Leaving Mechanical Design for Entrepreneurship: Lessons in Resilience and Growth.
In a recent WorkWise interview, Nicole Whitbeck-Dohnal, President of Ontech Talent, an IT and Engineering recruiting and staffing firm in the Milwaukee area, shared her journey from a dissatisfied mechanical designer to a successful entrepreneur in the talent acquisition space.
Her story is filled with valuable insights for those navigating their career paths as well as aspiring business owners.
Nicole’s career took a pivotal turn when she left mechanical design for a 100% commission sales role.
“That was the role that changed the path of my career,” she reflects.
This bold move taught her the value of taking risks and following your instincts when a job doesn’t feel right.
The road to entrepreneurship wasn’t smooth.
Nicole describes starting her business as “absolutely terrifying,” admitting to moments of self-doubt and challenges in managing finances and client relationships.
Her candid account serves as a reality check for those romanticizing entrepreneurship, reminding us that it’s okay to find the process difficult.
Nicole’s evolving definition of success.
“Success early in my career looked more like sales goals and commission checks. I think success for me now is contentment,” she shares.
This shift in perspective offers a mature outlook on career satisfaction that goes beyond monetary achievements.
Nicole’s approach to work and life has been profoundly shaped by personal challenges, including a misdiagnosis of cancer before being correctly diagnosed with systemic lupus.
These experiences led her to embrace the concept of “post-traumatic growth” – emerging stronger and more resilient from traumatic experiences.
This mindset has influenced her leadership style, fostering a culture of resilience and positive attitudes towards mistakes and learning.
For young professionals, Nicole offers this advice: “You have to have fun at work.
So surround yourself with people that you want to work with on a daily basis.
Learn from them, but also find those people you can have fun with at work.”
This balanced approach to professional relationships highlights the importance of both learning and enjoyment in the workplace.
When it comes to dealing with setbacks and anxiety about the future – a common trait she observes in younger colleagues – Nicole’s advice is simple yet powerful: “Everything’s going to work out. Stop worrying much.”
Her experiences have taught her that resilience and perspective are key.
“Things could always be much, much worse.”
There’s always someone out there that has it worse than you,” she reminds us.
Nicole’s leadership philosophy shines through in her approach to mistakes.
She encourages a culture where errors are viewed as learning opportunities rather than failures.
“When we have an off day or a bad day or something goes wrong, we more joke about it and laugh it off. It’s like, Okay, well, we have a new day tomorrow, so let’s start over.”
What career advice does Nicole share?
Find joy in your work and surround yourself with the right people.
Develop resilience and a positive attitude towards challenges.
Don’t worry excessively about the future.
We truly appreciated our conversation with Nicole and all we learned from it. Her journey underscores the power of resilience, adaptability, and maintaining a positive outlook in navigating one’s career path and overcoming life’s challenges.