When Carlos Gil opened The Hype Section alongside his brother-in-law in 2022, he was ready for entrepreneurship’s promise of financial freedom.
Gil, a social media marketer, got a taste of the high-paid, flexible-schedule life in 2019, when he published a book called “The End of Marketing” and the ensuing book tour earned him six figures, he says. After dabbling in selling face masks during the Covid-19 pandemic, The Hype Section — a store dedicated to the hype culture around shoes, clothes and collectibles in Jacksonville, Florida — was his next step.
He and his brother-in-law spent $30,000 in savings to launch The Hype Section, which brought in more than $1 million in sales in its first full year of business, says Gil, 41. The store built a community of supporters, from local high school students to professional athletes like NFL wide receiver Christian Kirk and MLB outfielder Aaron Hicks, he says.
Running the business was all “good vibes” at first, Gil says. Hip-hop music blared, ESPN was plastered on TVs and Gil enjoyed interacting with customers. But the feeling was short-lived: The resale business’ 10% to 15% profit margins were “barely enough to cover operational costs,” he says, and as hype culture “cooled down,” so did The Hype Section’s growth.
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As consumer spending and demand declined, his 12-hour workdays took a toll.
“My marriage is taking a hit, my family doesn’t see me, I get home and I’m exhausted working for less than minimum wage,” Gil recently told LinkedIn’s “Catalyst” video series. “I’m no longer on the road speaking at conferences [or] earning a six-figure salary. Entrepreneurship was starting to feel more like a trap and less like a freedom.”
Still, he was proud of his “entrepreneur” title and reputation. He didn’t want to seek a traditional job until a tearful conversation with his wife forced him to “let go of his pride,” he says.
“I realized I can’t do this anymore,” Gil told LinkedIn. “I need to do what’s right for my family, working in a corporate job. Entrepreneurship is not for me, and that’s OK.”
‘What you do from 5 to 9, that’s what really matters’
Gil joined marketing software company GetResponse as a brand evangelist in April 2024, helping establish the company’s content and digital marketing strategy. The Hype Section closed its doors three months later.
When Gil decided to rejoin the corporate world, he worried about his ego and feelings of shame, he says: “There are people who have come back to me and called me [and my business partner] a failure.”
But his 9-to-5 job gives him a steady income, health care benefits and the ability to spend more time with his family. Gil says he’s not necessarily swearing off entrepreneurship forever, but he’s happier and more motivated now than he was as a store owner.
“I realize now, in my 40s, that what you do 9 to 5, that’s what pays the bills — but what you do from 5 to 9, that’s really what matters,” Gil says. “It’s family and spending time with the people you love.”
If you’re navigating a similar career change, look for opportunities to upskill and build your network, HR consultant Stefanie Fackrell told CNBC Make It last month.
“Problem-solving, project management, communication … I think you should always be trying to refine those and improve those, no matter where you are in your career journey,” she said. Home in on skills that are translatable between different industries, she added.
And don’t let other people’s judgments keep you from doing something that’ll make you happier and more fulfilled, says Gil.
“If the business is taking you away from the things that really make you live a happy life, such as your family or your hobbies or the things that you’re really passionate about, then you should really look in the mirror and think, ‘Does that business serve you?’” he says. “It’s OK if [entrepreneurship] doesn’t work out. It’s OK to pivot.”