Today marks one year since I left my corporate job and started doing content creation “full time”. That still feels surreal to write, and I’ve been thinking a lot about everything this past year has brought into my life.

Not a day goes by where I don’t feel thankful for taking that leap even though at the time it felt huge, uncertain, and honestly very terrifying.

There has been a lot of interest about how I got here, why I made the decision, and what this transition has actually been like. I wanted to share my journey as an honest look at what it took for me to get here and why this path made sense for my life.

This is my story about how content creation started as a hobby, how it slowly became a viable business, and why I ultimately chose to leave my corporate job to pursue social media and content creation full time.

But it’s also about my experience as a working mother, and struggling to be the mother I wanted while working a traditional job. This is the story of letting go of things that were no longer serving me.

Grab a cup of tea and cozy up because this is going to be a long read!

Why Did I Leave My Job?

For a long time, I struggled to explain why I decided to leave my job, because the answer felt more emotional and complicated than I thought it was “supposed” to be. I could say that I left my job to do content creation full time but that is not the complete story.

The truth is that once I became a mother, something in me shifted. My career stopped holding the same weight it once had, and I felt a strong pull to be home with my child. I didn’t want to send her to daycare yet, and I found myself wanting a front row seat to her childhood in a way I hadn’t expected. I could not (and still cannot) fathom spending hours apart.

Motherhood had (to my surprise) become the most important job to me.

What made it harder was how difficult this felt to say out loud. I rarely heard mothers openly talk about wanting to step away from work, and when they did, it often seemed framed as a step backward rather than simply a different choice.

I remember telling a close friend before returning to work that I wished I didn’t have to go back yet, and hearing, “I could never do that, I’d be so bored.” I laughed in the moment, but it stayed with me. It made me question why wanting to be home with my daughter suddenly felt like something I needed to defend. Was this the boring choice to make?

At the same time, I know not every family has the privilege of choice, and I hate that the systems we live in often make it incredibly difficult for mothers to choose what feels right for their family.

A one income household comes with real sacrifices and considerations, and for many people it simply isn’t an option. But for me, after a lot of reflection, I realized I wanted to build a life that gave me more time, presence, and flexibility during these early years of motherhood but we still needed the income because we had just bought a house!

I feel incredibly grateful every day that content creation has allowed me to build a path that feels aligned with that…one where I get to be present for my child in the way I wanted, while still doing meaningful work I genuinely enjoy and earning an income at the same time. But how long did it take to get here?

My Journey As a Creator

In the spring of 2023 (almost 3 years ago!), I started posting on social media as a way to feel less alone in motherhood and to frankly have something that belonged to just me.

At the time, this was purely a hobby — a creative outlet. I enjoyed capturing small moments of my day and sharing thoughts that felt meaningful to me. I started on TikTok (and slowly added Instagram later that year), with no expectations that this would ever turn into something bigger.

I didn’t have goals, metrics, or a long term plan. It was purely vibes. I was just creating because it felt good and I’ve always been one to pick up my phone to record my life and share it for strangers to consume (I am an ex-tumblr girlie after all…my first platform of choice for oversharing).

At the same time I started posting content online, I was also navigating my return to work after becoming a mother and it was incredibly hard (I feel so bad for past me when I think about how hard it was).

Even though I was fortunate to have a fully remote corporate job, I struggled more than I expected. I just felt exhausted, behind, and disconnected from the version of myself I used to be. My brain didn’t feel the same. My capacity wasn’t the same. On top of it all, I was going through a lot of health issues. I won’t go into further details about all the barriers and hardships I encountered, but it was a really hard time that I barely survived.

But to maintain some sense of my personhood, I kept creating content online. I started sharing about our journey of going screen free with our toddler which turned out to be a topic of interest because not a lot of people were talking about at that time and I had a few videos that gained traction.

Turning A Hobby Into A Business

Very slowly, I started getting paid work from brands, and I remember how excited I used to feel when a brand would pay me anything for a video (to be transparent, I started creating videos for brands for $50 but no regrets, everyone starts somewhere).

Things moved very slowly in the beginning. I was not a natural at this and I had not found my style or voice yet. I was posting whatever I wanted without considering value until I started taking it a bit more seriously. I started paying closer attention to what works and what didn’t.

By the end of 2024, I had grown a community of over 150,000 people, and this is when I started thinking this could actually go somewhere. I had learned a lot in the process and I started to understand how it could be scaled. I had fine tuned my videos, and I had really grown as a creator.

But financially, content creation was still just a side hustle that couldn’t replace my corporate job. We’ve always been a two income household, and quitting without a sustainable income wasn’t an option for us. And because I am insane and have to make things work, I decided to lock in!!

My lock in plan was to focus on improving the quality of my content and being more intentional. I had people who wanted to consume my content, but it lacked strategy and direction.

I focused on building a posting schedule, deciding on topics I wanted to talk about (that people also wanted to hear), and most importantly a strategy with clear goals and metrics. I also started diversifying my income streams more (beyond just brand partnerships and digital products).

My plan was simple: work as hard as I reasonably could for six months, get as many ads as I could (I hired an amazing manager to get me brand work) and see if this could become a viable full time job.

I made a checklist of where I needed to be and what goals I had to hit (e.g. brand partnerships, affiliate income, savings, etc.) before I could quit.

