So I got FIRED yesterday...

[valuecreator]

congrats on you getting fired. One door close and 2 open.

The dirty little secret is that you're worth way way more than $55K/year...

But they can't let people know that, or who would pick up the garbage and flip burgers?

 

[Rawr]

I always saw it as an opportunity to pick a new exciting journey.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[cliff]

Hopefully ou have some saving to fall back on. First thing everyone should do is save 6 mos of income.

 

[GregK]

Congrats! Happened to me five years ago and I focused on building a website and doing a lot of mountain biking. Didn't have Any money but it was a good experience to go through that. Would have rather quit than get fired but oh well.

Took another slow lane job 3 months later and I'm still in it. Taught me a lot about myself and business. Now more than ever do I have the drive to be firing my boss (but I actually like my job). Just need to get a few things put in place and I am off.

All this is great experience and exposure. Don't burn bridges and be positive and productive.

 

[liquidglass]

I quit back when I started my fastlane journey but guess what, it was the best feeling in the world! I was working my way through grad school and the manager of the retail place I was working despised anyone with a college education because he was insecure. It also didn't help that when I applied the corporate office called and offered me a corporate position straight away. Needless to say they were stunned when I told them I just needed a retail job during my graduate school studies (mainly because of the hours worth of commute the corporate office would run me). Then they basically told him to hire me on the spot no questions asked.

The day I quit, I had nothing firmly lined up, just an opportunity that my soon to be mentor mentioned to me starting at commission only. Needless to say leaving the "security" was the best decision I've ever made and I'd never go back.

trust me you'll see it soon, you have the right mindset, and you'll start seeing the opportunities that abound outside of slavery....I mean job.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Berters]

@princephoenix You'll do just fine. Let it motivate you, get some work done

@Coalission, I can't view the link (probably because my INSIDERS has run out...), may I ask if you run a product based business now or are you involved in digital marketing? I can't remember.

 

[Mzab]

I have been fired, laid off and quit jobs in my life.
Most important thing is not to let it get you down, use it to motivate you to do something better.

 

[rcdlopez]

Im sitting wondering if to return it or not but hey I also need it for transportation for my girlfriend and I

The funny thing too was that when I was at the dealership, the salesman said I could purchase some sort of insurance with them in where I could return the car if I wanted to. There's no cooling off period for car buying so he said this would allow me to return it if for some reason I lost my job or something. But why would I lose my job we both asked? it's SECURED.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[ChrisGuthrie]

Dude, reading this made my jaw drop and yell out, "Holy Crap!"

This was SO similar to my situation!

I was called at 4:30 into my HR Manager's office to go over some "stuff in ADP" and there was my boss sitting there looking like a ton of bricks had hit her. ( She apparently had no idea I was getting fired, got into a fight with her counterpart in another department that same day over it.) That's when they told me I was being let go, and I definitely had some questions but all I asked was why didn't I get any warning. They used some past informal meeting about something a coworker of mine from another department had done, and said that counted as my warning.

Then came the giving up of my keycard, (I handed it to her, didn't throw it) handing of the severance package, told the speech about signing it and the deadline. Also was escorted past my co workers, to my desk to grab a few things supervised, (thankfully my boss had taken my department into a conference to give me some semblance of privacy,) then was escorted to the elevator.

One of the worst feelings ever, but that same day i had been telling myself that I could not wait for the day I didnt have to worry about making someone else rich and only working for myself. (Job was stressing me out anyways.)

Unfortunately i had not worked on anything on the side yet like you did, but I already started now. Ive been working on publishing my erotica but Amazon Affiliates program and making money off of SEO sounds quite interesting to me and I would love to try it out. Gotta get started in the fast lane somehow!

Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your story, you have no idea how happy you have made me. Hopefully in five years I can be celebrating my "fireversary" and passing my story onto others to break themselves out of the slowlane.

Boo yah! Work on making your first fireversary a good one. I had a bit of a boost as I sold my top website in 2010 just before my first year fireversary for a low six figure deal but ever since then just been working to grow business and doing new things.

I like to throw as much of my internet money into other stuff as well (first it was paying off wife's $90k in student loans - and she doesn't work now anyway - doh) but I invest with WealthFront right now and planning to do some real estate rental properties as well. I just want to get to a point where I can retire if I want to even if I choose to continue to work.

 

[csalvato]

making money off of SEO sounds quite interesting to me and I would love to try it out. Gotta get started in the fast lane somehow!

Making money off of SEO is not what it was when @ChrisGuthrie did it. A lot has changed.

I am currently scaling an SEO business, only because my existing business is growing and I think I can scale my existing revenue streams very quickly. If I were in your position, I am not sure I would pursue SEO.

There are other ways to make money online that cost about the same...like affiliate marketing/media buying.

 

[QueenVictoria]

A company that just fires people out of the blue without warning and giving feedback is headed towards a fast exit.

