HOW MY COVID LAYOFF WAS ACTUALLY A BLESSING: IT WAS THE 1ST STEP OF 6 IN ESCAPING THE 9-5

Introduction to the Free At 50 blog and my Escaping the 9-5 after a Covid layoff.

The mission of the Free At 50 blog is to share that escaping the 9-5 can be done and to offer resources on how to do it. This post outlines the first six steps to make it happen and how this blog will continue to support you. I was laid off and started entrepreneurship from scratch. How about you build your Plan B, the one about controlling your income and your time, while you are still in your 9-5?

Author's note: There are a lot of links in this post- know that they all open in a new tab for you to open, bookmark, save etc. without interrupting your reading- the content was updated in August, 2021 to give you the best resources and available as of November 2021, my 6-Step Checklist can be downloaded here.

For me, this whole thing's not just about my blessing of being made redundant, but about using that gift to move forward into a better life and to inspire others to do the same!

6 Steps to Escaping the 9-5.

1. Find your why.
2. Shift your mindset.
3. Narrow your options.
4. Research the best fit.
5. Build your toolkit.
6. Take action.

   

   Disclosure: As a blogger, I use affiliate links sometimes! I may receive commission from purchases I share, but it does not change your price.

   
   

   Step 1 in escaping the 9-5: Finding the why.

   A layoff during Covid was actually a blessing.

   There are a number of ways to cover what ultimately, means: gone from your job. We are exhaustingly descriptive: resigned for personal reasons, left a position for a better offer, was fired, got laid off.

   
   

   For one thing, specificity of “leaving” defines how we are treated in the aftermath right?

   
   

   Whether or not you’ll be eligible for unemployment benefits, if you’ll get a reference letter, the WHY behind it. The why is something we love to analyze and over-analyze.

   
   

   So while I was laid off due to COVID budget constraints, specifically, the result is the same, I am without employment and free to decide the next step.

   

   Photo by Tetiana SHYSHKINA on Unsplash

   
   

   That is not to say that you are exempt from deciding your “next step” while employed but let’s face it, as much as I was hating corporate life, I generally liked people I worked with on a day-to-day basis (emphasize GENERALLY), and the paycheck wasn’t something I was ready to ditch.

   
   

   This layoff was a blessing in disguise, it was my “why” to escaping the 9-5 and quitting corporate life.

   
   

   To the shock of most people I’ve talked to since, I was actually relieved when I was laid off! For one thing, there was (and I’m guessing still is) a lot of anxiety in that company about the future. I won’t pick on the corporation that owns my old company now because honestly, it’s a commonality across corporations, professions, and even continents during COVID.

   
   

   However, I’ve met a lot of people since my layoff that suffered corporate downsizing, mergers and acquisitions leading to “restructure” prior to March 2020 and since the pandemic "ended."

   
   

   It is the corporate way. Escaping 9-5 stress and anxiety is an excellent “why.”

   

   Image by Bongkarn Thanyakij from Pixabay

   
   

   More of the why:

   I was 49 when this happened. Turning 50 in 2020, I was ready to stop using my brain and skillset to still have my time and schedule owned by others. #YouGotThis.

   
   

   

   Honestly, I always did the “right” thing: went to college, got an internship, went right into the workplace. For me that was Michigan’s State Capitol (a government employee) then into the private sector, over to a small business and, ultimately into a company that was bought by private equity and sold to a large international corporation.

   
   

   I paid taxes for 30 years with no break in employment and no more than 1-2 weeks off at a time (while still being accessible!).

   
   

   I’d been there. And I’ve now earned the decision to quit the 9-5 life and focus on my priorities.

   
   

   RELATED (an update in September 2023): read the post about my Free At 50 life on my new history blog!

   
   

   

   Photo by Daphne Reznik

   
   

   Step 2 in escaping the 9-5: Getting the Mindset.

   Traditional 9-5 employment is not necessary.

   I’m a member of GenX and I wrote about it. The last decade has been crazy for us, right? Who here knows people who:

   • have been stuck, unhappily, in a cubicle for years
   • is tired of fighting for raises, paychecks and to get credit for their work
   • has died too young

   
   

   Tick, tick, tick.

   
   

   

   Image by Markus Kammermann from Pixabay

   
   

   A couple years back, a colleague of mine, solidly 10-15 years younger than me, told me how her aunt collapsed of a heart attack and died right there at her desk, in her cubicle.

