From Corporate Layoff to Business Success: How Kristen Lettini Built Her Fairytale Career | #183

Second Act Success Career Podcast
Season 1 - From Corporate Layoff to Business Success: How Kristen Lettini Built Her Fairytale Career | #183
Episode - #183
Host: Shannon Russell
Guest: Kristen Lettini
Transcription (*created by Descript and may not be perfectly accurate)

[00:00:00] getting let go, It felt like such a blow. it was an ego blow at the time. And it was like the end of the world. But honestly, if that hadn't happened, I don't know that I'd be here today.

I'd probably still be plugging away in the company, right? So having a new perspective and being able to look back on all those like, awful, I'm using air quotes, moments were really blessings. And I'm super happy for that new perspective and like resilience to keep going and keep trying.

[00:00:25] Speaker 2: Are you ready to quit your nine to five job and start a business of your own? Well, you're in the right place, my friend. Welcome to the second act success career podcast. I am your host, Shannon Russell. I am a former television producer turned business owner, career transition coach, and boy mom. My mission is to help you produce your best life.

This podcast will teach you how to get from where you are now to where you want to be and how to build a business that fits your life and lights you up. Let's get started.

Kristen [00:01:00] Lettini, welcome to Second Act Success. I'm so happy to have you here. Thank you, Shannon. I am so excited to be here.

I was on your podcast quite some time ago, and we just had such a great conversation. And I just really love your story and everything you're building with your business, but let's start back from the beginning. Where did your career begin? Loaded question. And thank you, by the way, because yeah, it's been over a year.

I just looked since your episode aired on my podcast. So super excited to get in touch. Um, so yeah, my, I was like my career really, I went back all the way to like what I studied in college, because I chose chemistry. I'm a chemist, a little bit of a nerd, or a big nerd, however you want to look at it, because I just thought it was like, This right thing to do.

I said, I like science. I'm pretty good at it. And it'll prove that I'm smart. Like that was literally the logic that went into choosing a major for college, which had nothing to do with what I wanted to do or my passions. So I came out, worked for a local small company for three years after college, the job found me and was great.

I learned so much being with a small company, but [00:02:00] at the end of three years, I was like, you know what? I think I should go back to business school and learn the business side since I was a science major. And again, this was like, I should do this. I've learned so much business in the three years that I was with that company, but I, I went back, I got a full scholarship.

So it made it really easy to be like, okay, timeout from an earning a salary, you're going to go back to school. And again, when I was earning my MBA, It was all the things that I had already done with science. And I worked for, um, an excipient distributor. I was doing some pricing and supply chain. So I studied supply chain again, not because I took the time to say what I really want to do, what am I passionate about?

Like I kept making these looking back, I can see clearly how these mistakes would add up, but at the time it was like, no big deal, I'll figure it out. And so coming out of business school, I was recruited to work for a company. In procurement. it was great. It was a great company, global company, loved it there.

But within a year with the company, I was like, huh, I don't think I want to climb this ladder in procurement. Like I want to stay with this company, but procurement's not it for me. And it took me about [00:03:00] five years to change functions because it was such a massive company and I didn't have the backgrounds that people had coming in and marketing communications, right?

I had a non traditional backgrounds, it's a theme I have in life. I just don't do things the traditional way. I finally made the switch. I had a lot of no's. I went on so many interviews where I came in second. They were like, yep, nope, somebody just had the qualifications. They're already part of the team or whatever the answer was.

It was never that like, go fix this thing, which is what I wanted, right? Because I wanted to get to the yes. But ultimately I made the switch, spent about eight years of my career there in marketing and communications. I was 13 plus years with the company. Put a flag in 2018.

I got called into a meeting with my manager and they were like, Oh, an HR is going to join us. And I was like, it's weird. HR is good. Like that's never happened before. Did I say something like what's going on? And of course I was impacted. My role was eliminated. I was completely blindsided looking back again.

Should I have been, I don't know, but I had great reviews, I didn't think this could happen to me. I thought this happens to underperformers. This happens to people who aren't doing well, who don't [00:04:00] like their jobs. Like, what is going on here?

Up until that point, if you had said to me, are you going to be with this company forever? I would have been like, yeah. I'm a lifer. I'm going to be here because I can change roles every two to three years. Keep it fresh. No biggie. They pay me well. I have good friends here, but something changed that day.

While my role was eliminated. I eliminated. I did get a new one before the time ran out. So I stayed at the same company. Was it at the same company? Okay. And things just got progressively harder, right? I felt like the role was eliminated and then I got a similar role. So it was just kind of like, now you have two jobs almost, which is not, no one ever said that, but that's, it just felt like it got much harder.

And then something inside me was just my heart wasn't in it anymore. So I even went to the extent of after a few years in that new role, I actually took a step down. I was like, well, maybe if I take a step back, I get an office closer to home. So it was a level down. Maybe it'll like reignite my passion here.

And it didn't. In 2022, my husband was asking what do you want for your birthday coming up? And I said, you know, we've talked it before about like, I don't know if I'm going to stay [00:05:00] here forever. I think I want to do my own thing.

I just didn't know what I was going to do. He said, what do you want for your birthday? I said, I want your full support. Like, I want to know that we can actually do this because we've talked before. It's been a pipe dream, but now I want to be like in writing you, you are okay with this, like, cause it's a risk for both of us.

Right? Yeah, absolutely. So for my birthday that year, I got a handwritten note from him. Signed by him and my kids saying, we support you go do this. Okay. That was probably my favorite birthday present ever. Ever. So it took me four years from being let go to saying I want to do this. And then two months later, I was done.

I was out of the company in June. I gave like a month plus notice because I didn't want to leave anybody hanging. Of course. Um, but yeah. And then it was like, okay, what are we going to do? For all my planning, like I'm such a planner, I didn't have a plan. My plan was. Figure it out. So fortunately, I already started the podcast.

