Issa Rae’s Career Advice Will Have You Sprinting Toward Your Goals

Issa Rae’s Best Career Advice for Black Women in Business

“When it comes to business,” she told Refinery29, originality is everything. “Try to find what your niche is in this particular marketplace. It sounds so obvious, but you’d be surprised. I think even in a culture of content creation, there are so many copycats… My advice is always just to find what nobody else is doing and what space you're filling. And to also think about yourself because it really does start with you. Then find the community to build around that.”

Her words hit even harder when you consider how she’s leveraged her own brand, expanding from on-screen storytelling to music, Viarae Prosecco, tech investments, and community spaces like her Los Angeles coffee shop, Hilltop Coffee. She’s built her network laterally, bringing others along for the run rather than racing solo.

How Wellness Fuels Issa Rae’s Creative Process

Issa also revealed how wellness fuels her creativity.

“Whenever I have writer's block… I go and take a walk and literally try not to think about it. But you inevitably think about it, and then something comes… There’s something about just sitting in the misery of a block and then actually walking off… and allowing that movement to complement the thoughts that you're having in your mind. And it just helps to rev up the creative process in the best way. For me, it's so necessary.”

Read the full interview on Refinery29 here.

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