Why I’m happy I got laid off

For the very first time in my life, I’ve been laid off. But I’m actually kind of excited about it.

Although I loved the security (and good salary) that I got from my job as a content marketing manager at a tech startup, it was beginning to hold me back. I’ve been side-hustling as a content strategist/writer since January, and since my client base has been growing, I’ve been a little stressed.

And although my plan was to leave my job to go full-time freelance soon, I was a little scared. I’m not one to avoid calculated risks, but waving goodbye to that cushy salary seemed daunting when compared to the ups and downs of the life of a full-time freelancer.

But I know (and I even knew then) that I was not doing myself any favors by clutching onto my security blanket.

So I’m actually a little happy that they made my decision for me. Now there’s no backing down. I have no choice but to go fully freelance.

I think this is how so many creative or entrepreneurial people start their journey into self employment.

Sure, there are definitely people out there who make a plan, set a timeline, and smoothly transition from their 9–5 to freelance life. And there are also people who begin their journey after a rage quit.

But think of all of the creative people — authors, designers, musicians, etc. — who tell the story of how losing their job was one of the best things that has ever happened to them.

Sometimes, it can be the necessary push they need to invest in themselves and the career they want to create.

It almost seemed like a sign from the universe. Literally less than an hour before I hopped onto that fateful mystery Zoom meeting to hear the bad news, I was talking with my mentor about how I was thinking of pushing off quitting my full-time job for a few more months.

The universe laughed.

So now, I’m leaning into the opportunity

The first thing I did — well maybe the third, after I deep breathed through a surge of panic and downed a bottle of red wine that I couldn’t tell was in celebration or an attempt to drown my sorrows — was to think of all of the things that I can now do.

Having a 9–5, whether you’re in the office or not, takes up 40+ hours of your week. You have to be in the office or your face has to be glued to your computer for all of these hours. Hours that you could’ve otherwise invested into yourself.

So I have been thinking through what all of these opportunities are now. Here’s what I came up with so far:

• I have more time to write on Medium

• I can pick up random creative gigs that require me to be on location

• I have more flexibility in my schedule to bring guests onto my podcast

• I can take a middle-of-the-day Lagree class just because I want to

• I can split my time between a variety of clients so that I don’t get burned out on content for a single brand

• I can pursue some other hobbies/mini side hustles that I couldn’t before, like creating Notion templates

• I can get more involved in networking events and conferences in my community without worrying about PTO

This is just the beginning.

I’m just excited to prove to myself what I can do.

Am I scared that for the time being, I am making a fraction of the money that I was before since I had a salary and side hustle money? Absolutely.

But I also have a strong belief in myself that I’m going to close that gap real quick. Just within these first few weeks, I’ve already gotten a retainer client, an increase in workload from one client, and an opportunity to help on-set at a cool creative project.

Literally two weeks and here I am.

So I’m taking this as a sign from the universe to confidently go all-in on my own personal brand and allow myself to set ambitious goals and pursue them relentlessly.

If you’re laid off, see how you can turn it into an opportunity

If you’re someone who has been building your own creative side hustle — or has been dragging their feet on starting it — and were just laid off, is this your sign?

Allow yourself to grieve, to feel anxious, and to be mad. But once you come out the other side of that, get pragmatic.

If this is where you wanted to end up anyway, don’t rob yourself of the opportunity by panic applying and jumping into the first full-time job offer you get.

What are the things you weren't able to do before, or were too scared to? Is it time to go back to school to learn those skills? Are you ready to get that first client? Are you going to invest the time you need to finally get that Etsy shop generating some sales?

You were thrown into the deep end anyway. Sure, you could try to search for a life preserver, or you could learn to swim.

If you don’t have savings to hold you over and need quick money, maybe consider getting a part-time or flexible schedule job. Or look for more immediate ways that you can start to monetize your creativity, even if it’s just the tip of the iceberg for where you want to end up. (If you need some tips for how to do this, listen to this podcast episode of mine).

It’s not often that you’ll get an opportunity to invest in your personal brand like you can when you have unemployment as a motivator. So take full advantage of it.