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I started my journalism career in 2004. In months, it was clear: the industry was changing – fast. Newsroom holidays, budget cuts, and staff reduction became commonplace. The whispers of the “upcoming deductions” turned into annual facts. Each year, less resources, less partner, and more pressure to minimize.
Finally, the tone of the industry completely changed. We went from reporting the news to defending its existence. I remember the scripts were given to read on -air, asking audience to “support local journalism”. Imagine reporting about the world by campaigning quietly to save your job. It was humble – and was revealing.
Only when I realized that I needed a plan.
About eight years later in my 15 -year career as a reporter and anchor of Canada’s largest private broadcaster, I started construction of a real estate -based marketing agency. In the newsroom quietly, side histories were fired. Even some managers banned them. It was a strange contradiction: Everyone knew that the industry was shrinking, but no one was allowed to prepare for things coming forward.
So I did anyway.
Over time, the agency’s background increased quietly. And one day, it was so big that I no longer needed a newsroom. I stepped – and fully stepped into the business personality.
What I did not expect was how many skills in my journalism would be the basis for building and running a successful business.
Here has been translated – and why does it value anyone who is steadfast in his career today?
Related: 3 the biggest mistakes that made me a better business
Deadlines build more than discipline – they create confidence
In journalism, the deadline was not flexible. If your class was not ready by an aerime, it did not go into the air – thus easy. No one was “I’m running a little bit.” This kind of real -time pressure trains you to say nothing. And even more importantly, it teaches you that other people are counting on you.
In business, the same mentality is a competitive benefit. When you permanently meet the deadline clients, you create reputation as someone who can be trusted as someone – for yourself. In a world that is full of trust, this trust is rare and valuable.
Explanation is the most influential communication skills
As a journalist, my job was to make some complicated – legislation, economics, crime statistics – and making it clear, fast. I learned how to break the ideas so that the audience with no knowledge of the background still understands the story.
This skill took direct business. Clients are not looking for more information – they want clarification. They want someone who can understand confidence and health things in a simple language. If you can do this, you will win attention and loyalty in the crowd markets.
Reading room is a business skill, not just a social
Every newsroom has unclear energy. Some days are in stress. Others are in collaboration. You learn to read the body language, expect a reaction, and adjust your accent accordingly. Sometimes you learn a difficult path – by saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. But finally, you will be good in it.
This emotional intelligence became necessary in the business. Whether I’m in sales calls, client pitch or team check -in, I rely on the same ability to estimate the room. Knowing when to speak, when to stop, and when to axis it is not good – how do you create, close deals and people guides people.
Your visual presence sends a signal – whether you like it or not
In television, how you show it is part of this work. Lighting, clothing, currency, eye contact – everything makes a difference. You have been trained to think weak because you are being seen, just not heard.
As a business owner, I moved it forward. Whether I am on the zoom call, record the video content, or meet a client personally, I think about how I show. Not because I care about the superficial Polish, but because I think the presence increases reputation. People make snap decisions. Deliberately about your appearance – your energy, tone, physical language – a part of your brand.
Asking smart questions leads to better consequences
Great interviews do not happen because the journalist talks a lot – that happens because he asked questions and didn’t think to ask anyone else. They hear. They dig. They help get this topic real.
This skill set applies almost everywhere in the business. Whether I am riding on a client, hiring a new team member, or resolving a campaign, thinking, thinking openly, openly asking that all makes all the difference. This leads to insights, not just answers. The better your questions are, the more valuable your results are.
Content creation is not a buzzard – it’s a daily practice
Before the “marketing of content” was modern, journalists were doing this every day. Writing headlines Filmmaking classes. Recording voice over. Editing clips. We were created daily, on the deadline, with quality and consistency.
When I lost business, the muscle of this content was already made. I could write fast. I could shoot the video. I could find the story angle. It made the material -powered agency very easy. But even more importantly, it helped me permanently communicate my value through blogs, videos, emails and social media.
The story is the bridge between facts and feelings
Every news cast is actually a story. It does not turn into a business. In fact, the need for storytelling is even more important. Because people do not buy on the basis of data – they buy on the basis of faith.
Whether I am developing a brand strategy, writing sales page or webnar script, I’m asking: What is the story? What is stress? What changes in the end? Who is the hero? The story is not a scatter. This is a structure. That’s how you help people care.
Research before speaking – it creates reputation
Journalists do not need to make things. We have been trained to excavate sources, confirm the facts and back every claim. They were translated directly into the business – to verify before publishing.
When I make marketing recommendations, I do not rely on the feeling of intestinal tract. I refer to trends, draw performance data, reference case studies. This research-backed point of view creates confidence-and helps clients feel more confident in their investment.
Related: Why is the Entrepreneurship better than any personal growth book?
Writing is a business superpower
In journalism, you write every day. Script, voice over, headlines, tweets, captions. You learn how to write tight. You learn how to write with effect. And how do you learn to match your voice with your audience?
In business, it’s a useful toll that I have taken with me. Clear, convincing helps the whole board – website copy, email campaigns, pitch decks, client reports. Particularly now, when so much material is Ai-seminated and common, human writing that really stands fast and deliberately.
Working under pressure is the final team test
Television is not a solo act. Each show depends on producers, editors, camera operators and anchors who work in synchronization, under a tough deadline. If a ball falls, everyone feels it.
How to guide me under pressure – and taught me how to hire people who can handle it too. In business, things go around. Clients change direction. Brake. The ability to stay calm, mold and move is the same as the amateur people separate from professionals.
The bottom line
When I left journalism, I thought I was turning away from the shrinking industry. What I didn’t realize was that I was going into something with which I was preparing for everyone. The entrepreneurship was not contrary to journalism – it was its evolution. The same skill that helped me win the camera helped me succeed in business.
So if you are in a profession that feels uncertain right now, I will say: Look closely. You are probably creating skills that will serve you long after the end of your current role. You may be collecting the exact tools you need for the next chapter.
Don’t wait for a crisis to start your plan B. Make it now, even if it is in the margin. That calm side project, this weekend Freelance Tamtum, that little experience – this may be something that provides you with security when the job is no longer.
