Please share a little about yourself!
I am the founder of my online business “The Secret Pet Store” and a part-time social media specialist for She Loves Data (SLD). I was always passionate and excited to run my own online business. So, when my Reporting Analyst role got impacted due to covid-19 I thought that this is the best time to do what you love to do… I joined SLD to serve the community and also launched my online store.
What was your job like before transitioning into your independent firm? What prompted you to make the transition?
I always knew in my heart that I wanted to start my own business and be a renowned best social media strategist. I never saw myself working until the age of 65 and that too in a field which I am not passionate about. Plus I always wanted to do something for our loving pets <3.
Also, we all know it’s not easy to simply leave a good full-time job and start again from ground level. So I think it was meant to happen, as my role got impacted by COVID and I started my dream journey. However, I also began my travel page on IG while I was working.
What is your job like now? How different or similar is it to your previous role?
Its a lot of hard work now definitely much more than before. There are lots of uncertainty and risks however the main driving force is that I enjoy & love to do this.
I would say this is completely different from what I did before, as I am coming from a data analyst background into social media marketing 🙂 also 100% more exciting then analyst role! Hahaha
So how did you go about making the transition?
It was really tough as I changed my field, I knew I had to start from ground zero. I had to do many online courses and thanks to my friends who helped to keep me motivated on the days I was about to break-down and when I started doubting myself. Being an experienced analyst, it was a bit easy to get a similar, well-paying role but changing to a new career required me to start from entry-level roles or maybe internship
What were the major challenges you faced?
- Not enough work experience
- Time management
Were there any pleasant surprises? Maybe you were shocked at how easy some things could be?
Yes definitely. I was at the first scared and overwhelmed with social media tasks at SLD as I knew it would be read globally, but now its fun and I enjoy it. For my online store, building the whole website from scratch was one of the things that I first felt would be so tough but turned out to be easy.
If you were to go back in time, what advice would you give yourself on this journey?
I should have believed in me and should have started working towards my passion sooner. But then I am happy as its never too late!
How has volunteering at She Loves Data helped you in your transition journey?
Absolutely! SLD gave me a chance to further develop and improve my social media skills. It gave me a platform where my knowledge and learnings can be implemented.
Bonus: I gained a lot more confidence as a social media specialist 🙂
Any tips or advice you wish to share with our readers?
- Be prepared to work harder than before
- Have a schedule & try to gain as much knowledge as possible
- Don’t be afraid to follow your dreams!