The build your own fairy tale podcast. And at that point I'd had a very different approach. It was just like, we're just going to get like 1 [00:06:00] percent better a day. I'm going to talk to people and learn different skills. There was no like focus. I didn't feel qualified to have a focus just yet, but I already had the podcast.

I said, I'm going to keep the podcast alive. That was my plan. And then figure out what I'm going to do. And so I kept the podcast going and about maybe six to nine months later. Cause the first part, when I first left the company, I was like, I'm just going to take the summer and be with my kids and not do anything for the first time in a long time.

So I did that. And one of my first guests when I got back into it was saying, and she was a friend from college, she had a photography business, Christine, and I said to her, Christine, I don't know what I'm going to try to do. She's like, well, do you want to help me? I need help on the back end. And I was like, that sounds like something I can totally do and figure out.

She's like, okay, cool. So she had trusted me to let me into her business, right? She's like, okay, you're not going to blow things up if you log into my account. After I finished for her, she's like, Kristen, you have to be charging for this. Like, this is really valuable work like you just did for me.

It's saving me so much time. And I said, Oh, and that was the light bulb for me. I'm like, okay, maybe this is the business model path. [00:07:00] Yeah. So, yeah. So it's been what, two plus years? And so I've kept the podcast going. We're at 100 plus episodes. Just a little behind you, but so exciting and I love having the show.

And then now building the business side of helping solopreneurs build these systems, saving them time, saving their sanity, saving them money. Because I work with a lot of creatives. Nobody gets into a business to like send an invoice or send an email or. put a checklist together, right? Like they want to do their craft.

They want to do their thing. But once you get into, you're like, Oh man, there's, there's a lot here besides just baking, putting floral arrangements together, taking pictures, like there's a whole lot more. So that was a long winded response to like where it started and where it's going today. But it's an incredible path in so many ways.

And I want to break it down because you talked a lot about jumping into things and doing what you should do. Oh, I should be doing this. I should study this in business [00:08:00] school. You did all the right things, but you didn't find fulfillment in it.

You were good at it. You had a well paying job, but it's that self awareness to know that this wasn't what you wanted to do forever. And where do you think that first moment of you realizing like, this isn't my forever job came in? Was there a specific moment when you realized that? Yeah, I would say I mean that first year in procurement I remember when I sat down with my boss at the time or my manager at the time to say like I think I've identified another area communications that I want to go to and she was like, Oh, well, we don't really have a path for that.

She didn't say it in those words, and my managers were always generally supportive, but no one knew how to get me from point A to point B. So it was on me the next few years to take on stretch assignments, to have, you know, You know, coffee cHats and just learn and then do what I could before if somebody finally took the chance and said yes to meet him.

And again, I'm totally qualified. It's like, I can do this [00:09:00] job, but I just don't have that checklist of items that someone else has because they went up that traditional path. Right? Right. So there was that moment of like, Oh, no one can help me. Like, I just need to figure this out. Even once I was super happy in marketing and communications, it got to be where it was just, especially with COVID.

But like I was focused on employee health and well being and all the things that I was talking about to 160, 000 employees globally about how to stay healthy.

There were a lot that I weren't doing, right? I was like, Oh, don't send emails late. Don't log on late. Don't work, you know, back to back days of all zoom meetings. And I'm like, I don't know how to stop this. Like, it felt like it was out of my control. So I don't know if it was like a burnout or what, but I just, I didn't feel like I had enough space in my life.

I just felt very. I was on calls all day from like eight to five. My kids were at the time, kindergarten zoom, trying to figure out, like, it was just chaos and I did not feel good. I felt like there's gotta be a better way. [00:10:00] So I started listening to other podcasts and reading books and, Hey, these people are building careers.

outside of corporate America, and they're doing pretty good. So that today is now my whole premise on the Build Your Own Fairytale show of talking to people who have built careers outside of the traditional path, because I'm a non traditional girl. Yes, in that respect. And I want to share with other people that yeah, there's lots of ways you can do this.

It's not just one size fits all. Yes, I agree. I agree so much. You went a non traditional path. You tried different departments at your company. Learned a little bit about what you like and what you don't like. And now when you venture out and build your own business, you can take all of that experience with you.

And I think that's really interesting. And I talk about it a lot on this show about building a business based on that experience, because you're not just saying, Okay, I'm going to erase that part of my life. You're actually saying, I'm going to take everything from that part of my life and build this new life, if you will.

And I feel like that's what you did. You said, [00:11:00] what can I do with this? And then that, step from your friend to help her with her business.

Yeah. Yeah. gave you that light bulb of like, I can do this. I enjoy it. It's on my own time. And I can build this for myself. And that must have just felt so empowering when you finally got that great feedback from her that you really helped her in her business.

Let me take you back to growing up. I don't know how old I was, like fourth grade, fifth grade. I'd be in the kitchen with my mom and I'm like, mom, your pantry is a hot mess. Let me just organize that. I've always been in the business of decluttering, organizing, streamlining, whether it's the pantry or like my digital file.

So even in my procurement days, we were using SharePoint at the time. And okay. My team did not enjoy SharePoint, but I was determined to be like, this is how we're going to use it, guys. I put together a whole presentation that was like, think of it like your iTunes playlist. You can double label a document.

So it goes on different playlists or in different folders. It had mixed success because it didn't have necessarily the top people on board [00:12:00] with it using it. But I was always that person like, let me find a better way. Let me clean this up a little bit, even when it wasn't my job. So So tell me about the business then.

So you work for your friend, you're just helping her a little on the back end so that she can do her photography. What was it about what you did for her that made you think you could actually make this into a business and help other creatives? I wasn't sure. She told me that people would pay for this.