You're not anybody important unless you've been fired a few times. That isn't to say, you shouldn't consider invaluable feedback on your performance, but sometimes middle-manager types can be intimidated by people who outshine them, and quick to get rid of someone whom he/she may feel threatened by.
Also fitting into company culture is important. This might seem superficial, but companies like people who dress like them, talk like them, and have the same interests are they do. If you stand out, you're already on your way towards redundancy.

 

[princephoenix]

I wish you the best of luck!

Love the story, this thread has me so motivated! Today I was not fired, but did receive an email from my CEO stating that she'd like to meet with me Friday to go over my books growth and progress which made termination cross my mind. Just the fact that she'd like to meet with me has me irritated even though I'm 99% sure that I am not getting fired. I'm an account manager in the worse industry (direct mail) and feel i'm in a position/industry where I can't control my destiny no matter how hard I try. I do enjoy the flexibility at my job because it allows me to work on my fastlane venture but I can work a hell of a lot harder. I'd rather fire my boss on my own terms and have 100% control of my future than have someone show me the door. The fire is under my a$$

 

[garysvpa]

Yes I've gotten terminated due to company closure. I consider it a blessing (aside from the separation pay of course), because I ended up doing freelancing and taking care of my son. Right now my husband and I are planning to start a business, and we are getting inquiries about it already.
Sometimes, things have to happen in order for you to discover that you have better options. I do not want to go back to being an employee, and I dont plan to be a freelancer forever either. I have written my goals and I believe I'll get it, and you will too. Write down what you want and you'll be surprised you're getting there.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[qvantage]

Just chill!! Don't be upset but yes, i have never ever been fired from my job. I think this is golden opprtunity to give new start to your future and just don't waste your single minutes too.

 

[CreateLiving]

What an inspiring thread, often times a great loss can be a catalyst for great change. Anyone who has recently been fired or laid off...Do not wallow in your own misfortune, go out and kick some a$$!

 

[Ninjakid]

The vast majority of people would feel bad for you for getting fired, or they would try to guilt you and say how irresponsible you are for not being a good employee.

Here we tell you if you're not good at being an employee, good chance you're meant to be an employer.

Cheers to you mate, and good luck with your business.

 

[AubreyJ]

I have never been fired, but my job I have had for the last 4 years is coming to a close next week- I work for a family and they no longer need me because the kids are getting to old to need someone to watch them/pick them up from school. At first I was sad because the family I work for is like my second family and I am extremely close to them, but as the date is getting closer I am getting really eager and excited to start working on my fastlane business full time.

I am sure getting fired sucks, but use this time to your advantage, and start working on things you otherwise wouldn't have the time to

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[princephoenix]

I got fired the same way from my first job too... actually I've been fired that way from ALL my jobs. At my first job things were going well, at least in my own head, and then they called me up and said "We are gonna have to let you go". When I asked "Now why the F*ck so!" (not literally but in my head at least) they said "We need someone with a different skill set."

My response was "Different skill set? WTF does that mean? Are you trying to say I suck? Just tell me straight out I suck, brah!" (Again, didn't actually say that, just thought about saying it).

Then I went home all bummed out cuz they thought I sucked and also because I had just financed a new car 2 days before I got fired, that's God's sense of humor. Anyways, after that I was always prepared to be fired at any point. I realized how easy it was too fall into the rat race. Getting fired helped set me straight and reminded me that a job will ONLY be a means to an end and not a goal.

I'm almost in this exact same situation, even with the financing of a new car (well used, I'd just bought one of my dream cars). Im sitting wondering if to return it or not but hey I also need it for transportation for my girlfriend and I. She's also stuck in the same situation but she's just as ready to jump in the fastlane and we're already making moves. Thank you guys for all the encouragement. I dont have 6 mons income saved up, but I have a little something. I shall make it work otherwise!

 

[csalvato]

Within two weeks, I'd already replaced my income as a prof

2 weeks to replace your income as a prof?

How did you generate revenue using SEO within 2 weeks? Getting consulting clients? Or niche sites? or what?

Normally rankings take weeks/months.

 

[princephoenix]

