Author: openjargon

• Brittany Betts left her job bartending at Twin Peaks in 2021 to pursue a marketing career.
• She started as an intern at StaySense and moved up before becoming the CMO within three years.
• While Twin Peaks helped her pay her way through college, she's now earning six figures.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Brittany Betts, a 28-year-old CMO in Nashville. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I'm the online travel agency manager and CMO of StaySense, a short-term vacation rental management platform owned by Guesty.

I started working at Sonic when I was 15. When I was 17, I had a few random serving and hosting jobs at restaurants like Chili's.

I went to college and needed to make more money, so I applied and started serving at Twin Peaks, a restaurant similar to Hooters, in 2015 because I heard the tips are higher than at a traditional restaurant.

When I first started working at Twin Peaks, I was young and extremely shy

I was grateful for my first few years at Twin Peaks. I started to break out of my shell, felt confident, and made a good living.

As I got older, my body and mindset changed. The Twin Peaks in Tennessee, where I worked, valued the size of my pants over my work ethic. I also briefly worked at a Twin Peaks location in Florida, and it was the same. There's a franchise standard for working there.

Customers and managers commented on my weight and other women's appearances, which felt demeaning. I told myself it was what I signed up for since I signed a waiver to be a model there (hostesses, servers, and bartenders are considered "models").

When I started, my brother died, and I barely ate, was depressed, and was tiny. My body started changing as I got healthier, and I knew I had to lose weight to keep my job. I began to struggle with an eating disorder.

I hit a breaking point in 2020. Working at Twin Peaks helped me pay my way through college, but I realized I was ready to venture out in my career. I quit in 2021.

During the pandemic, I started taking marketing classes on LinkedIn, so I would be prepared for my exit

I loved my business administration classes about marketing in college, so I always knew it was a potential career choice.

I took an intro and advanced Google Analytics class, a Scrum Master class for managing software meetings, a content marketing intro class, a marketing copy class, an online marketing foundations class, and a social media promotion class during the pandemic.

I had one internship and freelance social media management experience, but I had a very hard time finding a job when I left Twin Peaks. I didn't want to do another internship initially because I wanted to make a better living.

Luckily, I had an extremely supportive partner who knew I was unhappy. They sat with me and discussed opportunities, and we found the internship for StaySense on Indeed. I remember being so nervous for the interview that I was shaking, but I put it plainly that I was willing to learn, and I wanted to develop my career.

I started at StaySense 2021

I was hired and started a marketing internship at StaySense in the summer of 2021. My internship mostly consisted of data entry, reviews, and content writing. I made it a point to tell StaySense how much I enjoyed working there and that I wanted more responsibility.

After a few months, I was hired as a full-time marketing specialist, and my responsibilities grew. Two years later, I was promoted to CMO over our business unit. This year, I also became Guesty's online travel agency (GOTA) manager.

My income has doubled from bartending to marketing

I work in the office five days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., an additional day on the weekend, and a few extra hours some nights. I try to maintain a healthy work-life balance, so I work when I can but make time for my family and friends.

In three years, I doubled my bartending income. When I left, I made in the mid-five-figure range, and now I make in the low six figures.

I highly suggest finding a mentor

Having a mentor and asking questions are two main reasons I progressed so quickly. I had two mentors, the former CEO and owner of my company and my direct manager when I was hired.

I asked to learn more about marketing, about the startup from the ground up, about previous failures, and for more responsibility and opportunity.

I didn't care if it sounded stupid or I "should have" already known the answer. Instead, I asked, got my answers, and continued to develop my own personal brand through the help of mentors and peers. Rely on them and build your network.

Don't stay in one place for too long because of the fear of trying something new

The most common notions associated with the fear of something new are increasing self-doubt, lack of security, and worry of failure.

Failure stems from not putting yourself out there. You can't expect results like happiness, wealth, and career progression without taking the steps to get there. My only regret is not leaving my service industry job sooner to start my marketing career.

