This interview with Jody Greenstone Miller, co-founder and C.E.O. of the Business Talent Group, was conducted and condensed byAdam Bryant. The Business Talent Group provides independent professionals for project-based work.
Q. Were you in leadership roles or doing entrepreneurial things when you were younger?
A. From the time I was 12, I always worked, because I wanted independence. I wanted my own money. I did everything. I was a mother’s helper. I was a receptionist. I worked in the public library.
I had one interesting lesson early on. I was in 11th grade and worked for an insurance company. My job was to sort premium payments. I had to separate invoices and checks and make sure the amount on the check was right, and that it was signed and dated, and then put them in a pile. If there was a problem, I put them in a separate pile. It was not the most stimulating work. There were a bunch of women doing it, and we were all next to each other. The only way I could keep myself occupied was to see how fast I could do it.
