Camila Valim spent two decades in corporate marketing, including time as head of marketing for an entertainment group. After burnout pushed her out of that job, she built a new path as a professional organizer and grew an Instagram account and business.
Five years after her divorce, she returned to corporate work as a marketing consultant. That contract ended eight months ago, and the search for a new client or full-time role has been brutal. In that span, she says she has had only two interviews.
She is now carrying her household as a single parent and sole provider for two children, ages 9 and 12. After getting deep into an interview process for a head of brand and communications role, she was told someone else got the job. Valim said that was the moment she knew she had to make decisions that were not going to be fun.
A cousin suggested she start making meal deliveries on her e-bike while she kept looking for work. The move was fast: she says she was approved to deliver in no time. The schedule is flexible, which matters for a single parent trying to juggle school pickups, job hunting, and rebuilding a business at the same time.
Valim says the bike has taught her punctuality in a way she had never had to deal with before. It also gives her space to think. She says she has used that time to come up with ideas, including printing her story and CV to hand out to people she delivers to, many of whom work for large companies.
The math is simple. When corporate income disappears, founders and operators who know how to build multiple revenue streams get a wider runway. Valim says she will take income in any form she can get while she rebuilds her organizing business, grows her Instagram again, and keeps searching for the next chapter of her career.
She also says she knows she may have to sell her house. For now, though, she describes food delivery as a bridge until the house sells, not a permanent answer. That is the reality many households face when the labor market tightens: cash flow comes first, pride second.
Her post about 'how this is not how I saw life at 45' went viral, with almost 900,000 views. Valim says people reached out to tell her they were in the same position but had never said it out loud. The silence around job loss can be expensive, because shame delays action.
Founders who get this right move faster. If one income stream dries up, the next one has to start immediately, even if it is not the one you planned. Valim is doing exactly that: protecting cash, buying time, and keeping her options open until the next corporate door opens.
