Take it Offline, a user journey
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The little side project that turned into something more.
About a year ago, I was laid off from my 9 to 5. Like so many of us who've been forced to pivot mid-career. I all of a sudden had time on my hands.
So, I did the thing.
Resume refreshes. Job applications. Coffee chats. Networking like it was my full-time job.
But every time I read a job listing, I’d feel a pit in my stomach. Call it PTSD. Call it intuition. Either way, I knew I wasn’t ready to jump back into the machine, yet. I needed something different. Sometime to keep me busy and learn some new skills.
Enter: Corporate Jargon
One weird little thought kept bouncing around in my head: all the ridiculous things we say in corporate America. “Circle back.” “Bandwidth.” “Low-hanging fruit.”
I couldn’t unhear it—and then I thought… could I do something with this?
At first, I played with the idea of posters. You know, like those old-school inspirational ones you’d see in office buildings? I cracked open Canva and started designing just for fun. What if this could be something more?
I started researching Etsy, print-on-demand, and online shops. I created mugs and totes, dabbled with product photography, and suddenly I was knee-deep in SEO tips, branding strategies, and small business TikTok. I was learning so much and having fun.
Then freelance work picked up, and I hit pause. But I couldn’t let it go completely. My career coach gave me the nudge I needed and reminded me:
You can go all in on this.
So I did.
Burnout culture? We’re over it.
After years of back-to-back Zooms, Slack pings at midnight, and meetings that definitely could’ve been emails, I thought, what if we took a breath and had fun while doing it?
Take It Offline isn’t anti-work. We’re not here to tell you to quit your job and move to a yurt (unless that’s your thing).
We’re just done with hustle culture, burnout badges, and the myth that being busy = being valuable.
This isn’t about bubble baths and scented candles.
This is about reclaiming your time, energy, and humanity with a wink and a snarky mug.
What’s next?
I’m learning out loud—from figuring out manufacturing and managing inventory to testing samples, setting up shipping, and choosing the right tools for ecommerce (spoiler alert: there are so many).
I come from a B2B video and marketing background, and sure, some of that helps. But when you’re doing it all yourself? It’s a whole new ballgame.
Being a business of one is no joke.
👉 Want to come along for the ride?
I’ll be sharing behind-the-scenes lessons, big wins, funny fails, and everything in between as I relaunch the Take It Offline shop.
Let’s build something real—and have a little fun while we’re at it.