Should I Quit to Scale?

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One of the key questions I receive from clients is: “Should I quit my job to go all in on my creative career?”

I rarely answer this question because everyone’s situation is different and the answer to this question depends largely on a combination of factors.

What I do, instead, is share my path to entrepreneurship with the hopes that they’ll see a path for themselves in my journey.

My Origin Story

I started my studio in 2016 out of necessity.  I was given an ultimatum at my then employer, an e-commerce agency, to choose between my freelancing and my strategist role.  I chose to pursue freelancing because I liked the freedom it gave me, and I wasn’t really a fan of my work at the time.  Yes, I got the chance to use my brain a lot, but I didn’t like what I was using it for; so, I chose to focus my efforts on the clients who were outside of that work. 

I launched with a $1,500 offer and within a few weeks had built up enough of a clientele to feel confident in my decision.  I didn’t know much about running a business, but I figured it couldn’t be that difficult, right?

I was wrong. 

After six months, the reality that there were chasms between my ideal customer, the work they needed, and the budgets they had, came into stark view.  I was barely making any money but was more exhausted than I’d ever been.  Suddenly the freedom that I loved about freelancing was non-existent; it had been replaced by high-touch clients and low-price points.

I took on over 60 projects in year one and was so burned out by the end of that first year, that I needed to take several months off just to recover.  During my break, I realized two things: 

#1 I loved the work I was doing, but I needed more experience on the business side of things

#2 I needed a job so that I could build up my reserves because I wanted very badly to never have to make another decision out of necessity.

I accepted a role at Apple shortly after realizing these two things, and for the last six years I’ve worked at both the agency and a full-time role in tech for some of the most successful companies of the last 10 years.

For me, it wasn’t a matter of either the agency or a full-time role – it became a matter of the agency AND my full-time role.

I used my role as the primary investor in growth opportunities for the studio until revenue could take that on and I gave myself the flexibility of expansion. I’ve learned important lessons about building a team, launching products, managing budgets, and balancing my time.  All things I’ve turned around and poured back into my work at my agency.  I also expanded my network in a way that might not have happened when I was in a smaller market. 

Final Thoughts

I’m sharing this story today because as creators we often allow external voices to convince us that the only way to do something is to do it the way others have done it.  I’m not from the school of thought that says to be one thing you must let go of another thing.  I firmly believe that everyone should find ways of working that work for them, and so, what worked for me was building my life around the work that brought me the most joy and building a routine that allowed me to have a full-time role and grow an agency.

It wasn’t easy, but it’s what made the most sense to me.  None of our clients have ever said, “you know she’s great, but she’s not really an artist” – they see it as a benefit and a strength.

The decision on whether to quit your full-time role to focus on your creator-led business is a personal one.  You should do what works for you and allow yourself the flexibility of doing both until you figure it out.  Once your needs are taken care of, it will be easy to start building and scaling your work.  Take all these things into consideration as you mull this decision over, then go with what feels best for you and embrace the rest as it comes.

That’s all for this week.Thanks for reading.

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​​​​Love + Light,

​​​​LaTecia

​​Want more? Follow @lateciarising and let me know how I can help you scale as a creator. Want to support this newsletter and get featured? Drop me a line & I’ll be happy to collaborate.