😭 laid off at my dream job…then THIS happened

Hi again , Ever had your entire career plan flipped upside down overnight? 🙋🏻‍♀️ Been there, done that, 0/10 wouldn't recommend.   In 2020, I was working a cushy marketing job at a tech company—a job I actually loved and probably would've stayed in for years. Then, out of nowhere, I got furloughed (ok, not really out of nowhere—there was a global pandemic and I worked in events 😑). I had no idea if/when I'd ever get that job back. I was stuck in limbo, spiraling in uncertainty, and to make matters worse: My savings? Not great (thanks, student loans 🙃). My confidence? Shattered (I didn't realize how much I tied my self-worth to my job). My career options? Unclear (Who was hiring in the middle of a pandemic?!). At first, I spiraled. But then, something unexpected happened. My then boyfriend (now husband) had been working on a few projects with my now co-founders, and they brought me in part-time to help out. When the idea of launching a newsletter for busy professionals came up, they asked me if I wanted to own the project. I had zero experience running a newsletter. I had no clue what I was doing. But at that point, I had nothing to lose. So I said yes. And I figured it out along the way. 🔥 Action > Perfection Like starting any new job, I went through all the "What Ifs": What if I suck at this? What if no one reads it? What if I totally fail? But I didn't have time to wait until I felt ready—I had to take messy action. And here's what I learned: Confidence comes from action, not the other way around. You don't need to be an expert—you just need to start. The right tools make all the difference. When I was overwhelmed, I turned to systems and tools to help me stay organized, plan ahead, and actually execute. Here's what helped me the most: 🛠 The Tools That Helped Me Build The Assist (& Alts If You're Looking for Options) ⚡ Project & Workflow Management: monday.com & Notion If your to-dos live in emails, DMs, docs, and 47 open tabs, you're not alone. Staying organized while juggling everything is a challenge—but these two tools make it manageable: monday.com – Best for scaling teams needing structured workflows, automation, and collaboration. Notion – Best for startups & individuals who want a flexible, all-in-one workspace for docs & brainstorming. Tip: Skip the guesswork—our monday.com startup guide will have you up and running in no time. Alternative: Wrike – A solid option for mid-sized teams needing structured project tracking with built-in reporting. Asana – Usually the software enterprise companies turn to for project management. 👩‍💼 HR Software: Gusto Managing payroll, benefits, and onboarding should not be a logistical nightmare. Gusto makes hiring, paying, and supporting our team way easier with automated payroll, benefits, and compliance in one place. Tip: If manual payroll is eating up your time, look for a tool that automates tax filings, direct deposits, and compliance tracking (Gusto does all three). Alternative: Rippling – Best for businesses that need HR + IT + finance all in one platform. Bonus: They're giving $100 to anyone who learns more. Get your $100 here → Greenhouse – A powerhouse for hiring & applicant tracking (top choice for recruiters). BambooHR – Built for small & mid-sized teams looking for simple, effective HR management. 📌 Visual Planning & Content Mapping: Miro Some things just make more sense when you see them. When I'm mapping automation workflows or designing a new reader experience, I need color-coded mind maps, flowcharts, and sticky notes—which is what makes this tool straight-up, the bomb: Miro. Best for: Visual thinkers & teams who need collaborative brainstorming, mind maps, and flowcharts. Tip: Some of my go-to Miro templates? Our Weekly Wins Planner & this User Journey Map. Alternative: Trello – Best for kanban-style task tracking—good for smaller teams or simple project boards. 📊 Forms & Feedback Collection: Typeform Feedback fuels The Assist—from readers, team members, and partners. I needed a tool that made collecting responses seamless (and not painful to fill out). Best for: Interactive, engaging forms that don't feel like boring surveys. Tip: Ditch putting full forms on your site. We tested it—quiz formats usually outperform. Plus, you can use conditional logic in Typeform to personalize responses and boost completion rates. Alternatives: Zoho Forms – A solid, budget-friendly option for basic surveys and data collection. ScoreApp – Best for turning quizzes into lead-generation machines with built-in scoring. 💰 Invoicing & Expense Management: QuickBooks Our team uses Quickbooks for invoicing, tracking payments, and handling expenses easy. Best for: Tracking invoices, expenses, and overall cash flow. Tip: Automate invoice reminders so you never have to chase payments manually. Alternatives: FreshBooks – Best for solopreneurs & freelancers who need simple, intuitive invoicing. Xero – Ideal for small businesses needing strong accounting and expense tracking. Bill.com – A go-to for automating accounts payable & approval workflows. 🌍 Website Hosting & CMS: WordPress When we needed more flexibility to scale, we switched to WordPress—its customization, SEO power, and long-term control sealed the deal. Best for: Scalability, customization, and long-term SEO control. Tip: Save time with WordPress plugins—from SEO boosters like Yoast to drag-and-drop builders like Elementor (we use both!), there's a plugin for almost everything—just don't go overboard or it'll slow down your site. Alternative: Web.com – A beginner-friendly option if you want an easier, no-code website builder. Unbounce – Perfect for marketers focused on landing pages & conversion optimization. Wix – Great for simple, visually appealing sites without coding. 💬 Team Communication: Slack Email threads? No thanks. Keeping a fully remote team in sync without drowning in emails is critical, which is why I rely on Slack daily. Best for: Fast, organized team communication with channels, direct messages, and app integrations. Tip: Create a #wins channel to celebrate small and big victories—it keeps morale high and your team engaged. And don't forget a #pets channel—nothing de-escalates a "per my last email" moment like a cute puppy pic 🐶. Alternative: Google Chat & Microsoft Teams–Great if your team already lives in Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. 🎨 Design & Visual Content: Canva Not a designer? Same. But I use Canva because I still needed graphics for newsletters, social posts, and even polls—without spending hours in Photoshop. Best for: Quick, easy design with drag-and-drop templates. Tip: Use Canva's Brand Kit to keep fonts, colors, and logos consistent across all designs. Alternative: Adobe Creative Cloud—Great if you want more customization & advanced design tools. At the end of the day, the right tools don't just make work easier—they make it possible to scale, stay organized, and keep your sanity intact. These are the ones that helped me take The Assist from an idea to a 7-figure newsletter, and I hope they help you, too. ✅ Coming Up Next Tomorrow, I'll share how we built a team with zero-experience hires and the systems that keep us running smoothly. Until next time, —Joanna P.S. 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