   
   

   In the meantime, I was watching our generation (and some people just outside it) crumble around me: Kate Spade, Prince, Anthony Bourdain. An ex-husband of a friend, old friends of mine… all passed away without much explanation in their obits. It’s crystal clear what was happening.

   
   

   A few months ago, someone I worked closely with in my 20s, passed away suddenly at 50 of a heart attack. Eddie Van Halen, taken with cancer. OK, I will stop- it is getting depressing, but the point is: I want to live.

   
   

   Not just breathe but ENJOY the breathing. My mindset shift to enjoy every moment started well before my gift of redundancy.

   

   Photo by Katarzyna Grabowska on Unsplash

   
   

   I say all this to say: life is too short to have others owning our time and to be working more hours than we spend with people we love and doing things we enjoy. Maybe the corporate hustle or whatever is your “9-5” is what you love doing. Cheers! For the rest of y’all that want some freedom, I was with you.

   
   

   Realizing escaping the 9-5 is ok.

   Between May 15^th and Memorial Day I talked to a LOT of people. While I prefer staying home to being out, I love one-on-one conversations with all kinds of people who have unique perspectives, their own experiences, stories, and advice. So I dove into my contact list, my friends, and my family: those who knew me, my style, and my skill set.

   
   

   My now-former colleague and still-friend Diana told me about Tim Ferriss’ 4 Hour Workweek. #MindBlown. Talk about a #NoGuiltZone!

   
   

   

   Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay

   
   

   Tim’s first 84 pages were an affirmation of my thoughts and the whole book and inspiration: it can be done. I could ditch the 9-5. Design a lifestyle owning my time. Having professional freedom.

   
   

   For me: the definition of Free At 50. It's a brand and a lifestyle, not an age. I can say this definitively as I look at turning 53.

   
   

   Step 3 in escaping the 9-5: Narrowing your options.

   Make lists and discover the opportunities for income.

   I learned from the 4 Hour Workweek the way to start designing your lifestyle is write down your skills as well as your passions to find potential income streams.

   
   

   Use sticky notes, color-coding, a whiteboard, whatever works for you, but do this. Here is my step-by-step:

   
   

   • I made lists of skills and of passions on a blank sheet of paper. Some examples of skills included public speaking, writing and event planning. Passions included food, books, and travel.
   • I circled my favorites on the “skills” list.
   • I came up with ways I could take those skills to combine with my passions to earn income.
   • Last, I created an Excel spreadsheet of potential income streams based on these discoveries. Don't have MS Office at home? Click here.

   
   

   

   Image by Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay

   
   

   Step 4 in escaping the 9-5: Research the best fit for you.

   Start digging into it all.

   Once you’ve narrowed your options, conduct legit research. What you will unearth: there are almost unlimited resources.

   
   

   Give yourself the time (and even a deadline) to do ample research.

   
   

   For me, it took about five months of both researching and continuously narrowing down my decision to determine how I will be moving forward.

   
   

   All my life, I’ve believed in taking the most direct route to what you need; therefore, I’m giving you shortcuts. A goal of the Free At 50 blog is to make getting the lifestyle you want easier.

   

   Image by Taken from Pixabay

   
   

   My comprehensive list of 7 shortcuts.

   Shortcut 1: Pilot projects.

   Get out there and dip your toes in the water of everything you are interested in doing for your future income streams. And realize the reality: it is a long process to get to sustainable income, most of this is setting the stage!

   
   

   • In June, I started writing blog posts. I did not have a blog, but I wanted to see “what came out” on paper. After about 4 “posts,” I was able to formulate a theme for a blog and FreeAt50 was born at the end of August. I was motivated and inspired.

   
   

   • Since my last employer owned as their intellectual property pretty much everything I created, I knew I needed writing samples if writing would be an option for my future. So I tried Upwork (yes, working for pennies) to get those samples and try new types of writing. Completed: my e-books Greater than a Tourist: Lansing and Eat Like a Local: Lansing. Also completed: a series of restaurant review articles for FoodDrink Magazine.

   
   

   • A colleague and friend from my past life in corporate reached out to me over the summer asking if I was open to doing a consulting project. Knowing I needed to explore all avenues of using my skills to earn income as an entrepreneur, I said yes. This project would help me create a template and a plan for future consultation projects and, potentially, organize an online course for passive income.

