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What if getting laid off was actually the push you needed to build the life you wanted?
Lauren Gibson is a writer and email marketing strategist who helps founders, agency owners, and coaches grow through newsletters and community-building. She’s worked across human rights, tech, and entrepreneurship, including the co-founder of Ethereum on a DeFi project. After traveling to 44 countries, earning her MBA at Georgetown, and getting laid off from the NFT market in 2023, Lauren turned what could have been devastating into the catalyst she needed to build her own business.
This episode is packed with unique insights on the psychological challenges of transitioning from employee to entrepreneur, especially for highly educated professionals. She’s discovered that people with advanced degrees often struggle more because they’ve been trained to value their worth through employer validation. Her journey from relief at being laid off to building a profitable business in under a year shows that sometimes the scariest moments become the biggest opportunities.
Lauren also shares how she overcame analysis paralysis, dropped her ego to take on pro bono work, and built her business through organic marketing. Her insights on the future of work, email lists versus social media, and why consistency beats passion offer practical wisdom for anyone considering the entrepreneurial leap
Key Takeaways:
- Higher Education Can Make Entrepreneurship Harder. Advanced degree holders often struggle more because they’re conditioned to seek employer validation.
- You Can’t Connect the Dots Looking Forward. Planning everything perfectly leads to paralysis; start doing and figure it out as you go.
- Drop Your Ego and Do Free Work Initially. Pro bono clients help you build testimonials and transition from employee to business owner mindset.
- Consistency Beats Passion in Business. Passion fades regularly, but consistent daily actions keep you moving through tough times.
- Email Lists Are 42x More Valuable Than Social Media. Focus on building your email list since subscribers are more likely to convert.
- Connections Drive the Future of Work. As AI automates tasks, human connections become the primary differentiator and value creator.
- Structure Your Day Like a Company Would. Without a boss setting your schedule, create your own daily routines and stick to them.
Listen to the full conversation here:
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@risingtidestartups
- Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rising-tide-startups/id1330525474
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2eq7unl70TRPsBhjLEsNZR
Connect with Lauren:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linkwithlauren/
- Letter Launched: https://letterlaunched.com/
- Website: https://laurenrosegibson.com/
Closing thought: You can’t connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards.” Steve Jobs
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