And I was like, okay, cool. I love this. And then I looked and very quickly, I saw other people doing the exact same thing. And I was like, oh, well, if they can do it, I can do it. Let's go. Oftentimes having to talk myself up other ledges though. I'm sure. And foster syndrome comes up all the time. Yeah. Um, but yeah, I was like, you know, I just started.

I just opened Facebook groups where people were talking. so The tool I use for her 17 Hats. And it's the tool I use today. I'm an ambassador for the company. This is a CRM program.

And I could dabble in all the different CRMs. Like I don't mind learning and growing. But then I said, but every new client with a new CRM is going to really take a lot of more time. [00:13:00] Right. So I said, I'm just going to niche down into say it's 17 Hats or bust. Yeah. Right. It doesn't have to be forever, but I do love them.

I think they're great. So I go, I help people who want to work right now with 17 Hats and in Asana, Asana as a project management software, because those are the two tools that I know, use and love, and I'm like, if you want to use them too, if they work for you, let's do it. Does it mean I don't work with any other tools?

No, but those are the two that I'm most well versed in. Okay. And so if someone comes to you and wants to work with you, is it someone who doesn't have any of those systems in place and you're putting them in place for them? Explain to me how that works with new clients. Yep, so it can be two ways.

It can be somebody who has nothing. They're like the pen and paper post it organization person, which, which happens. Like, I feel like my ideal client is, are those businesses who've been in business one to three years. They've been getting by with pen and paper post its, but now things are picking up and it's like, oh crap.

I think I might need to graduate to something a little more professional for my [00:14:00] sanity than for my wallet. So there's those people. And then there are people who've been doing it. They've either already said, yeah, 17 Hats is the system for me. Like I'm in, which is what my friend Christine had, but she, she knew she wasn't using it to her, to her full capacity.

So I've actually had a number of clients come who are already like, yep, 17 Hats it is, but help me clean it up. Yeah. Um, And the way I'm still always involving the model because you learn each time you have a new client. But the way that I currently have it set up is, you know, free consult, 30 minutes, let's chat, see what's going on.

Maybe we're a fit, maybe we're not. Maybe I can help you in 30 minutes and that's all you need. Um, and then oftentimes I'll say, okay, let's try a power session, which is a paid two hour session we get on. You can show me anything and everything. And at the end of the two hours, you'll get that recording.

I'll send you a whole full written. Some people get like pages based on how much we talk about ideas and recommendations for what to do that. You can either go DIY or okay. Kristin. Sure. Please make this happen for me. And then there's a, there's a, um, what's the word I want [00:15:00] propose. I'll send you a proposal for that work as well.

So I try to break it up because it's like, it's such a maze. It's such a puzzle. You think. Oh, Shannon, I just want you to do this, but it's actually when I get in there, what you really want, I can make it happen, but it's way more complicated, right? True. On the back end, you don't need to feel it, but it's more complicated to make happen.

So I like to have those conversations and really make sure we're both clear on both sides of what the dream is and then how we can bring the dream to life. An amazing business that you created because it's something that I stress about. It's always that back end. It's the admin.

It's where did I put that person's phone number? You're figuring it out in kind of a silo by yourself in Google sheets and this and that. But for you to come in as the fairy godmother and just organize it all and show someone how they can organize it in a way that will really set them up for success down the road as their business grows is really amazing.

Such an asset, I feel [00:16:00] like. Yeah, I mean, I could nerd out on it all day. So I love it. And when, when I have clients who get it and appreciate it and then like make it their own, I, I just, there's no better feeling. It's like that really proud mom, proud mom moment. I'm like, look, look at you. You can do it.

It's easy. I promise. We're going to make it fun. So you're a couple of years into business and how does it feel now being a business owner compared to all of your years in corporate? I mean, I always say, cause I still haven't yet to match my MBA, salaried corporate gig. Of course. Um, but I always, so I always say I miss the paycheck and I miss the people.

But everything else, amazing. Like, I do not miss my Monday through Friday, all day, every day, back to back calls. I don't miss all the meetings. I love being able to pick and choose the work that I work on, right? Like, I can say, oh, that's not really a fit for me, but I know somebody who could help you, let me send you over there.

Or like, yes, please, can I get my hands on that? Can I help you, Shannon? Right? So I love having that freedom and [00:17:00] flexibility. Plus, even the little things, like, because I, like I said, I had, I feel like I had no space left in my day or in my life, in my life. Like even the little things if I get to run to the library at lunch or target or wherever like some simple errand.

There's not one time that I've done that that I take for granted I'll always sit in the car and be like, I can't believe I get to go out and run this errand right now like I did not have that flexibility before, because I have so much work to do. You know, some people would like in laws would joke like, Oh, you're working from home today.

I'm like, Oh my gosh, I'm working from home today. Yeah. I'm on calls all day. Don't mess with me. I don't know. I'm trying to go out and get the mail, let alone run to target. Yes. Oh my gosh. Absolutely. I was just talking about this with my business coach about the fact that I don't eat lunch.

And she's like, You have to schedule in your lunch and that's been like kind of a new resolution for me to take that 12 to 1 or even 12 to 12 30 and say that I deserve to sit. And eat lunch and read part of my book or watch something on TV. But the [00:18:00] flexibility when all of my years in television, and even as a business owner of my franchise, I never had lunch.

I never got a chance to do that. We would eat at our desk and keep going. And it's those little things that I think make being an entrepreneur just so special. We really can't take for granted. It is. And it's such a wild ride. I mean, there's, there's some low lows, but there's some high highs and I'll take that flexibility any day, , if I can keep building this fairytale.

Well, speaking of let's talk about your podcast then, because you mentioned build your own fairytale podcast. Tell us all about it and what listeners can, get from tuning into that show. Yeah, so I think similar to yours, which is why we we connected so well I currently speak to women who have built careers outside of that traditional nine to five So what are some crazy ones?

