For those of you who have followed me on LinkedIn and/or social media for the last year, you will have seen how much of a whirlwind my work life has been, and indeed, life in general! Every single day I worked at yboo, I came across a new challenge, a new adventure, and new people who amazed me every day. I was pushed out of my comfort zone more times than I can count on my fingers; had to upskill myself really quickly in countless different aspects of the role; implemented new strategies and attended 4 different training courses, all of the aforementioned having contributed to the person I am today, both personally and professionally.
Life was brilliant.
I became a much more confident and competent person. I would tell others how much I adored my job and working for the company; how crazily busy it was, but what amazing opportunities it constantly gave me. It didn’t stop at word of mouth. I became a yboo “ambassador” on my social media accounts, video content I produced and articles I wrote, speaking honestly and passionately from my heart about how great yboo was. I couldn’t have been happier.
Then we found out that yboo was entering into administration.
Devastating news that came as such a shock and turned my work world upside down. I was going to lose my perfect job, leave behind all the blood, sweat and tears I had put in, and lose the close knit work family I had grown to love. Such a supportive family, we had become reliant on each other’s encouragement and support to tackle each challenging but fun-filled day.
It was more than “just a job that paid the mortgage.” It was my life for the last year. To the outsider, that probably sounds ridiculous and over dramatic, but all the extra time, dedication and passion I put into my role and the company, that is honestly how it feels.
So I am turning the page onto the next chapter of my life, transitioning from the crazy world of start-up/scale up, into establishing myself as a freelance Executive PA. I have already worked hard behind the scenes to start building my own brand, in the creation of my own website, Facebook business page and social media engagement.
The new challenge thoroughly excites me and, as always, I am going to throw myself right into it, whilst continuing to push myself to be the best version of me.
“Dear Past, thank you for the lessons. Dear future, I am ready!” – Unknown
Joanne Hickling (October 2019)