When it comes to your career, everyone should have Plan B whether it is a side hustle or business in the event of a layoff or unexpected circumstance. Lot of times, people give their all to their career and whatever is left over to the business they have on the side. People focus on retirement from The Job before they focus on working on Their Dream. The Dream always takes a backseat to what they give to their employer. People historically have always put themselves last.

Well tomorrow isn’t promised. People may think they have plenty of time to pursue what they want but many die before they get a chance to. Most of the time, people don’t take that leap of faith and pursue their dreams fully unless they are forced to because of a job loss. People like safety and comfort. Jobs used to provide that. However, in this current job market, job security no longer exists.

AI is taking your job. But don’t take it personal; AI is replacing a lot of people’s positions. Graphic designer, web designer, copywriter, customer service rep, consultant, etc. the list goes on. Soon it will replace jobs in healthcare like nursing, counseling, medical coding, once the second iteration of AI comes out. We are ALL at risk. If you think your job is safe from AI, you best believe someone is training AI to replace your job too. AI just hasn’t gotten advanced enough to replace you…yet. But believe that AI one day will…

Companies are looking to work off a skeleton workforce to increase their profitability. Corporations are all about the bottom line. If their bottom line looks more red than black, you best believe they are looking to automate systems in their organization to replace people. Lot of times, this is because of pressure from investors to appear profitable even if they are not. Firing you is never personal, for them it is necessary means to an end in order to continue to keep their business going. However, being fired feels very personal to you as you probably gave your all to a company who thought nothing of discarding you when the time was right.

This is exactly why your Plan B should become your Plan A. Having a corporate intrapreneur mindset allows you to give just enough of your energy to your employer while reserving the bulk of what you have for your own business. Your company is an investment and it’s your legacy. Your company can’t be put on the back burner for a later date and time. You should leave your 9 to 5 every day knowing that your 5 to 9 will become your real bread and butter. Yes, it may not pay your bills right now but eventually your business will if you invest enough time and energy in your company.

If you are ready to expound on your 5 to 9 in 2026, join our dynamic network to gain access to trusted and vetted mentors. Mentorship can give you perspective on your business that will help your business grow more quickly and allow you to eventually leave your 9 to 5. Entrepreneurship can provide you with the security you are looking for if you find a strategic partner for your business. A mentor can be just the kind of help you need to turn your dream to retire from your job into a reality.

Join our community to gain access to multi-faceted mentors who can offer you education on the many disciplines they are experienced in. We specialize in skillpreneurship, recruiting professionals with various monetizable skillsets. If you want to meet one of these skillpreneurs IRL, we have mini career fairs every Tuesday from 1-2 pm EST, where you can have a meet and greet with mentors from our app community. If you want to join our app community now, our app can be found on Google Playstore and Apple Appstore.

Let us be a conduit to help you turn your Plan B into your Plan A!
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See you soon.

As a business owner, I have tried both business networking platforms like Alignable and LinkedIn, at the recommendations of others who knowing what I do felt that these platforms could help grow my business by helping me make valuable connections. However, what I found was more of the same ole, same ole. Grandstanding, exclusivity, and inauthenticity. People try to sell you on their business without wanting to get to know you. Marketing dressed up as connection. As a therapist by trade, this was not my cup of tea.

I was made to feel like “a means to an end.” Like not a person but a prospect that could help create some cash flow for someone’s business. Inboxes full of sales pitches with no greetings that left me feeling cheap. People who wanted to sell me their services but did not want to have a relationship with me. This method of marketing was predatory and screamed capitalism. I was wondering if I was the only one feeling this way…

I talked to some other friends and did some research online (mostly Reddit because those people are brutally honest) and found that I was not alone. Posts complaining about the same themes with Alignable and LinkedIn and feeling like they were both very Spammy. One person cited that Alignable had sent emails to all their phone contacts without their permission and it had damaged their reputation. Another sharing that LinkedIn felt more like Facebook than a place to grow your professional network. All of these sentiments I concur with as I’ve spent several months on both and have only taken a few connections off that platform, despite spending a lot of time on each.

So not being invested was not the issue. The issue is these platforms which were once curated to deliver valuable connections, help people find jobs, or grow one’s business are not measuring up to their initial premise for many. I understand as a business owner the feeling of being hungry and wanting to get your business off the ground but we must respect the boundaries of others at the same time. No one wants to be sold to. No one wants to feel like when they are talking to you that you have an agenda. People want to feel a sense of belonging and community and that is the real reason that most people join these platforms.
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I can’t say I am not guilty of making the same mistake but I can say I have a better approach when it comes to the business of selling than most. I am not pushy and will not even attempt to continue discussion about our platform if the person on the receiving end is not interested. We have the right to decline things that do not serve our interests. We also have the right to match and unmatch from connections that were never really about connecting but just getting your business. We have the right to feel like the people that are a part of our virtual world are genuinely interested in our growth and our success as much as we are invested in their own.

Reciprocal business relationships are hard to find but not impossible to identify. There are people out there that genuinely want to help others. Not to line their pockets, but because giving back fulfils them. Giving back is something that they enjoy doing and they yearn to expand their reach. These are the types of people I meet all the time in my line of business and can tell that this philanthropic spirit lives inside of them. They just need an avenue to be able to do this more because of their lack of visibility on social media.
I call these “hidden gem mentors.” People who are steadfast in working their business but are humbly successful and don’t need a lot of fanfare. They know what they are talking about but are not loud about it on social media. They are not identified as thought leaders on the internet but they most certainly have the knowledge to impart on others once you speak with them one on one. Speaking to these types of mentors is not only refreshing but restores your faith that they are good people in this world. I am glad to know a few of them.

Anyway, I am realizing that what we have built on Wite Collar is exactly the platform I have been searching for and that the relationships we have curated with our members are the model that we want to create for this world. We may not be an established brand or big business but what we are is just as valuable. We are bringing back “good humanship” where people are more invested in helping others than helping themselves. A people helping people community that creates a straightforward path to career or business success.
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If you haven’t found your “right fit” for a community either, consider joining ours.

See you soon,
Kira~ Wite Collar app founder