By spring of 2025, after 2 years of creating content, I felt ready to take a chance on myself. I had thought about doing this for months. I knew this job was no longer serving me. I was really struggling, I was so stressed and having multiple crying sessions each month about it.

So I put in my notice at work. I felt extremely nervous doing so. And for weeks after, I cried many times and wondered if I’d made a mistake (I also considered rescinding my notice of resignation many times). I thought about all the things that go wrong, but not enough of all the things that could go right.

Why Didn’t I Go All In Sooner?

I am very risk averse. I would never leave my stable job before my business showed real potential. For most creators, there’s a long overlap period where you have to keep working your full time job while you build your business and that was true for me too.

For over two years, I worked full time and got better at content creation before I went all in. I had to push myself to learn so much. I had to work late nights almost every single day while I did this but I had to see if this became something. I wanted to see I could build myself a life of more freedom and more time to be with my kid while she’s still a kid.

I think many people look at content creation and assume it isn’t serious work, but if you want to build something sustainable, you need a strategy and diversified income streams. It takes years, not months, to reach the point where it becomes a real business.

And I did it. I kept going even when it was hard. I’ve never said this before, but I’m proud of myself for what I’ve created from scratch. I built my way into this space through consistency, learning, and persistence. I am good at creating content.

It’s been a year since I decided to ‘start over’ in my 30s. And it has really been the best decision. My mental health is the best it has ever been since becoming a mother. I have time to work on my many health issues. Friends and family have told me that they can just feel how much more relaxed I am now. I feel it in myself too – I am not always on the edge of a breakdown because I am no longer trying to do it all.

And that’s my story of why and how I left my corporate job to do content creation and social media full time. Now let’s get into some of my most frequently asked questions!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What Are My Sources of Revenue as a Canadian Content Creator?

This is one of the most common questions I get. Because TikTok and Instagram are not monetized for creators in Canada, diversification is essential.

My current income streams include:

• Affiliate programs
• Brand partnerships (currently my biggest source of income)
• Blog ad revenue
• Facebook monetization program
• Digital products
• Physical products (my newest addition as I’ve launched a second brand)

My biggest tip: never rely on a single platform or income source. Start with one thing but look at how to diversify and this includes being present on multiple platforms. It is a lot of work to keep this different streams of income but you do not want to put yourself in a corner! Things are always changing in this industry and it’s best to be in a secure position.

Q: How Many Followers Do You Need To Make A Good Income?

A: I think this varies by person. There is no magic number that will unlock more money.

I know many people with followings under 100k who make a great income through content creation and I know people with larger followings who do not have good, consistent income streams. It entirely depends on your strategy, diversification, follower engagement, quality of content, etc.

At the time of leaving my job, I had about 220,000 followers on Instagram, 40,000 on Tiktok, a new blog with very few readers but most importantly, I had a good idea of how to monetize my platforms through various methods.

After leaving my job, I was able to build my other platforms. Today, these are my stats: Facebook (65,000 followers), YouTube (3,000 subscribers), Pinterest (1.7M monthly views), monthly newletter (14,000+ subscribers), blog’s views per month (8,000+ per month). Instagram (320,000 followers) and Tiktok (52,000 followers).

Q: I Want to Do This Too — Where Do I Start?

A: Start by asking yourself:

• What do I want to talk about?
• What do I have to share?
• What feels natural for me to show up and discuss?

Then talk about it.

Experiment. Pivot. Try new formats. Pay attention to what resonates. Fine tune your craft because I truly believe content creation is a form of art – whether its through your visuals, the way you talk, the way you film, etc. Whatever you create must be a joy to consume.

People often say the online space is oversaturated. I don’t believe that. There is always room for honest voices and thoughtful perspectives. What you bring to the table can be uniquely you. Just start, you never know what can happen!

Q: What Tools Do I Need To Start?

A: I literally started with my phone that was 4 years old and a tripod! I didn’t even have a laptop when I started but I didn’t let that hold me back. You can buy more gear as you go!

Q: Why Didn’t You Keep Working While Doing Content Creation?

A: This is the hardest question to answer and the most personal. The hardest part about content creation as a job is that there is no ceiling. I could create hundreds of pieces of content a month and grow faster (and make more money). But I don’t want that.

I chose this path because I wanted a slower life. I get to homeschool my daughter. I spend my days with her like I wanted. I have flexibility. I have time for myself. I am not juggling 100 balls at the same time. I get to be a present mother. I get to be a patient, regulated partner. I get to run my business on my own terms. I get to own my day.

I’ve found myself healing by choosing to hustle less, not more. Even with all the challenges that comes with having your own business, I’d choose this path over again.

Closing Thoughts

One year in, I don’t think this journey is really about leaving a job or becoming a content creator anymore. It’s been about building a life that actually fits the season I’m in, even when that choice felt uncertain or uncomfortable at the time.

I’ve learned that there is no perfect timing, no perfect plan, and no version of success that comes without trade offs. But there is peace in choosing what feels right for you and being willing to build slowly toward it.

Taking risks is scary but it is scarier to stay stuck in a situation that is draining the life out of us. I’m still learning, still evolving, but I know I made the right decision for this chapter of my life. I have no idea what the future holds, but I am excited to see where it takes me!

If you made it all the way to the end of this very long post, thank you for reading. I hope there was something that resonated with you or provided value. I appreciate you taking the time to be here.

Cheers,
Azka