It’s all ending by Friday
Unofficially, anyway.
I'll be keeping a couple of clients while I figure out what's next, byFriday is technically still active. What's actually changing after today is the internal dynamic that’s been quietly humming underneath everything for the last five years.
That dynamic started as a dream: task-based work I could build around my life as a stay-at-home mom, and around chronic conditions that meant a standard nine-to-five was never going to work for me. CEO and stay-at-home mom, at the same time was the whole idea five years ago.
This last month, that dream has started looking like something new for all of us, not just me. My team has been stepping into their own next chapters smoother than I could have ever hoped. Amanda started her job as a superhero (apparently she's rocking three screens in her new role). Erin has taken existing clients and new clients as she starts her own admin business . We reflected on our story with a client this week and it felt incredible to remember where we started and how far we've come together. Kelly is using the connections she's made with us to keep building her own network for her photography business.
There's been sweet moments saying goodbye to clients too. We won't be meeting weekly anymore, but there's something exciting about telling them how excited I am about this new chapter, whatever it ends up meaning. I've even gotten job offers over the last few weeks which has allowed me to continue to reflect on what I loved about running byFriday and what I didn’t.
What I loved and never want to lose again was the flexibility. Building a version of a profession that worked around what I needed, instead of forcing myself around it. I loved building and leading this team, too. Watching Erin, Amanda, and Kelly step into their own strengths this month has honestly been one of the best parts of closing this chapter.
What I didn't love, it turns out, was running a company. Sales, business development, all the internal machinery of keeping something like this alive was never the part that lit me up. So naturally, a lot of well-meaning people have offered up their best guesses at what I should do next. Teaching. Driving a bus. (I love you all, and no.) Here's the thing, the problem was never the admin work. I love admin work and always have! The problem is finding a way to do it that comes with flexibility, PTO, and #2 status. Being the person who makes it all run, not the person who has to run everything.
So what's next? I’m still figuring it out but flexibility is the throughline, same as it's always been. Whatever it looks like, it's going to be built around the life I want, not the other way around.
To every client who trusted me with a piece of their business over the last five years, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Truly. This isn't goodbye so much as it is a handoff into good hands, and a new beginning for me too. And, if you know of a role or a company looking for a #2 who genuinely loves making things run smoothly, not someone chasing the founder seat, I'd love an introduction. This next chapter, I'm choosing who I work for as carefully as they'd be choosing me.
Today isn't really an ending. It's the last day of one shape, before the next one starts taking form.
