May 22
It’s been months since I’ve applied for a job…
In May of 2021 I quit my job and shared what would become a viral tweet and media tour touching several publications, podcasts, and even landing on national TV. Although I had an idea of what I wanted to do as an unemployed entrepreneur, I had several bouts of couch lock. I would become a binge watcher of the popular streaming services; Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV+.
I felt a sense of calm assuredness like I had time to figure things out. I was sitting on some cash reserves and had access to quite a bit of credit. From June through September I was mostly confident something, anything would click for me. November and December I started panicking because I was running out of money and I wasn’t bringing in any income.
Not for one second did I rethink my decision to fire my boss, but I’d be less than honest if I didn’t share that I did think about applying for others. In fact I did apply, multiple times. I got as far as a few interviews and for one reason or another it didn’t work out. I knew I didn’t want to work for someone else again and I was also conscious of how highly public my departure from the last employer was so I started to get scared.
I was unemployable.
Eventually my finances started taking hits. I would miss payments, see my credit score drop, have credit cards decline on me all while navigating several unexpected expenses including the replacement of a new water heater.
Murphy’s law in full effect.
I began to take the application process a bit more seriously as fear set in deeper each time I had to go buy my dog some food.
Finally in February 2022 I was approached with an opportunity.
Then another.
Then another!
It seemed like I was on fire and while I was grateful for those moments I wondered how fleeting they were. Was this something I’d be able to sustain?
Between February and May I established several reoccurring revenue streams that weren’t a lot but were certainly enough. I realized recently that I haven’t applied for a job in months. Actually, I haven’t even thought about applying for a job in months.
On May 28th, I celebrate the 1 year anniversary of firing my boss and I have to say that taking in all the sights, smells, sounds, tastes, joys, and pains of this last year is truly something to savor.
I’m unemployable… I’m an entrepreneur.
