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A Brief Conversation with Sandy Sanchez
Hi everyone! This week we’re diving into the professional life of my friend, Sandy Sanchez. I’ve admired her professionally for some years now and even more after recently learning that she quit her 9-6 career in advertising to pursue freelance work. Let’s jump into who she is and how she did it.
[Interview Script]
Tell us about yourself
I’m Sandy. I’m a copywriter and brand strategist based in New York (and sometimes Mexico City). I grew up in Texas but have been living in New York for 5 years now. I love traveling, thrifting, cooking, and writing my newsletter, Small Pleasures.
How did you get into an advertising career, what were you doing, and how long were you working?
I studied advertising at UT Austin. I was in their Texas Creative Program where I focused on copywriting. From there, I was part of MAIP and I ended up getting internships at DDB Chicago and Y&R New York. My internship at Y&R ended up turning into a full-time job, so it kind of went from there! I then went on to work at McCann New York on the Mastercard account. The big agency life was great, but then I decided I wanted something new, so I worked in-house at Thinx as a brand copywriter and most recently at Red Antler, where I was part of the strategy team and got to work on the branding and digital work for a lot of exciting early-stage companies. Having both advertising and branding experience has been really great, because I’ve gotten to expand on my skills so much and really understand how brands work, whether they’ve been around for 100 years or are about to launch in 3 months.
What led you to quit your advertising career and what did you want to pursue?
I decided to quit the 9-6 life and become a freelancer. I felt ready to do my own thing and even though my previous jobs were all incredible, I wanted to work for myself. The constant meetings were very draining, and I wanted to have more control over my time and what kind of clients I worked with. Now, I’m freelancing for a few really cool startups, web3 native brands, and creating more content on TikTok and IG. I want to do more than just copywriting and strategy, though. I love painting and ceramics (still relatively new to both) and I’m hoping that now I’ll have more time to dedicate to other creative projects. I also host a biannual market in Brooklyn where I have vendors sell art, food, and other homemade goods, so I’m currently organizing the next one right now as well. The ultimate goal is to have total financial freedom and just do what I want and try new things. But for now, I’m really loving the flexibility of the freelance life.
How did you financially prepare for quitting your job and did you have a plan?
I didn’t do too much financial planning, to be honest. I do love budgeting and tracking my money though, so I knew exactly how much I needed to make every month now that I wasn’t going to have a stable, full-time job income. I had some savings, but being a first-generation Latina who grew up with low income and had some debt, I definitely didn’t have enough savings to just wing it for months. But I also didn’t try to save a certain amount of money either before quitting, either. I wanted to quit already, so instead, I just made sure I had projects lined up after I quit. During my first month of freelancing, I ended up making 3x the amount of money I usually made monthly at my last job. I luckily have a pretty good network and social media presence that I’ve been building over the last few years, so when I announced that I was quitting my full-time job, I ended up having a lot of clients come to me. I’ve been freelancing for a couple of months now, and since then, it’s been a steady flow. So I would say when financially preparing to quit your job, assess your finances. How much do you need to make every month? Can you afford to go a few months without some work? Or do you need to have some projects lined up? These are all important questions to ask yourself.
Did you have any savings that factored into your decision for quitting?
I had some savings, but not a lot. I was definitely worried that I didn’t have enough saved up, but I ended up quitting anyway. I didn’t want to wait until I had 6+ months’ worth of living expenses saved up. And once I lined up really good-paying freelance projects, I knew that I’d be fine.
What were your most common worries when quitting your job?
I was worried about insurance and actually still haven’t figured out my insurance thing. And also taxes! Getting an accountant is definitely on my to-do list for when tax season comes next year.
Did you have any personal debt when quitting your job? Did that factor into your decision?
I have some college debt and a little bit of credit card debt. I was the first person in my family to go to college, and even though I got some scholarships and grants and worked throughout college, I still needed to take out some loans. It didn’t really factor into my decision, though. Especially since student loans are on pause.
How have your sources of income shifted since quitting your job?
I get my money from different clients that I work with. I’m also a content creator and make money from brand collaborations, so that is another source of income for me.
How has quitting your job impacted your lifestyle?
It hasn’t really impacted my lifestyle that much. I still lead a similar lifestyle that I did before, probably even better now that I have more flexibility with my time. The only thing I’m still getting used to is not getting paid on specific days every month, but it’s worth it.
Any personal advice to give to those looking to escape the 9-5 life? Anything from a financial perspective?
Set a deadline for yourself! Back in 2021, I told myself that I wanted to go freelance by early 2022. In January I gave myself a specific deadline and quit in February. Having that deadline really helps because it makes it feel real. I think a lot of the times people say “I wanna quit my job” but they don’t know when they’re going to do it and then they end up working for years at a place that isn’t right for them. And from a financial perspective, not having a stable income is definitely scary! Especially if you don’t have a massive safety net. It terrified me, but don’t let that scare you. Everyone is capable of making money on their own, especially now with the internet. Build a network, make your skills known to everyone, find clients (or ideally, have them come to you), and be aware of your finances. If you don’t have huge savings, you can still quit but just make sure you have freelance projects lined up. And if you really, really want to quit your job, take this as your sign to go for it.
If you found Sandy’s story insightful, please share Finessing Finance with friends.
Ways to get in touch with Sandy include Twitter (@sndy_snchz) and email (sndy.snchz@gmail.com)
Have a great week,
JT