Discussion: A Personal Post | On My Last Day of Work

discussion

A PERSONAL POST, ON MY LAST DAY OF WORK

I usually stick to the bookish discussions on my blog but heck, it’s my corner of the internet and I’m taking a day to write about something a little more personal and not really related to books.

Today is my last day at my current job. I’ve worked here for 8+ years, starting almost right out of college back in 2009 and it was my first major “big girl” job. I started out at the bottom, just working customer service and slowly worked my way up through this family owned company to manage new customer service employees and take on a different role that involved some more accounting. I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do forever but the company has always been so good to me and it was such a secure job with benefits and all that adulting stuff!

Two years ago, I officially opened Novelly Yours and started making candles on the side, mostly as a hobby but sharing them with others by opening an Etsy shop. Fast forward 2+ years later, and I came to the point where I would be able to support myself with my business and take it full-time. I finally put in my two weeks notice (ahem, five weeks notice, apparently) and here I am today, on my last day in the corporate world, moving into being a full-time business owner and entrepreneur. It’s honestly not something I ever saw myself doing because I just didn’t have a dream like that until I happened to start making candles and found something I loved, so to say it was a dream come true is still true, but also something new!

I know that this is the right move for me and I knew I wouldn’t be at this job forever but of course it’s a little bittersweet! I’m mostly excited, a little nervous moving to a business where my salary is 100% based on what I do and how I do it, and just a tiny bit sad about moving on. I know it’s time but this place has been eight years of my life for 10 hours a day! I’m thankful for everything I learned here, from customer service to employee relationships to being a good manager, and everything in between. As much as no one wants to have an office next to their boss, working closely with the manager of the company offered me a lot of opportunities to soak up some knowledge that I didn’t ever expect to gain as far as seeing things from a business standpoint. Even though it’s time for me to move on, I truly appreciate how much I’ve grown and how much confidence I’ve gained in my workplace abilities and in my talents just from being here!

And now I move on to a new chapter of my life where I get to be my own boss, run my own show, dictate my own hours, and make all of the company decisions. It’s silly because it feels a little overwhelming to think of myself as this business-owner, but really, I’ve already been running Novelly Yours for two years so I know I’ve already been doing that but it sort of takes on a different weight when I know it’s my CAREER and I’m the sole person responsible for its success and of course, all the scary stuff like taxes and legal aspects.

I know moving to full-time candles will also allow me more time to be with my family, which is a seriously major perk and something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. I hope to have more time to cook, clean, organize, plan, ship, read, and blog! I guess we’ll see how it all shakes out the first few weeks and what kind of time I’ll have because obviously I want to dedicate my work time to work first, but I think I’ll be able to do a lot with this new working set-up and I’m incredibly excited to set things up at my own pace!

And lastly, I’m going to be a little sappy and say thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey with Novelly Yours! I don’t think this business would have been nearly as successful without the support of the blogging community helping me kickstart this little adventure. You guys were my first customers, my first cheerleaders, my first motivation to make a better website and create better content, and I’m honored to have you in my corner as supporters and fans! Things have come a very long way since my first candles (like seriously though, I’ve learned so much and the quality has improved leaps and bounds over the years) and I truly appreciate those who bought some of those silly little first candles and still stuck with me as I figured out the best way to make the best candles! Thank you for everything you’ve done to help make Novelly Yours the success that it is today! I really couldn’t have done it without this community!

Hi, I'm Brittany!
Hi, I'm Brittany!

I'm an avid reader, candle-maker, and audiobook lover! Here you'll find book reviews, fun blog posts, and my other loves of photography & craft beer!

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10 thoughts on “Discussion: A Personal Post | On My Last Day of Work

  1. Pingback: Lauren Lately | March 2018 - Bookmark Lit

  2. Terri

    Pursuing your passion is amazing! Looking back at where I am now vs. where I was a year ago is amazing. I am making money doing something I love and it involves books and helping authors. Almost everyday I’m taken aback that THIS is my job and I love it.

    Good luck with your new adventures.

    Reply
  3. Alison In Bookland

    Congrats Brittany! That’s freaking amazing. I’m so happy and excited for you. It’s wild to think think we “met” years ago as baby book bloggers doing this for fun and now you’ve managed to transform your bookish love into a real career. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you.

    Alison formerly known as The Cheap Reader

    Reply
  4. Debbi Michiko Florence

    Congratulations!!!!! I’m checking it out today! I’ve not been very active in the past few years here in the book/reading blogging community so I can see how I might have missed the news about your Etsy shop. Wishing you well on your journey!

    Reply

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