Becoming self-employed in the middle of a pandemic

Last year, I wrote a blog post about giving my advice about what to do if you don’t pass your probation at work. I wrote that post having passed the probation at my new job just a month earlier, and a lot has changed since then… *gestures from 6 feet away*

But first, let’s rewind…

In 2019, I was completely blindsided when I was told I hadn’t passed the probation at what I thought was my dream job. I thought things had been going great, only to be told 6 months later that, actually, my best wasn’t good enough. I was crushed—this had never happened to me before. And I was really worried about what to say at job interviews on why I left my previous role.

I needn’t have worried, because I ended up landing a job 5 weeks later—in fact, I had two pretty great offers to choose from.

But in the wake of my failed probation, I felt scared and uncertain. I was treading new territory—I had never been effectively fired before—so I didn’t really know how to navigate the job search with a failed probation under my belt. I took to the internet, and it was not helpful. My Google search “how to explain a failed probation at a job interview” only returned results of people encouraging me to lie. I was not comfortable doing that (what if it came up when they asked my previous employer for a reference?) and I vowed to write my own resource, with actually useful advice, one day.

Though it definitely didn’t feel like it at the time, my failed probation ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me, as it led me down a chain of events that ultimately helped me become the self-employed badass I am today.

In November 2019, I accepted a role at an events recruitment company, slotting into a team of four creative marketers as their new Content Marketing Manager. I fit right in, and I was doing all of the things I loved: social media, email funnels, blogs… a copywriter’s dream. The failed probation from my previous job completely knocked my confidence and self-belief (how could I really believe I was doing a good job when my previous employer lied about my performance the entire time??), but this new role helped me rebuild it.

After 3 months, in February 2020, I passed my (thankfully short) probation period, and I was so relieved! I felt validated that I was good at what I do, and that my last job simply wasn’t a good fit. I could finally write that blog post about how to approach a job search after a failed probation period.

However, that relief was short-lived, as a month later, the coronavirus pandemic hit in full force. The nation went into full lockdown and I was furloughed by April, along with many other colleagues.

From Furlough to going solo

Furlough was a strange time. It was like a summer holiday, except I was an adult. And I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere, so I mainly just played a lot of Animal Crossing, trying not to worry too much whether I would still have a job at the end of all this.

Before the pandemonium fully kicked off, our Director of Marketing put in her notice after 5 years, to start her own business as a business coach. A couple of months into my furlough, she asked me if I could help her out with marketing bits a few hours a week, as her business was growing pretty rapidly. I checked with the HR at the company I was furloughed from if that was okay to do, and they gave me the green light.

I liked having something to occupy my brain, and when I was referred to another client, I realised that I was building out a nice little side hustle to earn some extra cash when I eventually went back to work. Only I never did go back to work. By the end of July, I found out that my company was making cuts due to Covid, and I was being made redundant.

At first, of course, I panicked. I can’t believe I’ve lost two jobs in just under a year, I thought. Looking for a new job is daunting enough, but in this new uncertain landscape, I wasn’t sure how quickly (or easily) I was going to find a new one.

But again, I needn’t have worried. The two clients I was working with upped my hours, and I even managed to find a couple more over the course of the summer. By the end of Sepember, I realised—this isn’t just a side hustle anymore. This is legit my job!

One year later

Which brings us to today. Happy, healthy, thriving, clear skin, still working with badass business owners across the world on their marketing efforts. I even released my own digital product to make Instagram strategy for small business owners that bit easier. It’s been one hell of a journey, and I can’t wait to see what the next 12 months brings for me.

If you’re looking for a copywriter and strategist to help you with your content marketing, get in touch and let’s see if we can work something out.