I turned 30 years old this month and I’ve been reflecting on the lessons I’ve learned in my 20s. I’ve discussed owning your own financial narrative. I’ve also talked about stepping out of your comfort zone and pursuing your passions. This week I’m sharing my experience learning how to bet on myself.
In 2020, the pandemic broke out in spring in the United States. Global air travel went down 95% and the airline and aerospace industries were hit hard. At the time, I had moved into a business operations role in the supply chain part of the commercial business. I was given notice in June 2020 that in 60 days, I would be laid off.
The summer of 2020 was probably one of the most difficult summers of my life. I questioned my competency and cried almost every week that summer. I was in shock. I was also the only woman of color on my immediate team to receive a lay-off notice. I ended up filing corporate investigations claim that discrimination played in part of my termination. But when I had to explain to the corporate investigations person what intersectionality was and that as a woman of color, I experience implicit and explicit bias because of my race and gender, I knew that I needed to move on from my former company. I had the opportunity to stay at my former company – I was offered roles as I shared with former managers and teams that I was being laid off. But I decided that my time in aerospace was done.
That summer pushed me to realize that it was time to bet on myself as a full-time content creator.
I had already been financially preparing to leave my company (my original plan was to leave summer of 2021). And even though the lay-off jumped my timeline ahead a year, I knew I had to sum up the courage to accept the lay-off and bet on myself.
I knew I could make money through brand partnerships because I had done it the last two years, even with my blog and Instagram being a side hustle. I knew that I had the creative talent and the business acumen to be a successful creator. So, I jumped.
In September 2021, I became a full-time content creator.
My closest friends and family knew but I didn’t announce it until October 2021 to my community. In October 2021, I contracted over $10,000 in partnerships – this was my first time hitting a 5-figure month as a creator. By the end of the year, I had surpassed my financial revenue goal of $90,000 (my former aerospace salary) and broke 6-figures for the first time as a creator.
Learning how to bet on myself is still something I’m learning to do. Each time I look back at the moments where I took a chance on me, I feel so thankful I did. I’m excited to step into my 30s and I look forward to new ways to bet on myself and my creative career!
Thank you for reading!
Love,
Emma