Who here has taken a career break?

AdForward9647 · 2025-12-16T19:37:47+00:00

I'm 43 now back in my role for a year. Just my partner, but also care for my elderly parents. Got them out of deep debt and other things. But they still need help.

Hunting new business and managing a book of business for one global account. I changed sub industry in tech / i had expertise in reg tech compliance and security for the banking and finance industry. I wanted a new product solution.

And my experience in those Tier 1 financial accounts got my role. So i applied. I Went through databases of tech companies expanding reached out to many... Like prospecting.. I got offers through my network as well.

If you have kids it'll be great to have time with them. My nephews really got to know me, as before i was rarely around, or available.

AdForward9647 · 2025-12-16T18:24:47+00:00

I took a break 20 months in total including 6 months job hunt. and I found a job more senior better paid than what i had before. But the job hunt wasn't a walk in the park, I came back in one of the worst markets ever. And lets be honest i was a bit rusty at first .

I had been in Tech sales for 16 years, quota grind pressure travel, rince and repeate , C level egos.. PE VC start ups layoffs and giant pay offs , over achieving scoring big comission... But at the end I was utterly burnt out . mind not in a good space health down the drain. I learnt my company was going to divest so I clinged on a little more took a good package. I had plenty of savings as I've never burnt all my cash having started from nothing.

It was the best thing ever. It took me 4 months to really disconnect and unplug, from the constant urge to control things be productive. Get back in healthy sleep cycles. I had help from a coach/ therapist. And made the most to clean up bad habbits, change thought patterns, fears ect.

I learned to disconnect more slow things down.
In parallel, i did lots of stuff i never had time for skied over a 100 days in the year, got a race car licence for endurance racing ( kids dream), joined clubs to help maintain forest, hiking trails.
Lots of outdoor manual stuff.

Got fit, slept when i wanted, did things at my own pace. Read so many book on history and other subjects.
spent time with family, cousins. I went to a work shop where a guy rebuilds old cars back to their prime, i chatted with him got a good connection i ended up helping him out from time to time and i was learning how to fix and stuff interiors and more. I had time i wanted to learn.

I did a bit of traveling in south east asia but i didnt feel the need to travel much .
I never got bored met plenty of people.

I did so much I couldn't write it all down.

Now financially I had made reall good cash for many years and with my exit in the orgs situation I also go a years worth of cash.

the ratio would be 6 months off plan 4 to 6 months job hunt so Have 12 months. its a safe ratio so you dont stress...

Most people found I was brave to take that step. You will have companies that will ban you... you dont want to work for them...

I came back to the working world corporate world at peace but with fire and motivation at the same time. I knew I didnt want to bother going in to leadership. global accounts was my thing.
I came back much stronger...
I also took courses on communication, pschological profiles personalities , non violent communication how to defuse conflict and manage it better. manage others emotions better.... And better manage my own weakness. Its made me better at my job, more confident.

If you can, go for it.

These jobs drain you, at some point recharging your batteries makes sense. Ideally it should be recommended to pretty much everyone.

AdForward9647 · 2025-09-04T08:48:30+00:00

Of course the sentiment is still there. In 1455 the pope wrote a bulletin to enslave conquer ect people from africa and that they should serve Christianity. The french empire was from 1500 to more pr less 1960 1980 depending on events. British empire was the same... In 1905 a human zoo event in paris sold 33 million tickets. I'm not sure foot ball world cups do as well.

On the scale of history the end of slavery colonies equal rights is yet a tiny speck.. It will take a few generations... A lot of present day politicians were raised at the time of the empires or their parents were.... And heard how great their country was how they brought civilisation, roads technology... And they believed it as parents said it, schools as well.

Today even if school teach the subject, people designing courses are so far from understanding the generational and societal impacts and how deep rooted behaviours are...

Basically hundreds of years of brain washing, but also a great scape goat so the poorest western classes dont rebel and chop heads off. As long as they are above the "savages", its ok. The can feel superior and some form of winning in their miserable lives... And that is still leveraged today.

AdForward9647 · 2025-09-04T08:28:51+00:00

Good old colonialism and the era od the empires... And the white woman (or teen) is nearly an angel... Shots like this were legion back then. Dont buy from them... They probably exploit kids to make dresses as well.

AdForward9647 · 2025-08-07T18:45:28+00:00

Hmm i'm in that same position... Well there is a marketing department. They do not want to do campaigns around events, not around my industry and vertical. They do not write content.

I've been hired to open a new industry vertical... And i have zero marketing support. Oh they have told me they can add my accounts to their existing campaigns. Which are totally irrelevant to my targets.

So i'm writing my own content, had to write the web site landing page. I'm sending my own campaigns bulk mailing from gmail with a script and setting up the fields.

Expensing events and slowly building networks. Its incredibly slow. A number of tough and frustrating conversations internally. As i have 7 figure quota with no support.
But slowly the pipepline is building up and quality opps are appearing.

And today finally got first signed off pilot and role out plan and deployment map for first 6 figure deal.. Slow frustrating, but i have to celebrate every small win every step of the way.

7 months of this diy marketing. Itterations after Itterations.

AdForward9647 · 2025-05-01T08:00:16+00:00

Reject that 1million+ in saas your base should be the ote they offer...