• Lucas Frischmann was laid off from Snap in February and left the country 1.5 weeks after the notice.
• He'd been working in tech since he was 15 and had roles at Twitter (now X), Meta, Snap, and more.
• Frischmann said the layoff gave him and his wife an opportunity to travel and explore.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lucas Frischmann, a 34-year-old former Snap employee from Los Angeles. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I completed a 3.5-year apprenticeship as a media designer and engineer, and I've been in the tech industry since I was 15.

Then I started my career as a software engineer and later transitioned to different positions at Twitter (now X), Meta, and Snap. At Twitter, I was a senior product manager from 2016 to 2017 before spending four and a half years at Meta in global product and program management roles from 2017 to 2020.

After three years of self-employment, I joined Snap in May 2022 as a technical project manager and was just laid off in February. My feelings about my layoff quickly transitioned from initial shock to recognizing an opportunity.

I finally had the chance to pause, recharge, and explore my dream of traveling, which had been deferred by the pandemic and previous commitments. This traveling period has also reinforced the importance of direct social interactions in an increasingly digital age and helped me spark some new tech ideas.

I received the news of my layoff during an early morning video call and left the country a week later

My manager shared the news with me in an early morning video call, and it kind of felt like a dream come true. Despite the challenges my colleagues faced, which weighed on me emotionally, my immediate reaction was one of positive anticipation.

I'd long aspired to take a significant break, with specific plans for an Asia tour postponed since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though unsettling, the layoff coincided with my long-term desire to explore and connect with the world more deeply with my wife — who has a similar layoff experience from Twitch.

We terminated our lease, put everything in storage, and took off just a week and a half after receiving the layoff notice.

Snap gave me a severance package, but I was already prepared for a change

Thanks to prior planning and savings, we weren't concerned about immediate financial stability, job security, or the severance package itself.

Snap's support was within industry norms, enabling me to embark on a journey of self-discovery and exploration soon after receiving notice. Leaving so quickly wouldn't have been possible without the support of our LA friends, who helped us in many ways.

These friends let us keep valuable items at their places, assisted with moving, checked in on us regularly, and even offered us a place to stay before we left — and when we should return.

Our trip has taken us through Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, Italy and other parts of Europe, such as Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Each destination has been a chapter of learning and exploration.

Traveling has broadened my perspective of the world, other cultures, and how tech is used to connect people

Our travels have been opportunities to network, learn from diverse business cultures, and understand the global tech landscape.

For instance, Bangkok has offered unique insights into work-life balance and a business pace, which is very different from my US and European experiences. Bangkok's business culture feels much more "laid back and go with the flow," while in the US, we're more focused on execution, momentum, and getting business done more efficiently and quickly.

Currently, I'm offering my expertise and experience to companies facing tech, product, program, or operational challenges. I've used this traveling time to reflect and observe how people use technology and live their lives. I reflected on the modern lifestyle and noted how many people "misuse" their smartphones.

Instead of using them to gain knowledge or improve their lives, people often spend time on irrelevant content just for entertainment. This isn't bad in general, but this seems out of balance for most people.

My business idea — LatteLink — was partly inspired by my observations during my trip. I reconnected with many friends, and while it's great to see how paths are changing, it's also very sad to realize that we're losing touch with old friends so quickly.

This period of travel isn't just a break but a quest for new ventures and opportunities

I originally wanted to build an app where users could connect locally, like in a coffee shop, but I've shifted focus to creating a kind of personal customer relationship management (CRM) system to maintain meaningful relationships beyond social media and provide valuable tools for individuals, not just businesses.

In my friend circle, fewer and fewer people are using social media. My current project aims to help maintain meaningful relationships through regular check-ins and updates.

I came up with this idea as I struggled to keep up with all my connections. While traveling, I met an old work colleague, and it turned out we both lived two years in the same city but never met.

Traveling also helped me zoom out and see the bigger picture, not just the tunnel view of tech. For example, I'm about to invest in a real estate project for tourism, which I'd never thought of doing before — my focus was 100% on tech.

Looking back, I see the layoff as a pivotal, positive turning point for me

It's been an opportunity for growth and exploration. It's also allowed me to engage with the world in new ways, like going to a coffee shop during the week and talking to people.

