Courtesy of Samaraweera.
- Ayomi Samaraweera was laid off in December and is now focused on her creator-economy startup.
- She revealed the lessons she's learned while building a business.
- She said speed and strong communication skills are crucial for new founders.
In December 2022, Ayomi Samaraweera was laid off from her role at the creator-economy startup Jellysmack amid layoffs throughout the tech industry.
Samaraweera had been at the company for six months and had worked as the president's chief of staff, which gave her insights on how a creator-economy startup works and what it takes to grow a business in that industry, she said.
In October 2022, she used that experience to launch a side-hustle startup called Canopy, which is a platform for social-media-content creators to share knowledge and industry insights and grow their careers. She decided to take the company full time when she lost her job.
"Being laid off just forced my hand," Samaraweera, who worked as a consultant at EY and global head of internal communications at TikTok before landing at Jellysmack, said. "I saw it as a massive opportunity."
Samaraweera revealed her experience building a business after being laid off.
This is an as-told-to story based on an interview with Samaraweera that has been slightly edited for length and clarity.
The layoff allowed me to focus full time
When I was laid off, it gave me that push I needed to work on Canopy full-time. But it has been a hustle to build the brand.
The biggest transition is that it's all on me as the founder. For example, I came down with the flu two weeks ago and if I felt that bad in a corporate job, I could have taken a sick day. But that was not an option this time around, because I had meetings with two creators and a potential investor. I didn't feel as if I could take that day off.
Aside from one college intern and a few contract workers, I'm responsible for every aspect of the company. I'm building the product, doing the design, running the social-media accounts, meeting with investors, and creating the pitch deck.
It's been important to prioritize my time and to be strategic with how I'm spending it.
I'm also realizing that communication is an underrated skill for founders. Communicating with creators is very different from communicating with potential investors, which is different from communicating with other founders or with the press.
Storytelling is also an important skill, especially at this early stage. All founders should focus on that if they're looking to grow.
I had been preparing before the layoffs
Courtesy of Samaraweera.
Prior to being laid off, I did the necessary work to set myself up for success as a founder. This preparation has been especially important since the company is pre-revenue right now.
During my day job, I created a robust network of creators, startup founders, and social-media experts to best understand the industry. Then, I started messaging creators to ask them about their experiences and understand their pain points.
Those initial conversations allowed me to gradually create the business plan and services that Canopy would offer.
Additionally, I made sure to bulk up on my savings so that I had some runway when I wanted to go full time. I've been planning for a rainy day, so now I'm able to pursue bootstrapping this company.
Speed is the most important growth tool right now
It has been crucial to move quickly while building the startup and, luckily, I love the chaos. I'm on hyper speed. For me, nothing can wait until tomorrow while we are looking for new users and investors.
My suggestion for other founders is to get moving, have a point of view, be dynamic, and be willing to adapt quickly. Sometimes things fail, and that's OK.
The best piece of advice I've received was "the second best 'yes' is a fast 'no.'" I keep that in mind when I'm pitching the business to people including potential clients and investors. It's been helpful for me because even if it's a "no," I know to move on and not have an ego about it.