I have been laid off multiple times in my career. Some maybe even would use the word frequently. None of the layoffs were ever due to my work performance but that doesn’t make them sting any less. Losing your job sucks. So after this final lay off, I decided I was going to stop letting companies dictate my worth and my career path.
I’m building my own business.
Layoff No. 1: Depression in a Recession
Layoff Reason: Larger company did not renew the contract with the sub-contractor company that I worked for. Contract not renewed meant no more job for me.
I was still in my 20s, had college debt and was living in my parents house. The depression kicked in quickly when I couldn’t immediately find my next career move. The 2008 recession was just kicking off and there were few jobs available in my field. I gained 25 pounds and hated everything.
Layoff No. 2: Long But Different Road
Layoff Reason: Startup company failed to be profitable and larger corporation that funded the startup sold it off, while cutting all of its employees.
I was in my 30s, still paying down that college debt, and living on my own. My goal during this layoff was to not gain another 25 pounds (I still hadn’t gotten rid of the first layoff weight), and not have to move back home with my parents. I did not want to lose my apartment. This layoff was longer than the first. I went on interview after interview and continuously was the second runner up, the one who didn’t get the job. I had the skills, and my resume spoke for itself but apparently I could not speak for myself.
Selling myself wasn’t a skill I had. When the unemployment payments ended and I was still without a job more than a year after my layoff, I began to pick up every odd job that was available to me. I had eight jobs at one time and needed all of them to make rent. None of them paid well but the combination of them allowed me to meet my goal of not losing my apartment. I wrote freelance articles, I pet sat (which was my favorite and how I was capable of not gaining weight), I handed out frisbees at festivals, I filmed weddings, I ran small business social media accounts. I was paying my bills by “working for myself” but wasn’t actually working for myself.
Related: A Blog is Not A Business: Learning the Hard Truth
Layoff No. 3: Pandemic Push
Layoff Reason: Mega travel corporation lost billions of dollars in the pandemic and in order to stay alive dissolved the entire content division of the business. They let more than a thousand employees go globally and eventually sold off all of the content websites.
This lay off hit the hardest. I was in my late 30s, college debt paid off (!!!!), credit card debt taking its place, and living on my own in the same apartment. After the long road of Layoff No. 2, I had finally landed my dream job in the travel industry. I was paid to write and travel. It was a dream. It wasn’t perfect by any means. I made a good salary for my industry when I was hired but barely saw an increase in pay in the almost five years that I was there. There was little creativity in the work I did. It was a lot of doing the same. We knew what worked and we did that on repeat. BUT I got to travel. The travel trumped any negativity toward the job and I knew I would never leave there. I thought I would retire from there.
But the pandemic pushed my out.
Related: How a Puzzle Led Me to Starting My Own Coaching Business
Rebuilding to Create Impact & Income
Business Building Reason: After three layoffs and the contract from a temporary role I took in the pandemic not getting renewed (mini fourth layoff maybe?) I was so done. I was done making a meager salary, and living paycheck to paycheck. I was done with working to grow someone else’s business only to have it ripped away from me with little warning.
It’s time to build my own business.
Building a business is nowhere near easy! I didn’t expect it to be. But I do think the tears, uncertainty, stress, hustle, defeat, education, lessons learned and continuous pivots are all worth it.
Despite still being in the struggle phase and not in the overnight success phase, I do know it’s worth it. I know it’s worth it and I’m not even at the “worth it” point yet! If I had stayed forever at the travel company, I may have had financial stability (and excellent travel experiences) but I also never would have made the type of money I wanted to make. And I absolutely wouldn’t have had the impact I want to make on the world.
I want impact and income for myself and my clients. I want to build a business that is my own and I want to help other women do the same. I want us all to have the impact and income that we desire. I SEE an impactful future for myself.
Related: Invest In You
I’m not yet making the type of money in my own business yet but I see the potential of that happening not too far in the future. I am, however, already seeing the impact! I see the impact on myself and on the women who I have helped in business and who I know I will help in the future. For me, that impact is just as important as the income. If not MORE important!
When women in business get vulnerable and authentic in their story, that is the most impactful. When we acknowledge that building a business isn’t easy, and there’s going to be failures but always lessons learned, that is inspirational. When we keep showing up and keep supporting one other and we celebrate even the smallest of wins, that is motivational.
That is the impact on the world. And THAT makes it all worth it!
Related: Just Jump: Advice to Live By