   
   

   Executing this process gave me a sense of how many hours I would need to appropriate to determine pricing as well as assist me in formulating the outline and the content. The result: a way for small businesses (under 20 employees) to maximize use of their team for strategic planning.

   
   

   Cheers to the fact it can be used in any industry. I'm so excited!

   

   Image by pasja1000 from Pixabay

   
   

   Shortcut 2: People (those who know you and those who do not).

   Be cautious on all of these for many reasons. Some people will be overly kind. They’ll tell you what they think you want to hear.

   
   

   Then there are the people who have a completely different mindset and philosophy, not one of giving up the traditional 9-5 and exploring new options; they will try (intentionally or not) to steer you in the direction they think is right for you because it is right for them (or so they think).

   
   

   • Friends: you know which friends you go to for different reasons. Call on them for those reasons as you need to along the journey.

   
   

   • Family: many of them have watched you go through different phases and can provide the ultimate support system.

   
   

   • Colleagues: they know your professional skills and abilities and view them through a unique filter.

   
   

   • People already on the journey. This could be any of the above! I have definitely found myself talking to and spending time learning with and from people I already knew but we may not have had as many things in common in the past.

   
   

   • People you meet on the journey. Be open to meeting them! Sometimes it could result in a collaboration but if not, that’s ok. They can share what they’ve learned and vice versa. You can be guided to new resources, discuss practices and processes as well as approaches to moving forward.

   
   

   • A combination of all of the above (some people fit into more than one category after all). Years ago in my government life, our Tax Policy Committee Clerk Paula educated me on the adage: people come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. It holds so much truth.

   
   

   People have come back into my life, a season again, with the common purpose of finding our freedom professionally as well as I’ve met new people and however brief our interaction, I’ve gained from the conversation or experience: a reason.

   
   

   Some from my corporate life who were part of my circle are out of my new one completely and others have stayed close, possibly fitting the lifetime category.

   

   Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash

   
   

   Shortcut 3: Facebook groups.

   Stay with ones that fit your needs and are active at a level that provides you with value. Whether you are an entrepreneur or a blogger with a niche or are simply exploring your options for the first time, there are plenty to choose from.

   
   

   The groups should reflect you as the demographic, not necessarily just your audience. For example, I am female so Profitable Women Entrepreneurs is a fit for me, but my audience is both male and female so groups like Bold Beginner Bloggers applies to writers whose articles speak to all niches and demographics, the commonality is “blogging.”

   
   

   My group is focused on the audience here: those at some stage of Ditching the 9-5 with the goal of learning, teaching and supporting each other on journey.

   
   

   

   I recommend investigating these, listed alphabetically:

Authentic Content Marketing: Shauna VanMourik has created a space to dive into your authenticity when it comes to sharing your brand and your business. She is very active and keeps the conversation rolling!

The Blog it Better Society: a smaller, highly active group, with a knowledgeable and energetic administrator in Margaret Bourne. This group is truly interactive and with a personalized touch. Another with daily feeds and a founder who offers educational opportunities.

Minimalist SEO: this group was set up by Chris Whitely, who has a deep understanding of Search Enging Optimization (SEO). He shares information to get content writers, freelancers, and bloggers on track through a philosophy I'm aligned with, as is my business coach.

Reaching Your Audience: Lindsey White of Magenta Strategies has an excellent group focused on maximizing your effectiveness with social media.

Image by Firmbee from Pixabay

Some factors to consider when selecting groups:

• Group size: the range can be under 100 members to tens of thousands. Try a range of group sizes to both be part of a small, tight-knit community and have access to a vast range of ideas and potential clients/audience members.

• Requirements: Facebook groups have rules, as they should. Some rules require a certain amount of participation. If you cannot commit, the group may not be the best fit.

• Activity: administrators of the groups range from posting multiple times a day to only a few times a week. Find the balance or mix that is right for you.

• Opportunity: different groups fit different needs. Many of the blogging groups I am in offer daily threads which allow you to post something (a link to your blog for comments, a pin you created, your Instagram account etc.) with the requirement that you reciprocate with others who post in the thread.

Often, groups will be focused on allowing members post questions on the main feed, others limit that ability. Chances to collaborate with others (for example seek backlinks for a blogger roundup or find guest writers) or promote your business, product, or blog, are an integral part of many.

