Today I’m jumping on with a quick post to answer a question I’ve received from a few followers of my new blog. The recurring question I’m being asked is “why did you leave a ‘sure thing’ corporate marketing job mid-career to start a new marketing business from scratch?” I think it’s a valid question and I’ll take this opportunity to share the reasons why and offer some insights if you are considering pivoting your marketing career in a new direction.
I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to work in-house for not just one or two prestigious global firms, but for four of them. I loved each of the big brands I was with and the many wonderful people I met throughout my career. These former business colleagues and contacts will play a big part later in my decision to leave the stability of working in a corporate environment to face the challenges of working for myself.
In all honesty, I never wanted to be an entrepreneur. I’ve enjoyed the safety net of remaining an in-house marketer for more than 20 years. The turning point in my life came after the COVID pandemic. Like so many others who worked from home, I felt compelled to consider what a different life would be like for myself once the world reopened. The idea of offering my marketing expertise directly to my own clients was growing more and more appealing. After much thought (and worry) I launched Au Advisors in May 2024.
It was a big decision to leave the comfort of a steady paycheck and solid benefits, but I’m so happy that I did! I’d like to share a few of my learnings to anyone considering a similar life change.
DON’T BURN BRIDGES
Remember when I said that my former business colleagues and contacts
played a big role in my professional pivot? Now my old colleagues and
connections are my biggest source of referrals for new business.
Keeping connected via LinkedIn and an occasional check-in call or text allowed me reach out to many of them with the “sneak peek” news that I was launching my own business. These conversations led to several introductions to prospective clients as soon as my business opened.
KNOW YOUR CURRENT FINANCIAL SITUATION
Working for oneself brings anxiety around finances. Be sure to prepare yourself for the loss of steady income and benefits for at least one year. While working in-house I let slide knowing every expense I owed each month. With autopay everything was being deducted and taken care of. But now it’s critical that I keep to a budget and know of every dollar out and every dollar in. Make sure to get a full grasp of what you owe and what you pay for every single month. I did this for about four months before resigning from my last employer and it helped me ease into the loss of a paycheck.
ALLOW YOURSELF TO GRIEVE YOUR FORMER LIFE
For many of us who have been working steadily since graduating from
college, we’ve tied much of our identity to our careers.
Upon leaving my last employer I felt elated and excited! But then after about one month, I was caught off guard by feelings of sadness and exhaustion. I later discovered that what I was feeling was grief. It was overwhelming and unexpected. Once I began to realize what I needed in my life to feel whole again – getting into a new routine, dedicating days to work with others and not alone in my home office, expanding my client base from only Miami to include my hometown of Los Angeles and traveling back and forth, networking to build my business and meet new people, and deciding to go to graduate school – I slowly began feeling more and more like my old self. Now after seven months, I am happier than I ever could have imagined.
I hope the few items I’ve shared are helpful for anyone thinking about going out on their own and building a new business. As you can see, there were ways in which I prepared myself but also things that came along unexpectedly. Thank you to my blog viewers who have interacted with me and sent along their questions. If this type of content is of interest, I’ll keep sprinkling these types of personal musings into future blog posts. Cheers!
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