumb. We read the news and it seems every other day, there's an article about how millennials are ruining the diamond industry or napkins or Harley Davidson and business.

Insider always seems to have some new article out there about how we're impacting the economy negatively. So I think a lot of young people have been pretty smart to veer away from using that term, but it's something that, me and my organization, the millennial solution, we obviously embraced because we think that it's a super power of young people that we ask questions, not to challenge, but to improve.

We are obsessed with justice. We want to be a part of making the world a bigger and a better [00:17:00] place. And we're bringing really positive changes to organizations. 

Hala Taha: Yeah. So you just touched on some characteristics. Can you go in deeper in terms of like, how do millennials act? What are our key like attributes?

Tell us more about the characteristics of millennials. 

Gabrielle Bosche: Yeah, the big one I think for this generation is that we're just as oriented that everything that we do is really centered on core justice principles. And like I mentioned before, like no one taught us. Not right that, people don't have access to clean water in Africa or human trafficking exists in our own backyard here in the United States, no one sat us down and said, that's not right.

You should do something, but there's just been this kind of voice inside of us as a generation that we rose up. And we said, we wanna use our collective voice. We wanna use our technology, our connections, the brands we buy, the coffee we drink. Everything millennials do really is a reflection of our values.

And I think that's really powerful and brands who are embracing that are doing incredibly [00:18:00] well because they recognize that millennials, unlike other generations are really brand ambassadors for everything we consume. So when I buy a cup of coffee or have a t-shirt on, or, go somewhere on vacation, it says something about me because I'm using my platform to share my values with the world.

Hala Taha: Yeah. Yeah. I completely agree there. Just look at everything lately in terms of like social justice, black lives matter, everybody's really rallying around that. From my perspective, though, I feel like gen Z really is like the justice generation. What can you say about them? Like how do we differ between gen Z millennials and gen Z?

What can you say about? 

Gabrielle Bosche: Yeah, there's a huge differentiation. And so gen Z is born after 1997. And so sometimes they get lumped into younger versions of millennials, but they're a completely different generation. And one of the biggest differences is just the role technology plays. So us older millennials or elder millennials, remember what it was like to have dial up and play [00:19:00] snake on our Nokia and

you know what blockbuster was. And so we remember technology as it became ingrained in our everyday lives, younger generations, like Generations Z don't remember that transition. They just remember it being an ever-present mobility inside of how we live, work and play. So generation Z is you're right.

Absolutely. Aligned with justice as well, which is a pretty standard characteristic of younger generations, but what's different about generation Z is how they're using their collective voice. So millennials are much more collaborative where it's like, Hey, let's get together and work on this, or, Hey, what do you think about this?

And we're constantly collaborating, trying to get input, whereas gen Z, because they grew up in a digital age where distance was everything from schooling to gaming, to relationships, they're much more likely to do things on their own. So they're not nearly as collaborative, which can be a superpower and also to kryptonite as well.

So we [00:20:00] care a lot about a lot of the same issues just because of the time and the space that we're in because of what all of these nations around the world are experiencing when it comes to social justice issues, economic impact, access to healthcare. All of these issues are really impacting all of us on a global scale.

So we care about them, but how we handle them. And the solutions that we provide are gonna be different based off of our generation. 

Hala Taha: That's so interesting. I find that so interesting that we're more collaborative in terms of our working style and getting things done where they like to do things internally, especially with COVID going on now, if COVID lasts a while, I feel like they'll really get even more introverted. It's so interesting. How different generations. Kind of take different attributes and quality. Okay, so you say that millennials are one of the most misunderstood and mislabeled generations in history. There are a number of incorrect assumptions and bad associations that people make about millennials.

You mentioned a few before [00:21:00] and you actually wrote a book. I think it was called the five millennial myths. So tell us about these millennials myths and can you debunk them for us? 

Gabrielle Bosche: Sure. Yeah. I don't know if I'll have time to go through all of them, but the biggest one. Yeah. The biggest one is that millennials are entitled and I hear all the time from parents and grandparents, executives, recruiters, and you name it.

