Daring to become CEO... Julie Cropp Gareleck, from Teen Waitress to Entrepreneur, and Author.

SHOWNOTES

From teen waitress to CEO and entrepreneur powerhouse.  Meet Julie Cropp Gareleck, author of new book Dare to Become: From the Corner Booth to the Corner Office.

For millions, a major American dream is to start one’s own company and, become one’s own boss. Meet someone who did just that (without founding capital or an Ivy League degree)... entrepreneurial powerhouse Julie Cropp Gareleck, CEO of Junction Creative, a company that has driven millions in revenue for clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 1000 companies.

It all began in her teens working in the family restaurant where she and her sister dived in working long hours in roles that included scrubbing floors and waitressing.

After time in corporate America (with some horrendous stories) she started her own company -- without the backing of capital or an Ivy League education. Her story is now captured in her debut book, Dare to Become: From the Corner Booth to the Corner Office.

**Notable Quotes:**
"I'M FINE, IT'S FINE AND IT'S ALL GOING TO BE FINE."
- “It’s in the rising and the falling that we evolve. We evolve as humans, entrepreneurs, and the best versions of ourselves.”
- “Treat every dollar like it’s your last, and you’ll never run out of money.”

**Key Takeaways:**

- **The Power of Perseverance:**
  - Julie’s journey highlights hard work, resilience, and the willingness to take risks.
  - How Julie’s experiences in toxic work environments and overcoming academic challenges served as catalysts for her entrepreneurial journey.

- **Financial Wisdom and Discipline:**
  - With money management in business, Julie says treating every dollar with care, especially when bootstrapping a new venture.

- **Lessons from "Dare to Become":**

  - The book highlights the reality of entrepreneurship beyond the glamorous stories often portrayed in media, stressing the need for realistic expectations and a strong work ethic.
  - Always have a planned Exit strategy for your company. The importance of recurring revenue and quality returns in creating a business that can stand the test of time and offer a profitable exit.

- **Work-Life Integration:**
  - Julie challenges the notion of perfect work-life balance, sharing her approach to setting boundaries and prioritizing what matters most. Especially true for writing her book, based on years of keeping a journal.

**Connect with Julie:**
- **Website:** https://juliecroppgareleck.com
Podcast: Aspire to Be: https://juliecroppgareleck.com/podcast-episodes/
- **Book:** *Dare to Become:

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Show Sponsors: Books for Writers by Caryl Westmore: Bust Writer's Block Forever www.bustwritersblock.com and The Inner Path of Writing, Make Love not War to the Writer Within . Details here: https://www.ipwbook.com

Transcript

**Julie:** It's the first time in history we have four generations working together: baby boomers, Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z. Each generation has a different approach to work. Baby boomers started without technology, so they bring a lot of experience. Gen X had technology but didn't grow up with it, so we adapt as it comes. Millennials and Gen Z grew up with technology and offer new tools and automation tips. We need to listen to all generations to blend their strengths and experiences. 

**Host Caryl Westmore:**

My guest today Julie Cropp Garelech has driven millions of dollars in revenue for her clients, as CEO of her own business, Junction Creative, which supports small to mid-sized businesses as well as the Fortune 1000. Her journey, going from teenage waitress to corporate America to eventually taking the brave step to start her own company 15 years ago, without capital or a Harvard MBA, has taken a kind of grit and determination you only read about, which is why thankfully she has written her first book, "Dare to Become," which we will be talking about in depth today. Welcome, Julie.

**Julie Cropp Gareleck:** Thank you for having me. It's a pleasure to be here.

**Caryl:** So, Julie, your inspiring journey from teenage waitress to entrepreneur, or in fact, even scrubbing floors as a teenage waitress some of the time, taught you a lot about life and business and money, which all comes up in your book. But throughout it, I'm going to ask you to start with the saying, which you probably want people to take away from your book, which is, do you want to start with that saying you repeat throughout the book? Tell us about that. Who's the reader that you hope to touch with your book?

**Julie:** Absolutely. So, you know, this really is a story about my journey from working for my parents' restaurant, becoming a CEO, and now author. And, you know, I really feel like it appeals to those folks who, maybe they are a freelancer, maybe they are thinking of starting their own business, or maybe they're in a corporate career and looking for inspiration to grow in that field. It's about understanding what it takes to be successful. It isn't the sound bites that we hear on TikTok, the $100 million startup, the $100,000 side hustle. Those are all ads targeting us to clickbait. But when it really comes down to building a business, whether you're a solopreneur or have employees, the journey is more difficult than just setting up the business and starting to take on clients.

**Caryl:** Well, I hear that from reading your book. Could you take us back to maybe an absolute pivotal moment when this realization came home to you at one point in your career?

**Julie:** You know, there have been so many experiences that I've had that have been what I would call catalysts. When I got to college, having an advisor who said I would never get accepted to an Ivy League international program because my grades weren't good enough, and then getting into the program. As I started my career and faced adverse situations or toxic work environments, I could have let that stop me. But I feel like all these instances were catalysts for pushing me down the path toward where I am now. It's a lot of these little moments of adversity that have propelled me down the path I'm on now.

**Caryl:** Yes. One of the things that really came home for me was talking about money. You have a very grounded way of saying that the money on the page is more important than the money of your projected income. Could you talk a bit more about that, how you discovered that, and how you approach that when people ask you about starting their own business?

**Julie:** Exactly. When I was bootstrapping with my savings, I treated every dollar as if it was my last dollar. And 15 years later, I still know where every dollar goes in my business. I'm always looking for ways to optimize the revenue we have and also optimize the expenses. Even though my business has grown and become very successful, I still pay myself a salary that allows me to live within my means. I take the lion's share of profit at the end of the year because I'm the sole owner, but I keep myself honest every month to ensure I never put the business in a financial situation where I can't afford payroll or other necessary expenses.

