// Scarlett Vespa gives advice on how to turn negative job circumstances into opportunities for launching new businesses.
As the unemployment rate in Australia and WA surges, with 104,000 jobs lost in our state due to COVID-19, some people may take the opportunity to strike out on their own, and create their own business.
The current WA unemployment rate of 8.1% (May 2020) is the highest on record, and jumped 2 points since April. 112,000 West Australians are now officially out of work.
Losing your job is hard, for whatever reason. Jobs provide people with more than money, they also provide dignity, a position and meaning in life.
Many will understandably see this circumstance as a roadblock to their future. Many will feel unsure and worried of their current career course. However, Sydney entrepreneur Scarlett Vespa says there is nothing to fear.
“The shock and trauma of redundancy wakes people up, forcing them to think about what they really want.” Scarlett argues.
Scarlett has a media and advertising career spanning 25 years, and is the founder of The Conscious Agency. She works with people to find their new direction into the world of entrepreneurship which aligns with their own personal values and beliefs.
According to her, there are three practical tips that can help you take the leap:
BRAND YOURSELF
This process involves you ‘creating your compass’, which consists of your three core values.
Your compass gives you direction, allowing you to effectively communicate your ideas and what you believe in.
“Hone in on these values,” says Scarlett, “Ensuring that what you say and do will consistently be in line with them. This is ultimately how you create your unique ‘brand voice’.”
So you might want to solve a problem you’ve seen in some industry, something that has bothered you and others for years. Maybe now’s the time to do it?
AUDIT YOURSELF
Examine yourself and your skills, ensuring that you appreciate other skills that you may not have utilised in your previous workplace, such as creativity and leadership skills.
Maybe now’s the time to take that course in programming, or learn how to speak in public, or complete some other qualification.
By doing this, you are future proofing your career, enabling you to tap into your entrepreneurial mindset.
REBUILD YOURSELF
There are three daily habits crucial to combatting the natural human tendency to dislike change: moving your body, exercising your mind and discovering a creative outlet.
These key habits build resilience, emotional strength and flexibility.
Every wanted to learn the bass guitar, or Chinese, or water colour painting… what’s stopping you?
Whether you like it or not, the fundamental nature of work is changing. Secure, long-term employment is becoming less and less common, with there being a focus on more flexibility to meet rapidly changing needs of organisations.
We will move around careers anyway, and often will look back longingly on periods of calm which we can use to top up our experience and enjoy the pause of a few quieter months.
2020 may very well be the year of career implosions for many of us, but this does not have to necessarily result in a be-all and end-all scenario.
“Losing your job and hitting rock bottom is the modern-day rite-of-passage into a more meaningful life,” says Scarlett, “and for many experiencing difficulties in their corporate career paths, this may be the new year to start making positive changes in your life and career.”
Scarlett Vespa
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For more information on how to take the leap into a new career path, please visit The Conscious Room, a platform for women that contains online courses, private coaching groups, events and meet ups to inspire and help you explore a change of career or help you to start your own business.
MAIN IMAGE: Scarlett Vespa – Source Supplied.
