From journalist to entrepreneur: Jason Feifer on the art of the pivot

Ever wondered how to pivot your career and turn your skills into a thriving business? Join us on this episode of Speaking of Startups, as we chat with Jason Feifer, editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur Magazine.

As well as running this prestigious title, Jason is a podcast host, keynote speaker, startup advisor, and community builder. He’s also the author of the book Build for Tomorrow, which guides other would-be entrepreneurs on how to prepare for change, quiet their panic and find new strengths on their path towards launching a venture of their own.

In this episode, Jason shares his inspiring journey from a small-time journalist to a renowned editor, and then pivoting to becoming a successful entrepreneur. You don’t need a media background to take lessons from Jason’s career, either. He’s here to explain how the core skills that may have brought you to your original career of choice – and that you cultivated there – can be transferred in ways that can open up a whole new path for you.

I had learned to be a journalist. But really, what I had learned to do is to understand people, to tell stories, to process information and make it useful to other people. And I came to realise that I could take those skills and apply them to standing in front of a corporate team and helping them think through big challenges, or in consulting with people. I can be a storyteller for other purposes.

Of course, there’s little in the working world that can feel scarier than a career pivot. That’s especially true if it means walking away from a secure salary for something you know how to do well, and trying your hand at something of your own that you may fail at.

Jason has some key advice here, and even shares some personal tips given to him from speaking with actor Ryan Reynolds, who felt his own sense of fear moving into the business world. As the Deadpool star once told Jason, “to be good at something, you have to be willing to be bad.”

Jason has his own, constructive approach on how to take your fear of failure and channel it into a learning process that can truly help you build your resilience and, ultimately, your career:

Something that I have learned is that fear, failure? It's really valuable to reframe that as data. And I've taught myself how to do that. When you fail at something, you're not failing at it. What you're doing is you're gathering data. You have learned something about what does and does not work. And if you can wrap your head around that, then it doesn't feel personal anymore.

Jason also has guidance for anyone seeking to begin a business by leaning into their personal brand, or by nurturing one from the ground up in the first place.

In this age of ‘LinkedInfluencers’ and viral TikTok stars who’ve gone on to launch successful businesses of the back of their personal branding, it’s little wonder that so many entrepreneurs go down this route. But, Jason offers a note of caution for anyone diving straight into the personal branding journey:

A personal brand is not a thing to just do one day. A personal brand is a tool that you're building. And so the question is, what's it for?

We hope you enjoy this episode of Speaking of Startups, and be sure to subscribe to ensure you always get the next available episode first.

This episode is hosted by Eloise Skinner, founder of two businesses herself, as well as a published author and contributor to multiple sites, including our own Startups.co.uk, as well as Entrepreneur, Business Insider, and Management Today. You can learn more about Eloise and her own journey at ⁠eloiseskinner.com

For more from Jason, head to his website jasonfeifer.com, where you can also learn about his book, Build for Tomorrow