Interviewing with a series of notable companies and not getting the job due to “insufficient experience” prompted Dante to reevaluate her job hunting strategy.

A natural problem solver, she developed a framework that emphasized her professional strengths (among other things) and tested it.

As a job candidate with expertise in digital, Dante crafted her resume and positioned herself for a role within Google - her ideal employer at the time. When a Google executive contacted her via LinkedIn and invited her to interview for a position that hadn’t yet been posted, Dante knew she was onto something.

And her friends did too. Dante began consulting them on how to position themselves for the organizations and roles they wanted. When they achieved results, Dante solidified her idea into a business and began consulting friends of friends.

After refining her offerings to scale to a larger audience, Dante launched KICKINTHADOOR to the public at SXSW 2017. Dante keeps her skills sharp by working as a Product Manager, and has consulted with digital teams at great brands including Nike, Michael Kors and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. She’s also an Associate Professor and Lecturer at Pratt Institute in Manhattan.

”It’s quite easy to think of the B.I.G. song, ‘KICK IN THE DOOR’ as the inspiration for the brand, and I do refer to the track often when I’m creating products, but the company name was actually inspired by a Jay-Z record.”

I had the concept of the company for a while. I was actively doing the work, but hadn't given much thought to a name. Jay-Z had just dropped Magna Carta, and I talked with my brother about our favorite tracks. He told me to listen to ‘Nickels and Dimes.’ I'd heard the album, but that song hadn't stood out to me.

So one day, while I was commuting back to my apartment in Flatbush, Brooklyn, I had the song on repeat. I was searching the song, listening closely for what my brother liked about it. And Jay said this line, "Do this shit for my town, leave the door open hoping they kick it down." I was like, whoa! Then he followed it with, "The purest form of giving is anonymous, to anonymous. We gon make it there, I promise this."

And it hit me then. Because that's my whole intent. That's the point.

I want folks to have access to the career they desire. There’s the opportunity equation, and then there’s the preparation side of career development and readiness. KICK exists to solve the preparation problem.

For every "win" I've had, I made just as many missteps. KICK is my platform to share those stories, and share the strategies that have been successful. So B.I.G.’s track is definitely representative of the energy of the brand, but Jay’s track illustrates more of the intention.