Should You Start a Business or Look for Another Job After a Layoff?

After a layoff, one of the biggest questions Black women face is whether to look for another job, start a business, or do both. The truth is, you do not have to choose one path immediately. For many Black women, the most strategic next step is not an either-or decision. It is a bridge strategy.

A bridge strategy gives you room to stabilize your income while also creating space to explore what comes next. That might look like searching for aligned roles while building a business on the side. It might look like taking contract work while you test your offer. It might look like consulting in the same industry you came from, especially if you have years of experience that organizations still need. Or it might look like using your layoff as the moment to finally take the business idea that has been sitting in your spirit seriously.

The better question is not simply, “Should I get a job or start a business?” The better question is, “What strategy supports my income, energy, purpose, and long-term freedom?” For some Black women, the most aligned next step is another job with better pay, stronger boundaries, and more stability. For others, entrepreneurship is the path that creates more ownership and freedom. And for many, the answer is both for a season.

The key is to stop making decisions from fear. A layoff is not proof that you are not brilliant. It is not proof that your career is over, and it is not proof that you are behind. A layoff is an interruption and deeply traumatizing. And while the journey back to healing and safety can be challenging, sometimes it can be the redirection you need. It can be the push that makes you finally take your own gifts, expertise, and calling seriously.

What Does “Doing It Scared” Mean After a Layoff?

Doing it scared means taking aligned action before you feel fully confident. It does not mean moving recklessly or pretending that fear is not present. It means being honest about the fear while refusing to let it control your decisions and actions.

After a layoff, fear can show up in a lot of ways. You might be scared to update your LinkedIn because announcing your availability makes the layoff feel real. You might be scared to apply for roles because rejection feels devastating when you are already grieving a job loss. You might be scared to pitch your services, announce your offer, or tell people you are building a business because a part of you is wondering, “What if this does not work?”

Doing it scared is the practice of taking the next strategic step anyway.

• You can be scared and still update your website.
• You can be scared and still reach out to your network.
• You can be scared and still apply for roles that align with your values.
• You can be scared and still create the offer, send the pitch, post the content, or book the consultation.

In this episode, Keke’s story reminds us that courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is choosing not to let fear have the final say. For Black women who have had to be strong, excellent, adaptable, and professional in systems that often do not protect us, doing it scared is more than a cute phrase. It is a survival skill, and it can also become a liberation practice.

Why Accessibility Matters in Business and Event Planning

One of the most powerful parts of this episode is Keke’s expertise in accessible event planning. Accessibility is often treated as an afterthought, something organizations remember after the venue is booked, after the budget is spent, or after someone raises a concern. But true accessibility has to be part of the strategy from the beginning.

Keke challenges organizations to think differently about event planning. Planning an event well is not just about choosing a beautiful venue, creating a run of show, or making sure the room looks good. It is about considering who will be in the room, what they need to participate fully, and what barriers might prevent them from feeling safe, included, and supported.

This is why event planners and accessibility experts need a seat at the table early. When accessibility is considered from the beginning, organizations can make better decisions about venues, budgets, logistics, communication, safety, transportation, seating, technology, and the overall guest experience. When accessibility is added at the end, it often becomes more expensive, less effective, and more harmful to the people who should have been considered in the first place.

That lesson applies to business too. If you are building a business after a layoff, accessibility, inclusion, and client experience should not be things you add later. They should shape how you design your offers, services, spaces, and systems from the beginning.

Connect with LaKesha “Rolling with Keke” Moore

LaKesha “Rolling with Keke” Moore is a Senior Event Strategist, accessibility advocate, and founder of Rolling With Keke™. Her work centers accessibility, safety, inclusion, and strategy in event design.

Website: https://rollingwithkeke.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lakeshamoore-events/

How Can Black Women Rebuild Confidence After Being Laid Off?

A layoff can make even the most accomplished Black woman question herself. You might wonder whether you missed a sign, whether you should have seen it coming, or whether there was something you could have done differently. You might replay meetings, projects, performance reviews, or every moment you advocated for yourself.

That kind of reflection is normal, but it can become harmful when it turns into self-blame. As Black women, we already have to navigate workplaces where we are overextended, under-supported, overlooked, or expected to prove ourselves over and over again. So when a layoff happens, it can feel like a challenge to your identity, confidence, and sense of safety.

Rebuilding confidence after a layoff requires more than updating your resume. It requires reconnecting to who you are outside of that job. Start by naming what you accomplished in the role, what skills you strengthened, what problems you solved, and what impact you made. Then ask yourself what the experience taught you about what you want, what you no longer want to tolerate, and what kind of career or business you want to build next.

Your job may have ended, but your expertise did not.

This is the moment to separate your worth from the workplace that could not or did not carry you into your next chapter. You are still skilled. You are still capable. And sis, you are still allowed to build something beautiful after a hard season.