Hey, happy people. I’m fresh back from a week in Greece, and while I’m a little depresso from not having any more of their delicious espresso, I will say that I am glad to be back home in my (very) loud house with my kids.
This was the first time that my husband and I had gone on a trip without the kids since our girls were born, and I think, for the sake of our marriage, it was very much needed. It’s amazing how quickly you’re reminded just how much you actually enjoy your partner’s company when you have ample, uninterrupted time together. Walking around and exploring a new country reminded us that we’re very much still a couple that enjoys doing things together.
My mom guilt will still lingering but I still managed to enjoy myself nonetheless.
Now that I’m back, I figured I’d catch you up on a few things. Like how my LinkedIn newsletter somehow has three times as many readers as this Substack, my contradicting opinions on quitting your 9-5, and notes of interesting things that I’ve come across.
This article is sponsored by Lovable.
I recently built my first actual portfolio, and naturally I decided to whimsy-maxx the hell out of it. I’ve avoided making one for years because they always felt tedious and never looked like what I had in my head. But I’ve been building a ton in Lovable lately, so I figured, why not my portfolio too? I uploaded my moodboard, showed it the vibe, and went from there. So easy.
Before I started my Substack, I had started TheseChapters newsletter on LinkedIn. I wrote two editions and then hopped over here because I figured I should follow the teachings of the experts and not put all my figurative eggs into one basket/channel. Because, as they would always remind you, everything you create on social is always living on borrowed land, so when you can, you absolutely should diversify.
I will say, having only written 5 editions on there and having 5,600 subscribers is not too shabby. I know people are using LinkedIn Newsletters as another distribution channel for themselves. The most-used strategy right now is to use it as an extension of their main newsletter, giving readers teaser content over there to drive more traffic to their main page. I attempted the same, but I don’t think it brought any significant lift. I don’t find it any different from just sharing an excerpt from my articles here as a post over there.
That said, LinkedIn does make it fairly easy to grow a newsletter on its platform. It automatically invites your network to subscribe and notifies subscribers whenever you publish a new edition. So, there’s definitely a distribution advantage there.
I’m still trying to work out what I want to do with it. Thus far, my best-performing article was the one I shared about a coworker with a strong personal brand leaving the company.
Everyone has quit or is quitting their 9-5
I feel like every other post I see on LinkedIn lately has been someone announcing that they’ve quit their 9-5 to venture out on their own.
And good for them! I really mean that. I know it sounds sarcastic but I truly actually mean it. There’s a big part of me that is jealous of having that level of freedom, especially on the days where I’m going through a high level of corporate politics and wonder why I don’t just call it quits myself.
But the thing I find most eyebrow raising is how people go from sharing that they’ve gone solo to then turning it into advice that everyone should go out on their own.
I don’t know if I agree with that.
We’re existing in this interesting era in time where a ton of people, especially those of us working in tech and marketing, have built personal brands around our careers. And obviously with that comes ample opportunities like brand deals, speaking engagement, consulting, and income that, quite frankly, can be pretty incredible.
I know this because I’ve made well over six figures through LinkedIn brand. partnerships over the last couple of years. It’s an absurd amount of money to make from posting on there and I definitely don’t take that for granted. Especially since my husband was laid off, it’s been a saving grace for us.
So I get the appeal. I totally understand it. When you’re making that kind of money outside of your 9-5, money that surpasses your annual salary, it’s tempting to wonder why you’re still working for someone else.
But something I keep trying to wrap my head around is how sustainable all of this is.
For people like me specifically, the people who have build their audience around their professional experience, a lot of the opportunities we get come from the fact that we’re actively doing the work we’re creating about.
What happens when you become further removed from that work??
For example, if your audience follows you because you’re a good marketer, how do you continue developing that expertise when you’re no longer actively working as one?
Obviously there are plenty of freelancers and consultants who are doing incredible work for their clients. And I’d even argue that working across multiple businesses can make you an even better practitioner. BUT there is a growing number of people whose careers seem to revolve around talking about the work rather than actually doing it. And maybe this is unfair question but I wonder how long you can sustain a business built on professional expertise if you’re not actively doing the work.
Another thing to think about is the financial reality of working for yourself.
I like knowing that my paycheck is going to come every 2 weeks. I like not having to worry about whether one really banging month is going to be followed by two shitty ones. And as someone whose husband is a stay at home dad, and has 3 kids, things like health insurance aren’t exactly minor considerations..I am American, unfortunately.
I’ve been lucky these last couple of years. I get to take on projects & partnerships outside of my fulltime job and I’m almost at a point where I could sustain myself for 6 months without my regular income but even with that…I don’t think quitting my job is as easy as a LinkedIn announcement make it seems.
I also think people are underestimating how much value there is in having a good 9-5 outside of the paycheck.
For example, I’m on my way to NYC for the 5th time this year, all on my company’s dime. I’m obviously going for work, but I also make sure I maximize my time there by meeting up with people outside of my job. I’ve been able to get access to peoples and rooms and experiences that I wouldn’t have otherwise.
There’s a TON of value in that.
Obviously none of this matters if you’re working somewhere that makes you miserable. I’m a firm believer that if work makes you cry then you need to leave. I totally understand why people leave, and I get the desire to have more control over your own time and the kind of work that you do.
I think I’m just a bit bothered by how much people romanticize about working for themselves and make it seem to others that it’s this always-glamorous thing.
But hey, this is just my opinion. I very well could just be overly cautious because there’s part of me that wishes so badly that I could be one of those people who pulls the trigger without overthinking every single possible outcome.
I’m just that kind of person. But I am rooting for people who are doing their thing!
Other things
I’ve recently read “The Dry Heart” by Natalia Ginzburg, and holy moly, I couldn’t put it down. It was a quick 100 pages. Natalia is a fantastic writer. I had picked up the book at the Foyles bookstore in London and I finished it in one go. If you’re a fan of the likes of Sally Rooney then you would love Natalia’s writing. That part that got me was how she wrote about the narrator having postpartum without every calling it that. Her description of the emotions that a mother feels is just palpable.
While a lot of people are wondering whether college even makes sense anymore in this AI driven world we’re living in, you’ve got people like Bill Gates and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang emphasizing the importance of education. Like how college and uni teaches you a lot of things outside of your speciality, and why educators still have such an important role to play.
Alright, think that’s all I’ve got. As I mentioned, I’m on my way to New York to hold my first content blitz without my core team and I’m very nervous. This is one of those moments where I can’t help but wonder…did I bite off more than I can chew? More on that next time. Xx
LOVE this!
This is a very realistic take! I agree it can be super valuable to learn on your employers brand and build your own brand on it but one thing that I'd pose to you is that people are burnt out working for terrible employers and the rise of AI-inspired layoffs is crushing employee trust. A 9-5 is a great thing but you will get thrown under the bus in an instant if some CEO thinks they can increase profits by cutting your livelihood. Have you seen the airtable CEO's announcement about layoffs? That's bleak. People are tired of being treated as disposable. I fully support your point on building a brand around your job and getting a side hustle out of it but I don't blame people for being tired of the rat race