Building my one-person business to $10M in revenue and sharing everything I learn along the way.
509 tech companies have laid off 146,652 workers in 2024. 15,000 Intel employees — cut. 12,000 Google employees — gone. "Safe" jobs are no longer as safe as we thought they were. And when layoffs happen, people get angry. But behind the anger, there's a bigger opportunity. An opportunity to prepare. Because when technology like AI advances and can replace human workers at a fraction of the cost... The executives and the board make a tough decision. One moment you're a valuable piece of the "family", and then suddenly you aren't. That sucks. No matter how loved you feel, no matter how close you are to your boss, no matter how much they rolled out the red carpet...in the end? It's a math decision. You're a number on a spreadsheet. I've been there. The earlier you realize this in your career, the better off you are. So start future-proofing yourself. If you're fortunate enough to be employed, start building out your online brand, share your thoughts & learnings, and engage with other talented people. Create small side hustles and projects. Network like crazy. Make yourself impossible to forget. Become synonymous with something that can generate a little income should you need it. Anything. If you've been let go from your job, don't put the "Open for Work" badge on your profile. Instead, go create something: - Attention - Content - Software - A newsletter - A blog - Audio - Video Whatever. Just create! Don't tell people you're open for work. SHOW them you're worth working with. Stand out. Make noise. Be different. Be in as many places as you can be. And when you get hired again, please don't stop. Always have a plan B. Always be prepared. Here's my playbook for doing this on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/ehwD_G6Z Learn to: • Build your platform • Grow your audience • Generate real income 70% off for Black Friday. Sale ends tomorrow at 7AM EST.
I can relate to your statement. Here are my risks 🤝💃 2014 Became curious 2015 Started Exploring 2016 Started Learning and became certified Diet Meal & Weight Loss Planner 2017 Gained Social Media Management Experience 2018 Self learned graphics designer 2019 Designed & Published my first e-magazine 2020 Gained more experience in the relevant industry and did free internships 2021 called by called by PAFLA - Pakistan Freelancers Association as a guest speaker but couldn't join 2022 Gained a lot of skills and having a decent portfolio & luckily in one of my podcasts on Twitter Sir Hisham Sarwar joined us in that and it boosted my knowledge more. Same year got awarded by Connected Pakistan Founded my own freelance agency and started providing services 2023 Took an initiative to provide a platform to my local freelance fellows a platform to digital products 2024 Got it registered and now working on it to bring investments and making it operational And a lot more. I did it with my 3 kids and now I'm an aspiring entrepreneur... Alhamdolillah...
Having done 10 years employed and now over 10 years running my own thing, it's far safer having full control. More stressful? Sometimes. More responsibility? Sometimes. But it works both ways. I'll always take being in control over hoping the captains of the ship don't need to cost cut me out of a job, Justin.
It's likely that many of those employees could become Coaches right now and sell a minimum $1K-$5K offer. Here's what I'd do: 1) Start with 1:1 to build momentum 2) Record those sessions for module ideas 3) Transform your offer into a group program 4) Move your 1:1 to be an upsell to get time back 5) Scale your offer as you see fit with your key audience Your immediate next step is to reflect on your best skill and how you can use to help people solve a problem.
Justin Welsh You've said that beautifully. Not taking any risk is the biggest risk because you remain stuck where you are. You don't grow. Success happens only when you step out of your comfort zone. The toughest of situations create the strongest of people.
You'll never fire yourself
I agree with most of what you say. You should always be prepared and be one step ahead. Stand out with conviction and confidence, win with your excellence, take care of your own career because no one else is really going to take care of you when conditions are tough. Nevertheless, I have always been firmly against 'horizontal' restructuring (e.g., cutting ~15% across the board) and I have the evidence to prove that such initiatives ultimately fail to create value over time. Instead, they damage employee confidence and company reputation and they become a big obstacle for hiring and retaining top talent.
Justin Welsh, insightful post! Future-proof like a ninja. My mom still thinks my job is "playing with computers." 🤷♂️ Time to show her I can create more than just chaos. 😄 Let's make ourselves unforgettable, even if it means starting a podcast about my cat's yoga routine. 🐱🧘♂️
"Create small side hustles and projects - Network like crazy" exactly what I did 2 years ago. Tried every single side hustle, failed but made so many connections it then became impossible for me to fail again. Here for this!
Three months ago, I was let go from my job (one I liked a lot). Thankfully, I’d started building my personal brand months before. While I wasn’t able to instantly fall back on it, I’m glad I didn’t wait. Start now, while you have the freedom to experiment and don’t “need” to make sales.
Building my one-person business to $10M in revenue and sharing everything I learn along the way.
18hSide note: There's absolutely nothing wrong with working a corporate job. I did it for 16 years. It can be an awesome way to make a living. But if you turn a blind eye to the reality of what's happening (people are being replaced by AI), then you risk being blindsided by what I've described above...