Leaving the highway for the sidewalk | #07
Just over two weeks ago, I sent a letter to my clients that I never thought I’d send. After just 18 months of running my own digital and technology agency — I made the decision to shut the doors and take some time off.
Since I started OLelei back in 2015 (almond milk-based products) — I’ve been all go. I went from running that business while in high school, to working full-time (80+ hour weeks) at Unfiltered (an online education startup). After finishing at Unfiltered back in late 2019, I took just two weeks off before jumping headfirst into what has consumed my life for the best part of a year and a half.
Making the decision to let something go is never easy, especially when you’ve poured your heart and soul into this said thing for a long time. The long days, the sleepless nights — it’s hard to just ‘quit.’ But I’m not quitting entirely — I’m just taking my foot off the gas, for just a short while, to re-prioritize what’s important to me in my life and the impact I want to leave on the world.
When I was in high school, my definition of success was cold, hard cash. I wanted to make money — and lots of it. Very quickly into my career, I was surrounded by wealth. Every event I went to, every party I attended — everybody had money — more than I could even imagine. This made me hungrier to want more; to make more.
When I left Unfiltered, I was fortunate. I had made friendships and connections with some of New Zealand’s top entrepreneurs and leaders, which made finding work incredibly easy. I had proven myself in a high-stress setting and those around me had seen it. Within just two weeks of leaving Unfiltered, I had already picked up three casual contracts and was well on my way to building something of my own.
When March 2020 rolled around, my life flipped upside down. While many people around were forced to retreat home and learn to work remotely — I was in my element. On the day of lockdown, I tripled business as everyone around me wanted to move online, but lacked the manpower — which was exactly what I knew how to do. I was in my element working long hours, having little sleep, and jumping from project to project.
That was until it all caught up.
Anyone who has worked in a startup environment knows what it’s like — you’re often forced to pick up odd jobs, your time is precious, and your focus is often spent jumping between the idealistic world you are trying to create and the reality you are faced with today. And while I love (and thrive) in this environment, it lacks one key aspect of life for me — purpose.
Purpose is an interesting concept for a lot of people. Everyone has their own understanding of this word and everyone has a different way of articulating their purpose to the world.
For me? Purpose is simple:
Waking up every morning feeling like you are a part of something larger than yourself.
And ultimately, this is where I came to the end of my journey with Marketr. I was waking up every morning feeling like I wasn’t attached to any one particular dream. I was trying to assist in building other people’s dreams and visions — whilst lacking the fundamental purpose that I needed to build my own.
Marketr became a ‘good enough’ — rather than a purpose.
So, where does that leave me now?
The incredible designer, Nikki Gibbons, who helped me build the Marketr brand and countless other brands for our clients is going to continue the brand and grow Marketr. If you’re looking for a design and marketing guru — I could not recommend Nikki enough and I’m looking forward to working with her again in the future.
Personally, I’m taking some time to do nothing. I’m going to enjoy this temporary time-off and look to build my next project — something that aligns with my purpose a little more. While I don’t quite know what that is yet, I know that taking some real time off to reset and realign.
There is no rush — so why take the highway? I’d rather take the sidewalk and enjoy the views just that little bit more.
