“I’m Not Ready For Another Layoff…”

I know that feeling all too well.

In my Silicon Valley career, the average time between layoffs was about 18 months.

Over the span of a decade, I’d been in the cycle more times than I cared to admit.

One minute, I’d be hired to build a team, the next minute I’d be asked to dismantle it, lay off everyone, and then pack up my own desk.

I didn’t get laid off because I was bad at my job.

It had nothing to do with my performance or my team’s.

It was all about corporate finances spiraling out of control—decisions made in rooms I wasn’t in, by people who didn’t know my name.

Sounds familiar?

After my third layoff, I realized that this wasn’t going to change.

This pattern would keep repeating unless I made a drastic move.

I could either keep playing corporate roulette, hoping I wasn’t next on the chopping block, or I could take control. Because the truth is, whether you’re in tech, healthcare, or even the government, no job is safe anymore.

NBC reported on this back in 2010 in “The Rise of the Permanent Temporary Workforce.”

They forecasted it all: more jobs turning temporary, fewer pay gains, and worsening conditions. Now, 15 years later, we’re living it. They called it perfectly:

"The idea that any job is permanent has been proven not to be true," says Barry Asin, a chief analyst. "When I hear people talk about temp vs. permanent jobs, I laugh."

We’re all temps now.

And yet, so many are still holding on to the illusion of job security. Are you one of them?

If you’re feeling that gnawing anxiety about the next round of layoffs…you’re not alone.

I was right there with you—until I decided to do something about it.

Why I Left and Why You Should, Too

When I finally had enough, I made the switch to solopreneurship. Not because I was some kind of natural risk-taker or independently wealthy—but because I just couldn’t take the corporate instability anymore.

And I had burned out.

I needed healing, and I wanted control over my work, my income, and most of all, my future.

Let me tell you, making this shift has given me more than just relief from the corporate merry-go-round. It’s given me real, tangible security in ways a traditional job never could if all you're thinking is about your salary.

Here’s why solopreneurship is not just an escape from corporate chaos—but the remedy you’ve been searching for if what you're after is a more meaningful life:

1. You Get to Control Your Income

It's not a salary, but it's not something you also wait for the next pink slip to get in spite of all your hard work. I took charge. As a solopreneur, you’re not stuck relying on one employer or one paycheck when you take control. By diversifying your clients, you reduce the risk that having a single boss and facing a single loss will box you into. If one client ends, you’ve got others. That’s the kind of stability corporate life never gave me.

2. You Can Pivot—Anytime

In a corporate job, you’re locked into a role, no matter how toxic the environment becomes. Once toxicity hits critical mass and you leave, you're stuck having most likely to fit in the same role elsewhere. Often, you run into the same old toxicity. Why? Because it comes with the job as if it were part of the job description! As a solopreneur, if the market changes, if clients' needs shift, if my your interests and opportunities morph, you have the flexibility to pivot. You’re not dependent on one company’s vision. You’re free to adapt, learn, and evolve as needed.

3. No More Middlemen

In corporate jobs, layers of bureaucracy separate you from the work that really matters—and from the people you want to help. As a solopreneur, you deal directly with clients. No middlemen. No office politics. Just you, your skills, and the people who actually need what you do. (Even the taxman takes a back seat, because you get tax breaks employees don't get.)

4. You Own What You Build

In corporate life, everything you create belongs to the company. When you get laid off, you walk away with nothing but what you can fit inside a cardboard box. As a solopreneur, every client relationship, every project, every piece of intellectual property is yours—you own it. You’re building assets. You're building capital. You’re building a future.

5. Resilience Comes from Community

Corporate layoffs isolate you. The moment you’re out, so is your network. Have you ever found yourself on LinkedIn unemployed and unable to rely on your former coworkers who are still with the company? What good were all those years working with them if they have to hide when you need them? But solopreneurs thrive in communities. We collaborate, share resources, and grow together. I’ve built a personal network of clients and fellow solopreneurs that I can rely on, and they can rely on me. This kind of community has kept me grounded, especially when times were tough.

6. Align Your Work With Your Values

In a corporate job, how many times have you had to commit to decisions you didn’t agree with? How many times have you seen profits put above people? Solopreneurship gives you the power to align your business with your ethics. You choose how you work, who you work with, and what your mission is.

7. You’re Not Disposable

Corporate jobs treat you like a cog in the machine, easy to replace. And now this is norm. It's no longer a trend. It's the status quo. When I became a solopreneur, that machine mindset disappeared. I’m no longer disposable. I choose my clients. I set the terms. I own my work. I live organically not organizationally. And no one can fire me from that.

If you’re still clinging to the idea that your corporate job will be there forever, heck, just long-term, then ask yourself, how much longer can you live with the fear of getting laid off?

NBC warned us 15 years ago that this shift away from permanent jobs was coming. And here we are today—nothing’s changed except the number of people getting cut loose.

Solopreneurship isn’t just a career choice, it’s the only way I’ve found to take control of my future. And if I could make the shift after years of layoffs and corporate exhaustion, I know you can too.

You have the skills, you have the drive, and the opportunity is there. Do you have the will power?

It’s time to stop waiting for the next round of layoffs. It’s time to start taking control.

Your Move

I’m not telling you to leap into the unknown blindly. But if you’re tired of feeling like a disposable cog, if you’re sick of living in fear of layoffs, then you owe it to yourself to explore the freedom and security that solopreneurship offers.

This is your moment to break free. I’ve done it. And I’m here to show you the way.