We've had we've had not crazy just different. Yeah Um, i've had a woman who builds sandcastles for a living. I've had a woman who makes custom cookies I've had people who've built their own consulting coaching careers. I mean i've had [00:19:00] so many different ones influencers content creators by the time I see somebody, if I'm scrolling and I see, I'm like, Oh my gosh, that person's cool.

Like, that's a cool job. I put them on my list and I'll pitch them at some point. You're like, maybe you want to come on the show and usually I have no idea their background, how they started. Sometimes I'm like, Oh, that's not even full time, but I'm just, I'm just so curious of how they built this.

And I always can take away something for myself. And I hope that's what my listeners are doing too, because they may be stuck in their cubicles thinking like. Maybe I should do something else, or they're like us or me. And they've only got a couple of years in their belts and they're still looking for that inspiration and support.

So that's one aspect. And new this year, I was just telling you before we hit record, I'm starting to sprinkle in solo episodes as well, where I'm talking, I'm bringing it a little closer to the business aspect of that systems and organization and all things simplifying for the solopreneur. So that's what's going on over on the podcast.

That fits in really well too, Kristen, because it is part of that fairy tale, because you can have this dream of building sandcastles, [00:20:00] but it's not going to become a business unless you have those systems in place. Everything that you're building just ties together there so nicely.

Thank you. Thank you for that validation. Cause I'm like, I don't know what I'm doing with these solo episodes, but here we go. No, I think it's great. I'm excited to hear them. I really am. a link to it in the show notes so that listeners, of second act success can go check it out and follow you.

And I just, I just love everything you're doing. Thank you.

Alright, it's time for our five fast Q's of the week. Here we go. name one thing that these different chapters in your life have taught you.

Your perspective. Okay. Because getting let go, my job being eliminated. That's the word I want. It felt like such a blow. It was an ego blow at the time. And it was like the end of the world. But honestly, if that hadn't happened, I don't know that I'd be here today.

I'd probably still be plugging away in the company, right? So having a new perspective and being able to look back on all those like, awful, I'm using air quotes, moments [00:21:00] were really blessings. And I'm super happy for that new perspective and like resilience to keep going and keep trying. It is resilience too, because you were able to take that moment and not just go back and get another nine to five.

You said, well, let me use this as an Opportunity to try something new. So yeah, definitely resilient. Would you recommend taking a leap into a big life change to your best friend? Absolutely. I know it's not for everyone. And even within my group of friends and we'll chat and some are more interested in others and some are like, listen, I'm so excited for you, but I, that's not for me.

And I'm like, okay, cool. As long as you want to cheer for me, that's great. You don't have to, but I would 100 percent encourage any friends or stranger that asked if they should take the leap. There's nothing more rewarding. What is one piece of advice then that you would give to someone who's about to start their second act?

This is tough because I'm the planner, so I like to have a good plan, but I didn't [00:22:00] have that plan when I did it. So as you know, aside from a financial plan to be able to support ourselves, it's come up time and time again on my show as advice, and I take it to heart, but like, just take the action.

Take the baby steps. I love a good Asana checklist of like, here are all the steps that I could take, and like, let's just pick one today. Because even the, my friend, , encouraging me to start charging for the work that I did for her, I look back and I'm like, yeah, I could have been doing that so much sooner.

Like I wasted almost a full year once I left before I did that. And I was like, why didn't I do that sooner? So just, if you take the action step, you'll always wish you started sooner. So you may as well start just with a little baby step today and let those steps add up. Good advice. let me ask you, what does the next act look like for you?

Man, I asked a similar question too, and gosh, I don't know. So that's not a lie. I know a little bit. So it would definitely be a full plate of individual clients. It would be a successful digital program. I'm trying to make sure I can help more people. I don't want to max myself out with [00:23:00] You know, burnout and over crazy hours again.

So I love working individually with clients, but how can I scale that and keep growing this company with just, just me? That could be to me as a digital product. So I dabbled, I launched my first digital course in 2024, I think it was. Yeah. For Asana. And I have on the schedule for 2025 to revisit and revamp and launch again because I want to grow on the digital side, keep growing the podcast.

I feel like just scale. Scale is really the next chapter because I feel like I've laid some really solid groundwork and now we're ready to take it to the next level. Well, where can my audience connect with you? Where are all of the places? Yes. So there's only really two right now. But as a marketing background, I'm like, there should be one.

So the place that I'm most active is on Instagram. It's @kristenlettini but my website is also kristenLettini. com. And in both places, you can find my link to book a consult with me. I always like to say like, it seems a little scary, but it's a 30 minute, like coffee chat, like. Just let's [00:24:00] talk. Let's see what's going on.

I'm not going to push you to do anything you don't want to, if you're good with whatever's working for you, but I'm happy to lend an ear, offer some ideas and then stay friends after that, because I, I look at all of these interactions, Shannon, like you and I have stayed in touch. Like it's a new friend for me.

So in the online business where like, like it's so important to have that network because you're not going to the office anymore to see those colleagues every day. So I'm all ears. That is wonderful. Yes, this is our social time. Kristen.

I'm really so proud of you and everything that you've grown. I love being your friend and knowing you and getting to support your business. And I just thank you so much for taking the time to tell us your success story. Thank you. Same here, Shannon. Can't wait to see what's next for both of us.

[00:24:43] Speaker: Thank you for joining us. I hope you found some gems of inspiration and some takeaways to help you on your path to 2nd Act success. To view show notes from this episode, visit 2ndActSuccess. co. Before you go, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so [00:25:00] you don't miss a single episode. Reviews only take a few moments and they really do mean so much.

