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Hello! I’m Auny 🧡 Nice to meet you. When my friend, Meggs asked me to be a guest writer on today’s “Where Strategy Meets Style”, I could not say no!

So…. here’s my story (+ tips) on my transition from a 9-to-5 to an entreprenuer.

Back in 2021, I was a COO running an e-commerce company. I made the right calls, the sales and growth data backed me, and the results proved it… yet I was constantly questioned, doubted, and second-guessed by people who didn’t understand the work but still wanted control over it.

One day I realized something simple:

If I have to defend decisions that are already working, I’m in the wrong place.

So I quit.

And it took four new employees to replace what I was doing.

That was the confirmation I didn’t even need.

This is not the Instagram glam version… (it’s the real one):

Now I have:

→ Freedom to run my life, not report every move

→ Flexibility over my time and schedule

→ Control over the direction I’m building toward

→ The satisfaction of creating something that’s mine, not building someone else’s dream

I think people cling to their 9–5 because it feels safe.

But a job is only secure until someone above you changes their mind.

Stop.

Your skills are your security.

Your ability to create demand is the security.

Building on your own time is the smartest backup plan you’ll ever have.

That’s exactly how I did it.

I didn’t jump blindly. I started building my dream almost 6 months before I left.

Outside of work hours, in my spare time I…

✓ Grew my skills outside of work

✓ Started serving people who actually valued what I knew

✓ Saw real demand for my expertise

✓ Earned enough to prove it wasn’t a fluke

✓ Then shifted into entrepreneurship full-time

No “leap of faith.”

Just strategic planning based on proof.

You need discipline. You need drive. And you have to pivot fast when things go wrong. It’s scary. It’s nerve-wrecking. But I promise you, it’s the most gratifying thing you will ever do for yourself!

AND… nobody warns you about the “working 24/7” part 😂

But honestly? I’d still pick this life every time… with a big smile on my face!

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Today, I do personal branding consulting, community building, work with people looking to grow their brands and presence on social media. I’ve expanded my brand from a discord community mod to someone who’s recognized as an authority figure in branding almost across all of 𝕏.

Started teaching people how to do what I do through X and my newsletter.

I’m building something that reflects my vision — not someone else’s.

Leaving my 9–5 wasn’t reckless.

Staying somewhere that kept shrinking me would’ve been.

Check out what I do here:

You don’t need to burn your bridges.

Just start building your own until walking away becomes the obvious next step.

See you next time.
- AUNY 🧡