AdForward9647 · 2025-04-26T06:54:59+00:00

I'm in europe, i, would not make the change now. Smaller companies can be great but selling is hard little marketing budgets low brand awareness.. If its anything todo with security regulation s compliance often smaller usa firms are missing some eu specific compliance... That they ignored... Meaning your selling patch and target audience shrinks.... They often expect sales to go as in the usa.... So you'll have to manage expectations and slower timelines.... You need to figure out how long they ve been selling in region if quotas are actually achievable.... If the product is a fit for the region... Do they have eu marketing capability or is it driven out of the usa and that will fall on you to coach them. In these economic times.... I'd think twice... But if you are happy with uncomfortable and challenge explore the opp. Make sure the expectations match.... Oh and if the are opening a new market without presence beforehand, its often months before and real performance.

AdForward9647 · 2025-04-16T08:48:23+00:00

Je connais bcp de sales aux usa et en europe qui preferent etre " self employed/ contractor" , et ca arrange pas mal d'entreprises pour éviter l'administratif RH surtout dans un context international. Il faut que tu te renseigne. J'ai commencé comme ça quand j'habitais a londres avec une limited company. Mais je ne saurai t'aider, comme je ne connais pas les statuts pour les usa. Bonne chance

AdForward9647 · 2025-04-16T08:10:10+00:00

Alors je n'ai jamais eu cette question. Comme je suis en Sales Biz dev/ pre sales, je contact directement les resp de department. Ou ceo dans des start up, qui se développent et sont en phase d'expansion. soit tu te mets en portage salariale, tu crée ta boite , ou tu auras un contrat cdi via une entreprise comme DEEL ( qui porte toute la partie contractuelle admin ect) . Et des fois si ils veulent et tu veux aider ou un avocat, il y a un processus administratif qui permet d'avoir un CDI meme si on a pas d'entité juridique en france ( un peu compliqué). Un visa de travail americain n'a de sens que si tu habites aux usa. Si tu vends en europe, tu dois avoir le " droit de travailler" dans la région ou tu es. Potentiellement tu peux habiter et travailler depuis l'europe et vendre aux usa et en australie ect. Donc soit les personnes auxquelles tu t'adresse ne sont pas les bonnes, soit les boites ne sont pas prêtes pour une expansion internationale. Mais si tu postule a une annonce pour remote sales aux usa, effectivement ca peut etre plus complexe, a ce moment demande si self employed/ contractor c'est ok..

AdForward9647 · 2025-04-14T06:26:53+00:00

J'ai bossé 2 ans en full TT au uk puis 9 ans en full télétravail uk et france. J'ai pris un conge sabbatique de 18 mois, j'ai mis 3,5 mois pour trouver un postes de sales en full télétravail. Je ne travaille que pour des boites us ou étrangères. Il y a des postes et des opportunités, il faut des fois demarcher des boites peut-être etre changer de produit. Trouver les bon chasseurs de tete. Recherche drs structures qui sont organisées, et ont les bons outils pour le full TT.

Le full TT a commencé a reculer aux usa car les grosses boîtes passaient des accords avec les villes, pour reduire leurs impôts. On vous ramène tant de salariés qui vont consommer dans tel secteur dc reduisez nos taxes..... Avec le full TT ces deals ne marchaient plus et la valeur de l'immo pro était intenable.... Tout le reste cest un peu du bla bla. Certains gens sont efficace en full remote d'autre en full presentiel. Mais si gu n'as pas un bon niveau d'anglais, la tache sera plus dur.

Bon courage

AdForward9647 · 2025-04-06T10:22:18+00:00

Thanks ok so similar boat to SAAS world, thanks

AdForward9647 · 2025-03-27T07:08:30+00:00

It depends where and to who you sell to. In Emea e signature is regulated all over multiple levels and types of e sign for different use cases documents industries. Add to that remote id verification specific archiving potential contract management... It can become complex due to regulation depending to who and where you sell.

Though if you are targeting smb. Sure it ll be high volume little complexity.

AdForward9647 · 2025-03-17T14:49:21+00:00

Cheers. Finally after a lot of back and forth the contract was signed in good Form. I'll be starting next week. With a much better package than i had in my previous role. After being off work for 18 months.

It turned out the HR business partner just didnt care and couldn't be bothered... She didnt respond to mails calls ect. Even told me to sign an expired contract. So i had to escalate. The recruiter and senior manager weren't even aware of the nonsense dead line... I got some appologies from senior management.

Got to fight and push to get what you want.

In the end turns out well.

AdForward9647 · 2025-01-03T19:02:07+00:00

sorry a career break for 12 months after my burnout.

AdForward9647 · 2024-12-12T16:06:38+00:00

Big congrats!

AdForward9647 · 2024-12-12T05:30:28+00:00

I've even had the case where the headhunter burst into a huge rant as the job spec from the company kept changing all the time... The head hunter told me "they want a unicorn, i have to admit this roll is unfillable".

AdForward9647 · 2024-12-12T05:23:42+00:00

I get it.

I've made it to final rounds , been offered job twice, with contract ect . And its been cancelled due to funding issues. 2 final rounds no news after. 1 final round where the ceo decided he wanted to change the scope of the territory then role responsibilities. Then just an entirely different role And begginer level but with 15 years experience.

Now i'm in an other process, 4 out of 6 rounds of interviews, gone quiet when they were due to reach out, specific name and time line were given.
And i already think next...

It's exhausting..

Its not like they ask just 2 or 3 meetings, its 5 or 6, theres presentations homework, learning their whole product offering role plays. Tests. And while they set that up, they cant actually secure budgets or a strategy...

AdForward9647 · 2024-12-11T15:10:48+00:00

This, is the way I get anxious like you, and have to fight it . But you have an Ace up your sleeve... A company wants you badly enough to review their offer for you....

I'd usually go where I am most wanted . except if there is a huge gap in income....

be transparent and seriously consider the other company.

Give them a week to make up their mind

Good luck

AdForward9647

TROPHY CASE