Every entrepreneur has that pivotal moment when life forces them to make a choice. Do you cling to the safety net of a paycheck, or do you leap into the unknown? For Karena Bell, founder of ProfitLinz, her moment came when her corporate job disappeared. In our conversation on the Never Been Promoted podcast, we talked about how getting laid off in 2019 wasn’t just the end of her career; it was the beginning of something bigger.
Karena’s story hit home for me. We’ve all had moments where life shoves us in a direction we didn’t plan for. Maybe you’ve been in a job that felt safe but left you unfulfilled. Maybe you’ve thought about taking the leap but just couldn’t bring yourself to do it. That’s exactly what happened to Karena, and her journey from corporate cog to business owner is full of lessons for anyone looking to take control of their future.
1. When You’re Forced to Pivot, Clarity Follows
After spending 30 years in corporate, Karena was faced with a tough reality. On April 1st, 2019, her entire department was eliminated. Just like that, her corporate career was over. But instead of diving headfirst into panic or scrambling for another job, she took a step back. “I never wanted to do that work again,” she told me. She had to figure out what she actually wanted, and that didn’t happen overnight.
Instead of rushing into her next venture, she gave herself space. “We went to Jamaica for a week, just to get away and quiet the noise.” That time away allowed her to find the clarity she needed. And in that clarity, she realized that it wasn’t the work she hated—it was the way she was doing it. She wanted to do it on her own terms, for clients, not for a corporate machine. That shift in thinking was what sparked the creation of ProfitLinz.
For me, this really struck a chord. How often do we feel trapped in a job because we’re too scared to stop and breathe? Taking time to pause when you’re faced with a massive change is crucial. It gives you the space to ask yourself, “What do I really want?”
Key Takeaways from Our Discussion:
- Take a Breath: When life hits you with a curveball, don’t rush into the next thing. Take time to think it through.
- Don’t Let Panic Drive Your Decisions: You don’t need to make a move just to make a move. The right path often reveals itself after you’ve had a moment to breathe.
- Reassess, Don’t Abandon: Just because you don’t love what you’re doing right now doesn’t mean you need to abandon it. Sometimes, you just need to change how you’re doing it.
2. Leveraging What You Know to Build What You Want
Karena didn’t start from scratch when she launched her business. She leaned into the decades of experience she’d built optimizing processes, streamlining finances, and improving efficiencies for Fortune 500 companies. What she had been doing in the corporate world turned out to be exactly what small and mid-sized businesses were lacking.
“I realized that these solutions weren’t just needed in corporate environments,” she said. “Small businesses needed them even more.” So, instead of trying to do something completely new, she built on what she already knew.
This is something I think a lot of entrepreneurs struggle with. You think starting your own business means leaving everything behind, but it doesn’t have to be that way. You can build on the foundation you’ve already created. In fact, that’s often the smartest move.
What I Learned from Her Experience:
- Use Your Skills, Don’t Abandon Them: You’ve spent years building a skillset. Don’t throw it away just because you’re starting a business. Lean into what you know.
- Your Experience is Your Strength: Whatever you’ve been doing—there’s a market for it. Find a way to bring it to people who need it.
- Familiarity Brings Confidence: Stepping into entrepreneurship is scary, but if you’re doing something familiar, it makes that transition a lot easier.
3. Reflections from the Interview: Sales Should Always Be Your Top Priority
One of the biggest lessons I took away from my conversation with Karena was this: Sales are everything. “Sales should be your priority every single day,” she emphasized. It sounds obvious, but how many entrepreneurs get caught up in everything else and forget that without sales, there is no business?
Karena shared a mistake that many entrepreneurs make: waiting too long to bring in help. “I carried too much too long,” she admitted. It’s a trap we’ve all fallen into. We want to handle everything ourselves, but the reality is that it slows us down.
If you’re an entrepreneur reading this, take this to heart—bringing in the right help at the right time is key. Whether it’s hiring a team or bringing in consultants, you can’t grow if you’re holding all the weight on your own shoulders.
Here’s What I’m Taking Away:
- Sales First, Always: Without sales, your business doesn’t exist. Make selling a daily focus.
- Don’t Be a Martyr: Trying to do everything yourself will eventually lead to burnout. Learn when to delegate.
- Cash Flow is King: “Revenue is vanity, profit is sanity,” as Karena said. It’s not enough to make money—you need to make sure you’re profitable.
- Results Speak Louder Than Titles: It’s easy to get caught up in the titles and roles, but at the end of the day, results are what matters.
- Stay Strategic: Being in the trenches is important, but so is stepping back to look at the bigger picture. Make time for both.
Final Thoughts
Karena’s journey from corporate life to entrepreneurship is one that’s relatable to anyone who’s felt stuck in a job, yearning for more. Her experience is a reminder that getting laid off or facing a career-ending event isn’t the end—it can be the start of something incredible. But the key takeaway here is that you can’t just wing it. You need to step back, assess what you really want, and build on the skills you’ve already honed.
For entrepreneurs, the message is clear: Don’t rush. Take the time to think about what you’re really passionate about, and use your experience to guide your next move. And once you’ve made that leap, don’t forget—sales should be your number one priority every single day.
If you want to hear more about how Karena built ProfitLinz from the ground up and learn actionable strategies to optimize your business’s profitability, check out her full episode on the Never Been Promoted podcast: STOP Leaving Money on the Table: Optimize Your Pricing with Karena Bell
CONNECT WITH KARENA BELL:
Website (Company):https://profitlinz.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenambell/