One year ago today I was laid off. It was a rough start as I thought i was going to be at Nike for the foreseeable future.
Since then though I started a business and just hit $500k in personal earnings. Not total sales. It’s been wild. Once I let go and just immersed myself in what I always held back from doing things just took off. I’ve made more money than I could imagine and my life is mine. My schedule. I hang out with my kids when I want. Go on trips when we want. Travel. It’s crazy how much I was holding myself back with the “stability” of a 9/5.
I miss the facilities. The people. The happy hours. I work for myself so I don’t have a team. But I couldn’t imagine my life working out like it has when I was at work.
To anyone laid off. Go after it. You’re free. To anyone still at Nike with a burning desire to do something else. Just do it!
Good luck out there.
11 replies (most recent on top)
I want to believe the hype post but damn… I started a small business after leaving and am blown away to 2 years later be making almost my Nike salary.
80 hour work weeks in my small business. And who am I kidding? It’s on my mind, 24x7.
A small business is… insanely hard, rewarding sure and you have control of so much. Flip side you have control of so much….
I’m somewhat crazily singing: “time is on my side, yes it is”…
Spoiler alert: time is not on your side in a small business.
If OP is telling the truth about the numbers then congrats… but for people reading this… they are probably like the 1%… the other 99% of us will be lucky not to go back to W2 work.
@b9 Sure buddy, I have some bridges for sale for your business, super cheap, just $500k each
@da That isn't "starting a business" that's just gambling
Taking your severance to the stock market roulette wheel and putting it all on black is not a business….
@as you can put all your severance in AI stocks, and you can make a lot more than 500K in a year, if you know which stocks to buy and when
You started a personal business that makes $500k and allows you complete freedom to travel whenever you want and you miss the happy hours.
Right, ok, yeah. That makes a lot of sense and is very believable.
Must have been some amazing happy hours.
Were you on the Jordan team?
@as spoken as someone who will always stay stuck. You definitely can’t if you don’t believe you can.
Um, what is your business? I will join you, double your revenue and we can go after it and build your team. Let me know and I will buy in.
Nobody starts a business and makes 500k in income in a year unless they either have very generous investors or are doing something shady. Especially claiming you have "time". Businesses will su-k far more time from you, especiallly in the first 3-5 years, than you ever will give at an office job. This post reeks
Believe me, at this point, I also dream of being let go. I have so many projects in my head that I want to pursue, and I am sick and tired of feeling small and like my entire life depends on this job, and that there is nothing else out there for me. I realize all this is just a ploy to keep you small and bound to Nike while working in poor conditions, putting up with poor behavior, seeing all the injustice, and having no opportunities at Nike, and being sold and forced into a limited reality, when I know that I can do so much more. I am not afraid of layoffs. I'm just afraid of being made to believe that I cannot do more and that I am this small and putting up with all the su-ky people and poor behaviors and everyone who wants to feel taller than me.
Also to add, before Nile I’d never made more than $70k a year. At Nike I was making about $120k ish and thought I was doing really good. I was so worried I wouldn’t find a well paying job in the area again.