Ask HN: Considering quitting my day job to work on my startups
1) The combined net incomes from both ventures is not enough to fully support my financially right now (not to mention I have partners for both companies so it's not like I can take all of the profit for myself anyway). I've got enough savings to support myself for about a year with zero income, so I've got a bit of a runway to see if things will work out and find a job if I need to, but it's still a large gamble.
2) My employer is already trying to hire another developer and has been trying to do so for a few months. Considering how hard of a time they're having finding one developer, I'm concerned that my leaving would put them in a very bad situation. I'm really good friends with everyone at the company and I'm worried that there might be some resentment towards me if I do leave. Then again, I'm not giving them 100% and that isn't fair to them anyway. If I don't quit it's possible that I might be fired down the road anyway.
Have any of you gone through this before? Anyone have any advice? Is there anything I'm probably not thinking about that might blindside me down the road?
Thanks!
37 comments
[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 111 ms ] threadI know it seems like a big gamble room your current vantage point, but it really isn't. You are an entrepreneurial developer in a tech economy where that skill set is at a premium (at least in startup hubs like the bay area). It seems like the worst case scenario is that you end up getting a job at another startup if your projects don't work out.
Good luck!
However, I know I personally work best when I focus on one thing, or at most two. Seems like you have too much on your plate, so I would recommend cutting something as soon as you reasonably can.
What I'm doing right now is a 5-6 hours/day job for the bills and working on my projects the rest of the day. Balances out pretty well -- I get physically tired from work and get some social interaction/out of the house/out of my own head. And the rest of my time -- and all of my headspace -- is free to write and code.
But, to get back to you, it sounds to me like you really would rather be working on your projects.
Here's what I'd suggest -- you don't want to leave your boss in the lurch, and you still need some money -- so why not just talk to your boss about working reduced hours, say half-time, so you can help them and have more time for your startups?
You'll of course have to be prepared to be fired outright, but odds are if you offer to stay on a while and help them hire and train a replacement, they'll take you up on it and you'll leave with all your social karma intact - which means you may be able to come back later if your startups go belly-up.
Social karma has real value that way, it's worth some effort to maintain.
Normally I'd agree but in this specific case it sounded like he's the only developer. Being around just so fires can be quickly put out and so that you can transfer knowledge when the new hire arrives is definitely worth something to the employer.
If there are good financial prospects for one or both startups, and you can live for a year on your savings, and you have no other financial obligations, I don't see why you wouldn't take the plunge. Even if the startups don't work out, you will probably have substantially increased your skillset in a year.
2.) On the one hand, you shouldn't screw your current employer. On the other hand, if they can't find a developer after several months of trying, that's their problem, not yours.
Try to make the transition as smooth as possible for them, but don't stay just because they can't hire.
One is B2B and the other is B2C. The B2B obviously has a smaller market but the ARPU is fairly high. If it continues to grow the way it's growing it should be able to support me soon. The B2C has a much larger market but the ARPU is much lower. I'm having a harder time getting traction with that one but haven't done any marketing. If things go well, it has a lot of potential to make a lot of money. If both are successful, they should more than be able to support me.
2) I feel like I'll be screwing my employer either way. If I don't quit or go part time, I'll be wasting their time and money. If I leave, and they can't find a replacement, they'll be down a developer for who knows how long.
http://www.physicalfix.com
You are much better of then most entrepreneurs: the projects are up and running and are making some money. A lot of people quit their jobs and then get started. And a year of runway is even better!
But I agree to the other comments that you should focus on one of the projects which can really become big.
Re 2: recruit your replacement yourself. Maybe you fins somebody even here in HN?
Be honest with the people around you about what you want (part of this means thinking it through yourself...). In a worst case scenario you lose your job. But if you're really ambivalent about leaving, giving notice like this should alleviate any guilt over quitting and being honest should keep you on better terms with people than the alternative. And you never know. Perhaps your boss will give you a raise or otherwise help solve your motivation problems.
In the end, I asked myself "if I could snap my fingers, and tomorrow be out of my day job, without having to go through the social awkwardness of quitting, etc.... Would I do it?" My answer was an instant "yes". That showed me that any threat of the financial instability was not a real concern, but just an excuse for me not wanting to burn bridges.
After that, I was entirely confident in my decision to quit.
I had similar concerns about family and co-workers. In the end, everyone at work was very nice about it and my family was surprisingly supportive.
If you think leaving the job is inevitable, then you should start preparing for that - i.e. work hard, because the last memories in their minds will be the ones that stick the most.
I've been through this, and I have an open invitation to return to an old job because of it. For now I've left it all and I'm building my own company. Just make sure you understand your costs, and make sure you have health insurance. Don't buy into all the crap about - i'm young, i'll just buy the cheapest insurance on the market. The insurance is for the things you don't expect. Not being able to eat or pay rent are small problems, but neither can bankrupt you. Medical costs can. My buddy broke his leg on a mountain; fortunately he has insurance, but if he didn't the costs would have bankrupted him. He's a young and healthy guy otherwise
Also, people start their own companies with far less than 1 year of savings. You'll find, even if you have 5 years of runway, the prospect of jumping the safety of your paycheck is going to be terrifying. Once you do it though, you'll stop thinking about it very quickly. Look at it differently - 1 year of runway may force you to work harder than ever; you know, necessity is the mother of all invention.
My other thoughts:
It strikes me as odd that there are two threads on this theme at once...
I'd recommend going part time (if you really don't want to quit), as another poster did, if they'll let you (my company did). My company also seemed to be in the same position as yours at #2, but when I left, it seemed pretty amiable - and when I came back a year later, they had no room for me.
It's quite possible that the hiring department is incompetent. Anyway, that is not your concern. Especially if you're not productive there; taking their money for nothing isn't that big of a favor to them.