Member-only story
I Started a Business…and Then I Got a “Real” Job
I’m sitting in the coffee shop, a steaming Americano resting next to the MacBook I bought just a few months ago with money I didn’t have (but thought I’d get). It’s a sunny Friday afternoon and I just got off the phone with a client I’m excited to work with again.
My phone begins to vibrate on the table next to me and I look down. It’s a number I don’t recognize — which is usually a reason for me to ignore it — but it’s a Washington number…and I’m expecting a call.
“Hello, this is Ashley,” I say when I pick up.
“Hey Ashley, this is Josh from ABN.”
Something in my chest tightens. It’s the call I’ve been waiting for.
“Oh, hey Josh.”
“Hey, so I was just calling to offer you the job.”
To help you understand how I felt at this point, I’m going to take you back a week or so.
It’s been 9 months since I made “the big leap” from full-time employment into entrepreneurship. You can read that story here.
To summarize, I was working in a job that made me miserable. After some reflection, I’ve come to the conclusion the big reason for my unhappiness was due to working for a company whose values simply didn’t align with my own (hence why I’m so headstrong about only working with clients & companies whose values do).
Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs, and with a BA in Fashion Marketing (including a few entrepreneurship-related classes under my belt), I felt confident that taking the leap was the right next step for me. After all, I scoured the job boards for hours on end. Even the “dream jobs” didn’t seem so dreamy to me.
I have a strong intuition. And at the time, every single thing in my life was pointing toward giving it a go. What’s the worst that could happen? I have a supportive boyfriend, family, and an amazing community around me.
A couple of months into it, I started to run out of money. My savings account was quickly depleting and, even after moving in with my boyfriend and no longer having to pay…
