Anti 9-to-5 profile: Michelle Madhok

June 18th, 2007

The anti 9-to-5er: Michelle Madhok, New York, NY (interviewed in The Anti 9-to-5 Guide!)

My job: Founder and fashion expert for online shopping sites SheFinds.com and MomFinds.com; both started in February 2004.

What makes my gig anti 9-to-5: I run my own business, so although I probably work more hours, they are my hours. Working for corporations for ten years, I grew tired of all the politics and inefficiency. I had lots of great ideas but felt frustrated and stymied by the structure. I also don’t like being told what to do — and that kind of doesn’t jibe well with the corporate structure.

What I did in my former 9-to-5 life: Director of marketing for a television network, and director of editorial for a large Internet service provider.

How I made the anti 9-to-5 leap: I had saved up some money, but the real boost was a severance package that gave me a four-month head start.

My biggest obstacles: Fear. I’d been a good corporate citizen all my life and I was terrified of going broke or not being able to get another job. I ended up doing some consulting part-time while I built the business in order to ease the transition. I highly recommend HiredGuns.com — for those in NYC looking to make a move to freelance.

My tips for other cubicle expats: Make your mistakes on someone else’s dime. Try to get projects in your current job or take on consulting gigs that will allow you to learn what you need to know and meet people that can help you when you make the break to run your own business. For example, after I left my full-time job I took a consulting gig with a company that wanted me to come up with an email marketing plan. I spent two months learning everything about best practices in email marketing. The company I consulted for paid for all the research reports and for my time!

What’s that link again? SheFinds.com and MomFinds.com

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