Happy New Year! I find myself doing something familiar—updating my resume. It is not because I am unhappy with my work, but because I want to explore something new. My career has not followed a straight path. A few years ago, I left my job in HR at a healthcare company to work full-time on a business I started with my sister and her best friend. Leaving the corporate world was scary, but the idea of building something from scratch was exciting.
That choice led to four years of learning and unexpected challenges. My HR background helped us manage people and processes, while my IT degree was useful in setting up our business systems. I handled many tasks—managing employees one day and fixing technical issues the next. Each problem we solved made the business stronger, and as it grew, so did my confidence in what I could do.
This past year, I think our business can mostly run on its own. We have solid systems, a dependable team, and I feel ready to explore new things. I want to improve my skills, learn more, and find other ways to earn. But going back to the job market after years of running a business is not easy. How do you show that the work you did as an entrepreneur is valuable to employers? And how do you present those years as growth rather than a gap?
I realize that everything I did—from setting up workflows to solving complex issues—was not only useful but valuable. I updated my resume to highlight these skills. Instead of seeing my time outside corporate life as a break, I describe it as a period of growth. I focused on the systems I built, the efficiencies we achieved, and how my HR and IT skills allowed me to solve problems many businesses face.
When I started applying for jobs, I notice a change in how I view opportunities. I am not just looking for any job—I want a role where my wide range of experience could make a real difference. Returning to the job market after working on my own feels risky, but I realize the skills I had gained were not a detour—they were an evolution.
If there is one thing I have learned, it is that career paths are rarely straight. The experiences that seem different from the norm often give us the most useful insights. And sometimes, stepping away to build something of your own is not a break—it is what helps you move forward.
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