Why We’re Sharing Our Story: We Were Those Corporate / 9 to 5 Girls
Picture this: Designer coffee in one hand, laptop bag in the other, racing through the corporate lobby in our carefully curated business casual outfits. That was us not too long ago. We were living that #GirlBoss life – or so we thought. Between color-coded planners, endless Zoom meetings, and trying to climb that corporate ladder, we were doing everything right… right?
But during those late-night scrolling sessions through Pinterest, saving endless inspiration for “someday,” we felt that familiar tug. You know the one – that whisper saying we were meant for something more than quarterly reports and office politics. We were building someone else’s dream while our own gathered dust in our perfectly organized Pinterest boards.
Our Wake-Up Call: When Our Corporate Badges Stopped Sparking Joy
The moment hit us during yet another “urgent” meeting that could have been an email. We looked around the virtual room at all the blank faces, and suddenly it clicked: our corporate badges, once proud symbols of achievement, felt more like golden handcuffs. The steady paycheck was nice, but the soul-crushing routine of responding to emails about emails? Not so much.
It wasn’t just about having a case of the Mondays anymore. Our perfectly curated Instagram feeds were filled with women who had taken the leap – turning their creative passions into thriving online businesses. While we were drafting PowerPoint presentations, they were drafting their own futures. The wake-up call wasn’t a dramatic moment; it was a quiet realization that we were playing it safe in a world that rewards those who dare to stand out.
How We Started Our Side-Hustle Journey: The First Baby Steps
Let’s be real – we didn’t just quit our jobs and dive headfirst into the creator pool (though major props to those who do!). Instead, we started small, really small. We’re talking “creating Pinterest boards after hours” small. But here’s the thing about baby steps: they still move you forward.
We began by organizing our scattered ideas into actionable plans. Instead of mindlessly saving pins, we studied them. What made certain pins go viral? Why did some creators seem to effortlessly attract followers while others struggled? We turned our analytical corporate skills into our secret weapon, treating our Pinterest strategy like the business plans we used to present in quarterly reviews.
Building Our Brand While Keeping Our 9-5 Safety Net
This is where it gets good, besties. We discovered that building a brand doesn’t require quitting your job immediately (breathe that sigh of relief!). Instead, we carved out our little corner of the internet during lunch breaks and early mornings. We traded our Netflix time for content creation sessions and turned our weekends into mini photo shoots.
The key was consistency, not perfection. We started sharing our journey – the real, messy, beautiful parts of it. While keeping our corporate jobs, we began establishing our presence. Every pin we created, every blog post we wrote, was a brick in the foundation of our future empire. And yes, sometimes that meant saying no to happy hour to work on our dreams instead.
The Pinterest Strategy That Transformed Our Lives
Here’s where the magic started happening. We cracked the Pinterest code – not through some expensive course or secret formula, but through good old-fashioned trial and error. We discovered that Pinterest isn’t just a social media platform; it’s a visual search engine. And once we understood that? Game. Changer.
We focused on creating pins that solved problems. Instead of just pretty images, we made content that answered questions our audience didn’t even know they had yet. We studied our analytics like we used to study those quarterly reports, and slowly but surely, our monthly viewers started climbing. From 1,000 to 10,000 to 100,000 – each milestone felt like a tiny victory.
How We Evolved from Pinning to Producing: Our Creator Blueprint
The transition from content consumer to content creator wasn’t always Instagram-worthy. There were plenty of failed pins, awkward reels, and captions that made us cringe. But each mistake taught us something valuable. We learned that authenticity trumps perfection every single time.
We developed systems for content creation that worked around our corporate schedules. Batch creation became our best friend – dedicating one Sunday a month to shooting content, another to writing, and using tools to schedule everything in advance. We turned our corporate project management skills into content calendars that would make any marketing team jealous.
Reprogramming Our Minds: From Employee to CEO Energy
This wasn’t just about changing our work habits – it was about completely rewiring our brains. We had to unlearn the employee mindset that had been drilled into us for years. No more asking for permission. No more waiting for someone else to approve our ideas. We were the CEO now, even if our business cards still said “Senior Analyst.”
We started making decisions like CEOs, investing in our business (hello, ring light and scheduling tools!), and most importantly, investing in ourselves. We surrounded ourselves with other creators who got it, who understood the late-night editing sessions and the excitement over hitting new Pinterest milestones.
Our Game-Changing Systems and Tools
Organization became our superpower. We set up systems for everything: content calendars, pin designs, email responses, you name it. We discovered tools that made our lives easier – Canva for design, Tailwind for scheduling, and countless others that turned hours of work into minutes.
But the real game-changer? Treating our creator journey like the business it was meant to become. We tracked everything, analyzed what worked, and weren’t afraid to pivot when something didn’t. Those spreadsheet skills from our corporate days? They came in handy after all.
When We Knew It Was Time: The Full-Time Creator Leap
The moment we knew it was time to leap didn’t come with fireworks or a dramatic office exit (though we may have fantasized about that). Instead, it was a quiet certainty that grew louder with each passing day. When our side hustle income started matching our corporate salary, we knew it was time.
We planned it meticulously – building up our emergency fund, setting up systems that could run without us, and making sure our content pipeline was full. And then, with equal parts terror and excitement, we drafted our resignation letters.
Growing Our Community: Why We Choose Collaboration Over Competition
Here’s something they don’t tell you in corporate: success is so much sweeter when shared. We built our community not by seeing other creators as competition, but as potential collaborators and friends. Every comment, every DM, every share became an opportunity to connect with someone who shared our dreams.
We created group boards, participated in Pinterest communities, and reached out to other creators for virtual coffee dates. The support we found in these circles was worth more than any corporate bonus we’d ever received.
Our Message to You: Your Time Is Now
So here’s what we want you to know, lovely: that dream you’ve been pinning to your secret board? It’s not just a fantasy. That creator life you’ve been watching others live? It can be yours too. We’re proof that you can build something beautiful while still playing it smart.
Start small, but start today. Use those corporate skills to your advantage. Let your analytical mind work alongside your creative spirit. And most importantly, remember that every successful creator you admire started exactly where you are right now – with a dream and a Pinterest board full of possibilities.
Your corporate badge doesn’t have to define you forever. Whether you’re reading this during your lunch break or late at night after another long day at the office, know this: you’re not just dreaming – you’re planning. And that’s the first step to turning your Pinterest dreams into your full-time reality.
Ready to join us on the other side? Your CEO energy is waiting to be unleashed. Let’s make those Pinterest boards come to life, one pin at a time.
✨ The future is creator, and the future is yours. ✨