Everyone is saying our generation shows up and expects the world to be handed to us. And what I've found through all of my research is it's not that millennials are entitled. I call it ambition, misdirected. So we're a generation that from a very young age, we were told you can do anything that you want and you can be anything that you want.

And so we've had really high levels of confidence about our ability to impact others and impact the world. And so we listened and we finished high school or college or grad school, and we're now in the marketplace and guess what? We think we can do anything that we want and be anything that we want. And so that's really frustrating.

I think for some leaders who [00:22:00] are used to a younger generation who has accepted as a norm, wait your turn don't speak unless you're spoken to. And we just have a younger generation that's much more bold and much more confident in our ability to actually develop solutions that can help.

So it's a huge misconception that is really hurting your leadership at all levels, whether you've got 12 people  in your company or 12,000, when you don't recognize that the younger generation has a fresh set of eyes, has a different take on things and can really provide some incredibly positive change inside of organizations.

Like we see it all the time where young people come in, we develop programs for them of how they can effectively provide feedback to leadership on ways that they can improve. And they've saved the organization millions of dollars. So it's a really powerful platform when young people learn how to effectively and most important respectfully share their opinions about how things can positively change.

Hala Taha: Let's touch on that a little bit. So what would you say to a millennial who [00:23:00] is getting pushed back at work where people think are thinking that, they're trying to change things too quickly. They're acting too entitled. They're acting like they earned it. They're acting like they earned something before they actually put in the work.

What advice would you give them in terms of making a better impression with their bosses who may be baby boomers? 

Gabrielle Bosche: Yeah. If you're in that position where you've got great ideas, it doesn't seem like people are listening to them or you're getting labeled as entitled or the kid, or, whatever that is that older folks are doing.

There's really a couple of things that you could do. Number one, finding out how change is adopted in the organization is really important. So why people think that we're disrespectful is because we don't take the time to learn the way of the world. So a lot of times we're coming into organizations and we're like, why is it this way?

Why is it that way? And why isn't there an app for this? It just doesn't make any logical sense for us. And that comes across as disrespectful. So ask questions, be curious, find out why the best practice is the best practice. That's gonna be really [00:24:00] important. Number two, find early adopters. So people inside of the organization who believed that change needs to happen, but maybe they've been there long enough that they're tired and don't wanna start something new.

So find other people that you can partner with who can help support you. And, third, I think being consistent and not taking it personally. I think a lot of times is young people we can cause we're excited. We're like, oh my gosh, I have this great idea. We should try this, we should do this.

Like what's changed the platform and it's so well-intentioned, and when it doesn't get adopted, we think they don't like, when t he truth is they either don't like change or they don't like the idea. So removing your personality from the proposal, I think is such an incredible way to make sure that you push through some of that negative feedback on the front end, because as humans, we're all designed to resist change.

So see it as an opportunity to prove them wrong and maybe prove yourself right. 

Hala Taha: Yeah. And then on the flip side, we have listeners of all ages. So for the baby boomers listening out there, how can they better accept their [00:25:00] millennial workers? And when they have a new idea. 

Gabrielle Bosche: So for when it comes to baby boomers, really embracing the next generation, I think part of it is not placating us.

It really does drive me crazy when people of older generations or. Good job kiddo, or, for a young person. That's really great. Like when you attach an age to an idea, you discount it. Even if it is well-intentioned think about it in reverse. Think about if we were working with older people and we're like, great job for an old guy, or Hey dinosaur.

Like we would never do that because it's disrespectful. So ageism works both ways. So if you're older and listening to this and you really want to engage with the younger generation, engage with them. Like adults have conversations with them like adults. This is a generation that were raised in very democratic households, where our parents asked us where we wanted to go on vacation and what we wanted for dinner and what we wanted to, what color we wanted to paint our rooms.