Thank you again for listening. I'm Shannon Russell and this is 2nd Act Success.

Second Act Success Career Podcast
Season 1 - From Corporate Layoff to Business Success: How Kristen Lettini Built Her Fairytale Career | #183
Episode - #183
Host: Shannon Russell
Guest: Kristen Lettini
Transcription (*created by Descript and may not be perfectly accurate)

[00:00:00] getting let go, It felt like such a blow. it was an ego blow at the time. And it was like the end of the world. But honestly, if that hadn't happened, I don't know that I'd be here today.

I'd probably still be plugging away in the company, right? So having a new perspective and being able to look back on all those like, awful, I'm using air quotes, moments were really blessings. And I'm super happy for that new perspective and like resilience to keep going and keep trying.

[00:00:25] Speaker 2: Are you ready to quit your nine to five job and start a business of your own? Well, you're in the right place, my friend. Welcome to the second act success career podcast. I am your host, Shannon Russell. I am a former television producer turned business owner, career transition coach, and boy mom. My mission is to help you produce your best life.

This podcast will teach you how to get from where you are now to where you want to be and how to build a business that fits your life and lights you up. Let's get started.

Kristen [00:01:00] Lettini, welcome to Second Act Success. I'm so happy to have you here. Thank you, Shannon. I am so excited to be here.

I was on your podcast quite some time ago, and we just had such a great conversation. And I just really love your story and everything you're building with your business, but let's start back from the beginning. Where did your career begin? Loaded question. And thank you, by the way, because yeah, it's been over a year.

I just looked since your episode aired on my podcast. So super excited to get in touch. Um, so yeah, my, I was like my career really, I went back all the way to like what I studied in college, because I chose chemistry. I'm a chemist, a little bit of a nerd, or a big nerd, however you want to look at it, because I just thought it was like, This right thing to do.

I said, I like science. I'm pretty good at it. And it'll prove that I'm smart. Like that was literally the logic that went into choosing a major for college, which had nothing to do with what I wanted to do or my passions. So I came out, worked for a local small company for three years after college, the job found me and was great.

I learned so much being with a small company, but [00:02:00] at the end of three years, I was like, you know what? I think I should go back to business school and learn the business side since I was a science major. And again, this was like, I should do this. I've learned so much business in the three years that I was with that company, but I, I went back, I got a full scholarship.

So it made it really easy to be like, okay, timeout from an earning a salary, you're going to go back to school. And again, when I was earning my MBA, It was all the things that I had already done with science. And I worked for, um, an excipient distributor. I was doing some pricing and supply chain. So I studied supply chain again, not because I took the time to say what I really want to do, what am I passionate about?

Like I kept making these looking back, I can see clearly how these mistakes would add up, but at the time it was like, no big deal, I'll figure it out. And so coming out of business school, I was recruited to work for a company. In procurement. it was great. It was a great company, global company, loved it there.

But within a year with the company, I was like, huh, I don't think I want to climb this ladder in procurement. Like I want to stay with this company, but procurement's not it for me. And it took me about [00:03:00] five years to change functions because it was such a massive company and I didn't have the backgrounds that people had coming in and marketing communications, right?

I had a non traditional backgrounds, it's a theme I have in life. I just don't do things the traditional way. I finally made the switch. I had a lot of no's. I went on so many interviews where I came in second. They were like, yep, nope, somebody just had the qualifications. They're already part of the team or whatever the answer was.

It was never that like, go fix this thing, which is what I wanted, right? Because I wanted to get to the yes. But ultimately I made the switch, spent about eight years of my career there in marketing and communications. I was 13 plus years with the company. Put a flag in 2018.

I got called into a meeting with my manager and they were like, Oh, an HR is going to join us. And I was like, it's weird. HR is good. Like that's never happened before. Did I say something like what's going on? And of course I was impacted. My role was eliminated. I was completely blindsided looking back again.

Should I have been, I don't know, but I had great reviews, I didn't think this could happen to me. I thought this happens to underperformers. This happens to people who aren't doing well, who don't [00:04:00] like their jobs. Like, what is going on here?

Up until that point, if you had said to me, are you going to be with this company forever? I would have been like, yeah. I'm a lifer. I'm going to be here because I can change roles every two to three years. Keep it fresh. No biggie. They pay me well. I have good friends here, but something changed that day.

While my role was eliminated. I eliminated. I did get a new one before the time ran out. So I stayed at the same company. Was it at the same company? Okay. And things just got progressively harder, right? I felt like the role was eliminated and then I got a similar role. So it was just kind of like, now you have two jobs almost, which is not, no one ever said that, but that's, it just felt like it got much harder.

And then something inside me was just my heart wasn't in it anymore. So I even went to the extent of after a few years in that new role, I actually took a step down. I was like, well, maybe if I take a step back, I get an office closer to home. So it was a level down. Maybe it'll like reignite my passion here.

And it didn't. In 2022, my husband was asking what do you want for your birthday coming up? And I said, you know, we've talked it before about like, I don't know if I'm going to stay [00:05:00] here forever. I think I want to do my own thing.

I just didn't know what I was going to do. He said, what do you want for your birthday? I said, I want your full support. Like, I want to know that we can actually do this because we've talked before. It's been a pipe dream, but now I want to be like in writing you, you are okay with this, like, cause it's a risk for both of us.

Right? Yeah, absolutely. So for my birthday that year, I got a handwritten note from him. Signed by him and my kids saying, we support you go do this. Okay. That was probably my favorite birthday present ever. Ever. So it took me four years from being let go to saying I want to do this. And then two months later, I was done.

I was out of the company in June. I gave like a month plus notice because I didn't want to leave anybody hanging. Of course. Um, but yeah. And then it was like, okay, what are we going to do? For all my planning, like I'm such a planner, I didn't have a plan. My plan was. Figure it out. So fortunately, I already started the podcast.

