I lost my job right before having my first child. My wife and I took the opportunity to level up our side hustle.
A married couple shares their experience of pivoting to a full-time wedding camcorder rental business after both faced job losses during a pregnancy. They describe the challenges of balancing entrepreneurship with the demands of becoming new parents.
Why it matters
This personal narrative reflects broader trends in the gig economy and the shift toward side hustles as a form of financial security.
Rachel Calaj and Felipe Rochi run a camcorder rental business for weddings. Felipe Rochi Felipe Rochi lost one of his jobs while his wife was pregnant with their first child. They decided to take the leap and grow their side hustle — a rental camcorder business — together. As new parents, the two of them split the tasks involved in running the business. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Rachel Calaj and Felipe Rochi, a married couple in their 30s. Together, they run a wedding camcorder rental business that they started as a side hustle. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Rochi: I'm an SEO supervisor. I also had a second job in the SEO space, but I was terminated this summer, in early June.
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