It was 4:50 PM on Tuesday October 13th, 2009. I remember the date because every single year since that date I've celebrated my fireversary (that despite my attempts to popularize the term has yet to be recognized as an official dictionary word).
My boss called me into his office "asking if I had a few moments" where he and the HR manager were sitting (Our HR manager was rarely seen outside her office). He said "Chris we're letting you go" and then went onto say other things I forget from the confusion and disorientation. Getting fired for me felt like being punched in the gut because I felt I was good at my job. I had won numerous awards. I was brought on stage in front of the entire company as the best person in the first 6 months for my new role for one of the awards and in general I was promoted quickly.
Questions immediately popped up into my head even while he was still speaking to me like:
"Why was he firing me?"
"Was it something I did?"
"I've won multiple awards why would they fire me?"
"I wonder if it's because my co-worker / counterpart knew that I had a side business that was doing well?"
I asked them to give me a reason for why I was being fired but I got an official sounding line about Washington being an "at will" state or something like that where basically they didn't have to tell me.
They asked for my keycard and gave me a set of documents that I could sign for some small severance pay along with a deadline of when I needed to sign.
I vividly remember getting the keycard out of my wallet and intending to toss it onto his desk but instead I must have put a little more muscle behind it because as soon as it came out of my hands I watched the key card fly across the desk and hit him in the chest (whoops - I may have even said sorry).
They then proceeded to escort me past all of my fellow co-workers who just stared at me because if you recall I mentioned it was 4:50 PM and everyone was starting to pack up to go. So first I was being fired without given a reason and then second I was being embarrassed by getting escorted out of the building like I was a criminal past my fellow co-workers and not allowed to grab my extra monitor (yah to be more efficient I brought in another monitor from home).

Dude, reading this made my jaw drop and yell out, "Holy Crap!"

This was SO similar to my situation!

I was called at 4:30 into my HR Manager's office to go over some "stuff in ADP" and there was my boss sitting there looking like a ton of bricks had hit her. ( She apparently had no idea I was getting fired, got into a fight with her counterpart in another department that same day over it.) That's when they told me I was being let go, and I definitely had some questions but all I asked was why didn't I get any warning. They used some past informal meeting about something a coworker of mine from another department had done, and said that counted as my warning.

Then came the giving up of my keycard, (I handed it to her, didn't throw it) handing of the severance package, told the speech about signing it and the deadline. Also was escorted past my co workers, to my desk to grab a few things supervised, (thankfully my boss had taken my department into a conference to give me some semblance of privacy,) then was escorted to the elevator.

One of the worst feelings ever, but that same day i had been telling myself that I could not wait for the day I didnt have to worry about making someone else rich and only working for myself. (Job was stressing me out anyways.)

Unfortunately i had not worked on anything on the side yet like you did, but I already started now. Ive been working on publishing my erotica but Amazon Affiliates program and making money off of SEO sounds quite interesting to me and I would love to try it out. Gotta get started in the fast lane somehow!

Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your story, you have no idea how happy you have made me. Hopefully in five years I can be celebrating my "fireversary" and passing my story onto others to break themselves out of the slowlane.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[princephoenix]

I am currently scaling an SEO business, only because my existing business is growing and I think I can scale my existing revenue streams very quickly. If I were in your position, I am not sure I would pursue SEO.
There are other ways to make money online that cost about the same...like affiliate marketing/media buying.

Thanks for the heads up, I'll be sure to check each one out and weigh my options.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Barshalom]

I was fired from a job in Information Technology back in July 2013. Boy, I didn't see it coming but I felt really good because the boss was tripping. I got fired because I was doing my side business on company time. I was making personal loans to over 20 co-workers who had to pay me. Even before then, I knew that entrepreneurship was my calling in life. I am in a slowlane job for now but not for long.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Writer]

Just had my first layoff anniversary.
Laid off the same day I was recognized for reaching and exceeding all my objectives.
Laid off the same day I was given "critical tasks" to complete ASAP.
Laid off the same day I was awarded for having satisfied an important FAA audit.

 

[katly007]

I've never been fired but I've quit a bunch of jobs, and most of them were crappy $13-14 hour jobs.

I think if I had a really cushy $75-100k job then my life might be different and I would probably settle for that. Except I've never had a decent good paying job so I've had to learn to work on my own projects. It's been a bunch of ups and downs. I've had five figure months and I've been broke in between. One thing about not having a boss is that it's all UP TO YOU. Your destiny is in your own hands. You can be really well fed or you can starve and you're the one that determines that. What are you going to do? What are your plans? You get to write the script.

What's really interesting is that my brother is the total opposite of me. He has a high paying corporate job, 100k+ or so and it's in one of those big tech companies. He's comfortable and happy and he looks at my life and shakes his head because of all my ups and downs and periods of being broke or failed projects. He said at one time that if he could apply and go get a high paying job for me he would, he's good at that stuff.

So sometimes it makes me think and wonder how my life would be if I were in his shoes. Then I snap out of it and say "No thanks. I'm happy with the experiences I have had so far (both the good and the bad) and the massive amount of things I'm forced to learn on a daily basis. I like how I need to grow as a person and to be better and can't just rest on my heels."

Also, the future is still not written. Who knows what the next five years is going to be like? My parents wishes that I were more like my brother because they believe in comfort and security. But would they really say the same thing if I make it big? Of course not.

Things happen for a reason, so if you got fired then it means you needed a wake up call or a kick in the a$$ to get moving. Or maybe you needed a change in direction. The next step is up to you, your move your call. What are you going to do about it?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.