Professional + Startup Ramblings
Executive Summary
Have you considered leaving your comfortable day job for the exciting world of startups? I'm sure it's crossed all our minds at least once in our lifetime, but the big test is whether we take that leap or not. The majority of the population, my father included, would say its crazy and would rather live vicariously through you. For the rest of us, its an experience and adventure that defines us as people and professionals. It's not for everyone, but if you have had that strong urge to go DO something, read about my experience going from well-paid, comfy consulting day job to the unknown. I'll be upfront, I probably took the more risk averse approach, but in the end, no matter your approach, there will always be some level of risk. How much risk are you willing to accept, and how does that compare to your desire or urge to define your own destiny?
A few takaways I learned through my experience:
- Save - depending on your industry and skills, it is good to have 3 to 6 months of savings. Less if you think you can get part-time work or consulting engagements. Sadly, we do have fiscal responsibilities. If you can manage a leave of absence or sabbatical with your company, AWESOME, do that!
- Prototype - yes, if you can, prototype or get something launched before jumping into it full time. The question of when to go full time is always a tough decision, but heed this, the idea will suffer without attention, commitment and care.
- Manage Risk - assess your own situation. People with spouses, families or dependents adds complexity. Assess the risk, mitigate the risks, and make sure you have support from your loved ones.
Thanks for reading, I hope that this and anything I write impacts the lives around me and the world. At the same time I hope to continue learning from you as well. I hope to inspire and be inspired - with that, go forth, inspire, innovate and disrupt the world around you.
Professional
About a week and a half ago, I resigned from my comfy day job as a management consultant at a large Fortune 100 corporation. Resigning was not my first choice. After the company denied my initial request for a leave of absence/sabbatical/leave without pay/pick your term, I had to think long and hard about what my next steps would be. But lets rewind a little, set the scene, before I get into my decision to resign.
A long time ago (roughly 4 yrs) in a land far far away (actually not so far away), I joined a small consulting company (I was roughly #25) who was celebrating their three year anniversary as a company. I just left an engineering position at a large organization, and wanted to be part of a small, intimate company. The small consulting practice saw approximately 200% growth in staff over the next two years, which was awesome. I was really excited to be part of a growing business wearing several hats - consultant, internal IT and security. The next one to two years changed after a private equity company purchased us as part of a larger portfolio of companies. Ok, I can manage this, we're still a private company. It felt like no time when this large Fortune 100 corporation came knocking, and purchased this new portfolio of companies. Great!
I stuck it out at the large corporate for about a year and a half, and wasn't digging it. Why wasn't I digging it? Was it cause it was a large corporation and I felt like a statistic? Was it the corporate bureacratic processes? Was I getting burned out? Was it because I've longed to be part of small company or even start my own? Actually, it was a bit of everything. About two years ago, the wife and I started a social platform for wedding planning called Big Fat Cake. I had been working on this as the sole developer for years, and we grew it slowly and organically despite having our day jobs. While I was impatiently ready to jump ship, I wanted to make sure it just wasn't a feeling. I wanted a break, a break from my professional career to explore my other interests and aspiration so I requested a three month leave of absence, with the intent of returning and continuing my career at the large organization. I'll spare you the details, but my request was denied. What now? Should I stay, should I go, should I beg?
The next two weeks were really hard. Analyzing every angle and option that would come to mind, the process was agonizing. After numerous talks with the wife, with mentors, and lots of introspection, I decided to tender my resignation. I've made many lasting friendships at the company, and it was very hard to decide to walk away from a place I learned and grew so much in. But when it came down to the wire, I could not see myself making a long term career at a large corporation. A mentor told me once, "you might be confusing yourself with what you CAN do, but maybe you need to focus on what you WANT to do." That kind of blew past me at first, but after I spent more time thinking about it, it clicked. I'm perfectly capable of doing the work put before me, and at times it might be fun, but it wasn't really what I wanted to do. What I really wanted to do was to start something, be part of a technology startup, start one up myself, and maybe even change the world. Ok, the last part is wishful thinking, but still a far fetched aspiration. All this played into my decision to take a leap of faith, walk away from a well paid comfortable day job to working all day, 7 days a week on something that may end up failing. Great decision right!?
Well, I think it was. Not 10 minutes ago, my wife turns to me and says, "You seem so much happier!" I am, and I am excited for what the future holds for me. It's not going to be easy, and as another mentor once told me, it will be my best of times and it will be my worst of times. Bring it on!
The Startup
Big Fat Cake was started 2 years ago by me and my wife. She was doing lots of wedding planning, and thought that providing smarter tools and processes for planning weddings could be a good business. Many working professionals, old and young, don't have time to visit and research all day long like its their day job. So, with that, we hoped to bring information, trends, tips and vendors to the users fingertips. That has been a slow journey, which I'll save for another time.
Now that I am resigned, I am committed to the development and operation of our company's services and products. I am planning out our development tasks, strategy, and our businesses future. So, stay tuned, to be continued...
