Tanya Shapiro
@tanyashapiro.bsky.social
7.4K followers 369 following 1.3K posts
Solopreneur @ IndieVisual Data geek who loves problem solving Rambles about fitness & random stuff too indievisual.tech
Solopreneur @ IndieVisual Data geek who loves problem solving Rambles about fitness & random stuff too indievisual.tech
![my thoughts were too long for bsky and i don't love threads, so here's the whole note: Five years ago, I quit my job at an insurance startup. I wanted a bigger pond, and honestly, more fish of my like to geek out about data with. On my hiatus, I unplugged, I up-skilled, I networked, and I hit the ground running applying at tech companies.
Four years ago, I had an emotional breakdown in Philadelphia International Airport. Going through TSA, I got the long-awaited call from my recruiter at [insert Big Tech Company]. I had survived their infamous gauntlet of interviews and secured an offer, only to learn my role was being cut. With hiring freezes and orgs "right-sizing" left and right, I felt my odds thinning in real time.
A week later, after wallowing in a dejected state, I found my new internal mantra: "I will do cool stuff with or without [insert Big Tech Company]." My professional identity, my picture of success, would not be defined by who I worked for. In the digital age, why was I trying to swim in a corporate pond when there was a whole ocean online? Why work for someone else when I could be building my own brand?
Three years ago, I took the plunge and started my own LLC, IndieVisual. I was already getting my feet wet as a 1099 contractor, finding work entirely through organic referrals. People found me through my posts online, and it was converting into meaningful work. It wasn't much, but I was building momentum. With 3-4 projects on my plate at a time, it was time to make things official. The birth of IndieVisual was a huge milestone, proof that I could write my own story.
Looking back now, I can confidently say I've grown and learned more through this process than I ever could have at [insert Big Tech Company]. I don't know what the future holds, but if there's anything I've learned, it's this: bet on yourself.
You will do cool stuff with or without [insert Some Company Name].](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:rqcdegxr22bnmi5c2bsrji3m/bafkreifoj3gomk3fpikf3pywhdeu35j7fqytnkyroc6ecikbygjqqoxyiq)
