Breeding like independent consultants 🐰

When I first quit my corporate job almost a decade ago, I knew I didn’t want to jump into another one. I wanted to freelance. I had a bunch of lessons from years inside eCommerce teams and thought maybe, just maybe, I could help transform other businesses.

Back then, I’d usually get one of two reactions when I told people.

One: “That’s awesome. Congrats!”
Two: “What if it doesn’t work out?”

My response was always the same: “Well, I’ll just get another job.”

And here we are. Nearly ten years later, and I haven’t had to. That’s not to say I haven’t thought about going back. There are definitely days when the idea of a regular salary, set hours, and someone else worrying about payroll sounds pretty good. There’s merit on both sides. But the autonomy, the variety, the chance to choose what I work on and who I work with... yeah, I still love it.

But lately, something's shifted.

In the last few months, I’ve seen more mid-level eCommerce managers than ever get made redundant, leave roles, or just… check out. That in itself isn’t surprising, especially with how choppy the retail waters have been. But what is surprising is the sheer number of people - mostly mid 30s to mid 40s - who aren’t going back into another corporate gig. They’re going straight to consulting.

And it’s not a trickle. It’s a trend. You probably see it all over your LinkedIn feed as well.

Which makes me wonder, what’s changed?

• Have mid-level managers lost their shine in the eyes of retail leadership?

• Is the job market weak and expectations misaligned?

• Were people promoted too fast during COVID and now salary expectations don’t match up?

• Has AI made it easy to set up and run your own consulting business?

• Are businesses preferring to work with freelance eComm talent instead of agencies?

• Are corporate policies not keeping up with new generations?

• Are we chasing different values now. More flexibility, less hierarchy. More variety, less politics?

• Are we just… cooked? Burnt out? Opting out?

Whatever the reason, I get the appeal. But I also know how rough the road can be if you haven’t designed it with intent. You’re your own sales team, marketing team, ops manager and delivery person. You’re building your IP from scratch. You’re figuring out how to get paid. And honestly, sometimes you’re just figuring out what the hell you do now.

We had a great convo about this inside the Add To Cart community recently - some gold nuggets and shared scars shared for anyone starting the freelance path.

But I’d love to hear your take too.

What’s changed? Why are so many choosing the solo path right now? Is it freedom… or something else entirely?

Cheers
Bushy

PS. If you haven’t joined the Add To Cart Community yet, why not? It’s free, and the conversations run deep. You can apply here.

ECOMMERCE NEWS (from the past week)

👁️ Snapchat Is Now Tracking Your Eyeballs (Sort Of)
Worried social apps are tracking what you pause on or DM? Trust me, they don’t wanna know mine. But now they’re following your eyes too. Snapchat just dropped a new attention-tracking tool with IAS and Lumen that turns your phone or computer camera into a heatmap sensor—predicting where your eyes go and for how long. It’s measured in seconds per thousand impressions and fuels a new ‘Snapchat Attention Score’ for advertisers. What could possibly go wrong, hey?

🧠 Smart Summaries or Subtle Spin? Amazon’s Review AI in the Spotlight
Amazon’s AI is now summarising product reviews into concise overviews. It’s great for speed readers and avoiding weirdos taking photos of their products in their basements. However, something interesting is happening: phrases like “value for money” keep appearing in the summaries. Is it because customers keep harping on about it, or because the algo was trained to prioritise it? Google Trends shows a spike in the same phrase. If AI can nudge perception like this, what stops retailers from steering reviews towards their USPs such as quality, sustainability or service next?

⏮️ ASOS Faces New Backlash Over Returns Crackdown
Fresh off the back of introducing a £3.95 return fee in September 2024, ASOS is now under fire again. This time for suspending and closing customer accounts over high return rates. The fashion giant’s Fair Use Policy gives them the right to close accounts for suspicious activity, including “ordering and returning large quantities - much, much more than even the most loyal ASOS customer would order”. The social media backlash has been led by voices like Tskenya-Sarah Frazer, who’s launched a change dot org petition claiming the policy discriminates against vulnerable people, especially those with disabilities or limited access to physical retail.

📚 The McKinsey Reading List You’ll Actually Want to Read
Here’s one for the bookworms. McKinsey & Company have dropped their annual reading list - 90 titles sourced from 47 leaders across business, education, and the like. I’ve read a measly 9 of them (I know, I’m ashamed of myself), but one that has rocked me is Careless People. I’m about 10 pages from the end and it has completely reshaped my view of Meta… and not in a good way. An absolutely jaw-dropping and terrifying look behind the Facebook curtain.

💄 Lyft To Lipstick: Sephora’s BFCM Promo
This Black Friday, Sephora is driving their customers into stores. Literally. They've teamed up with Lyft for a “Delivered to Beauty” activation, offering $20 ride credits in NYC, LA, SF, Chicago and Seattle. They aim to revive the “magic of shopping for beauty”. And in the eyes of the beauty beholder, that happens in-store. Shoppers score expert advice, a personalised skin scan, product samples and $10 off a $50 purchase. I just hope Everton Park Tavern is running a similar promo.

ADD TO CART IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY

TODAY AT LUNCH! FREE SEO MASTERCLASS

Worried AI is about to undo all your hard SEO work? Join our free Masterclass with StudioHawk’s Lawrence Hitches to learn how to protect your traffic and stay visible in search. Register for free.

NEW EPISODES

Scaling Sentiment: The Purposeful Ecommerce Systems Behind Deja Marc with Rosie Collins | #532

CHECKOUT: Luke Matthews from Camilla

I'd love to hear from you! Got an opinion on today’s topics? Have a suggestion for future newsletters? I’d love to hear from you. Hit reply and I’ll get back to you.