Traveling with my wife has been rewarding for both of us. We don't have a formal plan; we just have a loose checklist we're trying to complete for now, which gives us a sense of adventure and adaptability.

I'm excited to see where this path of exploration — both of the world and of myself — leads.

If you were laid off from a tech company and want to share your story, please email Manseen Logan at mlogan@businessinsider.com.

• Thousands of Chinese migrants flew into Ecuador last year in hopes of walking into the US.
• But Ecuador is now cutting its yearslong visa-free access to Chinese citizens after a surge in migrants.
• The number of Chinese people detained at the US border in 2023 surged to 10 times compared to 2022.

Ecuador is suspending visa-free access for Chinese travelers starting July 1, closing off a popular arrival spot used last year by thousands of Chinese migrants trekking to the US-Mexico border.

Since 2016, Ecuador has allowed Chinese nationals to enter its borders without a visa and stay for up to 90 days.

But in a statement on Tuesday seen by Business Insider, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility said it was ending the program "due to the unusual increase in irregular migratory flows of Chinese citizens" who overstayed their 90 days.

It is only one of two nations in the Americas that offers visa-free access to Chinese nationals. The other is Suriname, a smaller country of about 618,000 people.

The Ecuadorian ministry noted that about 50% of all Chinese arrivals "have not left through regular routes and within the times established by law."

Many people have used the country as a "starting point to reach other destinations in the Hemisphere," the ministry added.

The Niskanen Center assessed in May that Chinese travelers entered Ecuador 48,381 times in 2023 but only left the country legally 24,240 times that year. The deficit was "by far the highest number of any nationality," the US think tank wrote.

It comes amid a surge in Chinese arrivals that year, with a 235% increase compared to the previous five-year average, per the Niskanen Center.

The visa-free access recently made Ecuador a major entry point into the Americas for Chinese migrants looking to travel through Central America and reach the US-Mexico border.

In response to Ecuador's Tuesday decision, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the country "firmly opposes any form of smuggling activities."

"In recent years, Chinese law enforcement agencies have cracked down on crimes that hinder national border management and have maintained a high-pressure crackdown on various smuggling organizations and criminals engaged in smuggling activities, achieving remarkable results," the spokesperson said.

How Chinese migrants use Ecuador to get to the US

Thousands of migrants fly into Ecuador before traveling through Columbia, where they undertake a grueling trek through a perilous, cartel-run stretch of jungle called the Darién Gap.

If successful, they emerge in Panama. Over 15,500 Chinese migrants were counted exiting the Darién Gap in 2023, per Washington-based think tank The Wilson Center.

"This figure is nearly eight times as many from the same period in 2022 and more than 40 times that of 2021," wrote Joshua Peng, a program associate in refugee and displacement research at The Wilson Center.

Many migrants then travel to Mexico, attempting to reach the US through its southern border.

US border officials said they detained 37,000 Chinese migrants attempting to cross the border in 2023, or 10 times the number detained in the year before. The true number of those attempting to cross the border is likely higher.

The flow of Chinese migrants continued to surge in 2024, with CBS reporting in February that it observed 600 migrants, many of whom were Chinese, entering the US in a single day.

The House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability said in May that the number of Chinese nationals encountered by authorities at the US border in March had jumped 8,000% from the same period in 2021.

Illegal immigration from the southern border has been rising in political prominence in the US, with Republican leaders pushing for increased border security and saying southern states are unable to cope with a surge in migrants.

Data on Chinese arrivals in Ecuador give some clues to the demographics of migrants reaching the US. According to the Niskanen Center, Shanghai is the Chinese region with the highest per-capita rate of people leaving to reach Ecuador, with 274 arrivals for every 1 million people in Shanghai.

Hong Kong is second, with 257 arrivals per 1 million people, followed by Beijing, with 161 arrivals per 1 million people. Xinjiang is sixth, with 24 arrivals per 1 million people.

• Central banks from advanced economies plan to buy more gold, according to a World Gold Council survey.
• They're loading up on gold to hedge risks including inflation and economic shocks.
• Meanwhile, central banks expect the US dollar's share in global reserves to fall in the next five years.

