I was laid off from my AE role back in May 2023.

The job market wasn't promising at the time, so I started making money through copywriting and lead gen. Eventually, founding my own agency.

Agency life has been ok, but I miss having a stable job with coworkers. I'm now putting my energy into job searching with the goal to find an AE or account manager role.

I've had a few calls and I'm struggling with how to frame my "founder" title without sounding like a failure or lazy. Any tips?

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I don't think that any "founder" title is a failure. You started an entire agency and were able to live off of the revenue from it. Highlight that--all the successes. There's nothing wrong with wanting stability. I know that many recruiters will relate to that.

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Thank you, this makes me feel better!

Having a founder title shows that you have leadership and team management capabilities that is absolutely necessary for an account management role. Lean into. I would frame your job hunt a you want to have a better work-life balance so that you can maintain some leverage when negotiating salaries.

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I agree with the other folks that saying a "Founder" title is not make you look like a failure. However, with job hunting, the number one priority is getting your resume viewed by a human (past the AI screen) and then getting a call scheduled so that you can explain your work history. There's no shame in saying that you had family obligations at the time where you needed flexible hour so you started freelance work. Be careful how you word it, you don't want to give employeers the impression that you'll be moonlighting on the job or are not fully committed. The first order of business is making sure you get through the screening and that the text on your resume tells a consistent story. So put your title first and then (Freelance or Founder) in parentheses so that it shows how many consecutive years you've been working under the same title or role. You can also use AI tools like Grammarly to check your resume, or ask GPTchat "what type of position is a person with the following resume well suited for" and see what feedback you get and if aligns with with you're looking for. LinkedIn has a great new AI feature "Am I qualified for this role" that gives you feedback as well. Use that and don't apply unless it tells you your profile is a good fit. Tweak your profile based on the feedback you get. Goodluck, and remember, freelancing shows that you are a self starter, organized, motivated and have a strong work ethic. Go you!!

I think you made the right choice in owning your own agency. You are in the early stages of building little by little. Remember Rome wasn't built in a day. Have you thought about getting volunteers to help grow your business. You want like minded people to help your agency to grow and in turn you can donate your skills with someone who wants the experience so they can grow. So it is a win win situation.

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