So we've had a voice and we're comfortable speaking with adults. Just from a younger age. So [00:26:00] now that we're in our twenties and thirties, don't attach that kind of age as a moniker, even if it's well-intentioned and just engage with them, incentivize them to come up with new ideas and set expectations about what happens if it is a crappy idea.

Like sometimes whether you're 22 or 60, 62, The idea is stupid and it's not gonna work. And that's totally fine. So set expectations around what failure looks like and what happens when it's a crappy idea. So that way people aren't afraid to come up with new ideas for the future. 

Hala Taha: I think that's really great advice.

So I think a lot of people have the assumption that millennials are. Disloyal, we don't stay at a company for more than three years. I think it is. And we cost America billions of dollars from our high turnover at companies. So tell us more about this trend. Is it true first of all, do you, do we ditch companies after just a few years?

And what do you have to say about people calling us disloyal? 

Gabrielle Bosche: It's not anything new that [00:27:00] younger generations tend to move on at faster rates. So even generation X was moving on within five to seven years at younger rates. Younger ages, I should say, but yes, millennials are a very disloyal generation when it comes to, on paper.

So if you're a recruiter, you're looking at someone's job experience and you're like, oh my gosh, you've been here for 16 months or seven months or whatever. And it's a shame that most companies don't understand that it's not the millennial who's choosing to move on. It's oftentimes a lack of expectations that are being said, So we run hiring panels for companies all over the world, and I've never met a young person.

Who's I really like job hunting. I'm really good at updating my LinkedIn or I'm really into, doing interviews on the weekends. Like no one likes to doing it, but as a generation, we're willing to move on to leave the safety and security of where we're at and try something new because we either feel like our voice isn't heard, we're not paid what we're, what we

should be getting paid [00:28:00] and we don't feel like we're having the impact that we're supposed to be having. So as an employer, if you have clarity about those three things before you hire them, you're not gonna have a retention issue with the next generation. So yes, millennials move on, but I think it's more of a fault of companies today.

Not knowing how to keep them than it is a generation willing to cut ties and switch jobs at the, first flight. 

Hala Taha:  So let's talk about how to keep them, how can people retain their employees who are millennials and what do millennials value in the workplace? 

Gabrielle Bosche: Yeah. I think millennials really value a number of things that are becoming much more popular now, especially because of COVID mean working from home has been something that millennials have been begging for so long where we're like, okay, I like meet my partner online.

I take classes online. All of my friends I talk to online, I do all my work online, but I have to go into an arbitrary building and that's my job. So we've been asking for this for a really long time. It's funny. Cause I think the grass is always greener because now [00:29:00] we're like bored out of our mind and miss our friends and coworkers.

So that as a company, recognizing that your employees want choice, they wanna design their own experience. They wanna be trusted to get the work done how and when it needs to be done. And and so that's, I think a really core principle that not only millennials have, but I think that the workforce overall.

And when it comes to retaining millennials, it's really, what it takes to retain everybody. And that's what we talk about all the time. That's the subject of our next book. The purpose factor is helping your employees find purpose and apply it to what they do every day. So whether you're 22 or 62, you wanna know number one that you matter.

And number two, that the work you do matters. And that's really, I think the new role of employers today, whereas before it used to be come to work for us, we'll give you a paycheck and a couple of weeks off a year and come and do work for us. But I think that relationship is really changing where employers are now being expected to really invest in the whole life.

Whether that's mindfulness, health and [00:30:00] wellness, financial training, really companies I think are really expanding their reach and having a really positive impact on the people that they're leading and serving as employees. 

Hala Taha: Yeah, I think that's a really great point. I really do. I work for Disney full-time and I can tell you how many, like mindfulness seminars they have.

And I was like massages at work. Like they, they really tried to make it comfortable for everyone and have good wellbeing. I also know that there's a big trends. Not every millennial wants to work for someone. A lot of people wanna work for themselves. I think the stat is 67% of millennials plan on starting their own company.

