How I Went From Unemployed To Consistent Five Figure Months In Under Half A Year
I’ve always been one to act on impulse. My therapist says I need to work on that, but truthfully, I think it’s just something that makes me…well, me.
On August 30th, 2020, I put in my two weeks notice to a job that was draining me — both mentally and physically. There was no thinking, questioning, or worrying. And there was definitely no looking back.
This wasn’t anything new for me. For the past six years, I’ve been putting in my two weeks notice to every job that was draining me — both mentally and physically — every single summer, like clockwork. Like a feeling that I knew something better was coming. Eventually.
But that ‘something better’ never really came. Sure, it tried to disguise itself in new cities, higher salaries, and better opportunities. But the off-putting sentiment of working towards someone else’s dream while baring every ounce of energy and passion on my sleeves to do it remained the same. (I am a Leo, after-all, and no matter what I do, I’ll make myself damn proud when I do it. And let me tell you, that shit’s exhausting.)
But for some reason, on August 30th, 2020, something felt different. Something was different.
For the first time in my life, I quit knowing that that ‘something better’ was probably never coming.
And honestly… I was finally okay with it.
———
Now, this could be the part of the blog where we shift to a deep-dive of my mental health struggles and how I was suffering a severe depression at that moment in time — but we’re aiming for a more positive tone in this one!
———
Two weeks after quitting my job though… without looking, without planning, and without even really trying… I owned a small business.
———
I mean, I guess life’s funny like that though, right? When you're least expecting something, it just kind of shows up unexpectedly. Some would call it fate. Others would call it karma or manifestation. But I knew it was something different.
I knew it was that ‘something better' I’d never found before.
Don’t ask me about anything that happened in those two weeks between quitting my job and suddenly owning a business though — because, really, I couldn’t even tell you.
The only way to describe it is like zoning out during a drive you’ve done countless times. You know, those familiar highway roads where your car moves faster than your mind does. At which point your mind suddenly catches up with you and you’re, somehow, twenty miles further than you were before. But this phenomenon only happens on roads you know, roads you’ve driven a hundred times. Because the minute you take a wrong turn or make a quick pit stop, your mind is yanked back to reality.
So after I quit my job, as one does during journeys they’ve taken countless times, my mind went on autopilot. But this time, rather than figuring out the next person’s dream I would work towards, I guess I subconsciously figured out my own. And fourteen days later, I had a business, a brand, a mission, and I even had my very first client.
Then it was time for a pit stop.
———
I’m sure I make it sound a lot more magical (and easier…) than it actually was, because I do know there was a lot of fucking work in those two weeks. And probably a lot of tears too.
Starting the actual business might’ve been a blur, but what came after… oh, I’ll remember that shit forever.
You see, there weren’t any easy-to-follow, individualized manuals or programs or courses when it came to starting a business. And I assumed that was a good thing! I mean, every business and every business owner is different — so how could one manual or program or course possibly encompass every single thing that every single business and business owner embodies? How could one manual or program or course possibly help every single business and business owner grow and scale?
How?
So, at the time, I knew my growth and success was up to me.
I grew my business with my own marketing background, with gut intuition, with passion, and with enough hard-fucking-work to fuel a galaxy. And now, almost a year after quitting that very last corporate job I’ll ever have, I have something to be insanely proud of.
But it’s not the business, itself, that I’m proud of. It’s not the hundredth client, the consistent five figure months, the permanent employee, the podcast interviews, the speaking engagements, or even the hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. It’s not anything that hangs like a medal of success around my neck.
What I’m proud of… is me. My passion, my drive, my journey, my story, my ability to get the fuck back up when I’ve been consistently kicked down. Because those are the things that have lead me to this success.
And when it comes to my growth as a small business, or the growth of any small business out there, those are things that make every single one of us stand out. Those are the things that kill our competition. Those are the things that every business owner has in common — our passions, our drive, our journey, our story, our ability to get the fuck back up when we’ve been consistently kicked down.
And once you have that, the rest comes easily.
Easily… yes.
But, naturally… no.
Passion comes naturally. Drive comes naturally.
But leveraging your own journey and story within your marketing, and intertwining storytelling and relatability with strategizing and curating… well, that shit’s a skill.
But, unlike things that come naturally, skills can be learned.