The build your own fairy tale podcast. And at that point I'd had a very different approach. It was just like, we're just going to get like 1 [00:06:00] percent better a day. I'm going to talk to people and learn different skills. There was no like focus. I didn't feel qualified to have a focus just yet, but I already had the podcast.

I said, I'm going to keep the podcast alive. That was my plan. And then figure out what I'm going to do. And so I kept the podcast going and about maybe six to nine months later. Cause the first part, when I first left the company, I was like, I'm just going to take the summer and be with my kids and not do anything for the first time in a long time.

So I did that. And one of my first guests when I got back into it was saying, and she was a friend from college, she had a photography business, Christine, and I said to her, Christine, I don't know what I'm going to try to do. She's like, well, do you want to help me? I need help on the back end. And I was like, that sounds like something I can totally do and figure out.

She's like, okay, cool. So she had trusted me to let me into her business, right? She's like, okay, you're not going to blow things up if you log into my account. After I finished for her, she's like, Kristen, you have to be charging for this. Like, this is really valuable work like you just did for me.

It's saving me so much time. And I said, Oh, and that was the light bulb for me. I'm like, okay, maybe this is the business model path. [00:07:00] Yeah. So, yeah. So it's been what, two plus years? And so I've kept the podcast going. We're at 100 plus episodes. Just a little behind you, but so exciting and I love having the show.

And then now building the business side of helping solopreneurs build these systems, saving them time, saving their sanity, saving them money. Because I work with a lot of creatives. Nobody gets into a business to like send an invoice or send an email or. put a checklist together, right? Like they want to do their craft.

They want to do their thing. But once you get into, you're like, Oh man, there's, there's a lot here besides just baking, putting floral arrangements together, taking pictures, like there's a whole lot more. So that was a long winded response to like where it started and where it's going today. But it's an incredible path in so many ways.

And I want to break it down because you talked a lot about jumping into things and doing what you should do. Oh, I should be doing this. I should study this in business [00:08:00] school. You did all the right things, but you didn't find fulfillment in it.

You were good at it. You had a well paying job, but it's that self awareness to know that this wasn't what you wanted to do forever. And where do you think that first moment of you realizing like, this isn't my forever job came in? Was there a specific moment when you realized that? Yeah, I would say I mean that first year in procurement I remember when I sat down with my boss at the time or my manager at the time to say like I think I've identified another area communications that I want to go to and she was like, Oh, well, we don't really have a path for that.

She didn't say it in those words, and my managers were always generally supportive, but no one knew how to get me from point A to point B. So it was on me the next few years to take on stretch assignments, to have, you know, You know, coffee cHats and just learn and then do what I could before if somebody finally took the chance and said yes to meet him.

And again, I'm totally qualified. It's like, I can do this [00:09:00] job, but I just don't have that checklist of items that someone else has because they went up that traditional path. Right? Right. So there was that moment of like, Oh, no one can help me. Like, I just need to figure this out. Even once I was super happy in marketing and communications, it got to be where it was just, especially with COVID.

But like I was focused on employee health and well being and all the things that I was talking about to 160, 000 employees globally about how to stay healthy.

There were a lot that I weren't doing, right? I was like, Oh, don't send emails late. Don't log on late. Don't work, you know, back to back days of all zoom meetings. And I'm like, I don't know how to stop this. Like, it felt like it was out of my control. So I don't know if it was like a burnout or what, but I just, I didn't feel like I had enough space in my life.

I just felt very. I was on calls all day from like eight to five. My kids were at the time, kindergarten zoom, trying to figure out, like, it was just chaos and I did not feel good. I felt like there's gotta be a better way. [00:10:00] So I started listening to other podcasts and reading books and, Hey, these people are building careers.

outside of corporate America, and they're doing pretty good. So that today is now my whole premise on the Build Your Own Fairytale show of talking to people who have built careers outside of the traditional path, because I'm a non traditional girl. Yes, in that respect. And I want to share with other people that yeah, there's lots of ways you can do this.

It's not just one size fits all. Yes, I agree. I agree so much. You went a non traditional path. You tried different departments at your company. Learned a little bit about what you like and what you don't like. And now when you venture out and build your own business, you can take all of that experience with you.

And I think that's really interesting. And I talk about it a lot on this show about building a business based on that experience, because you're not just saying, Okay, I'm going to erase that part of my life. You're actually saying, I'm going to take everything from that part of my life and build this new life, if you will.

And I feel like that's what you did. You said, [00:11:00] what can I do with this? And then that, step from your friend to help her with her business.

Yeah. Yeah. gave you that light bulb of like, I can do this. I enjoy it. It's on my own time. And I can build this for myself. And that must have just felt so empowering when you finally got that great feedback from her that you really helped her in her business.

Let me take you back to growing up. I don't know how old I was, like fourth grade, fifth grade. I'd be in the kitchen with my mom and I'm like, mom, your pantry is a hot mess. Let me just organize that. I've always been in the business of decluttering, organizing, streamlining, whether it's the pantry or like my digital file.

So even in my procurement days, we were using SharePoint at the time. And okay. My team did not enjoy SharePoint, but I was determined to be like, this is how we're going to use it, guys. I put together a whole presentation that was like, think of it like your iTunes playlist. You can double label a document.

So it goes on different playlists or in different folders. It had mixed success because it didn't have necessarily the top people on board [00:12:00] with it using it. But I was always that person like, let me find a better way. Let me clean this up a little bit, even when it wasn't my job. So So tell me about the business then.

So you work for your friend, you're just helping her a little on the back end so that she can do her photography. What was it about what you did for her that made you think you could actually make this into a business and help other creatives? I wasn't sure. She told me that people would pay for this.