Emerging economies, like China and its allies, have been hoarding gold to diversify from the US dollar.

But they're not the only gold buyers.

Even central banks from advanced economies are planning to load up on gold, according to a World Gold Council survey released on Monday.

This enthusiasm for the yellow metal comes even though the spot gold price is hovering at record levels, around $2,330 an ounce, after hitting nearly $2,450 last month.

The WGC survey conducted between February and April found that 29% of 70 central banks — a record share — are planning to buy gold over the next 12 months.

Among the central banks, about 15% of those in advanced economies plan to do so — the most since 2019. Meanwhile, about 40% of emerging market central banks said they'll buy in the coming year.

The central banks' key reasons for more gold purchases include rebalancing their reserves and hedging against risks such as rising inflation, US dollar exposure, and market instability. Eight out of the 20 central banks also cited higher economic risks from countries where reserve currencies are from, because of issues like the rising US budget deficit.

In contrast to their enthusiasm for gold, 56% of central banks from advanced economies said they expect the dollar's share of global reserves to fall over the next five years. Nearly two-thirds of central banks from emerging economies expected the same.

Shrinking US dollar reserves

The WGC's annual survey reflects the sentiment of central banks amid intense discussion about the dollar's dominant role as the world's reserve currency.

Discussion has been gaining ground following the West's sweeping sanctions against Russia over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Other countries worried that they, too, could be locked out of the US dollar-based financial system.

However, king dollar is so entrenched and pervasive in the world's financial system that very few people think it can be dethroned.

Even so, a group of major emerging countries is now working on a way around the dollar.

And while the dollar is still by far the most dominant currency in the foreign exchange reserves of the world's central banks, the greenback's share in these reserves — after exchange-rate and interest-rate adjustments — declined from over 70% in 2000 to about 55% in the last quarter of 2023, according to a recent International Monetary Fund report.

The IMF termed the decline in the US dollar's share of global reserves "stealth erosion."

• Bridgerton's new season, like previous installments, has no shortage of steamy scenes. 
• The show's makeup artist told Page Six which products  passed "smooch tests." 
• Glowy highlighters, primers, and setting sprays are the way to go, she said. 

Shimmering regency-era gowns, sparkling jewels, and elaborate wigs were the talk of the ton in Bridgerton's latest season.

But one of the hit Netflix show's makeup artists had another task: Making the actors' makeup look good during sex scenes.

In an interview with Page Six published on Friday, makeup artist Erika Okvist said that the cast had to perform "smooch-tests" to ensure that the makeup could hold up in steamy scenes.

"We want them to look as good as they did when they stepped into the carriage when they step out," Okvist told Page Six, hinting at the viral hookup scene in the fourth episode between lead stars Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton.

Okvist said that they used primers and setting sprays to make the makeup kiss-proof.

Her pick for the primer was the Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Primer, which "makes everything look dreamy," per Page Six.

The primer retails at Sephora for $58.

To give the actors a dewy and glowy look for the intimate scenes, she recommends makeup artist Pat McGrath's Skin Fetish Highlighter and Balm Duo, which retails for $50.

"That is a wonderful highlighter for cheekbones," Okvist told Page Six. "Even if you didn't have anything in your pocket going out and really desperately needed to look just a little bit better, that dual stick is fantastic."

She called the Fenty Match Stix Contour Skinstick and the La Roche-Posay Anthelios Sunscreen the other "diamonds of the season." They retail for $32 and $20 respectively.

Okvist said that she also used the By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra-Powder ($54), on the stars, because it does not leave a "chalky" finish.

She added that the intimate scenes were where the actors were "feeling vulnerable," and it was the makeup artists' job "to make them feel really special and looked after."

This season's fifth episode contains the show's longest-ever sex scene, which lasts for more than five and a half minutes.

Coughlan told Entertainment Weekly in April that she and her co-lead Newton broke "a piece of furniture" while filming one of the sensual scenes, which she later revealed on her Instagram to be a chaise lounge.

Bridgerton's third season amassed 28 million views following the week of June 10, when the second part of the season was released, per entertainment media site The Wrap.

Okvist did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, sent outside regular business hours.