It’s August 2016, and I’m sitting at my desk in a very hip, Google-style office. Everything seems normal—until it isn’t.
A notification pops up on my screen:
💻 HR: Hey Channing, can you come to my office for a minute please?
My stomach sinks. I already know what’s about to happen.
The Walk to HR
I stand up, steadying myself as I walk down the hallway. My inner monologue is on repeat:
“Channing, you’re about to be laid off. Don’t cry. Listen to what they say. Do NOT cry. Do what you can to avoid leaving the team in the lurch. And seriously—do NOT cry.”
I made it through that meeting with my composure intact. But as soon as I hit the parking lot, the tears started flowing.
A Familiar Story, But a New Perspective
This wasn’t my first time dealing with layoffs. Just a few years earlier, I had been on the other side of the table. It had been a grueling 2.5 years of trial by fire, but now it was my turn to feel the sting.
I was devastated, confused, and filled with questions. But amidst the tears and the “WTF?!” moments, a thought began to take root:
“If DCM Communications is ever going to be a real, full-time business, it’s going to happen now.”
The Start of Something Real
I told this to myself daily and to every other person who questioned my decision to pursue entrepreneurship rather than a “safe” route of finding a job.
So, I went back to basics. I did the thing I still tell every business owner to do when they need a fast infusion of work (a.k.a. sales). And you know what? It worked.
I landed that first client and never looked back.
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