We asked insiders and experts from various industries to tell us something they think outsiders are unaware of and we’ve shared a few of those responses below.

Emily Medaglia | CEO of Con Amor Marketing

As a collective, we are quickly realizing that setting our own schedules & building our own businesses is very appealing; no bosses, no glass ceilings, no one “telling” us what to do. What we don’t understand is that starting, building and growing our own business is one of the hardest things we’ll ever do, aside from raising a child. Similar to that of raising a child, your business needs a village to flourish; you cannot do it alone. Like many others, I’ve learned this the hard way. In school we are taught to cover our papers during exams, despise partner assignments and we are convinced that perfection is a must. Read more>>

Andrea Orvieto | Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine

In order to become a State and national board-certified Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, I went to school for 4 years to receive my masters, then an additional year to complete my doctorate, I had to complete over 3500 theory and clinical hours and treat over 250 patients in the 4 years. In addition, I took 4 different board exams. I also have to complete 60 continuing education hours to keep my national certification and 30 continuing education hours to maintain my state certification. Read more>>

Alvaro Psevoznik | President & Senior Digital Marketing

A digital agency must provide a 360-degree solution. It has to specialize in every aspect of online marketing, Agencies that only offer online advertising, but lack of support on email marketing, lead generation, social media, web development, e-commerce, geolocation strategies, or online reputation, can’t provide real and measurable results. Read more>>

Lindsay Lago | Photographer

The editing!! In today’s world of “filters”, it’s so common that outsiders think photographers just slap a preset on our images and go. Many don’t realize the countless hours we put into perfecting an image. For me, that’s my favorite part. During a session I can already see in my mind how I want the image to look. I work hard at achieving that look through my editing. Read more>>

Nihan Tasbasi | Designer, Artist

Outsiders to the ethical and slow fashion perspective really are in the dark about the extent to which the fast fashion industry dominates their expectations and sense of value. This goes hand in and with a general lack of knowledge about what it takes to produce a single piece of clothing, from the choice and sourcing of materials through the design and production. Similarly, outsiders tend to be unaware of the relationship between the environment and the fashion industry. Read more>>

Arielle Cole | Food Blogger

When it comes to being a food blogger (or “influencer”) there is A LOT of time that goes into each social media/blog post. I think that people are under the assumption that the only time put in is when we take a picture, when, in fact, it entails so much more than that. For instance, for a typical product review, I can spend two hours of time (email exchange with the company about the product, testing the product, taking pictures, and developing the actual post/review). When it comes to a restaurant review, that time might increase by twofold. Read more>>

Roberto M. Siam Fernandez | Dance Studio Owner / Certified Instructor

The ballroom dance industry has always been perceived as a closed community by outsiders. On the contrary, our industry is one of the most welcoming and highest quality of service provided. We welcome and encourage every person to take that step into what has been wrongly instituted as an uncomfortable place within. Dance is a form of expression through movement of our own feelings. People don’t realize that ballroom dancing is an art form that is learned from scratch, at any age, and with different purposes such as; social, competitive, therapeutic, and hobby form. Read more>>

Andrea Alorro | Registered Nurse

As the popularity of elective procedures grow their is obviously a increased margin for profit in recovery services. The market is becoming saturated with non licensed professionals that are not equipped with the knowledge of how to identify or react in a emergency situation. It is important to consider the credentials behind your surgeon as well as those of who will be providing your care post up. A registered nurse is trained and legally qualified to provide assessment. When you hire a company to care for you you want someone who knows what they are doing and what to do if something is wrong., not someone who is just going to rub your back and fluff your pillows. Read more>>