• Education: entrepreneurs utilize (wisely!) Facebook groups to grow their client base. You’ll often find access to courses and promotion of products geared toward your needs on a group page.

For example in Blogging for New Bloggers, the hosts Lucrezia and Marina, have provided links to their courses such as the free Fast Track for New Bloggers course or articles they’ve written under the “Units” section, a commonly used tab. I’ve taken advantage of their courses.

Sydney of the Social Salad Society does this as well and, in fact, I’ve purchased a course of hers and recommend you use her program for digital acceleration.

Photo by Timothy Hales Bennett on Unsplash

An extension of “people,” Facebook groups have been both a surprising and mind-blowing source of information. I used Facebook to stay in touch with my family and old friends as well as to store photos and memories of food and travel.

I had NO IDEA about Facebook groups for aspiring entrepreneurs.

I admit, I dropped out of several because they just weren’t for me. Overly focused on sales, not active enough, too active, or just simply: I wasn’t aligned philosophically. That is ok. Quitting corporate and moving into professional freedom gives you the autonomy to say no when you need to.

Focus on what moves you forward. My 6-Step Checklist to Escaping the 9-5 can help.

Photo by Aditya Saxena on Unsplash

Shortcut 4: Courses.

The amount of courses available is overwhelming. Whether you use a site like Udemy or Linked In Learning, or independently offered courses, I advise utilizing them.

You’ll find recommendations throughout this blog, in posts concentrated on particular topics such as:

My article explaining the need for cornerstone posts and how I am learning about SEO through a minimalist approach.

Gift guides I’ve created to highlight incredibly helpful content for bloggers and online business owners of all types.

Education including:

• the 30-Day Branded Blog Challenge for newbies (whether you have a blog yet or not)
• the Focused Branding Course for entrepreneurs and
• the Digital Acceleration Academy where I took an outstanding FB Group course. I'm using both and only recommend/affiliate for programs I believe in.

Photo by Bench Accounting on Unsplash

Shortcut 5: Email subscriptions (tips, tricks and templates going directly to your inbox).

While I’ve unsubscribed a few, I’ve kept most of them!

Although there is not enough time to set aside to watch everything, and why would you if you want to take action and move forward, I do bookmark those that fit in with my current priorities and batch time to watch trainings or download information that I can integrate into my business planning.

Pro tip: if you watch a free training or take a course from someone and it works for you, make sure to subscribe and get updates from them! In fact, if you find my posts valuable, subscribe to this blog from my home page with your email address!

Photo by Thanhy Nguyen on Unsplash

Shortcut 6: A coach.

No matter how much life experience or professional savvy we have accumulated (and earned!), coaches are valuable. In fact, coaches even have coaches and I have created a whole category of posts about them.

My dear friend Nora Luke, business coach and creator of Redefine Success, said it well: an expert is someone that knows more than someone else on a topic. Ok, I paraphrased of course, but you get the idea: if you are building a business, a new life, an approach to something that is different than anything you’ve ever done, doesn’t bringing an expert into the mix make sense?

Remember all those Facebook groups I mentioned? Many coaches have set them up. Have the goal of finding someone whose talents and expertise fit your needs, and who you gel with through Facebook.

When I decided to move forward as a blogger, I worked with Tegan Marshall, who I met at the beginning of my journey. After two discussions, decided to invest in 1:1 sessions every few months. It is a format we created, that is loose and flexible to meet my needs and ensure I have a roadmap to follow to earning income online.

Pro tip: most coaches will offer an initial consultation or “discovery call” to establish a fit for your needs. Read about them here and schedule one to find the best fit.

And if you choose to work with Tegan or make a purchase on her site, use code Free At 50 for a discount!

Image by Marijana from Pixabay

Shortcut 7: Technology.

No doubt, you need technology, especially online. Be sure to invest in the technology you need.

For me, this investment was for the platinum level of Groove which I go into detail about in Step 5 for purposes of this step-by-step article.

Pro tip: Do not dilly-dally. Make a decision and stick with it. There are so many options out there, you can be caught in analysis paralysis forever.

Maybe something better will come along and maybe, over time, you can make changes. But for now, move forward with what you need, before you even need it.

A coach is a vital step forward that can help you determine the roadmap, including the types of technology you need for your specific business strategy.

Photo by Matt Duncan on Unsplash

Step 5 in escaping the 9-5: Build your toolkit.

Determine what you need and make the investments necessary.

Once the decision is made for income stream #1, focus on that and that alone. For me, it’s the blog. 100% all in.

The idea of consulting (as short-term projects) and/or a course for small business owners are currently on my list for #2 and #3. But that is for later and what I learned from multiple sources in the section above, you must focus on one income stream at a time.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Knowing the money I realistically planned to invest was in the $2000+ range, I committed to two things based on the research in Step 4:

1. Personalized coaching/mentorship, specific to monetization of my blog. You just read above my reasoning on this.
2. Technology. I chose to spend $1397 on Groove, a special price for a lifetime platinum membership, while it was in the beta phase.

Here is why I did this, all based on research, one-on-one conversations, and discussions on my valuable Facebook groups:

• I purchased a year of WordPress (the premium .com version) to test out the idea of a blog at the cost of approximately $100. Three months into it, I knew I wanted to move forward, and I couldn’t earn a full-time income with it. I needed to either convert to the .org version and get hosting services or build onto a new platform better suited to monetization opportunities. There would be a cost.

It is why I keep recommending Groove. Click here to sign up.

• Building an email list is vital for an online business. And if I wanted to succeed, the “free” versions of programs like Mailchimp wouldn’t be enough long-term. I would have to keep an eye on my progress and annually renew or upgrade with costs involved.

Again, I use Groove.

• Having a booking calendar is important to me. I signed up for one year of Calendly’s upgraded version for about $100. It was necessary as I was piloting my consultation project.

There is an annual renewal fee for the upgraded option so I went FREE. It wasn't necessary to have the upgrade as I'm not actively booking clients with the blog as a focus.

• Landing pages are high value. Whether for affiliate marketing opportunities, opt-ins for freebie offers, or using them for alternatives to drive traffic to your website or blog, landing pages provide easy options to expand your business and your income. Having a platform that allows for unlimited landing pages you can access, edit, and de-activate all in one place: priceless.

And Groove is perfect for this! My 6-Step Checklist is hosted on one.

• Videos and course creation may be in my future. While this is a maybe, Groove has the capacity to provide me the tools I need to make this happen and I have already started storing videos like the one below offering an overview of Groove, done in my Facebook group. It is also embedded below.

For courses, many of the tools above will play a role in selling an online course and the ability to create videos and host webinars, should that play into the final plan, is valuable.

Step 6 in escaping the 9-5: Move forward with a plan. Take action.

Truly, you’ve already taken quite a bit of action when you’ve reached this step!
Through this journey I’ve met incredible people with diverse approaches and a multitude of stories. But we all have the common thread of wanting, and needing, to design a lifestyle involving owning our time and controlling our financial destiny.

It can come in many forms, and my friend Tom of Werkman Outfitters spells it out in his video, Can a Guy Still Dream at 51. He is clearly taking action and since recording the video has cut his corporate hours and is focused on the business.

Keeping yourself focused, and following a strategy is vital once your decision is made and the toolkit is stocked.

Throughout the FreeAt50 blog you will find resources, step-by-step action guidance and, of course, stories to inspire. Some of the resources will include coaches, strategists, social media managers, graphic designers, virtual assistants, and other people you can hire to assist you in escaping the 9-5.

Some resources will be exclusively in the Facebook group, like the split-screen interview events targeting specific topics to help on the journey out of corporate life. This one with Hannah Shtein speaks to imperfect action and just getting going!

Conclusion:

Know you are not alone. Be authentic and inspired.

After reading one of my posts, another blogger sent me a message of despondency: she was not supported on her decision. I also have a close friend that swam in that same ocean. It can feel like an ocean anyway when you don’t have the support at home to blog or do anything that your passionate about really.

The ability to become Free At 50 through my layoff truly was a gift to me. Use this blog as a place to find others who can support you. Connect with them or with me!

Subscribe to the blog, take notes and screenshots, bookmark the links. Cheers to professional freedom!

And importantly: Download my 6-Step Checklist to Escape the 9-5 here.

If you're ready to take action, book a call and let's throw some spaghetti on the wall; I even set up a short-term coaching offer to help you move forward. Click here and type BLESSING in the booking notes!

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