**Caryl:** So what do you do day to day to keep current? Do you meet with your accountant, or do you look at your finances regularly?

**Julie:** I meet monthly to go over the numbers. I also check the bank accounts and credit card accounts two to three times per week to make sure there aren't any unauthorized charges. I ensure that income is reconciled in the account. It isn't a set-and-forget approach. Even though I have a fantastic accounting manager, I still verify the numbers to make sure I haven't missed anything.

**Caryl:** There's one thing I read that you tell new entrepreneurs about money. Would you share what you tell them when it comes to money?

**Julie:** Absolutely. You have to understand the value of a dollar. You have to understand how to earn money. That's one of the biggest themes I talk about, going back to my experience working for my father's restaurant and how that taught me about money and hard work.

**Caryl:** Tell us about that experience with your family's restaurant and what it taught you.

**Julie:** Absolutely. One of the biggest motivators for writing "Dare to Become" was the experience I had working for my parents' family restaurant, The Avenue Restaurant in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. My parents were longtime corporate folks, my father worked for a corporation for more than 20 years, and my mother worked for a bank. They didn't wake up one day and say, "Hey, I'm an entrepreneur." They grew into it and decided to take a leap of faith to invest in themselves and a restaurant. It was a real-life MBA for my sister and me. We weren't treated as children; we were part of the organization and had to carry responsibility. Our parents taught us everything, whether it was washing dishes, peeling 100 pounds of potatoes, or scrubbing grout lines with a toothbrush. These lessons taught me what it took to run a business. It was the foundation for my work ethic. Coming out of college, I felt like I was 10 years ahead of my peers because I had already worked 50 to 60-hour weeks.

**Caryl:** So when it comes to starting a business, you say it takes a minimum of 18 to 24 months to get a business launched and become profitable. How do you balance dreams and expectations, keeping them realistic?

**Julie:** You have to set realistic expectations. When I started my business, I naively thought I would replace my income in a year. It didn't happen until month 18. Had I set that expectation upfront, it would have saved me six months of feeling like a failure. The sound bites we hear make us think it's attainable quickly, but we have to set realistic expectations and develop a path to get there. Set the reach goal too, but keep the expectations realistic. For hiring, understand that the job is to meet the demands of the business, not just personal expectations.

**Caryl:** We've heard a lot of lessons in your book. If there was one piece of advice you could give, what would it be?

**Julie:** Remember, it's in the rising and the falling that we evolve. We evolve as humans, entrepreneurs, and the best versions of ourselves. When you're in the rising, there will be falling. When you're in the falling, there will be rising. Embrace these experiences to fuel the next step forward.

**Caryl:** Turning to writing your book, you said it was a reach goal from when you were a child. What was the catalyst for writing "Dare to Become"?

**Julie:** When I reached 13 years in business, I had attained some goals but found myself caught off guard, not prepared for the next goal. I was looking for inspiration and started reading through 30 years of journal entries. I realized how fearless I was as a young woman and had forgotten to appreciate how far I'd come. That led me to write my story to inspire others. I'm not from big money, didn't go to an Ivy League school, and didn't have institutional investment. I wanted to share my story and lessons to inspire others.

**Caryl:** You mentioned having hard and fast rules in your business. Can you share more about that?

**Julie:** Absolutely. As I built Junction, I established rules like no ego from top down. We are kind to each other and work hard. We respect each other for our contributions. Having gone through challenging environments, I wanted to create a positive and respectful workplace.

**Caryl:** I heard you mention your twin daughters. How do you instill your values in them?

**Julie:** My husband and I teach them the value of hard work. They have chores, earn money, and save for things. We are supportive and provide advice, ensuring they know they have a safe place as they grow.

**Caryl:** You mentioned running a workforce with multi-generational employees. Can you explain that?

**Julie:** It's the first time in history we have four generations working together: baby boomers, Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z. Each generation has a different approach to work. Baby boomers started without technology, so they bring a lot of experience. Gen X had technology but didn't grow up with it, so we adapt as it comes. Millennials and Gen Z grew up with technology and offer new tools and automation tips. We need to listen to all generations to blend their strengths and experiences.

**Caryl:** Lastly, you say work-life balance is a misnomer. How do you keep your work-life balance and sanity?

**Julie:** There is no ideal work-life balance. Someone is always lower on the priority list. Once I became a mom, I set boundaries and developed healthy habits. I work out, set intentions for the day, and manage my time well. Writing the book was another big project, and I hired a book coach for deadlines. I wrote on specific days and met with my coach regularly. Setting up the journey for the book was crucial, from starting at 16 to exiting a business, to provide a complete story for readers.

**Caryl:** Can you explain what an exit strategy means?

**Julie:**

 Always have the exit in mind when starting a business. Plan whether you want to exit in 5 or 10 years and build toward that. Investors look for quality returns, so ensure your revenue is recurring and not needing constant replacement. Build a business that can attract investment and offer a profitable exit strategy.

**Caryl:** Where can people find you and your book?

**Julie:** You can find more about my book, podcast, and services at juliecropgareleck.com. The book, "Dare to Become: From the Corner Booth to the Corner Office," is available for pre-sale and will be released soon.

**Caryl:** As we end our interview, do you have one single quote or thought for our listeners?

**Julie:** Remember to invest in yourself and your future as a business owner or entrepreneur. Embrace the challenges and successes, as it's in the rising and falling that we evolve and find the best version of ourselves.

**Caryl:** Thank you, Julie, for the interview. I wish you all the best going forward as a writer.

**Julie:** Thank you.