I was laid off on August 29th, 2024—just 1 year and 15 days after being hired. They cut my entire team as well.
Our stats were impressive. We were well-liked. We had built rapport with the necessary groups.
At the end of the day, those things don't seem to matter anymore.
Here's my take on why
- By focusing so much on driving value for shareholders, you lose sight of the people involved.
- Companies tout strong cultural values but rarely follow through on them.
Things I learned while at EB
- "Stay close to the product or revenue to be safest." Granted, this didn't turn out to be true for me.
- Well-written documents are more impactful than PowerPoint decks.
- Working for an investment firm inevitably means you'll see friends lose their jobs and likely yours as well.
What I would like to see change with corporations
- Reduction in salaries for executive teams before cutting lower-level positions.
- Stronger severance packages, including extended healthcare benefits when laying off employees.
- More employee-owned companies.
- Unions getting involved in corporate jobs to help guarantee basic wages and benefits.
Lessons Learned
- Always be networking.
- Don't be reliant on a corporation for your paycheck. At the end of the day, you're a number on a spreadsheet to them.
- Have at least 3 months of living expenses saved up. Ideally more.
What's Next
I've taken a week to process what just happened. I might need more time. This post is part of that processing and healing. Then I need to start the grind of applying for jobs.
I want to stay in marketing, but after the past 3 years, I have a sour taste in my mouth from it. Or is that due to the companies I've been marketing for? I'm not sure yet.
One of my focuses for this time off is figuring out a way to monetize the ranch without taking the joy away from living here. It's already a lot of work as is. But if I could figure out a way to make money from it, be my own boss, and continue in the direction we're headed with it—YouTube? Agave? Time will tell.
