Navigating Career Change with ZakkeeAhmad

(Recorded February 19, 2021) A few days ago, I was feeling really down and upset as I was trying to build my new COO business. Why was it such a struggle? It felt so hard and frustrating and it's supposed to feel fun and amazing and exciting and effortless because I'm doing what I love! Well, I sat down and journaled out my thoughts to "get the problem out of me" and decided to share what I wrote because it helped SO MUCH. This is a demonstration of why I believe in the power of journaling (not exclusively but one technique). I wish you all the best in your problem solving as well. 💙 (music: Jay-Z - U Don't Know)

(Recorded February 19, 2021) This episode is all about the how and why behind my current "Small Biz COO" business. I'm sharing my thought process behind launching it, why I'm so confident that it will be successful, and the boxes that it checks. The amazing thing btw? I'm finally pursuing something that checks off ALL of my boxes! How exciting! And it only took 3 years... not bad. (Spoiler alert - that itself is why it can't lose.....) (music: Jay-Z- U Don't Know)

Yes, this is exactly what it sounds like: the story of the moment I knew beyond any more wonder that what I had gone through was what most people refer to as a "midlife crisis". Book Referenced: Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza

🖤❤💚💜💙💛

Recorded about a week after my first ever stand up comedy set. This is the rough draft of my reflections. Then made notes on a structured way to present my ideas and cover something I missed. Haven't had a chance to do that yet so I figured I'd share the imperfect version in the meantime....

(Recorded September 25, 2020) Focus. It's something I have not exactly embodied since I walked out the door (on my career) and allowed myself to consider anything & everything a possibility. The positives: I had/have the confidence to pursue anything, I'm flexible, and I ended up trying a huge variety of things (& learning a ton along the way). The potential trap: a lack of focus, which led to decreased productivity and added frustrations stemming from that. The day before recording this episode, I chatted with Jenny Paul (@livelongandhustle on Instagram) and she helped me to see things I just wasnt seeing before (& man it felt like such a relief!). She helped me to see the cohesion (?) in several of the ideas I was already working on and provided some general guidance on how to build it out. The most exciting thing for me was having something real to pursue that accomplished so many of the objectives I've been trying to check off separately: do something I enjoy, help others on similar positions I was/am in, support small businesses, stay in touch with business trends, stay in control of myself/time, and make an income. Hopefully this episode provides some value to you, helps you see the value of focus (see also btw: flow state!), and fills in some more of my own entrepreneurial journey. Also, please do check out Jennys content for small businesses & female entrepreneurs - can't say enough and you'll see why! Thanks for listening ! (Theme music: "U Don't Know" by Jay-Z)

(Recorded Aug 30, 2020) You may be wondering what a fantasy football draft has to do with career change... Fair question. I've been listening to a LOT of fantasy football analysis on Sirius and one of the things that the hosts do is do live drafts on their radio shows. I couldn't help but think how awesome it is that they get PAID to not only study (fantasy) football and talk about it on international radio, but to actually draft their teams live or comment on/interview others' strategies while they draft... So I thought I'd give it a shot and see how I fared. And fare I did... (I think...?). At the end of the day, the point is that if someone offered me THAT dream job tomorrow and asked to see my portfolio, it would now include this podcast episode! Experience, right?! Enjoy & good luck with your fantasy season. Its sure to be a crazy one.

(Recorded Aug 13, 2020) You know when you're like out of work for 2 years and you feel like you're bashing your head against the wall cause you don't know what you're SUPPOSED to be doing with yourself or how to make money? You've applied for jobs and gotten zero response... What do you do? Duh - try something else! So I tried ecommerce. Dropshipping specifically. I got myself some courses, then got myself a mentorship program, and got some sales! I was doing everything right and was well on my way to a shiny new passive income stream cause that's how it goes... But that's just not how it goes. In this episode, I share my experiences and my opinions about ecommerce (dropshipping especially), why it's a great idea, and why you probably don't want to pursue it...

(June 5, 2020) In this episode, I share a little more about what my goals really are from a more macro perspective. What am I trying to do with my life? What am I working towards in addition to a new career? Who do I think I am to have these thoughts? And who benefits from the sacrifices and decisions that I've made? Hint: it's a lot bigger than me...

(Recorded May 25, 2020) Basically, when I started my search for a new career, it wasnt just to do something different or make more money. It truly was so that I could be more happy! I knew I could make more money doing something that I loved doing. I saw my high school yearbook quote that said something along the lines of "Pursue your passions" & felt ashamed that I hadn't done that so far... Well, as my wonderfully supportive wife reminded me: "You are!" & the sentiment of "this is who you are". #perspective. I thought it was something to be ashamed of, but it's quite the opposite if i choose to see it that way. It's storytime, kids. Grab a seat.