OK, apologies for the clickbait… but it鈥檚 true. 馃ぃ
The first time was awful – completely unexpected and terrible timing. I had a young family and half the rest of the IT industry seemed to be in the same boat. I had no Plan B, and the shock hit hard. What followed were weeks (though it felt like months) of applying for jobs and just missing out at interview after interview. Eventually, it worked out – but at the time, it was rough.
The second time was completely different. In fact, I鈥檇 been hoping for it.
Redundancy Schumundancy 馃槒
It鈥檚 the 13th anniversary of that second redundancy – December 2011, just before Christmas. A change in management (the timing speaks volumes!) and a sense that the time was right led me to engineer my way out. That time, it was Plan A.
Looking back, it was one of the best decisions I鈥檝e ever made.
The redundancy payment wasn鈥檛 huge, but it gave me a couple of months of breathing space – just enough to co-found my first business and step into the world of entrepreneurship. It wasn鈥檛 easy. The first few years were lean, with income cobbled together from consulting and freelancing. But those experiences – working with different teams, customers, and industries – gave me more growth in three years than I鈥檇 had in the previous fifteen.
Starting that business came with risks – no guaranteed income, no safety net. But it also came with rewards: flexibility, ownership, and the chance to build something from scratch. Over time, the business grew, leading to a successful acquisition years later.
Here鈥檚 what I鈥檝e learned from my journey:
1. Redundancy can be a trigger for growth. Sometimes, we need an external push to take a leap we wouldn鈥檛 otherwise consider. For me, the changes at work became that push.
2. Security is often an illusion. Working for an organisation might feel stable, but jobs can vanish overnight. Building something for yourself feels risky, but it puts you in the driver鈥檚 seat.
3. Entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster. The highs and lows are real, but so are the rewards鈥攊f you鈥檙e willing to take the plunge.
I wouldn鈥檛 change a thing about that experience. Sometimes, what feels like a setback is actually the start of something great.
Have you ever faced a challenge that turned into an opportunity? I鈥檇 love to hear your story.