And these ones are as easy as it gets.
———
So here are the 30 tips (you probably won’t hear anywhere else) for how you, too, can go from unemployed to consistent five figure months in under half a year (and scale the sh*t out of your small business!):
Take advantage of your innate ability to connect with people on social media. I owe the entirety of my initial growth to TikTok — don’t be afraid to get vulnerable, tell your story, and become relatable.
Speaking of TikTok, viral growth CAN happen overnight. Be prepared for it.
Don’t underestimate the power of relatability. In marketing, your relatability will be your single greatest asset.
Stop treating your customers like customers. They’re people.
Understand the dynamics of different social media platforms. Your strategy for Instagram will be wildly different from what you post on TikTok or Facebook or Pinterest. The dynamics of a social media platform all start with who is viewing your content there.
Stop SELLING on social media. We live in a time where small businesses are taking over. And that’s a good thing. Because people want to support small businesses. But it also means there’s a lot of competition out there. This is going to sound weird, but stand out in a saturated market by NOT just selling your product or service. Lead with yourself. The rest will follow.
Short form video marketing is HUGE right now. Prioritize it for reach but also make sure you know what your followers, clients, and customers want too.
You don’t need fancy transitions or Netflix-quality videos to blow up on TikTok or Reels though. YOU — your story, your personality, your passion — are what will blow up on TikTok and Reels. Don’t listen to those who tell you otherwise.
Your number one priority in your business is knowing everything there is to know about your customer. Every single marketing strategy should be created with them in mind.
Perfectionism does not breed perfection. Stop obsessing over one little thing.
Take a fucking break. You’ll hear a lot of consultants and gurus and coaches tell you to show up every single fucking day on social media, to send a newsletter every single fucking week, to give 100% as much as you fucking can… No. You need a break. You DESERVE a break. Take time to get inspired again.
Make it as easy as possible for you to onboard clients and customers, and vise versa, make sure it’s as easy as possible for your clients and customers to be onboarded. You’ll want to do this at every step of your process — from your linktree (or welcome page) to your website homepage to your contract and invoice to your cart checkout.
Stop comparing yourself to anyone else. Because passion kills competition anyway. Show up to your business with as much passion and fervor you had at the very beginning, and you’ll be your own unique selling point.
There will come a time when you need to start delegating. Virtual assistants are your best friends. It’ll be scary at first, to try and believe that your business is growing at such a rate that you need to hire someone, but FUCKING BELIEVE IT.
You don’t need to spend crazy amounts of money on your marketing (yup… I said it).
If you wouldn't use the phrase in a normal conversation, don't use it in your copy.
The first year of your business is just realizing what works and what doesn't.
Don’t let anyone tell you that you shouldn’t be doing this for the money. We’re fucking human — of course we do things for the money!
You don’t need to “niche down.”
Everything you need to know to scale your business can be found for free online.
All social media trends start on Twitter. If you’re not on Twitter yet, I suggest doing so now.
If you’re stumped at what to post on Instagram, find a viral tweet that’s somewhat related to your industry or to something your clients or customers relate to. Slap it on a branded Canva template, and boom, content.
Speaking of Canva, do yourself a favor and download it. Nobody has money to hire a graphic designer right away. Don’t let graphic designers tell you otherwise.
There’s a lot of people online that will try to make you feel like you’re doing something wrong so they can sell you a service they offer (whether that’s in your marketing, in your graphic design, in your website curation, or in your copy). You’re not doing anything wrong. They just have shitty marketing strategies.
There’s no shame in what you charge when you’re first starting out. Your prices are personal. Do what you’re comfortable with until you’re ready to increase them.
It’s also important to value yourself and your time though. Price your products and services accordingly.
Find your own boundaries and don’t let anyone fuck with them. And that even includes boundaries like working an 80 hour week. People love to shit on “the hustle.” But if “the hustle” is your thing, then fucking go for it.
Your brand and logo and mission will evolve with your business, so don’t get too comfortable with them in the beginning.
You’ll doubt yourself a lot. You’ll judge yourself. You’ll second-guess yourself. At those times, just remember why you started.
This is your business, your goals, your growth, your future. At the end of the day, don’t listen to a fucking word anyone else has to say about it. (Even mine.)
