2023. The year of quitting jobs & pivoting my business.
Well, 2023 has been quite the year, hasn’t it.
My life looks completely different to the way it did when we last rang in a new year, in the most unexpected, terrifying but wonderful way.
The year started off slow, with me wandering through my days feeling completely lost and full of anxiety. A pivotal emotional breakdown just a few days into the new year made me realise that I needed a change and I needed to completely overhaul my life.
I’d spent a few years feeling stuck in my career, and this moment was the thing that made me realise I had to stop living in the victim mindset I was living in, and find a way out. I had to stop letting life happen and start taking purposeful action. And just try something.
The idea came to me on a night when I had the flat to myself. My boyfriend was out with friends, I had Golden Girls on the TV, a cup of tea and my favourite notebook.
It was during this journalling session that I came up with the initial idea for Align & Bloom; a Career Change Coaching business. It made sense as I was trying to figure out what value I could provide to others, and if there’s one thing I have experience in, it’s career changing.
I’ve made a few career pivots over the last 11 and a bit years, and I knew it would be a truly rewarding endeavour to help others find that clarity and jobs they love and thrive in.
However, as an accountant at heart and therefore relatively risk averse, I couldn’t bring myself to just quit my job and try going self-employed. I was worried about money too much. And so I decided to enrol at university.
I never went to University at 18 as it wasn’t the right decision for me at the time. Over the last few years though, I’ve toyed back and forth with the idea of lecturing one day. Because I didn’t attend university at 18, it meant I was eligible for the full student loan which could, as I worked out, just about cover my rent and my bills!
It felt like a true lightbulb moment when I realised I could make this work. I could quit my full time job, pursue a degree to achieve one of my own career goals, whilst also having lots more time as an undergrad student to work on building my business.
Initially, my plan was to leave my full-time career in September, just before I started university life, but then I got an offer to take a part time job in a coffee shop, which would enable me to leave my job nearly 3 months earlier. It was a no-brainer for me and I was so excited (Anyone who knows me will also know how perfect a job in a coffee shop is for me. I practically lived in one before this anyway…)!
And then, a chance email from Heather while I was on holiday in August completely changed the course of my business.
Heather emailed me enquiring as to whether I was providing web design services, and if I’d be up for helping her with her website for her new business. Working with Heather was an absolute joy, and reignited my love for web design.
From how much I loved going back to flexing my creative muscles and from Heather’s feedback, a new idea for Align & Bloom was born (the version you see on the site now), focusing more on website design and utilising my 11 years of finance and strategic business experience to help (primarily) small businesses.
This time, I absolutely knew that this was the right direction for my business. However, I really struggled with making the final decision.
I wondered what people would think, having not long ago just launched A&B as a career coaching venture.
I struggled with imposter syndrome, and worried that people would think “who is she to start a business like this?”.
I worried that I wouldn’t get any clients and that people wouldn’t want to work with me.
After some more serious journalling and some help from Vic at The Manifestation Collective, I realised that it was my business, and that the benefit of being self-employed is that you can do whatever the hell you want.
I realised that I absolutely have the experience to do this. I realised there were lots of other business coaches out there with similar offerings but less experience than me.
I realised that if other people could get clients, then so could I.
I switched my thinking from “I don’t think I’ll be able to make this work” to “why wouldn’t I be able to make this work?!”.
And so, the rest of the year has been spent designing websites and trying to figure out what my business strategy was going to be. I’ve done a lot of prep work behind the scenes laying the foundations to - hopefully - enable me to go all in with my new business in 2024.
With this, came the decision to leave my part time job. Yes, that one I only got about 5 months ago. While the extra money from that job was lovely (and knowing I would never get to work with such a wonderful team ever again), it was taking up another 2-3 days of my week, leaving me with not all that more extra time than I had when I was in full-time work.
I knew I’d look back and kick-myself if I didn’t go all in on my business at a time when I financially could… just about! And so, here we are. I’m officially un-employed for the first time since I was 16. Let me tell you, that feels terrifying. However, I’m also so. damn. excited.
I’ve never felt like I’ve had such purpose before and I’ve never believed in myself that I can make something work like I do now.
I’ve been rebuilding and putting the final touches to my website this week (ironically, I’ve been busy designing other people’s websites recently that my own took a backseat!), and it’s made me realise just how far I’ve come this year.
At the end of this post, I’ve listed some good things from 2023, however, at a time when everyone is posting their highlight reels on TikTok and Instagram, I wanted to recognise that no-one’s year is ever always good.
Alongside all the good things I’ve listed below, there have also been…
Thousands of tears. Countless days of wanting to just curl up in bed and hide from life. Tonnes of guilt. Sleepless nights. So much anxiety. Days and days and days of feeling like I’ll never truly be happy. Losing people I loved. Health worries. Money worries. Always feeling like I’m not good enough. Never feeling like I have it all together.
I could go on, but in the interest of actually ending this blog post at some point, I shall stop.
Hopefully, you get the idea. And so, without further ado - as they say - here are 23 good things from 2023.
Good things from 2023 🪩
Moving into our beautiful flat that’s truly now our home.
Seeing lots of new theatre shows including Wicked, Bugsy Malone and Six (finally!).
Quitting my full-time job.
Having Afternoon Tea at The Ritz (a bucket list thing!)
After tonnes of reading and research, finding something to help my skin after two years of painfully dry and inflamed skin.
Getting a part time job and being able to work with the most wonderful team.
Starting university at 29 years old.
Quitting my aforementioned part-time job to spend more time working on my business.
A wonderful trip to Krakow.
Finally meeting Victoria from The Manifestation Collective in real life!
A joyful trip to Amsterdam to see Bianca Del Rio (my favourite person).
Finally figuring my business out and laying the foundations to go all in in 2024.
Featuring as a guest panelist at TwentiesFest.
A restful holiday visiting the beautiful island of Kefalonia.
Connecting with new people.
The Barbie movie! Need I say more?
Visiting a pumpkin patch for the first time ever.
Reaching my reading goal for the year.
Attending the wedding of two of the most wonderful people.
Seeing my best friend sing live at a gig for the first time.
Getting our own coffee machine at home (a huge day.)
Completing my UX and UI Design Diploma.
Digitally detoxing in a cabin in the middle of nowhere.