Ellie Symes
The Bee Corp
Indianapolis, IN USA
"Find your inner compass and follow it, and you’ll be happy with whatever you do."
Career Roadmap
Ellie's work combines: Technology, Environment & Nature, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Don't worry too much about the perfect career path. Knowing what you want to try now and roughly what you want to do next is good enough. Look for opportunities and don't be afraid to say yes, even if they terrify you. I also recommend finding mentors to help along your journey. Go to meetup groups, attend events, and reach out to people. Be tenacious about it and don't be afraid to try and connect with people because these relationships can be so important at any point on your path.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Environmental Management
Indiana University Bloomington
Graduate Degree
Information Systems
Indiana University Bloomington
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I grew up watching my mom thrive as a successful career woman.
2.
I went into college knowing that I ultimately wanted my career to involve solving environmental problems—I chose to major in environmental management.
3.
I decided to go to graduate school straight after completing my undergraduate degree—I studied international development and worked with women farmer groups in India and Africa.
4.
While in graduate school, I became very interested in bees and started a beekeeping club.
5.
I was encouraged by my university to take the beekeeping club further, which resulted in switching my major to information systems and co-founding The Bee Corp.
6.
My co-founder and I won a substantial amount of money in a business plan competition to help get our business started.
7.
We originally wanted to use technology to become the best beekeepers in the country, but decided that was too capital-intensive, so we decided to focus on developing technology to help beekeepers.
8.
I currently manage The Bee Corp as the CEO and hope to keep growing and creating a positive social and environmental impact throughout my career.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Peers:
You can only make a positive impact in the nonprofit or public sectors.
How I responded:
My school promoted the idea that a company could only create a positive impact if it was in the nonprofit or public sectors. It was a huge decision for us to choose if we should be a for-profit or nonprofit company. While in a meeting with some mentors, a lawyer introduced the idea of becoming a benefit corporation. It's essentially a hybrid model where we can be a for-profit company with a core social or environmental mission. We loved the idea and it ended up being the best option for us.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I deal with imposter syndrome as an entrepreneur. I combat it by staying confidence and surrounding myself with supportive mentors. Realizing that you don't know everything and asking people for help when needed is key to being a successful manager.