Pivoting your career is hard
Two things happened to me yesterday, within an hour of each other, that reinforced that I was on the right path with my career pivot.
Deciding to change up my career was a massive decision (that’s a post in itself) and one that wasn’t made overnight. In fact, it was probably about 6 or 7 years in the making.
So when I was made redundant last year, I took the time to really think about what’s next. I had words ringing in my ears from people I admire and trust; and most importantly the phrase I learnt when I qualified as a coach was ringing the loudest - “If not now, when?”
I decided that it was the right time to make the move from a “corporate” career to a “portfolio” one that would give me the lifestyle I’d been dreaming of.
I mapped out what I’d do with Debbie Gainsford Marketing - that’s still a work in progress and is continually being iterated, see the bottom of the post for more details on that.
I did a workshop on candle making (self confessed candle addict here) and launched a candle company, Darley Street Candles.
I very happily joined the fantastic team at HR Partner on a part-time basis.
So the portfolio career was underway.
But they’ve been doubts creep in occasionally around whether I made the right decision. It’s also a huge financial change and that’s taken some getting used to.
Then the two things happened yesterday:
1. I discovered another local business had launched a very familiar looking candle. Did it annoy me, yep. And then I thought about the fact that I only launched two months ago and already someone is “taking inspiration” from me…I must be doing something right.
2. Then I received an email to say I’d been nominated for a local business award as a Service Industry Trailblazer. This dropped into my inbox 45 minutes after I’d discovered the “other” candle. I have no idea who nominated me but it’s such a great feeling to know that in a short period of time, I’ve already had a positive impact in the local community. I’m hugely grateful for the recognition.
While these two things may seem small compared to some of the other career achievements I’ve had; they’re actually a massive deal and a huge reinforcement that I made the right decision to pivot my career. And that makes me very happy and motivated to keep going.
So what’s next?
I’m going to continue what I’m doing (and love doing) but it’s the right time to expand who I work with through Debbie Gainsford Marketing.
So far I’ve been focused on sharing my 20+ years of experience to help simplify marketing for local businesses. However, my career has been in B2B SaaS, and I love it. And I’m a big believer in doing what you love.
And what I love the most is working with B2B SaaS companies who are in the scale up phase. So if you looking help or advice around the following areas, please get in touch, I’d love to have a chat:
Global Expansion
Marketing Strategy
Team Building and Development
Product Marketing
Sales Enablement
Customer Engagement
Events & Exhibitions
As I’m now based in Australia but working globally, anyone can take advantage of my End Of Financial Year Special Offer, which is 20% off all services booked before 30th June 2024. It’s a great time to get in touch.
My website is still to be updated with the changes - like I said, it's work in progress.
And if you’ve read this far, thank you.
The picture above is representative of where I now get to spend more of my time, with no commute and a lot less time behind a screen.
First Published on LinkedIn