And they're not just dreaming of it. 15% of all us companies are run by millennials and both me and you are young entrepreneurs. I started my own company at 25. And so did you and. What's with that. Why do millennials strive to be entrepreneurs? Why are we so into that? 

Gabrielle Bosche: Yeah, I [00:31:00] know, I know we're obsessed.

And I think part there's a couple of reasons. I think number one, just the awareness of it. Whereas before maybe you knew a couple of people that were starting their businesses, like now, because of technology, you have friends and neighbors and partners and everyone seems to be starting their own side hustle or their own company on the side.

And so I think the awareness of it is a lot greater. I think that the education is also to more accessible. Whereas before I literally Googled how to start a company at 24, when I was starting my business, I had no experience. I had no idea what I was doing, even though my parents were entrepreneurs, they were in the restaurant business.

And roofing. So they weren't completely different industries where, you know, having my laptop was the only overhead I had. So they really couldn't relate to my version of starting a business. So I think that's part of it, but I also too think although 67% of millennials want to start their own business.

The majority of us won't or we won't be successful with it longterm and that's okay, too. So I think it's [00:32:00] important, especially as entrepreneurs to not put a negative label on people who try the whole entrepreneurial thing and it doesn't work out. That's totally fine. It doesn't mean that you're a failure either.

It wasn't the right time. It wasn't the right market or it's just not for you. And that's totally fine. So it's not a better life to be an entrepreneur. It has its own challenges. I'm sure you have friends who sit down with you and they're like, oh my gosh, you live like the best life ever. And it totally depends on the day.

Some days it's pinch me. I can't believe I get to do this. And then other days you're like in the fetal position in the corner this could all go to hell and I have no idea. So there's risk and reward with everything. When I help people decide what they wanna do next. My big question is, are you scared of leaving the stability of your job because you lack clarity or are you just unhappy where you're at and you're looking for any other option.

So the really important differentiator when you wanna determine whether or not you wanna go out on your own, is it to help other people with a platform because no [00:33:00] one can do it like you? Or is it simply because you don't like your job, don't like your situation or don't like your pictures. 

Hala Taha: I can totally relate to that. See, I am somebody who can't decide, do I wanna keep working for corporate? Do I wanna keep being an entrepreneur? I'm making just as much money on both sides of the house. I'm just working like a mad woman. So I'm just like, oh, he's like wondering what do I really wanna do? I'm not really ready to leave Disney.

I'm not really ready to be an entrepreneur full-time and scares me, like not having that stability. So I can definitely relate to both sides there. So I know in your book you have four different kinds of entrepreneurs that you outlined and in one of your books, I think it's the millennial entrepreneur.

It's the solutionist, the expert, the accidental, and the natural entrepreneur. Could you tell us about these types and why they are important? 

Gabrielle Bosche: Yeah, I think one of the big ones is the solutionist, and that's really where I think the most successful entrepreneurs come from are people who [00:34:00] recognize that there's a hole in the market and that they wanna provide a solution to it.

So everything in the economy is about solving problems. The coffee place down the street is about solving problems. The iPhone the HPAC tech, everyone is solving a problem for someone else. So when you recognize that your role, whether you're working for a company or you're out on your own is about solving problems.

You get a lot of clarity about the role that you play in the overall marketplace. So the solutionist is is really focused on that is how do I create a solution that the market is going to reward? And it's not necessarily just as I'm paying money as a product, but it could also be donations.

It could be support followers, sponsorships value is exchanged a bunch of different ways. But I think, especially right now in this economy, the solutionist is the one who's going to win because the natural entrepreneur is what I think everyone just assumes like, oh, I was selling lemonade when I was 6.

I wasn't. My sister was, she was like, oh, Hey, let's go sell stuff door to door. And I was like, [00:35:00] terrified. I was like, I don't wanna talk to anybody. Let's just go like play in the backyard. But I'm the entrepreneur. And it really, for me, that moment happened when I was side hustling my company while working for full time.

