Most leaders pay attention to what they say in the big moments. The all-hands on deck. The keynote. The carefully crafted email. But culture is often shaped by what slips out in between: the joke that lands wrong, the reaction to bad news, or the comment about someone who isn’t in the room.

This week’s Field Note explores how those small moments shape what people feel safe saying, doing, and questioning. Because what you repeat becomes culture, what you joke about sets the boundaries, and how you react under pressure tells your team more than you might realize.

Inside, there’s a simple assignment that starts with one question for your team. The hard part isn’t asking it. It’s what you do next. Sometimes better leadership starts not with finding the right words, but with making it safe for others to use theirs.

The scariest part of going out on your own is jumping without a net, but you might already have one.

Samantha Levitin, founder of Levitin Collective, spent 16 years in New York PR without a real day off, then left her firm in the middle of maternity leave without knowing what came next. The minute she told people, a network she’d never really tapped started lining up intros, and three months later she’d signed her first client.

Hear how she turned chaos into connection and why it matters if you’re building something of your own

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Jada Willis displayed signs of being an entrepreneur at a very young age. Her parents knew that not only would she be an entrepreneur, but she would also end up in HR. When she was nine, she started a Kool-Aid stand and eventually bought out the other lemonade stands in the neighborhood, hiring her friends as employees. This early experience laid the foundation for her future in HR.

Jada pursued her passion for HR by obtaining an undergraduate and master's degree in the field. She gained valuable experience working for Fortune 100 and 500 companies such as Target and Verizon. However, she always knew that her ultimate goal was to become a business owner.

Starting a business in Spartanburg County? You don’t have to figure it all out alone. Most founders hit the same walls. Where to find money. Who to ask for advice. How to land work with bigger companies.

Power Up Spartanburg was built to take those walls down. Led by OneSpartanburg, Inc. and funded by Spartanburg County, it connects small business owners with loans, mentors, vetted subject matter experts and help securing contracts with large employers. They can even help you find physical space.

It’s open to small businesses countywide, whether you’ve got an idea, a side project ready to grow or an established business ready for the next step. Find it in our Resource Navigator.

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