Happy Anniversary!

January 9th will always have a special place in my heart. It was exactly one year ago today that I went to work only to get laid off on a board phone call. It was a quick phone call – right down to business. There were some admonitions, there were some praiseful comments about how great a guy I was and that I’d do just fine (the praises sounded pretty hollow considering the setting), there was discussion about details (last date of work, severence, etc.).

Getting let go was something that I thought could be coming, but it is never real until the words are spoken. You have this little hope that just maybe it won’t really happen right up until its official.

And it happened. I got the boot.

I was offended, bothered, saddened, and embarrased. Over the next few days I’d go through more emotions, from elated to “being free” to very angry for allowing myself to be targeted. Whether it was justified or not, it was a time of many emotions.

Over the next few weeks I worked about 60 hours a week looking for a job. My job search was very ineffective and the emotions multiplied. Thoughts like “why me?“, “what if I just did x differently, then I wouldn’t have lost my job!“, “If only I would have worked harder/smarter/(fill-in-the-blank)…

I looked at what I was doing and tried to figure out why I was ineffective. I was frustrated at the amount of reading there was about a job search – I didn’t want to become an expert, I just wanted a job!

It was during this process that JibberJobber was born. And as many of you know, those that have been following JibberJobber and this blog, its been a wonderful thing. I have learned about things such as career management, personal branding, the job search and various other topics along those lines. Go read some of these categories in this blog to see what I’ve learned about it.

I have also learned about blogging, web 2.0, podcasts, press releases and many other things that I thought I already knew about.

My life has been greatly enriched by dozens of people that I have developed deep relationships with, and the hundreds of people that I communicate regularly with (I spend lots of time e-mailing or calling others – that is my job now as I promote JibberJobber to the world). As I meet my JibberJobber users, in person or face-to-face, I feel lucky to be a small part of their process to learn, grow, and become self-sufficient.

My relationship with my wife and kids is significantly stronger as I work from home and am able to see them more often, and participate more in their lives. My relationship with my business partners has moved to a different level. All of this has made my life richer.

I did not ask to be let go. I think it was a dumb business decision by the owners of that company. To be honest with you, I am still angry and feel deceived. I realize that this is natural and one day I’ll need to just let it go. I’ve even tried to “just let it go,” but it hasn’t worked 😉

All of this contributes to my passion to help regular folk like me understand that unemployment is a natural thing, no one is immune, and that we all need to figure out how to deal with it and move through it.

All of this has led to my deep passion for JibberJobber. Not because it is the best way to organize your job search. Not because it is the best way to manage the relationships with your network contacts. Not because it allows you to carry this information with you for the rest of your career, no matter who your employer is. But because it empowers you. JibberJobber is all about empowering the person. You need career empowerment, and this is one of the most critical tools that you will find to empower you.

Thanks for being a part of it! I guarantee there are great things to come in the future!

15 thoughts on “Happy Anniversary!”

  1. Jason,

    I appreciate how honest and open you are about unemployment, its causes, effects, and how employees can be more prepared to deal with it if/when (every 2.8 years, right?) it happens.

    Nice job!

  2. Congrats Start Up King Jason, you are definitely a great example of “Make a Wish, Make it Happen”! Thanks for inspiring other entrepreneurs and blessing everyone in general with your career tools.

  3. Congratulations on your 1 year anniversary and welcome to the, “I can’t stand those people – forget it, I’ll do it on my own” club. Yeah, I know. I’m looking for a shorter name…

    We may be poorer for our membership in the club, and we may work longer hours, but we’re a darn sight happier!

    Dan

  4. Hey Jason; I’m late to the party–I only learned about you last month from our mutual friend Kirsten Dixson, but am eager to get to know you and your solutions better. I try and follow your blog every day and I’m suggesting you to my executive clients. Keep up the great work! I look forward to meeting you at the Career Masters Institute Conference in April!

  5. Thanks Deb – I really appreciate that. I’ve actually followed you for quite some time and was pleased to see you pop over to this blog a month or so ago 🙂 Welcome to the party…

  6. Jason – You’ve accomplished a lot in 1 year. Thanks for sharing your story. And, it looks like you’ve really picked up steam going into your second year! Sooo glad I found you.

    It’s scary, though, to think unemployment is a “natural thing.” It’s something I never, ever thought I would experience. When I did – woah! I think your advice in building a solid and well-integrated (community, industry, electronic etc.) network is the only way to keep that fear at bay.

  7. Happy Anniversary Jason. Amazing to think what a boot in the butt can do for one’s life. I’m proud of how you turned this around in your favor, and I look forward to learning more from you in the future! Way to make lemonade!

  8. And….the success a year later (still in progress) was the result of listening to the frustration you were experiencing trying to figure out how to manage networking. An accident.

    It should teach us to be open to what we are feeling, determining if we can make that feeling better for others, and be willing to run down a rabbit trail to see if it turns into a great superhighway in our lives.

    More work to do, as always, Jason. But think about how far all this has come in a year.

    Nice going.

    Scot

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