Why I Decided To Leave My Glamorous Corporate Life and Start My Own Business as a Mompreneur

It has almost been three years since I handed in my resignation letter to my boss and bid goodbye to corporate life.

I still get asked by my friends why I left my highly stable corporate job to start my own business helping clients across the globe with their social media and Pinterest needs. To them, my potential was lost because I wouldn’t climb up the corporate ladder, like we are all taught, and be the main lead for communications.

To be honest, it wasn’t an easy decision - and I’m sure some mommas out there can relate too. So, in this first personal blog content, I want to share my story in the hopes to help you decide whether it is time to leave your corporate life or not.

This means external factors such as holidays, celebrations, and trending styles impact the searches done by pinners. Unlike social media platforms where you can get away with a post or two for the season, you should look at Pinterest as a platform that will provide you with an opportunity to maximize the season and get more engagement for your pins or your content.

Why I Left My Corporate Job

I can still remember how it unfolded like yesterday. Before I launched my own business, I was earning 5-figure months as the Digital Marketing and PR Manager for Tupperware Brands Philippines. Yes, THAT Tupperware - the one your mom loves, the ones that always go missing, the ones that we heavily relied on to store our food.

I loved my job. I would go in day in and day out with a smile on my face. Greeting familiar faces and working with our Tupperware ladies to help introduce them to the digital age so they can maximize their sales. The mission and vision of the company were ingrained in my mind - and I knew I was helping out women like me who want to provide the best life possible for their families.

But, coming from an agency background, I’ve always had the yearning to do new executions. To try out new things, especially with e-commerce booming locally, and to work with not just one brand. This was one of my struggles when I went to the client side of things (often referred to as the dark side by my fellow agency folks).

That, plus the added guilt I felt every time I left my then three-year-old daughter at home. I knew that I was working to provide her with the best, to become her role model growing up that shares the message that we can have everything we want. But it was hard. I had to wake up around 5:30 AM every day, brave the crowd (to which I have to line up for an hour to get in a shuttle or run to chase a bus) and the Manila traffic (where a commute of just 45 minutes can take up to two hours). I would then come home late, around 8 or 8:30 PM to a sleepy little girl with no time to spare to check how her day went and to play with her.

I knew I needed to change the phase, I wouldn’t want to miss out on anything just because I had to work. I don’t want to just be there for her when she wakes up and she sleeps. I want to cherish and enjoy the in-betweens too.

This made me wonder if I can start offering my services online, get clients, and get paid while working from home. Mind you, I’m a Capricorn and stability is my thing. This was such a foreign concept for me that it took me months to decide and deliberate.

The Day of My Resignation

After discussing it repeatedly with my husband and tons of prayers - it was late November when I decided to hand in my resignation by December.

I have done my research and saw a lot of local mommas offering services that I can do - from social media management to influencer marketing. I found a community through Facebook Groups that helped me realize it can be done. I can establish a business, provide for my family, but still stay at home.

When it came time for me to hand in my resignation, I asked my boss if we can talk. I recall that she looked up and sighed heavily. I felt that she knew what kind of talk I wanted to have.

She said yes and we walked down to one of the empty meeting rooms within the Tupperware Head Office. I felt my heart pounding heavily like it was beating to the beat of a song. I wondered if she heard it, but she probably didn’t.

I peeked inside the room to check if no one was there and stepped in slowly. We both sat down and that was when I said that I am tendering my resignation. She looked at me with a half-smile but her eyes seemed to search for an explanation.

I tried to keep it simple, it was because I want to present more in my daughter’s life. It wasn’t about the compensation or the last project that I had difficulty with. As a mom, I knew that money was important but it can never buy back the time I have for my daughter. Time is also a currency we spend, but unlike money, it is something that we can’t earn back.

I distinctly remember that she asked me to think things over, but I was decided to choose the path less travelled. To build my own business as a service-mompreneur.

Starting From Scratch

As was practiced here in the Philippines, I had to tender 30 days before I leave the company. My last day was January 18, if I recall correctly.

I had a lot of things on my plate, from registering as a professional, getting my receipts, and doing my clearance from the company. Starting my business was a bit harder than I thought because I had no one to rely on - which is why I was thankful to the communities I was exposed to.

One of the things I worked hard to secure before my last day came?

Clients that will cover what my usual salary was. And after looking through Upwork, I was able to secure three clients - which already made up my usual salary + 20% more.

I didn’t launch my site yet at that time. This site just came live this year, or after almost two years of me offering my services.

I had a lot to learn and unlearn during the process and I am forever grateful to the first clients I booked who has helped me reach this far.

Almost Three Years In

Since 2019, I have secured and lost clients left and right. The pandemic had a big blow to my usual cash flow, and I almost left this business to go back to corporate in Singapore (more on that soon).

But, I keep coming back to this business, my business that I have established from scratch. Now, I am working with three amazing VAs to help me scale up my business as I help them start becoming mompreneurs like me too.

I am also in the process of launching an ebook guide for Pinterest and establishing my Etsy Store for Social Media and Pinterest Templates.

I would never say that it is easy, but it was a risk I definitely do not regret taking. Because of the risk I took, I was able to stay by my daughter’s side daily. Catch up with her as she talks about Roblox and asks me repeatedly for Robux. Laugh when she dances randomly. And unwind when she suddenly comes up for a hug because she thought mommy was tired.

Are You Ready To Take The Risk?

Perhaps you are now wondering if you should start your own business too or start offering your services to become a mompreneur. To this I say, why not?

Ultimately, the decision is yours to take, but I do hope that my short story helps inspire you not just to launch your business but also to believe in your skills and in your capacity.

Need to chat with me to help you decide? Comment your questions below!

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Hi, I’m Denice!

In 2018, I decided to leave my corporate job as the Digital and PR Manager for a globally known brand to start my own business. My goal? To help service-entrepreneurs thrive through a holistic Social and Pinterest approach.

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