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Leap of Faith
When that "higher power" is you
by Kent Lewis

Each day, we have faith that our heart will continue beating, that our feet will stay firmly planted on the ground and that our job will be there when we arrive for work. As is commonly the case, these leaps of faith are out of our immediate control. Sometimes, these leaps are over distances that we’re not quite sure we can span. For instance, I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane last summer, trusting the jumpmaster and the chute to get me safely to the ground. Yet that is not nearly as scary as what I did five months ago.

The Job Merry-Go-Round
In early April of this year, I parted ways with my former employer and went out on my own. While it wasn’t exactly my choice to leave, it was my choice to go it on my own rather than look for another job. Few things have been as frightening as the realization that paychecks would no longer be automatically deposited into my checking account and that health benefits would disappear. To make matters even more interesting, I’d only just purchased my first home the previous day.

With no real way to pay for the house and no immediate job or client prospects, I had to take the ultimate leap of faith. I had to believe and trust myself that I could make it on my own. With a little encouragement from friends and oodles of support from family, I officially hung up the Anvil Media, Inc. shingle and beat the streets. Full disclaimer: I wasn’t starting from scratch.

When I left another agency in the fall of 2000, I took the initiative to form an "S" corporation in case I decided I wanted to consult, but I wasn’t 100 percent committed to the idea. I enjoyed working with a team in a real office and didn’t look forward to sitting at home in my undies (okay, maybe I did). The timing was right, however, and I landed a few small client projects. But things really started looking rosy when I snared a full-time four-month contracting gig with a large energy company. I was set, I thought. Enter Murphy’s Law. The energy crisis arrived, ending the party.

Shortly thereafter, I decided to drop the consulting entirely and moved into a full-time job, only to be laid off a few months later. Naturally, I fell back on consulting. The summer of 2001 was a rough one for marketing consultants, but, I persevered. Then just as I was starting to land business, I was given an opportunity that again led me to leave consulting. I decided to join an established agency, in my former capacity and with my old team. I needed the money, so it was an easy decision. Six months later, I paid for that decision. My personality was apparently too direct and my strategic vision vastly different. With no formal warning or discussion, I was summarily dismissed.

Moving on
Gifts come in all sizes and shapes, however. After losing my job, I found myself reeling from the sudden loss of steady income at the very time I needed it most. The surprise departure compounded my stress level as I didn’t have any alternative job opportunities or clients lined up. Regardless of the precarious financial situation, I elected to keep the house and move forward on my own. I realized that some people are meant to be their own boss. I realized, further, that I am one of those people. I have no patience for ineptitude or laziness. No longer was I going to put my career in the hands of incompetent management. I’d given too much to better the lives of others I didn’t respect. No more.

All I needed was a computer, an Internet connection and a place to work. Not completely coincidentally, I had a head start with Anvil already incorporated. I did have to set up accounting software, update print collateral and develop a business Web site.

In my previous two forays as a consultant, I’d learned that hard work, experience and motivation didn’t necessarily equate directly to income. The first time around, the timing was right in that companies still had remaining marketing budgets. The second time around, that was not the case.

This time it was clear right away that things were better out there. Potential clients seemed to have available budget and a greater interest in working with a consultant. I was able to sign up two clients within a few weeks. But I knew it would be tough going and I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to generate a sustainable income for many months. To tie me over until the checks started rolling in, I decided to supplement my income with proceeds from the sale of a previous property.

There have been other adjustments. I found I missed the socialization of an agency lifestyle. I enjoyed working with teams; I considered those people colleagues and friends. For that reason, when I left the agency, I felt like I had lost more than a just a job. To offset this feeling, I leased a desk from a local advertising agency. This gives many of the benefits of an agency environment without forfeiting any control or having to deal with the politics. The bonus was access to a conference room and equipment. Once Starbucks adds fax machines and copiers, I may have to consider relocating.

Where I Am Today
Persistence and hard work have paid off. Since deciding to go out on my own once and for all, I have landed new clients, developed partnerships with agencies and launched a new Web site. I’ve learned the most important lesson in life through this experience: If enough people believe in you, there’s no reason you shouldn’t believe in yourself. Better yet, as long as you believe in yourself, you don’t need anyone else to believe in you. Have a little faith that it will all work out in the end, and it will.