2024 Redefined My Understanding of Wealth
The layoff that changed everything
Hey friends,
2025 is only 14 days away - how’s your year been?
This time last year, I couldn’t have imagined where I’d be now.
In April, I was laid off. By May, I became a solopreneur. By September, I’d developed a full-fledged coaching business. It’s grown a lot since then and there’s still a ton to do.
It’s been a whirlwind 6 months, and here’s the big revelation that changed everything for me:
Wealth isn’t about money—it’s about time.
I used to admire people with huge paychecks. Now? I’m impressed by people who have the freedom to spend their time how they want.
They don’t chase money. They use money to buy back their time.
The old me vs. the new me
The old me was stuck in a DIY mindset.
Hit a problem? Spend 20 hours Googling, digging through Reddit threads, and hunting for “free” solutions. Paying for help? Never. That felt like admitting defeat.
“If I can’t solve it myself, I’ve failed,” I’d think.
But here’s the truth: that mindset was the failure.
Why do the wealthy hire private chefs? Not because they can’t cook, but because their time is worth more elsewhere.
They outsource low-value problems to focus on high-value outcomes.
How 2024 rewired my brain
When I launched my business, I faced a mountain of challenges: copywriting, marketing, accounting—you name it.
At first, I refused to spend money to unblock myself. I wasted 15 hours trying to figure out when to set up a limited company. Conflicting advice, Reddit rabbit holes—you know the drill.
Finally, I caved and paid £195 for an accountant.
30 minutes later, the problem was solved.
That was my wake-up call.
As a solopreneur, I’m not just an employee anymore. I’m a business. And businesses invest, leverage, and take calculated risks.
Here’s the maths:
I value my time at $500/hour. Spending 15 hours stuck on that problem cost me $7,500 in lost opportunity.
Spending money saved me time. That’s leverage.
Where I spent money to grow my business in 2024
💰 Writing courses ($1,000+)
Grew my Substack from 0 to 4.5K in 5 months.
40+ LinkedIn DMs asking to join my coaching program (without cold outreach).
Sold out my coaching program every month since September.
ROI: 10x.
💰 Business coaching ($4,000+)
Learned how to scale my program and generate consistent monthly revenue.
ROI: Doubled in 2 months.
Could I have figured it out myself? Maybe…after years of trial and error.
Or maybe I’d have quit, romanticizing my “potential” and convincing myself solopreneurship just wasn’t for me.
I’d have to pretend not to envy every guru who moved to Bali.
But I don’t have 2 years to fuck around.
I want results now.
What’s next for 2025?
💡 I’m going all in. I’m reinvesting nearly everything I’ve made into scaling my business:
Hiring a business coach to master sales, marketing, and CEO-level strategy.
Building a team to design a group coaching program so I can help more people land top data jobs and add $20-50k to their salary
Focusing on webinars, lead magnets, and lower-ticket products later in the year.
2024 was the year I stopped chasing money and started building wealth.
Wealth is:
Prioritizing your growth
Time with the people you love
Scaling your business without burnout
Helping others and getting paid for your value
The freedom to live the life you actually want
How was your 2024?
Congratulations and well done Mandy. I wish more success to you and success for every data analysts or data scientists or data professional out there trying to get their foot in the door.
Inspiring journey Mandy! And going all in on what truly makes us passionate is how we get the most out of our lives