Dave Johnson

Now: Co-owner, personal training studio

Then: Clerk for dad's pharmacy

Current position: Co-owner of Elite Fitness Training in downtown Bellevue, specializing in helping customers lose weight and tone up through one-on-one, circuit-style training.

First job: At the beginning of my seventh-grade year, my dad put me in charge of running the cash register at the pharmacy he managed in Port Orchard. At $5 per week and working three-hour shifts after each school day, I learned how to make confident and responsible decisions. Selling candy to high-school students, holding conversations with adults waiting for prescriptions and making deliveries to sick customers helped develop my "people skills" while giving me practical work experience at an early age.

What I learned: I learned the importance of listening rather than just waiting for my turn to talk. Smaller details such as closing out the cash register, routine cleaning and assisting my dad with locking up the store each night taught me how to be consistent and responsible. Many of the principles that I initially learned working at the pharmacy translate well to the roles and responsibilities that I take on as a business owner today.

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