How I Quit my Job with Copywriter and SEO Expert Lindsey Stefanka
Listen to Episode 51 of Out to Launch on Spotify or Apple.
The “How I Quit My Job” episodes are stories of people who have made the leap from employee to business owner. Listen to the entire podcast or read the highlights below.
The Power of the Universe
Lindsey Stefanka was Leslie Levito’s first TikTok friend. The power of TikTok has an unexplainable power to connect people who all seem in soul alignment with Leslie’s goal of helping women take the next steps to build their business or side hustle.
How it Began
“I knew if I took this leap, only better things would come from it.”
Lindsey Stefanka was Leslie Levito’s first TikTok friend. The power of TikTok has an unexplainable power to connect people who all seem in soul alignment with Leslie’s goal of helping women take the next steps to build their business or side hustle.
Lindsey began her career as a 9-5 employee as a writer that seemingly would be fulfilling. Her path led her to work in the corporate world as an SEO expert and she thought this would be it. She made it. She arrived. This would be the best there is. Except for one problem. It felt unfulfilling. It was right around the time Lindsey was embarking on a spiritual transformation. During this process, she reflected on every area of her life that was not fulfilling or aligned with what she wanted. Lindsey realized that working for someone else would never feel fulfilling, a realization she had to face with courage and great bravery.
Leslie: Was there something that gave you the confidence or inspiration to take that leap because you had a great job and you had great benefits? Did it feel crazy to bail on something so good theoretically, but it just didn’t feel right?
Being privileged and having everything going for her, Lindsey couldn't understand why she felt unfulfilled. Could she truly feel this way and desire to work for herself, welcoming in insecurity, despite job security and benefits?
The Pandemic
It all started during the pandemic. Everyone was experiencing a massive wake-up call, and Lindsey was no exception. She found herself affected by the quarantine, feeling suffocated in a space that was out of alignment with a strong desire to change everything and be free.
Lindsey started asking herself some tough questions. What do I really want? What is truly important to me? And most importantly, what am I willing to do to make those changes happen?
It wasn't easy, but eventually she came to some conclusions. And once she did, she realized that she desired freedom above all else. Freedom to choose her own path, freedom to spend her days how she so choose.
Leslie: How did you get started once you decided you were going to start a new business?
Lindsey: Unintentionally, I began wasting my time on TikTok. I didn’t wake up and know I wanted to start a business. Then the algorithm began putting these coaches in front of me coaches and people unhappy in their 9-5s. I stumbled upon your video on the Ideation loop.
Lindsey found Leslie on TikTok. One of the first videos she stumbled across was the Ideation loop. Her mind started running with all workable ways to get out of her 9-5, which lead her to dive deep into Leslie’s content. She even considered becoming a detective because she loved detective books. Having watched endless content from Leslie, Lindsey realized she could use her guidance to build a pathway to a more realistic goal of becoming a freelancer.
Leslie: The ideation loop is one of the primary reasons so many of us experience imposter syndrome. Because we come up with an idea and we are so inspired. Usually, our ideas are new frontiers for us and it’s exciting, fun, and anything is possible. So then you think, how can I make my idea work? You get a clue that you don’t know what you don’t know. It becomes overwhelming and you think: I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. What the hell was I thinking? What happens with most people is they don’t have that stick-to-it-ness. Then you think, well maybe it wasn’t the best idea and you give up on that idea and wait for another moment of inspiration. Then you have another idea and you're back in the whole loop. That’s why it causes a lot of imposter syndrome because you have all these ideas, but you start to experience yourself as someone who never gets results, you just have ideas. I think this is a real crippling experience. I work with many people that are older and they feel like they have done nothing.
Congratulations Lindsey on taking action.
Lindsey: The age conversation is interesting because I felt I was too young to embark on this journey, which is something I was intimidated about.
Was There A Big Why To Pull You Out Of The Fear?
Lindsey: I was in such a bad mental space and I was mad at men and still am. I just wanted to support women. Meeting you and more women through your connections makes me realize I want more women to feel like they can do this. It’s the way you made me feel. So, my why is that I would like women to expand their business and take up space in the world?
There is something magic when you find a community that feels like home.
Super Genius
As part of the work that occurs in the Out to Launch Academy, we look at someone’s Super Genius. Everyone has a super genius. We talk about this TikTok and people will reach out to Leslie and think they don’t have a super genius. Because it is your genius, it’s like breathing to you, so it’s kind of hard to see. We match your super genius up to a target audience that you would love to impact through a product or service.
Leslie: Lindsey has this super genius, and she wants to help impact women with writing and SEO, which was a perfect match.
As well as working her full-time job, Lindsey took on clients on the side. She worked her ass off on her side hustle. She also ended a relationship that was no longer working, which meant she had to move and start all over again. This brought up fears about making the leap and her finances. She really worked with Leslie on the numbers and her plans to grow her clientele. It all just came really fast at the end. From about August to January, she worked on gaining clients. She took the leap and finally said, fuck it, and put her two weeks’ notice in.
Leslie: During your transition, you were totally in a stealth mode with the people in your life. You kind of did it on the hush-hush.
Lindsey: Yes, I self launched. My family isn’t having the conversations about businesses. They worked blue-collar jobs and didn’t go to college. It’s just a different mindset of life and career. I’ve always been the out there person in my family. They had the questions in the beginning about benefits, but now they are really happy for me and proud of me.
Benefits
Lindsey: That was one of the first things I thought of because I was surrounded by those conversations. It took me a whole two hours to figure out my benefits.
Flying the nest
Leslie: It’s been a month and you literally just flew the nest.
Lindsey: I will say I am still shedding those habits from corporate and the mindset. I still feel like I should be working my ass off. Even though I know working smarter correlates to success, not harder. Waking up at 7 am every single day and working the whole day.
Leslie: You have 9-5 PTSD.
Lindsey: I have been so, so happy. I wake up and I don’t have anxiety. I used to dread the work week.
Community
Leslie: We will make sure you have the support from the Cutclass community. It is quite a transition to have your whole life by your design. Ever since we were little, our life has been designed by our parents, then our teachers, and then our bosses. To have that free rein is a bit of a jolt.
The Power of SEO and Copywriting
Lindsey: Keywords are a big part of SEO, but there is a whole technical side to it. Basically, you need to create an authoritative site if you want Google to prioritize your site. Building a content library is a huge thing. Blog, landing pages, and being an educational space for consumers to come to your site for advice. Copywriting and SEO go hand in hand.
You can find Lindsey Stefanka at Mind My Content.
About
Every week (or so!) there is a new episode released to help people learn how to start a business, a new project, or start that new chapter in life. The Out to Launch podcast is brought to you by Cutclass, a company designed by and for those exhausted from the rat race, MBAs, ex-executives, subject matter experts, and creatives. We will help you transition into your dream of achieving full-time freedom and turning your passions into a rewarding, thriving business.
@letgoanddiscover Instagram and TikTok
Article by Leslie Levito with Stefanie Joseph