And I was like, okay, cool. I love this. And then I looked and very quickly, I saw other people doing the exact same thing. And I was like, oh, well, if they can do it, I can do it. Let's go. Oftentimes having to talk myself up other ledges though. I'm sure. And foster syndrome comes up all the time. Yeah. Um, but yeah, I was like, you know, I just started.

I just opened Facebook groups where people were talking. so The tool I use for her 17 Hats. And it's the tool I use today. I'm an ambassador for the company. This is a CRM program.

And I could dabble in all the different CRMs. Like I don't mind learning and growing. But then I said, but every new client with a new CRM is going to really take a lot of more time. [00:13:00] Right. So I said, I'm just going to niche down into say it's 17 Hats or bust. Yeah. Right. It doesn't have to be forever, but I do love them.

I think they're great. So I go, I help people who want to work right now with 17 Hats and in Asana, Asana as a project management software, because those are the two tools that I know, use and love, and I'm like, if you want to use them too, if they work for you, let's do it. Does it mean I don't work with any other tools?

No, but those are the two that I'm most well versed in. Okay. And so if someone comes to you and wants to work with you, is it someone who doesn't have any of those systems in place and you're putting them in place for them? Explain to me how that works with new clients. Yep, so it can be two ways.

It can be somebody who has nothing. They're like the pen and paper post it organization person, which, which happens. Like, I feel like my ideal client is, are those businesses who've been in business one to three years. They've been getting by with pen and paper post its, but now things are picking up and it's like, oh crap.

I think I might need to graduate to something a little more professional for my [00:14:00] sanity than for my wallet. So there's those people. And then there are people who've been doing it. They've either already said, yeah, 17 Hats is the system for me. Like I'm in, which is what my friend Christine had, but she, she knew she wasn't using it to her, to her full capacity.

So I've actually had a number of clients come who are already like, yep, 17 Hats it is, but help me clean it up. Yeah. Um, And the way I'm still always involving the model because you learn each time you have a new client. But the way that I currently have it set up is, you know, free consult, 30 minutes, let's chat, see what's going on.

Maybe we're a fit, maybe we're not. Maybe I can help you in 30 minutes and that's all you need. Um, and then oftentimes I'll say, okay, let's try a power session, which is a paid two hour session we get on. You can show me anything and everything. And at the end of the two hours, you'll get that recording.

I'll send you a whole full written. Some people get like pages based on how much we talk about ideas and recommendations for what to do that. You can either go DIY or okay. Kristin. Sure. Please make this happen for me. And then there's a, there's a, um, what's the word I want [00:15:00] propose. I'll send you a proposal for that work as well.

So I try to break it up because it's like, it's such a maze. It's such a puzzle. You think. Oh, Shannon, I just want you to do this, but it's actually when I get in there, what you really want, I can make it happen, but it's way more complicated, right? True. On the back end, you don't need to feel it, but it's more complicated to make happen.

So I like to have those conversations and really make sure we're both clear on both sides of what the dream is and then how we can bring the dream to life. An amazing business that you created because it's something that I stress about. It's always that back end. It's the admin.

It's where did I put that person's phone number? You're figuring it out in kind of a silo by yourself in Google sheets and this and that. But for you to come in as the fairy godmother and just organize it all and show someone how they can organize it in a way that will really set them up for success down the road as their business grows is really amazing.

Such an asset, I feel [00:16:00] like. Yeah, I mean, I could nerd out on it all day. So I love it. And when, when I have clients who get it and appreciate it and then like make it their own, I, I just, there's no better feeling. It's like that really proud mom, proud mom moment. I'm like, look, look at you. You can do it.

It's easy. I promise. We're going to make it fun. So you're a couple of years into business and how does it feel now being a business owner compared to all of your years in corporate? I mean, I always say, cause I still haven't yet to match my MBA, salaried corporate gig. Of course. Um, but I always, so I always say I miss the paycheck and I miss the people.

But everything else, amazing. Like, I do not miss my Monday through Friday, all day, every day, back to back calls. I don't miss all the meetings. I love being able to pick and choose the work that I work on, right? Like, I can say, oh, that's not really a fit for me, but I know somebody who could help you, let me send you over there.

Or like, yes, please, can I get my hands on that? Can I help you, Shannon? Right? So I love having that freedom and [00:17:00] flexibility. Plus, even the little things, like, because I, like I said, I had, I feel like I had no space left in my day or in my life, in my life. Like even the little things if I get to run to the library at lunch or target or wherever like some simple errand.

There's not one time that I've done that that I take for granted I'll always sit in the car and be like, I can't believe I get to go out and run this errand right now like I did not have that flexibility before, because I have so much work to do. You know, some people would like in laws would joke like, Oh, you're working from home today.

I'm like, Oh my gosh, I'm working from home today. Yeah. I'm on calls all day. Don't mess with me. I don't know. I'm trying to go out and get the mail, let alone run to target. Yes. Oh my gosh. Absolutely. I was just talking about this with my business coach about the fact that I don't eat lunch.

And she's like, You have to schedule in your lunch and that's been like kind of a new resolution for me to take that 12 to 1 or even 12 to 12 30 and say that I deserve to sit. And eat lunch and read part of my book or watch something on TV. But the [00:18:00] flexibility when all of my years in television, and even as a business owner of my franchise, I never had lunch.

I never got a chance to do that. We would eat at our desk and keep going. And it's those little things that I think make being an entrepreneur just so special. We really can't take for granted. It is. And it's such a wild ride. I mean, there's, there's some low lows, but there's some high highs and I'll take that flexibility any day, , if I can keep building this fairytale.

Well, speaking of let's talk about your podcast then, because you mentioned build your own fairytale podcast. Tell us all about it and what listeners can, get from tuning into that show. Yeah, so I think similar to yours, which is why we we connected so well I currently speak to women who have built careers outside of that traditional nine to five So what are some crazy ones?

