From Corporate To Startup

I am often asked about the difference between working for a large corporation and working for myself. The mix of inquisitors is interesting: some are future entrepreneurs strapped down by the fear of not having a stable job, some are very happy with their corporate employment and simply can’t understand why I would give up an interesting job to go on my own, some have already ventured on their own and simply want to share experiences, some are family members who fear for my future…I don’t blame them, they are the first people I will go to if I need a loan. But my answer is always the same: There exist pros and cons for both, but in general I am extremely happy with my decision to walk away from Corporate America to realize my vision and attempt to launch a business of my own.

In short working for a Fortune 100 Corporation was a great learning experience. I enjoyed the stability of a regular income, well-defined tasks, and regular faces. What I did not enjoy was the stability of known-but-capped income, doing the same thing every day, and dealing with office politics. The greatest benefits include gaining real-world knowledge, developing real skill sets, and learning how a large business operates. But the main draw back was feeling under-challenged and perhaps under-appreciated. Quite simply, at some point my learning curve began to plateau.

To describe what it is like to work for myself, I can not simply state the inverse of the pros and cons for working for a corporation. That would be too obvious. For starters, I made some very serious sacrifices, not only monetary but personal sacrifices. I lost friends, I lost a girl friend, and at times, I lost confidence. The challenges and pressures were and continue to be intense. Going off on your own is a big deal; very few people do it and so everyone is interested in watching your progress…Don’t let them get to you. The fear of not knowing how you are going to pay your bills is intimidating, building a strong team of co-founders and employees is challenging, and selling your vision to investors or even your friends and family is daunting. But these pressures and fears are what I love most about the startup life.

I love that in a single day, I have to wear multiple hats as a marketer, engineer, financial analyst, human resource manager, accountant, lawyer, copy-writer, researcher and overall problem-solver. I love that every day is different, complete with new challenges, successes and even failures. I love the learning process, the introspective examination, and the personal growth. Even though everyday is two steps forward and one step backward, nothing is more satisfying than looking up from your desk and seeing your team working hard to realize your vision.

If you are like me and enjoy taking risks, tackling challenges and solving different problems every day, then perhaps going out on your own is a good idea. However, I implore you not take this decision lightly. Ideas come and go all the time; the idea is the easy part. Before you go off on your own you must ask yourself, “Am I ready?” “Do I have the personality of entrepreneur?” “Have I weighed the benefits and assessed the risks?” “Am I ready to sacrifice much of what I have spent my life to build?”

I never regret my decision to go off on my own, but only because when I did, I knew I was ready. In my next post, I will discuss the check list I went through before submitting my letter of resignation.