NAVIGATING THE UPS AND DOWNS: A PERSONAL GROWTH

Hello 👋 #scifimultiverse trust we are doing great. I welcome you to my blog today and present this weeks prompt to you. I look forward to reading from you in the comment section.

My life and career have evolved over the past twelve years. There have been personal struggles, office challenges, family challenges and social challenges. These ups and downs have contributed to the person I am today. For this prompt, I would like to reflect on a career struggle I had years ago.

I got a Job around 2012 as a customer service manager. I was doing very well with my benefits and living comfortably. Two years later, one of the shop managers resigned. During her exit interview, the MD asked her who she would recommend to replace her in the firm. She recommended me. All protocols were observed, and I was effectively promoted to branch manager. A new offer and other benefits were extended to me. Happily, I accepted the offer, but did not ask questions or make further enquiries regarding the deliverables. I just focused on the benefits and rewards. The Job role involved marketing and generating sales leads for the branch to keep it profitable by achieving 70% of the monthly target.

I started with the existing, uncompleted sales. I managed to convert them into sales while struggling to develop sales strategies that would generate steady sales leads to achieve the monthly branch target. That was where the struggle began. I launched out with the sales team, visiting schools, churches, hostels, and anywhere we could think of to generate sales, all to no avail. We were generating little sales from walk-in customers, which was not meeting our sales target.

The first, second and third months came and went without us meeting our budgets for those months. At the beginning of the fourth month, I got a query and a warning letter reminding me of all the timelines and consequences of not meeting those timelines. My life changed, and I started experiencing fear anytime I remembered that I had to go to work.

By the fourth month, I was stripped of all benefits. My salary was also threatened. I was put on a target commission, meaning that I will receive a percentage of achieved sales. This is because my branch has been placed as a liability and is no longer profitable for the business. I nearly slipped into depression. Then I remembered the manager who handed it over to me. I reached out to her and explained my challenges to her. By then, I rarely went for my weekly shopping, and I started relying heavily on my husband, friends and family for my upkeep. I also regretted accepting the offer. Again, I was torn between thoughts like what if this, what if that and had I known kept splashing all over me. The manager requested I schedule a personal meeting with her, which I did. We met, and that meeting changed the narrative. She revealed the business secrets, released contacts of third-party sellers she worked with over the years, and introduced me to them. She also advised that I partner with online marketplaces. I went home happily and conducted more research on the online marketplaces.

Within that week, I entered into a partnership with five online marketplaces and signed our service level agreements. I also planned my schedule within the month, which allowed me to meet with all the third-party sellers and some freelancers.

By the sixth month, the management was already planning to send me on a perpetual leave to source for my replacement since my former role had been occupied. But things started changing. Sales began to improve gradually, and that month, we achieved 40% of our target. The next month, we achieved 50%. Quality sales kept coming, and we started building our referral database.

By the tenth month, we achieved 70% of our sales budget. My branch became a reference point. All that I lost was restored. I kept improving. My joy, well-being and mental stability were fully rejuvenated.

From that month until I got another offer and resigned, my sales never dropped again.

Above all, I learnt to be resilient in the face of those challenges. I was also honest during those periods, reaching out to friends for support and kept trying new things. I also did not burn bridges; I explored all available avenues in search of a turnaround. This is exactly what I will advise anyone who finds themselves in such a situation.

However, I would also advise that we go through any form of offer extended to us and, if possible, seek help to interpret the terms before signing out. Honestly, I would not have taken up the role, assuming I understood the terms and conditions. Most importantly, do not give up or quit in any given challenge, except it is life-threatening; quitters never win, and winners never quit.

Thank you for reading.