300 Days After Layoff: I Built a Business That Replaced My Income

I never saw it coming

April 24, 2024. I had just stepped off a plane from London to Budapest for a wedding.

I glanced at my phone. Two emails caught my eye.

The first started with “Your termination…”

The second? A 15-minute meeting invite with HR and my skip manager.

“What the f**k?” I blurted out in the middle of the airport.

Six days later, on April 30, I packed up my desk. After years of grinding in tech, I was officially laid off as a Lead Data Scientist.

Today is February 27, 2025. 303 days since my layoff.

I woke up at 8 AM. Took a Pilates class at 8:30. Came back refreshed and spent two hours writing this article.

At lunchtime, I’ll publish a LinkedIn post on resume strategies.

This afternoon?

Catch-up calls with two tech creators I met online

A discovery call with a jobseeker interested in my coaching

A video chat with a Substack bestselling writer

Tonight, I’ll browse lodging options for Koh Samui, Thailand — because next month, I’m working from there for four weeks.

A year ago, I never thought my life would look like this:

Writing online

Making videos

Meeting founders and creators

Calling my own shots

Booking flights to Thailand just because I can

For 8 years, I played by the rules.

Work visa. Corporate ladder. Fat savings account. Retire. Die.

That was the path. That was all I knew.

But deep down? I wanted more.

The tech layoff didn’t just force me out of my comfort zone — it handed me the permission slip I never actually needed.

And I ran with it.

The biggest shift from employee to solopreneur? This

Sales and marketing.

As an employee, you don’t have to sell yourself — at least not much. Maybe a little during interviews, but once you sign that contract, your “sales pitch” is done. Your paycheck arrives like clockwork.

Solopreneurship? Whole different game.

Every single day, I’m in the business of sales and marketing:

Who do I serve?

What do I offer?

How do I get the word out?

How do I reach more people?

What do I not offer to protect my time and sanity?

A year ago, I would’ve said, “I hate sales.”

Now? Sales is my entire job. I do it with my content, my words, my conversations — because if I don’t, no one else will.

And here’s the crazy part: I actually love it.

It’s terrifying and electrifying all at once.

Terrifying because you’re juggling 100 things at once, and there’s no safety net.

Electrifying because you’re free — and no corporate overlord can tell you to go f**k yourself.

The myth of multiple streams of income

People love to preach about having “multiple streams of income.”

But let’s be real — most people don’t have multiple. They have one that actually pays the bills, and a handful of side projects that barely move the needle.

Here’s where my income comes from:

• Career coaching

• Brand coaching

• Product sales

• Substack membership

• Writing on Medium

But do I split my time evenly between them? Not even close.

I spend 90% of my time on the first two — because they bring the highest ROI, allow me to connect deeply with people, and actually pay.

As of this month, 94% of my income comes from coaching.

So technically, I don’t have “multiple” streams — I have one solid stream and a few extras. The rest? They’re by-products, not real revenue drivers.

The lesson? Stop chasing 10 streams of income. Go all in on the one that actually works.

Cash flow first, everything else later.

What’s next for me in 2025

This year, my mission is clear: help 50 Data Scientists land high-growth, high-paying jobs.

After coaching 30+ people, I’ve seen the same patterns over and over — people don’t struggle with technical skills. They struggle with structured problem-solving, clear communication, and negotiation.

And because no one teaches these things in school, most people walk into interviews unprepared to showcase their value. Then, they walk into salary discussions unprepared to fight for what they’re worth.

I’ve been there. I figured it out the hard way — through trial and error, studying top performers, and building my own system. That system landed me 5 offers in the summer of 2023, the trough of tech hiring.

My system also helped my clients go from months of rejection to multiple six-figure offers.

Now, I want to share it with even more people.

Beyond coaching, I’m also working with Dataford, a platform helping data professionals sharpen their coding and interview skills.

Our 2025 goal: Double Dataford’s weekly active users and retention. My role is leading B2C marketing, and if you want to collaborate and get the word out, let’s talk.

And finally, another thing that excites me this year is helping more people build their personal brands.

The days of job security are over. We’ve all seen how the decisions of billionaire CEOs can wipe out thousands of jobs overnight.

People are waking up — realizing that relying solely on a paycheck is risky.

I built my personal brand in under six months, and it completely changed my career, my income, and my freedom. Now, I want to help others do the same — so they’re no longer at the mercy of layoffs, hiring freezes, or unpredictable bosses.

Big year ahead.

Am I scared?

Absolutely.

But that’s the point.