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I just quit, should I be worried?

7 points by tommyqh ↗ HN
Just quit my dead end 9-5 corporate job to prepare my startup for public beta launch. Was really excited to finally focus 100% on my site then the economic "meltdown" happened two weeks ago. There's no going back since I hated what I'm doing anyways. Some investors who showed interest, seem to be avoiding me. I have some investments in the stock market for my savings that obviously reduced quite a bit...but still have enough to live on a few months.

Everyday we're bombarded with unemployment rates and potential worldwide Armageddon.

Should I be worried right now just in general?

10 comments

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balducci
Fear the zombie apocalypse. Or: buy a gun and lots of ammo
tommyqh
i WAS waiting for my stocks to go up to buy my shotgun to add to my collection (well i only have a 9) but that ain't happening anytime soon. gota pay the car bill. prob should stock up on ammo though.
jmspring
Ammo is cheaper than a new gun, if you already have a couple! ;)

That said, go for it! Focus is critical to execution. If, in the worst case, things start to fizzle, use them as a learning experience to iterate quickly or go back into a mode where you support yourself and build.

Taking the leap is worth it.

forgingahead
No. Focus on your customers and iterate your product accordingly. Most of the larger world is irrelevant at the beginning while you're figuring out the right product/market fit and learning from customer feedback.

Good luck! It's a fun journey, and you will learn a ton. I left my job in January and have never been happier.

tommyqh
that's what i've been trying to do. just focus on pushing forward with all aspects of the business. everytime i take a break, i keep seeing articles about the double dip recession and can't help but worry. even TC posted about economy, jobs, outsourcing etc...
forgingahead
Don't read tech news, just focus on your product. Nothing else matters
mkr-hn
We've been in various degrees of economic turmoil for over a decade. Google IPOd in the middle of it. Facebook and Twitter got started in the middle of it. What makes you think you're not cut out to thrive in chaos?

Quit worrying so much and do what you do. You'll surprise yourself.

_delirium
If you have tech knowledge and some track record, I wouldn't be too worried. Unemployment in tech is not very high at all, and lots of companies still seem to have trouble filling positions. Raising venture capital might get harder, but I would bet that you can 'fail' back into a tech job or consulting in 6 months if you need to. Especially if you build anything interesting in your startup; regardless of whether it succeeds commercially, having shipped a product looks good on a CV.
Joakal
No real panic here in Australia. Depending on what you want to do, just adjust your priorities and goals. eg 'offer free dry cleaning if unemployed' to attract potential clients when economy recovers.
gexla
"Just quit my dead end 9-5 corporate job"

Should you be worried? I think you asked this question a bit late. You probably planned it that way. The answer doesn't really matter because worrying won't do anything to help you out.

Have a plan B. A big part of plan B is to work the networks you have to keep them from getting stale and expand into new networks. Every contact you have in your virtual Rolodex is a potential glass covering you can break in the event of an emergency. Those contacts will also help with your startup.

Another part of plan B is to keep an eye for where you would be going if the startup doesn't work out. If you are going to do freelance work, then where are you going to be looking for that work? Perhaps you should be sniffing around in those areas just in case (keep an eye out for prospects, make more connections, talk to people, etc.)

Three months doesn't give you a lot of wiggle room. A lot of this depends on your situation also. Three months living expenses could be something like $10.50 if you are living in your mothers basement. If you have a good number of expenses then taking care of all those with Freelancing will likely take you at least a couple of months unless you are well connected. You might try taking on small gigs here and there to extend your three months cushion and get a taste of doing client work.

Keep in mind that freelancing is yet another business. It's a hole that you get sucked into and your startup may take a back seat at times.

Good luck. Or, in the zombie scenario, Lock and Load!