Collins Sefa When Cinneah El Amin lost her tech job in 2023, she didn’t rush to find another corporate role. Instead, she took the opportunity to focus on her own business, Flynanced, a platform dedicated to helping ambitious women navigate career and personal finance decisions.
For a year, she treated this transition as a “corporate sabbatical,” expanding her brand, growing her audience, and securing partnerships with major companies like TD Bank and Intuit QuickBooks.
However, by the spring of 2024, the pressure of full-time entrepreneurship led to burnout. El Amin made a bold decision—one that many startup founders hesitate to make: she scaled back on her business and re-entered the workforce for financial stability.
“This is not me admitting failure,” she explains. “This is just me redefining what success looks like for me.”
The Toll of Entrepreneurship and the Need for Stability
For El Amin, returning to a 9-to-5 meant more than just a steady paycheck—it provided job security, a structured routine, and better health benefits. More importantly, it removed the pressure to monetize every aspect of Flynanced.
“It’s a huge leap to go from having a brand alongside a full-time job to making it your primary source of income,” she notes.
The financial strain pushed her to work tirelessly on sales and brand deals, leading to exhaustion. She realized that in her pursuit of growth, she was straying from her original mission—helping women with their financial and career goals.
“I felt like I couldn’t really serve my community from that cup,” she reflects.
Navigating the Job Market After a Career Break
Re-entering the job market wasn’t easy. El Amin faced challenges in an economy where job openings, particularly in financial services, were still limited.
“I definitely felt some anxiety wondering if I’d be able to find what I was looking for,” she admits.
Her strategy involved focusing on her skills as a technical product manager, targeting companies in her industry, and working with a career coach to frame her entrepreneurial journey as a valuable asset.
She learned to highlight how building Flynanced mirrored the product management life cycle—developing an idea, launching it, and managing its growth.
“I didn’t have to hide something I’m passionate about,” she says, emphasizing that mentoring women in finance is just like any other hobby professionals maintain outside of work.
At the same time, she reassured potential employers that Flynanced could remain a side hustle while she focused on her new role.
The LinkedIn Strategy That Landed Her a Job
After an intensive job search, applying to over 300 roles, El Amin secured a position as a senior product manager with the federal government in September and started in October. The fully remote role allowed her to maintain her six-figure income from the private sector.
She credits her success to a strategic LinkedIn approach—searching for “I’m hiring” posts instead of relying on the platform’s job board.
“I never even considered the federal government,” she admits. “But if someone hadn’t posted about looking for product managers, I wouldn’t have found this opportunity.”
Balancing Entrepreneurship and a Full-Time Job
While her new role offers stability, she remains mindful of potential changes, especially given recent efforts to reduce remote government positions.
“I don’t take this job for granted,” she says.
Despite the uncertainties, she finds fulfillment in her work, contributing to mission-critical services that impact the public. Meanwhile, she dedicates about 10 hours a week to Flynanced, prioritizing sustainability over burnout.
“I love being an entrepreneur,” El Amin says. “I also love having options.”