I had a moment and I recognized, I remember I had gone out of the country. I'd bet I was in Israel. I got back and I recognized if I don't believe I'm going to spend the rest of my life, regretting it and wondering what could have happened. And and I had this identity, which I think a lot of people do is like the hustler.

Like I hustle harder than everybody else, but hustling does not equal output. And so for me, I had to recognize I'm actually, it was more selfish for me to stay where I was at. Cause it helped my identity for me to say, I work full-time and I have this business full-time and I'm writing these books versus taking the risk that I took because I jumped and I was an idiot.

I didn't have a business plan. I didn't have consistent income, but I just knew something inside of me was like, you need to leave. And I [00:36:00] remember walking into my boss's office and he knew I was planning an escape eventually. And and he looked at me and he said, Gabrielle, aren't you afraid to quit this job?

And I was living in DC at the time. Not exactly cheap. And I said, yeah, but I said, I'm more afraid of what will happen if I stay. And so that's been my mantra moving forward is when I know I'm uncomfortable that I have to ask myself that question. Am I more afraid to stay? Or am I more afraid to move on?

Hala Taha: I love that. I think that's really key. I feel like that's exactly what I'm going through right now, personally in my life. And I'm very excited to see what the future holds. Speaking of a natural entrepreneur. I just wanna tell this to my listeners because I think they'll find it funny. I was such a natural entrepreneur when I was younger.

I used to sell books when I was four years old. I actually used to sell slushies in the park. You have a quote in your book that really resonated with me. It's related to the natural entrepreneur. They weren't just selling lemonade in the corner stands. They were inventing new and innovative [00:37:00] ways to quench the thirst of the neighborhood that actually made me laugh out loud because I used to sell

slushies in the park with my friends and I would recruit my friends every summer to sell all these slushies with my friends. So that really resonated with me. Great work there, Gabrielle. All right, so let's wrap this up. The last question I ask all my guests is what is your secret to profiting in life? 

Gabrielle Bosche: Yeah, I think, and it sounds so cheesy, but it really is my purpose.

When I got clarity about my purpose, it helped me overcome failure, setback, embarrassment, because starting a business, just living, overall, it was just really embarrassing and I would fall and try stuff and tell my audience, I'm gonna try these new things and it never worked out. But when I got really clear about my purpose, Everything seemed to fall into place.

Like I had more clarity about what I was supposed to do. I was able to say no to ideas. That sounded really good, but they weren't good. I [00:38:00] had a completely new decision-making paradigm that before I really struggled, because I felt like I could try this and I can do this. And I think that's one of the biggest challenges with our generation is that we're extremely talented and we're ambidextrous.

And so we can do multiple things and do pretty good at them. But we never know what the right thing is that we should do. So getting extreme clarity about my purpose and we detail it in our new book, the purpose factor extreme clarity for why you're here and what to do about it. My story, I wrote it with my husband, which was a whole ton of fun, the whole process of how we discovered our purpose and how people can get extreme clarity and discover their purposes, wow!

Hala Taha: Awesome. And where can our listeners go to learn more about you and everything that you do? 

Gabrielle Bosche: Sure. So they can pick up our brand new book, purpose factor at purposefactorbook.com and we're all over. So we're really active on LinkedIn, where we provide insights, trainings, and tidbits like this on how to find and use your purpose.

Hala Taha: Awesome. Thank you so much. This is a great [00:39:00] conversation. 

Gabrielle Bosche: Thanks for having me on. 

Hala Taha: Thanks for listening to young and profiting podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review on apple podcasts or comment on YouTube SoundCloud or your favorite platform. Reviews make all the hard work worth it.

They're the ultimate thank you to me and the YAP team. The other way to support us is by word of mouth. Share this podcast with a friend or family member who may find it valuable. Follow YAP on instagram @youngandprofiting and check us out at youngandprofiting.com. You can find me on Instagram @yapwithhala or LinkedIn, just search for my name Hala Taha until next time, this is Hala, signing off.