In a recent LinkedIn post, Emily Lyons, founder of Femme Fatale Media, shares a candid look at her entrepreneurial journey, emphasizing how her early, hands-on experiences, even as a mascot, shaped her business acumen and hiring philosophy. Lyons uses her personal anecdotes to illustrate a powerful lesson: true understanding of a business comes from experiencing its most challenging roles firsthand.
Lyons recounts her early days before establishing her staffing agency:
“Before I ran a staffing agency, I was the mascot. Not metaphorically. I was inside the costume at somebody’s grand opening, sweating through a foam head in the middle of July.”
She elaborates on how these foundational experiences, though sometimes humbling, provided invaluable insights that a traditional resume cannot convey. Lyons worked numerous roles herself when starting Femme Fatale Media due to financial constraints, from promotional modeling and brand ambassadorship to performing as a Vegas showgirl and, indeed, as a mascot.
Learning the Business from the Front Lines
Lyons argues that these roles, while seemingly disparate, were crucial for her business education. She explains that working these demanding, often unglamorous jobs offered a unique perspective on client interactions, operational challenges, and the essential qualities of effective team members.
The True Test of a Brand Representative
According to Lyons, the real learning happened when facing difficult situations, such as a client changing plans mid-shift or dealing with uninterested customers. She highlights the resilience and adaptability required in these roles.
“I know what hour seven feels like when your feet are finished and the client walks over to change the entire plan. What it’s like to smile at four hundred people who never make eye contact. What actually gets result, and what traits a team member needs most.”
This direct experience, Lyons asserts, allows her to assess potential hires not just on their qualifications, but on their ability to perform under pressure and represent a brand effectively, regardless of the circumstances.
Hiring Based on Grit, Not Just Resumes
Seventeen years after founding Femme Fatale Media, which has since staffed thousands of campaigns and expanded into full-time placements, Lyons reveals her unconventional hiring approach. She explains that her process begins not with a resume, but by imagining candidates in the very roles she once occupied.
The “Mascot Test” for Hiring
As Lyons notes, her interview process is designed to gauge a candidate’s potential to handle the less glamorous, yet critical, aspects of brand representation. She asks herself and her team to consider:
“Sometimes cold, hungry, or eight hours into a ten hour shift. A customer being rude, manager changing the plan, client watching. Would they still represent the brand well?”
This mental exercise, she believes, is the key to identifying individuals who possess the grit, professionalism, and dedication needed to uphold a client’s brand image, even in challenging conditions. Lyons concludes by embracing her past experiences, stating that her initial embarrassment has given way to an appreciation for the invaluable lessons learned.
“Every instinct I have about this company that made it successful was earned from inside a foam head in the middle of July.”
Lyons’s post serves as a powerful reminder that foundational, hands-on experience can be the most potent teacher for entrepreneurial success and effective leadership.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Emily Lyons on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on August 6, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →