Everyone Loves an origin story
After working in the Non-profit sector for almost 10 years, I thought finally securing a corporate role with a fortune 500 company would be the best thing that ever happened to me.
Believe it or not, I actually had a role created for me, so although I did have to apply and go through a few interviews, there was no guess work around whether or not I’d get the job.
I’ll never forget speaking with the recruiter who knew my background as non-profit grant writer making no more than 79k a year. “You’ll even be getting a Vice President title, isn’t that cool?” As if I was a six-year-old getting a balloon twisted into a giraffe. I have to think back at that and just laugh.
It truly was glorious for a while. Corporate perks can be and often are astounding for someone who’s never experienced them before. However, I soon discovered that for every perk, there’s a page and a half of diabolical fine print for whenever they decide to change course, change the environment, or change their mind about YOU.
I spent five years at two different companies navigating org shifts, leadership changes, temporary managers who can barely pretend to care about your success, racist managers who can barely manage to hide it, and yes, even being told to write my own job description 2 years in. I’m sorry, thought you all hired me?
Whether or not you’ve had this experience or similar, depending solely on your 9-5 paycheck doesn’t hold the same security that it used to. This is no longer our parent’s era where you worked 25 years at the same company hoping to make a small fraction of what they’re paying the CEOs. This is the time to proactively take your financial future into your own hands.
I started this community because I’m no longer afraid to take my life into my own hands. I imagine you’re here because you feel the same. Either that or you’re a kind friend of mine . Either way, the only way we go in this community is UP.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
