I have been designing websites since 2021 but before going full-time, I used to work at an advertising agency here in London. Here is my story of why I quit my dream job and swapped it for self-employment.

Young, fun and living the London dream

Before becoming a website designer, I worked at an award-winning marketing agency here in London. When I first landed the job, I was ecstatic. It was everything I could have ever wanted.

The office was on Carnaby Street, the culture was young and fun, we had parties in the office and we were taken for lunches at restaurants all around Soho. We had a beer-fridge and after-work socials and I worked on some big clients like Amazon and Zipcar right from the get-go.

Here is me at a rooftop bar looking over the Top Gun premier in Leicester square for our summer party.

What more could a 20-something year old want?

It was the perfect mix of both fun and challenging. It was the definition of work hard, play hard. And it seemed like the perfect job….until it wasn’t.

It started with people leaving the agency but they stopped being replaced. That meant pressure and workload increased and stress-levels were at an all time high. It wasn’t the stress that forced me to leave though.

There were two turning points for me when it came to working here.

Old white guys in suits

The first one was a conversation about a colleague who had been working at the agency for years. She was a significant part of the culture in agency and was extremely good at her job. However she had been denied promotion after promotion. She was the perfect employee but was struggling to progress any further than her current position and salary. I was frustrated for her and I could never picture myself sticking around as long as she had.

That same night, I was talking to another colleague who told me about the “big boss” of the agency and his insane amount of wealth. He literally had an iPad built into his wardrobe which selected his outfit based on the weather. Is that not mental? It’s cliché to say that it made it worse that was a middle-aged white guy in a suit, and just one of an all-male leadership team.

We were working our arses off for little reward and for a guy who is so rich, he doesn’t even have to pick out his own tie in the morning. It was so far from what I knew and wanted to be part of. I was not making an impact with my work and I was on the basic London wage, making profits for a guy I now knew was a millionaire.

It felt so demotivating to know I would never be respected or fairly compensated for my hard work. But also so uninspiring to see that was what I was working towards.

Environmental destruction with a side of advertising

The classic “stick it to the man” story was not the only turning point for me. I was also in a moral dilemma which I felt hopeless to solve.

Something you need to know about me is that I care deeply about the environment. I have been a vegetarian for years to reduce my environmental impact and am always striving to be as sustainable as I can.

But our agency, without the majority of us knowing, were working on marketing an oil company in the middle east. Apparently for longer than anyone knew. I was heartbroken and raised my concerns with both my peers and senior leadership team, but was quickly dismissed and the issue forgotten.

But it played on my mind for the rest of my time working at that agency. Under no circumstances did I want to play any part in that.

It was a build up of stress, lack-of-progression, hate of patriarchy and environmental destruction that led me to quit my job.

What was next for me?

Luckily, I already knew what was next for me. I had been designing websites as a side hustle for 2+ years up until that point. I started it during my time at university studying digital marketing and it was something I loved. Not only was I good at, but the thought of working for myself lit my soul on fire.

I knew that I could either hop to the next corporate 9-5 or I could go all in on my dreams and really commit to building my own future.

If my options are building wealth for another millionaire white guy, or building my own wealth and future – it’s a no brainer.

So I decided to take the plunge and go all in.

I quit my 9-5, worked my two month notice and started to give my business everything I had. I was going to networking events, building up my social media, working on my business foundations and ironing out my client processes.

Of course it was both terrifying and challenging but I knew it was what I needed to do.

CEO & Website designer

Which leads me to today. I’m still a full-time business owner and website designer. I have been able to take my background in marketing and use it to create high-converting, strategy-led websites. I’ve worked with some of the most amazing clients and helped so many business owners take the same leap into self-employment and building their own dreams.

What a privilege it is to be part of that journey for someone else. And if you’re thinking of starting your own business then I would love to support you and be your cheerleader. Whether that is through a website, answering any questions you have or simply showing you support on your socials while you grow your own customer base.

I want everyone brave enough to go out on their own and leave the 9-5 to feel confident in their decision.

So please, reach out to me and let’s talk all things business and screw the 9-5.