[Offer Grid] 📬 | Your 2025 Layoff Could Be the Break You Needed: Here’s How to Start a Fulfilling Business | Issue No. 13

Hey there, friend!

First off, let’s acknowledge the elephant in the inbox: it’s a tough job market out there right now. (Not everyone who reads this newsletter is a business owner. I want to acknowledge what’s going on with the hard stuff in happening in the U.S. right now.)

Layoffs are on the rise, and getting laid off is tough. It’s a jolt, a disruption, and it can feel like the rug has been pulled out from under you. I remember. More on that in a bit.

(Side note: after I started this draft the tariffs started really yanking small businesses askew. You may not be one who is laid off, but rather you may be facing 100%+ price increases for goods and materials. I’ve walked through this situation with clients in the past. I feel your pain. This issue is for you, too.)

But what if this unexpected turn is actually the universe nudging you toward something greater?

Over the past 17 years I’ve worked with thousands of business owners. I’ve worked with people who’ve started at $0 and have worked with clients to hit 5-, 6- and 7-figure businesses.

I’ve worked with service business owners, and with product business owners.

If you or someone you know is personally affected by a layoff, or you’re facing a pivot, I want to suggest the idea that starting a business is a very real option for you to land on your feet.

In this week’s issue, we’re diving into how to transform a layoff into a launchpad for your own business. Not just any business, but one that aligns with your values, leverages your unique skills, and provides the autonomy and fulfillment you’ve been craving.

So, grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and let’s explore how to turn this setback into your greatest comeback.

I Designed My Entrepreneurial Experience

I started my first business when I was seven years old. But my mom told me I wasn’t allowed to sell tap water to the neighbors. So I had to close the same day.

It turned out I was well over a decade ahead of my time. We buy bottled tap water from stores now all the time. This was my first lesson in market research. My idea wasn’t bad. I was too early to the market. (Not for nothing, I love that I beat Coca Cola to market with my idea.)

By the age of 13 I was itching to work, to do interesting things in the world, and get paid. So I hired myself out as an independent contractor to a local Christmas tree farm a 15-minute bike ride away from my parents’ house.

Each day I got my work list from the farm owners. I was unsupervised. I weeded. I spread fertilizer under the trees. And at the end of each week I turned in my invoice and collected my paycheck.

None of this was probably legal. But whatever. I had the time of my life that summer.

Fast forward a bit.

I ended up serving at many types of jobs over the years.

I had one particular job that ended in a layoff. 

I hated being at the whim of someone else’s mission and vision. I had just purchased my first house, and suddenly I had no paycheck.

Suddenly, I remembered that my first job wasn’t a job. I was my own boss at the Christmas tree farm.

I decided to work for myself again. And now the layoff didn’t seem bad.

I could feel my heart soaring as I thought about the possibilities ahead of me. 

I wondered what kind of a business I would start.

I had a severance package. That money bought me time. And with that time I could work to be free.

Like so many entrepreneurs I know, I joined a multi-level marketing (MLM) business. And I was terrible at it. But I learned about being a business owner. I learned about sales, inventory, customers, and so much more. And I learned about showing up for my own business.

I’d been expecting to make it to Diamond in record time. But no such luck. Even with my stellar work ethic I only signed two people to my downline.

The bonus to the experience was the training. I was surrounded by other people in my upline who, like me, were not afraid to work but who were also excited to call our own shots. I learned about owning and running a business. I learned that I’d rather work 16 hours for me than eight hours for someone else.

One of the issues I ran into was that MLMs were way past the peak in the U.S.. I’d have done much better if I’d gone to an Asian country where they were just taking off. So there was some market research I could have benefitted from.

I also completely hated prospecting. I invited friends and complete strangers to the business.

This was not my only foray into cold calling in business. I later did a few years as a real estate agent and climbed to the top of the Board by doing 15,000 cold calls in three years. Hard, but really good lessons.

Even though I tried other sales jobs later on, the lure of independence wasn’t strong enough for me ever to overcome my “strong dislike” of cold sales calling.

Fortunately, cold sales calls are just one aspect of only some types of businesses.

And I discovered again and again that I prefer being self-employed.

Does any of this resonate with you?

One of the biggest hurdles to make the switch to business ownership is to get over the idea (if you have this idea) that you get a paycheck just for showing up.

I’ve had employees like that. It’s maddening.

They show up. They do a half-assed job. They collect payment. Ugh.

Business owners may not even get a paycheck. There are other ways to pull money from the business if you need cash, but if the business is broke, so’s the business owner.

Stability isn’t ever guaranteed. But with a business I always felt the pull of possibilities. I knew I could make more in a business than a job. And I had many years of doubling my income year over year. That never would have happened at any job I ever had.

The result of all of this experience is that when I went out on my own 17 years ago I had a bucket of experience to offer my clients.

From Employee to Entrepreneur: a Change in Mindset

Transitioning from employee to entrepreneur isn’t just a change in job title. It’s a complete shift in mindset. As an employee, you’re accustomed to structure, direction, and a defined role. As an entrepreneur, you’re the architect of your own destiny.

Here’s a quick comparison:

Embracing this new mindset means taking ownership of your time, decisions, and outcomes. It’s about shifting from waiting for opportunities (or assignments from supervisors) to creating them.

When it comes to creating opportunities, your imagination is the limit.

You can hire help (for a project, for a day, for a month, or ongoing) and play with your dream every day.

There are solo business owners who gross $1M per year. That’s a nice goal.

There are business owners who don’t go to the office every day, but instead rely on staff to run operations.

I’ve built and helped run so many different kinds of businesses. And what I’ve seen in the past few decades in the world of work is that you can build a business that exactly suits your personality and desired lifestyle.

So, I’m curious: if you’re at a crossroads in your life… if you’re facing a layoff, or retirement without enough cash, or if you’re in a place where you just want a change… if you’re in a job that’s all right, but you want a side hustle… if your business needs a swift kick in the assets…

I wonder if starting a new business is the thing for you?

If starting a business is right for you, what kind of business would you want to run?

If this question speaks to you, and if you want to explore questions around it, I’m interested in hearing your thoughts. Feel free to reply to this email. After having worked with literally over 10,000 people in this space in the past 17 years, I could be a good sounding board for you.

Gratis. Seriously, no charge. I want to have this conversation and would welcome what you want to talk about around it.

Just because the economy is weird right now doesn’t mean we’re all going broke. There are millionaires in the making right now because of the shifts going on.

I’ll be back here next week with more thoughts on the topic.

Talk soon,

Amy