We've had we've had not crazy just different. Yeah Um, i've had a woman who builds sandcastles for a living. I've had a woman who makes custom cookies I've had people who've built their own consulting coaching careers. I mean i've had [00:19:00] so many different ones influencers content creators by the time I see somebody, if I'm scrolling and I see, I'm like, Oh my gosh, that person's cool.

Like, that's a cool job. I put them on my list and I'll pitch them at some point. You're like, maybe you want to come on the show and usually I have no idea their background, how they started. Sometimes I'm like, Oh, that's not even full time, but I'm just, I'm just so curious of how they built this.

And I always can take away something for myself. And I hope that's what my listeners are doing too, because they may be stuck in their cubicles thinking like. Maybe I should do something else, or they're like us or me. And they've only got a couple of years in their belts and they're still looking for that inspiration and support.

So that's one aspect. And new this year, I was just telling you before we hit record, I'm starting to sprinkle in solo episodes as well, where I'm talking, I'm bringing it a little closer to the business aspect of that systems and organization and all things simplifying for the solopreneur. So that's what's going on over on the podcast.

That fits in really well too, Kristen, because it is part of that fairy tale, because you can have this dream of building sandcastles, [00:20:00] but it's not going to become a business unless you have those systems in place. Everything that you're building just ties together there so nicely.

Thank you. Thank you for that validation. Cause I'm like, I don't know what I'm doing with these solo episodes, but here we go. No, I think it's great. I'm excited to hear them. I really am. a link to it in the show notes so that listeners, of second act success can go check it out and follow you.

And I just, I just love everything you're doing. Thank you.

Alright, it's time for our five fast Q's of the week. Here we go. name one thing that these different chapters in your life have taught you.

Your perspective. Okay. Because getting let go, my job being eliminated. That's the word I want. It felt like such a blow. It was an ego blow at the time. And it was like the end of the world. But honestly, if that hadn't happened, I don't know that I'd be here today.

I'd probably still be plugging away in the company, right? So having a new perspective and being able to look back on all those like, awful, I'm using air quotes, moments [00:21:00] were really blessings. And I'm super happy for that new perspective and like resilience to keep going and keep trying. It is resilience too, because you were able to take that moment and not just go back and get another nine to five.

You said, well, let me use this as an Opportunity to try something new. So yeah, definitely resilient. Would you recommend taking a leap into a big life change to your best friend? Absolutely. I know it's not for everyone. And even within my group of friends and we'll chat and some are more interested in others and some are like, listen, I'm so excited for you, but I, that's not for me.

And I'm like, okay, cool. As long as you want to cheer for me, that's great. You don't have to, but I would 100 percent encourage any friends or stranger that asked if they should take the leap. There's nothing more rewarding. What is one piece of advice then that you would give to someone who's about to start their second act?

This is tough because I'm the planner, so I like to have a good plan, but I didn't [00:22:00] have that plan when I did it. So as you know, aside from a financial plan to be able to support ourselves, it's come up time and time again on my show as advice, and I take it to heart, but like, just take the action.

Take the baby steps. I love a good Asana checklist of like, here are all the steps that I could take, and like, let's just pick one today. Because even the, my friend, , encouraging me to start charging for the work that I did for her, I look back and I'm like, yeah, I could have been doing that so much sooner.

Like I wasted almost a full year once I left before I did that. And I was like, why didn't I do that sooner? So just, if you take the action step, you'll always wish you started sooner. So you may as well start just with a little baby step today and let those steps add up. Good advice. let me ask you, what does the next act look like for you?

Man, I asked a similar question too, and gosh, I don't know. So that's not a lie. I know a little bit. So it would definitely be a full plate of individual clients. It would be a successful digital program. I'm trying to make sure I can help more people. I don't want to max myself out with [00:23:00] You know, burnout and over crazy hours again.

So I love working individually with clients, but how can I scale that and keep growing this company with just, just me? That could be to me as a digital product. So I dabbled, I launched my first digital course in 2024, I think it was. Yeah. For Asana. And I have on the schedule for 2025 to revisit and revamp and launch again because I want to grow on the digital side, keep growing the podcast.

I feel like just scale. Scale is really the next chapter because I feel like I've laid some really solid groundwork and now we're ready to take it to the next level. Well, where can my audience connect with you? Where are all of the places? Yes. So there's only really two right now. But as a marketing background, I'm like, there should be one.

So the place that I'm most active is on Instagram. It's @kristenlettini but my website is also kristenLettini. com. And in both places, you can find my link to book a consult with me. I always like to say like, it seems a little scary, but it's a 30 minute, like coffee chat, like. Just let's [00:24:00] talk. Let's see what's going on.

I'm not going to push you to do anything you don't want to, if you're good with whatever's working for you, but I'm happy to lend an ear, offer some ideas and then stay friends after that, because I, I look at all of these interactions, Shannon, like you and I have stayed in touch. Like it's a new friend for me.

So in the online business where like, like it's so important to have that network because you're not going to the office anymore to see those colleagues every day. So I'm all ears. That is wonderful. Yes, this is our social time. Kristen.

I'm really so proud of you and everything that you've grown. I love being your friend and knowing you and getting to support your business. And I just thank you so much for taking the time to tell us your success story. Thank you. Same here, Shannon. Can't wait to see what's next for both of us.

[00:24:43] Speaker: Thank you for joining us. I hope you found some gems of inspiration and some takeaways to help you on your path to 2nd Act success. To view show notes from this episode, visit 2ndActSuccess. co. Before you go, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so [00:25:00] you don't miss a single episode. Reviews only take a few moments and they really do mean so much.

Thank you again for listening. I'm Shannon Russell and this is 2nd Act Success.