Current position: Chairman and CEO, John L. Scott Real Estate, a Seattle-based company with more than 130 offices in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The company was founded by Scott's grandfather, John L. Scott, in 1931, and is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.

First job: Painted "For sale" signs for my grandfather and helped maintain the grounds around his sales offices. One of my favorite jobs as a boy was selling newspapers at the UW Husky games. I'd take the money I earned and buy a ticket to the game. As an adult, was managing land sales at John L. Scott.

Pay: As a child, I got paid a dollar a sign from my grandfather. When I worked in sales as an adult, I was paid commission for the sales I represented.

How I got the job: I liked working from a very young age, so when I was deemed old enough, my dad and granddad put me to work painting signs and doing lawn work at our offices. After college, I was recruited into the company and started in sales. I guess you could say nepotism has worked in my favor over the years.

What I learned: I've taken away important lessons from every job I've had. I started in sales at such a young age, which taught me the importance of personal interactions and customer service. Being a landscaper taught me how important it is to maintain the outside appearance of a structure, which translates directly to the marketing of a home when it's being sold. Lastly, painting my grandfather's "For sale" signs raised my awareness level of the company and gave me an understanding of its role in selling homes. Needless to say, I had a whole new appreciation for signage after painting thousands of them, but luckily for my daughters, they're no longer painted by hand!