Accountability was important to me, so I didn’t blame anyone other than myself. Now that I was facing the reality of my current predicament, it was up to me to manage how to pick myself back up and turn it into something positive. The success of my career had always been a big part of my self-esteem, so putting myself through another interview process for jobs that I had no interest in was something that I couldn’t do. I no longer had the heart to pursue another FTE role and then pretend that nothing ever happened.
Dexter wasn’t the one that convinced me to leave MS. I’d been toying with the idea for months now, even before I met Ryan. I had even mentioned it to Ryan. Dexter just reminded me that I really had nothing to lose and only the nervous excitement of unknown opportunities to gain.
I had decent savings in my bank and investment accounts and my resume was solid. The timing of my departure also coincided nicely with MS’s annual bonus and stock awards payout. Since I had such a great review this past year in my old group, MS had just deposited thirty thousand dollars in combined stock awards and bonus payment to me. This would last me for several months and beyond. Yup. MS will work your ass off. But if you get a high review score, they do reward you nicely. For whatever reason, if I couldn’t find a vendor role at MS to kick off my consulting practice, then I felt confident that I would have no problem finding another role at a different company. Besides, if I was forced into a short break from the corporate rat race, well … it certainly wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen this year.
On Tuesday morning, I took the steps I needed to formally set up my own small business. I even scheduled a visit to my accountant to help me with the financial aspects of acquiring a tax ID and business accounts.
By the end of the week, I had tied up all of my MS loose ends. I sent out a farewell email to my colleagues and to those who had an influenced and assisted me in my career at MS over the years. Of course, I received email replies and IMs from all of my teammates. Mia was completely floored and demanded we meet up for dinner this week. I smiled to myself; despite everything, I was glad to know that she and I would remain friends. I cc’ed Catherine and Stephanie, but neither of them reached out to me. I figured Catherine would inform Ryan.
The following week, I contacted Beth Howe and asked if she was willing to take me on as a contractor. She hadn’t found any other candidates that she was thrilled with and she knew that her headcount would be taken away if she didn’t fill the position soon. Having a contractor immediately available to do the much-needed work in the interim would be a quick and easy way for her to keep the ship afloat. Beth was looking to hire me as the Field Readiness Manager for Sales and Marketing IT, which basically meant that I would train the field on sales and marketing systems and processes. It wasn’t the most exciting role, but it felt good knowing that it was an initial means to an end.
She knew my reputation and had confidence in my abilities, so she decided to hire me for a six-month contract. The best part was that the contract had potential for more work beyond what I was originally hired for. I told Beth I would ask around, knowing fully well that this was the perfect opportunity for me to get others on board to sub-contract through me. By doing this, I could earn 10-20% of their bill rate in exchange for finding them the contract job. The average Program Manager bills about $100/hr. or $4000 a week. If you do the math @ 10%, I would earn an additional $400/week through their sub-contract. Now imagine if I someday had 100 of them. This opportunity with Beth would allow me to essentially start my own consulting company—exactly what I wanted.
We agreed to my start date of mid next week and when she asked me which consulting company I was working for so that she could start processing my purchase order, I was floored to tell her to put down “Hayes Consulting.” She mentioned that IT only used preferred, established consulting companies, but since she knew I was uniquely qualified for the role, an exception could be made.
I officially had my first contract, under the name of my new company. It felt great.
“Mmm … they have the best croissants here,” Anna murmured as she rolled her eyes up into her head, savoring her first bite. “Shame they’re so fattening.” It didn’t stop her from finishing her croissant and yes; she actually licked her fingers.
Like she had anything to worry about.
I sipped my coffee and took another bite of my own ham and cheese croissant. Yes, this place was by far the best bakery in the city. I heard the owner was trained at a world-renowned school in France. I believed it. I gazed up at the walls, where several pictures of French cafes were framed and hung. No doubt these pictures were supposed to give customers the feeling that they were sitting in one of those authentic bakeries in Paris.