I got made redundant — turns out I manifested this.
A few weeks ago I got made redundant. Not exactly the plot twist I had planned for this year, but here we are.
So I asked myself — now what? I could jump back into the job search and land a similar offer, maybe even remote again (the whole return-to-office push isn't for me), maybe even without a pay cut. But I've also been working on some projects these past few months, quietly wishing I'd get to a point where I could be my own boss and work how and from where I wanted. In other words: turns out I manifested this. I've now got the uninterrupted time to push those projects properly, and to take a few others from idea to something real.
Here's where I stand: an iOS app that went into App Store review this week. Another one that's already live and already making money. A film site I run purely because I enjoy it. A pile of half-formed ideas I've been meaning to test for months.
The timeline is set by my cash runway, which is counting down — a pretty good reason to stop calling all of it "someday" or "if only I had time."
That's the whole premise here: Works in Progress. Also a decent description of me right now, tbh.
My second app — home cleaning, room by room. Built it, tested it on my own phone for months, and as of this week it's sitting in Apple's review queue. First real test of whether I can ship something people actually pay for twice. elbow-app.com →
The one that's already out and already earning — a test-prep app for the UK citizenship test. It's been coasting on minimal maintenance for a while; it's getting a proper push now instead, and I'll be bragging about it where I can. lifeintheukflashcards.com →
A film review site I built because I wanted to, not because the numbers work. It's staying exactly that — a hobby, not a business plan. I reckon it's worth keeping at least one thing purely for enjoyment. bayleyfilmclub.com →
This one already has real momentum and should bring in some income, but I can't share more yet.
And then there's everything that doesn't exist yet — just vague ideas for now. Watching those go from "note in a doc" to real, or getting quietly killed, is probably going to be the most interesting part of this. That, and my ongoing battle with myself: finishing something end-to-end versus jumping to whatever's new and shiny because it's more exciting.
Mostly because it's harder to let something die quietly once I've said out loud that I'm doing it. I'm fairly disciplined already, but a bit of extra accountability won't hurt. And because I'd rather show the actual process, including the bits that don't work, than tidy it up after the fact and post the highlight reel. Less glamorous, but hopefully more honest.
Roughly weekly. A mix of written posts and short videos, trying to keep it as close to what actually happened as I can manage — not the polished version. If you want to follow along, I'm also on Instagram and YouTube.
Next up: what App Store review actually looks like from the inside, and whether elbow gets through on the first try (doubt it).
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