One Year Later...
In April of last year, I heard the dreaded words that no one wants to hear in their career: "Your position has been eliminated." I was devastated, confused, and terrified. I wasn't really sure what to do next. Throughout my career, I had heard horror stories of other people's experiences, but I (foolishly) never thought it would happen to me!
A little background… You see, when my husband and I found out that we would be having a child in early 2020, we decided to put all our eggs in my basket. He quit his chaotic nursing job, volunteered to stay at home with the baby, and let me pursue my career goals and dreams. Up until that fateful day in April, it had worked really well for our family, and we loved every minute of our "non-traditional" life. Unfortunately, when something like a layoff you never saw coming occurs, you wonder if you made a mistake.
During my newfound "downtime," I sat there reading one of my daughter's favorite books. We were about 30 days or so into this new season of my not-employed or " open-to-work" life, and I was doing the best I could to put on a brave face, trying to enjoy the time and embrace the moments. But, as I read a particular page for quite possibly the 100th time (that week), it hit me differently than the other 99 times.
“If the HERE where you are isn’t the WHERE that you want, don’t sit where you are feeling glum on your bum. Get up and start working to change where you’re from. ‘Cause buises and gooses and fears and excuses can’t stop you from living the life that you choose…”
I had attempted to follow everyone’s advice of “being patient” and “taking some time for myself,” but mainly, I sat around worried and anxious for the first few days. Then, the weeks that followed were a blur of job posting after job posting, application after application, and nothing to show. To say I was feeling “glum” was an understatement. But then, I read that page again, and I knew what I had to do. I had to fix it.
The first thing I did was re-open my marketing consulting agency (Give me a call if you’re looking for some go-to-marketing assistance; I’d be happy to help!) The next thing I did was give Matt Wilson a call. Matt has always been a great friend, mentor, and boss to me. He’s been there through significant growth in my career, he’s always there for sound advice, and I knew that what he was doing at SparkChange could change the face of the revenue cycle for healthcare; it was exactly what I needed at that moment. I called him up and said, “You need me. Put me in, coach!” Or maybe I humbly said, “Please, oh please, hire me.” Either way, after a few good conversations and a meeting or two, he and the team at SparkChange agreed to give me a shot.
Reflecting on the whirlwind of the past 12 months, it’s hard to articulate the profound impact this time has had on me, my career, and my family. Being a one-person go-to-marketing team brought its fair share of challenges (or, as the optimists would say, opportunities). Still, amidst them, I’ve experienced substantial growth.
Here are a few key takeaways:
Team Matters: Surround yourself with a team that brings joy, encouragement, and uplifts you. If your current team doesn’t, seek out another that does.
The “Easy Stuff” Isn’t Always Easy: Even seemingly “simple” tasks become challenging when there’s a laundry list of them. Keep a check and balance on your to-do list, and focus on the things that will have a lasting impact, even if it means you have to move other things down the list.
Embrace Failure & Celebrate the Wins: It’s okay to fail; just make sure you fail fast and have a supportive group to lift you up and help you dust yourself off again. Failure is a crucial part of the learning process. The other side of this is success. If you succeed, celebrate it, even if it seems like something little. If you’re not celebrating what you can, it’ll feel like all you have is a list of failures.
Marketing’s True Value: Most people don’t really understand what marketing does… or can do for them. Many people tend to think marketing is the group that “makes things pretty” or makes sure the colors are right. However, if you’re really going to make an impact on a company, you have to prove that marketing works for them and, most importantly, with them.
Continuous Adaptation: The landscape (especially in a startup environment) evolves rapidly. Stay agile, embrace change, and be willing to adapt strategies to meet the dynamic needs of the team, the industry, and your audience. Flexibility is vital to long-term sustainability.
So here I am today, encouraging you to “…change where you’re from. ‘Cause…fears and excuses can’t stop you from living the life that you choose…”
