This article was originally published on Forbes.com on April 29, 2026
My LinkedIn feed is a tale of two distinct professional migrations. On one hand, I am seeing Millennials accelerating their entrepreneurial timelines. On the other hand, I am fielding a surge of calls from Gen X leaders who want to leave corporate America.
We saw this in 2020, amid the whiplash of layoffs and re-hiring. Now, layoffs are driven by tariffs, unpredictable macroeconomic and societal environments, and the rapid integration of AI.
In October of 2017, I officially announced Pursuit’s market position with a video, something I considered a bold move at the time. At 30, I made the conscious decision to walk away from the corporate PR world entirely—without a single active contract. But the truth is, the foundation for that leap was a decade in the making.
I first noticed the entrepreneurial itch during my junior year as an undergraduate at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School. An alumna came to speak to our class about being laid off from CBS News after a decade in television. She started her own PR firm right out of her New York City one-bedroom apartment, intentionally securing a business phone number ending in double zeros to appear established. I thought it was brilliant.
On August 1, 2008, I started at a PR firm in New York City in financial services communications. In fact, I journaled at the time, "I moved to New York. I made it." In reality, I was just getting started. During my senior year, I witnessed several corporate giants collapse. I remember calling my dad, a seasoned financial executive, and asking him who these companies were—and why they fell apart. I spent my weekends studying the markets with flashcards. During the week, I was handling comms for chief economists, equity research analysts, wealth managers and banks foreclosing on homes.
Witnessing the fallout of corporate America changed me. When my father—an award-winning sales executive with 35 years of loyalty—was eventually laid off, I realized that nobody was untouchable. As time progressed, I kept revisiting that dream I'd developed during my Newhouse days.
At 25, I thought my time had finally come. I sat my parents down at the kitchen table and declared I was ready. But my dad gave me a reality check. He asked, "Have you learned everything you possibly can in your current role?"
The video player is currently playing an ad.
Stepping into a new opportunity at a larger firm reenergized me. As mobile payments emerged, I expanded into tech. I was a sponge, expanding my industry fluency and scaling the size of my accounts until I was eventually managing a multimillion-dollar portfolio.
Now, as we approach a decade in business, I am increasingly working with C-suite executives who are pivoting into entrepreneurship as published authors, paid public speakers and independent board advisors. Here is the foundational advice I've developed over the course of my own career that I urge them to follow:
1. 'Verbal Shmerbal'
My dad came up with the concept of "verbal shmerbal" to reinforce the need for a written plan. See it in black and white—and pay attention to how it feels to see it in black and white. You have to take the vision out of your mind and put it into the universe.
To this day, when I open my computer and unexpectedly see the tracked changes from my late father on my original foundational documents, it feels like the universe reminding me to continually revisit my vision.
2. Say Yes To Yourself First
Once I had my plan on paper, I started telling people I was going to be a "free agent." Before I officially handed in my resignation, I asked my network one simple question: "Would you hire me?"
Asking that requires a tremendous amount of humility. You have to sit in the quiet and honestly wonder, "Will someone take my call? Will they hire me?" Sometimes you only have the courage to ask because you've already said yes to yourself.
3. Invest In Your Energy And Self-Awareness
Entrepreneurial success requires you to treat yourself as your most important asset. It means prioritizing a good night's sleep, maintaining your physical mobility and deeply understanding your own energy cycles.
When you know when and how you do your best work, you can protect your peace and your profitability.
4. Realize The Ultimate Leverage Is You
If you are stepping out of a decades-long corporate career, it can be terrifying to wonder if your name will stand on its own without a big corporate logo. But as I learned in 2008, and as we are seeing again today, corporate loyalty is an illusion. The sooner you realize that the ultimate leverage isn't the big company you work for, the sooner you can step into your power.
I learned this early on making cold calls. I was instructed to open with, "Hi, I’m calling from [Agency Name]." I did it exactly once and vowed never to do it again. It didn't feel authentic. I didn't understand why I needed to drop my employer's name—or my client's name—to validate my outreach. I remember thinking, "Why can't I just be enough?"
From then on, my opening was simply, "Hi, it's Rachel Gerber calling. Do you have a few minutes?" My name was the only constant. But my confidence to make that call was earned. I had done the research. I knew exactly who I was calling, what they needed and the value I could offer. If you want your name to stand on its own, you must know what your customer needs and offer them undeniable value.
Master Your Craft, Master Yourself
The unshakable confidence to step out on your own comes from taking the time to master your craft and gain recognition for it. Once you put in that time, I believe you will have the courage to do anything, because you don't just hope you can succeed—you know you've got it.
Always remember: You are more than enough. Own it. You are everything.