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[Photo: Courtesy Apple]<\/p>\n
\n Tor Myhren is going to kind of hate this article. Because it\u2019s about him, not his entire team.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n
\n Because I want to talk about his shift from agency chief creative officer to leading marketing<\/a> for the most pristine marketer on the planet, not to mention one of the world\u2019s most valuable companies.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n \n Because I want to talk about how he\u2019s been doing it for 10 years in an industry where brands change senior marketing executives as frequently as their socks.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n \n And because I want to start with the worst moment of his decade at Apple.\n <\/p>\n \n At the time, Myhren had a singular focus.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n \n In early 2024, Apple\u2019s VP of marketing communications was sitting with his team, thinking about how they should approach the rollout of the new iPad Pro, Apple\u2019s thinnest and most powerful iPad to date. Myhren, whose job it is to help sell the products of one of the world\u2019s most profitable and beloved gadget makers, zeroed in on an idea.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThe idea was about the thinnest product we have ever made, and in the making of it, all I could see was thin, thin, thin,\u201d Myhren says.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n \n The team ended up releasing a spot in May 2024 called \u201cCrush.\u201d It depicted a collection of creative tools\u2014turntables, a piano, trumpet, cans of paint, a sculptured bust, an old arcade game, a mannequin for fashion design, a writing desk, camera lenses\u2014all piled up in an industrial compactor. Then, to the melancholy tune of Sonny & Cher\u2019s \u201cAll I Ever Need Is You,\u201d the objects were slowly and methodically crushed into the iPad Pro.\n <\/p>\n \n The ad bombed. It went viral for all the wrong reasons, and exposed a major blind spot for Apple. \u201cCrush\u201d aired in the early days of the AI<\/a> hype cycle, and the ad fueled fears that new technological capabilities would replace creative professionals of all stripes and lead to massive job losses.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n \n Barely 48 hours later, Myhren publicly apologized for the spot and it was pulled.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWhen the world saw something other than what we intended in it, it was impossible to unsee,\u201d Myhren recalls.\n <\/p>\n \n Read more on Fast Company Premium.<\/a>\n <\/p>\n \n A Fast Company Premium subscription offers readers full access to subscriber-only stories including exclusive reporting and trend analysis on technology, business innovation, future of work, and design.\n <\/p>\n \n Get the details and subscribe here.<\/a>\n <\/p>\n Test the waters before you leave your 9\u20135<\/p>\n \n There\u2019s a popular narrative around starting a solo business<\/a>: quit your job<\/a>, take the leap, figure it out along the way. It sounds bold. It also ignores what many successful solopreneurs<\/a> actually do: start while they still have a paycheck, figure it out, and then quit.\n <\/p>\n \n I freelanced<\/a> alongside my 9\u20135 for two full years before going solo full-time<\/a>. That runway gave me time to figure out my offer and ideal clients<\/a>, build a portfolio, and develop the confidence that I could make it work. As a result, the transition<\/a> didn\u2019t feel like a free fall.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n \n If you\u2019re thinking about solopreneurship<\/a>, a side hustle<\/a> might be a smart way to get started.\n <\/p>\n \n A side hustle while you\u2019re still employed gives you something incredibly valuable: the ability to experiment without risking your livelihood.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n \n You can determine what services you plan to offer and validate whether there\u2019s demand. You can pitch potential clients, test different pricing, and figure out what \u201csticks\u201d\u2014all while a steady paycheck covers your bills.\n <\/p>\n \n You\u2019re also building proof that you can do the work. Future clients want to see what you\u2019ve already done, not what you plan to do. A portfolio and a few client testimonials go a long way when you\u2019re ready to announce that you\u2019re open for business full-time.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n \n The tough part is juggling both. I had a lot of late nights and weekends when I took on freelance work alongside my 9\u20135 job. But I knew it wasn\u2019t forever, so it was worth the period of overlap.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n