And just like that, I was suddenly thrown into the sea of people who had been laid off. I always thought my role was secure—I was the only product designer in the entire organization. But as it turns out, not every company values design as much as you’d think.
I had originally planned to quit and travel in May, but this earlier-than-expected push made me go for it sooner.
It's been about a month since I decided to go all in on my own ventures, so I thought it would be a good time to sit down, reflect on how the month has gone, how it made me feel, and how I plan to move forward.
At the beginning of this journey, I set out with the intention of working on whatever I felt like, giving myself space to decompress after a year and a half at my previous job—a time filled with many ups and downs. I knew this first month wouldn’t show much in terms of financial progress, and I was okay with that.
Here are my key takeaways from my first month as a full-time solopreneur:
1. Freedom is a Wonderful Feeling
Waking up each day and choosing what to work on—carving my own path—has brought a level of satisfaction I didn’t expect. About a week after the layoff, I went for a walk and cried tears of happiness. I think I felt more stuck at my job than I realized, counting down the days until I could leave. It’s odd because I didn’t hate my job, but I didn’t love it either. It made me feel like my skills were being diminished, and I was meant for something more.
2. The Pressure I Put on Myself is Stronger Than I Thought
When I was building Houndthem.com as a side hustle, I didn’t feel as much pressure because I had steady income from my full-time job. But now, with no regular income, I’ve put immense pressure on myself to make this venture work. Navigating that has been challenging.
3. Focusing Only on Big, Important Tasks Made Me Less Effective
I’ve read a lot of books and articles that advise focusing on the most important tasks that move the business forward—the 20% of tasks that create 80% of your outcomes. While I agree with this in theory, it has led me to overplan and overthink, making me second-guess whether I’m working on the right things. Ironically, it’s made me less effective. What I’ve learned is that I need to move the big tasks forward, but without stressing about whether they’re perfect or even the right tasks.
4. Doing Small Tasks Helps with Momentum and Motivation
While moving the big tasks forward is crucial for Hound, I’ve realized that dedicating time to smaller tasks each week helps me keep momentum and stay motivated. For me, this includes adding to the marketing website, uploading new brands, talking to people, and writing regularly. I’ve noticed that when I don’t do anything creative or design-related for a while, it takes the fun out of the process.
5. Not Every Method Works for Everyone
I recently tried a content creation method I heard about online, where you sit down and film 25 short videos twice a month. But when I started scripting, planning, and filming, I barely got four videos done. I became frustrated and overthought the strategy, spending an entire week creating content, only to end up with subpar results. This experience taught me that it’s better to ease into new approaches rather than jumping headfirst into them.
6. When Sign-Ups Slow, It’s Easy to Doubt Yourself
It's easy to stay motivated when sign-ups are rolling in, people are talking about your product, and new features are being added. But when things slow down, it’s tough not to doubt yourself, the product, or whether you're doing the right things.
7. Splitting My Focus Has Helped Me Relax
This ties into the self-pressure I mentioned earlier. I was putting immense pressure on myself for Hound to succeed quickly, fearing that I’d be draining my savings. This started to take the fun out of building it. So, I decided to split my time between running my UX consulting business and working on Hound until I can get enough revenue from Hound to make it my sole focus. This shift in mindset has helped me enjoy the process again.
8. Don’t Chase the Outcome, Chase the Journey
For much of this first month, I kept thinking, “Once I get Hound to replace my full-time job, I’ll be happy.” But as the month came to an end, I realized I had been approaching this all wrong. My goal has always been to create a business where I control my own time. In a way, I’ve already achieved that—I’m doing it now, even if it’s not at the scale I envisioned yet. I constantly remind myself that this is what I wanted, so I should enjoy the process, keep improving, and keep learning. Eventually, I’ll get to where I want to be, and then I’ll have new goals—just like I always have.
All that said, I’m incredibly excited for the next few months. I have a feeling it’s going to be a great time for both me and Hound, with some exciting things on the horizon.
