Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Aaron Coalson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Aaron, thank you so much for agreeing to open up about a sensitive and personal topic like being fired or laid-off. Unfortunately, there has been a rise in layoffs recently and so your insight and experience with overcoming being let go is relevant to so many in the community.
I was fired back in 2024 from one of the largest companies in the world. It was quite a blow, but I realized pretty quickly it could not define me. Immediately after being let go, I went to work Doordashing and Instacarting. I got out there. I didn’t sit behind a computer waiting for someone to hire me, but instead acted on what I could control within that moment.
As my mind cleared and I began to work through this setback, I started to dream of how I could build my business – being a travel agent in the corporate space. I had spent many years in the corporate world and on LinkedIn, but had not seen agents on LI reaching out to influencers and creators.
I knew this was my play, and I went all in. Solopreneurship prompted me to dig deep, and discover what I was capable on my own, for myself. This significantly helped me process and overcome being fired.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
First, I am a human. A human being, not a human doing, which as an Enneagram 3 has been a long journey for me to discover. I’m a husband and a father. My wife and I both own our own businesses where we enjoy traveling and helping other’s travel as well. We also homeschool our 4 kids, so our lives our beautifully messy and blurred.
What I enjoy doing in my free time is reading with a glass of wine, or playing with my kids not thinking about anything at all except working to live in the moment. And of course – we love to travel. We’re Disney junkies, but also love cruising and being anywhere in the Caribbean.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Empathy, hunger and a growth mindset.
Empathy from my own journey of struggle and hardship allows me to connect on a human level with my clients and really aim to meet their needs.
Hunger – because building a business requires incredibly hard work, and you have to bring it every day.
Growth Mindset – birthed in my years within the Chick-fil-A culture, I learned that believing I could grow in my abilities to do pretty much anything, increased my curiosity and confidence. I may not be great at everything, but believing I can work hard and improve can change your trajectory.
Freebie: Being present and focusing on your overall mental health is vital for longterm growth.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
I would say one of the most impactful book I’ve read in the last ten years is Mindset by Carol Dweck. Here’s a great quote:
“Mindset change is not about picking up a few pointers here and there. It’s about seeing things in a new way. When people…change to a growth mindset, they change from a judge-and-be-judged framework to a learn-and-help-learn framework. Their commitment is to growth, and growth take plenty of time, effort, and mutual support. The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.””
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaroncoalson/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaroncoalson/
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