Build a Career That Outlasts Your Next Layoff with Frank Bach cover art

Build a Career That Outlasts Your Next Layoff with Frank Bach

Build a Career That Outlasts Your Next Layoff with Frank Bach

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Your nine-to-five pays the bills, but it doesn’t define your career, and if you think it does, that might be the thing holding you back. This week, I sit down with a lead product designer, community builder, and all-around multi-hyphenate to talk about owning your career before someone else does.What happens to your sense of identity when the job goes away? Have you built anything outside of it that would survive?My guest this week is Frank Bach, a lead product designer who’s worked at places like Instagram, DoorDash, and Headspace. But honestly, the resume might be the least interesting thing about Frank. He also runs the LA Design and Dev community, teaches courses, fronts a hardcore band called Monk, and runs his own e-commerce shop, Sunshine Shop. Frank is someone who has clearly figured out that a career worth having doesn’t fit neatly inside one little box.We get into a lot in this conversation, like the danger of tying your self-worth to a company name, why “personal brand” feels so gross to so many designers, and what it actually looks like to cultivate what you’re known for without becoming a full-time content creator. Frank has a really practical way of thinking about all of this: treat your full-time job more like a freelance engagement, stay in “maintenance mode” when life demands it, and remember that your manager is thinking about their own promotion, not yours.We also talk about the other side of having a lot going on: how to decide when something’s run its course versus when you just need a breather, how to balance side projects without letting them eat your life, and why starting something messy is always better than waiting for the perfect moment. If you’ve ever felt like your career is just happening to you, this one’s worth a listen.Topics:• 03:20 - How Frank got into design and the multi-hyphenate mindset• 04:20 - The danger of tying your self-worth to a company name• 05:05 - Treating your full-time job like a freelance contract• 06:25 - The upside of big brand names on your resume• 07:05 - What happens to colleagues who lean too hard on “ex-Google, ex-Meta”• 08:17 - Why personal brand feels gross to so many designers• 09:35 - Personal brand isn’t just posting on LinkedIn• 11:10 - Being memorable: your look, your setup, your presence• 13:40 - The Instagram hiring story: 15 years of showing up paid off• 14:45 - Internal brand: the designers who are legends without being online• 15:37 - Maintenance mode: you don’t have to be 100% all the time• 19:38 - Does your day job have to fill your creative cup?• 21:05 - How side projects made Frank more valuable at work• 24:45 - How to have the side project conversation with your manager• 28:40 - How Frank stays consistent with so many things going on• 29:15 - The minimum viable version: where to start if you have nothing• 30:19 - Knowing when to cut something loose• 33:57 - Hiatus vs. done: how to tell the difference• 42:31 - Closing advice: you’re in the driver’s seatHelpful Links:• Connect with Frank on LinkedIn• Listen to Monk• Sunshine Shop—Thanks for listening! We hope you dug today’s episode. If you liked what you heard, be sure to like and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts! And if you really enjoyed today’s episode, why don’t you leave a five-star review? Or tell some friends! It will help us out a ton.If you haven’t already, sign up for our email list. We won’t spam you. Pinky swear.• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get a FREE audiobook AND support the show⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support the show on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check out show transcripts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check out our website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on Stitcher⁠
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