Recognizing An Opportunity

Transcript

I kind of thought I was past this. I don't even know how to write a resume anymore. I mean, I've been with the same company since I graduated college.

The idea of having to go out into the work world and find something new, especially post-COVID, is terrifying. What am I supposed to do? Well, you're sweet, but you're not in the position where you're about to be downsized.

I didn't actually think that could happen. No, I thought we were, you know, pretty foolproof. Apparently not.

What? My own business. Well, I mean, I've been doing this for a long time now.

I could go out on my own, but do you know what that takes? I do have connections, yes. I know I have a reputation in the industry, but it takes capital.

It takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of hard work. Okay, I know I've never shied away from hard work, but it takes a lot of planning, and I can't just up and decide that I'm going to start my own business.

No. Well, yeah, they are packaging me off. I think it's a year, which is, I guess, pretty generous.

Okay, so I would have a year of income while I figure it out, I guess. I wouldn't even know where to start. Well, I could call this consultant that one of the guys at work told me about.

She specializes in career coaching and works specifically with entrepreneurs, if I remember correctly. I could always do something like that. I'm sure she would have some guidance to give.

But do I really want to do something like that, or do I want to just go find something else? I mean, I'm sure as soon as I reactivate my LinkedIn, it'll start. Yes, I'm getting flustered because I don't like not knowing where my next paycheck comes from.

No, we don't live paycheck to paycheck. I'm very conscientious about that. We will be fine for quite some time.

That's always been how I do things, but it doesn't matter. It's the idea that it'll run out at some point and then what, right? I know I'm not getting any younger.

Thanks for that, by the way. That was super supportive. I know.

I know what you mean. The one day I'm going to look back when I'm in my 50s or 60s and go, why didn't I do that? Because I do.

I hate working somebody else's hours and doing what I'm told when I know that I could be doing it for myself. And I hate billing hours at $700 or $800 an hour knowing that I don't make that kind of money. That's a little sickening.

But I was working so hard and I thought I was getting somewhere. I didn't believe I would be in the round of cuts. But then from what I've heard, almost everyone in my department except the person that's been there the longest was in the round of cuts.

Well, I couldn't charge $700 or $800 an hour out of the gate. I'm not established. But eventually, I mean, you grow and it probably wouldn't take all that much to get a client base.

That is the one advantage to being the one who does the work and having the clients know that you're the one that does the work. When you go out on your own, they understand that the person that's actually giving them the results is not there anymore. So, you know, it would just be a case of going through my Rolodex.

Yes, I called it a Rolodex. Shut up. It's an expression.

And I actually do have a physical Rolodex. I like physical things. What can I say? I use a notebook and a pen too.

Is that a problem? Mr. Technical.

Anyway, moving on. Do you really think I could? Yeah.

I mean, I would need a business plan and I would need a financial outlook. I'd have to know where the money was coming from and where it was going. Map out the first at least two years of expenses or projected expenses.

I could work from home, which is great. No overhead there. There's so much that goes into this, though.

I mean, with my laptop and all the software, the software is just a case of licensing. And I already have the processes. I already have the report templates.

I created them. So why not? I could work with graphic designers on branding.

I would just have to get a certain number of clients on board first. Figure out what my upfront costs are going to be. You know, if I'm going to put the time into learning how to write a fucking resume, why wouldn't I just put it into this?

My parents were entrepreneurs. They always worked for themselves. It always worked better for them that way.

Why can't I be the same? You're right. You're absolutely right.

How is it you can believe in me and I can't? Well, it's not like they're letting me go because they don't value my work. They're letting me go because the company got hit hard by COVID.

Although I don't think they got hit as hard as they are letting on that they did. I think they're restructuring so that they can bring in cheaper staff personally. And a lot of us are pushing because we want to continue working remotely and not in the office when we don't need to be.

So they're going to clean house and bring in people that will do it their way right from the get-go. It's just the nature of the beast, I guess. And if profits are down and they have a little bit of a cash problem right now because of COVID, it's the perfect time to do that, right?

Yeah, I know. But it's also the perfect time to make a new opportunity. You know, when I finished college, when I first started doing this, it was all men.

I was one of six women in my graduating class. And I remember one of them saying to me that she was just doing this until she found a husband, which I'm sorry, even that few years ago, that shouldn't be a thing. I don't get it.

But now I could be running a company that focuses on equality. I could do so many amazing things. We're always trying to bridge the gap.

I mean, this industry is predominantly older. It's predominantly men. I could shift at least my little corner of it and nobody could tell me otherwise.

The clients don't care. They just care that the work is done properly and that they're not paying through the nose for it. You know what? Yeah.

Thank you. Thank you for making me see what an idiot I was being. I honestly thought I was going to be taking some lower level job at some company just to work my way back up after all this time.

The thought of it was terrifying. Thank you. It's always nice to have somebody in your corner.

Now, where do I even begin?