Ask HN: I quit my job .. now what?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2423618

by veyron • 15 years ago

24 42 15 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

So I had this idea, and I want to bring this idea to reality. In this process, I realized I would need to devote a chunk of time to this end, and as such I quit my job in finance [which paid a pretty penny].

So here I am now, at home. Day 1. And for some reason I feel paralyzed by the lack of a clear pathway [finance makes sense, startups for some reason does not].

I feel like I have everything I need to proceed, but I guess I'm not used to not having a roadmap. To those who have quit their jobs, how did you make the mental transition to a 'startup' mentality?

gspyrou• 15 years ago

Check Peldi's talk from Business of Software 2010 http://blogs.balsamiq.com/peldi/2011/03/13/bos2010/ tl;dr Stop worrying , start developing.

MatthewPhillips2• 15 years ago

You might have jumped the gun a little bit. But what's done is done so now you have to put your head down and barrel through it. I would take gspyrou's advice, just get to work.

veyron10• 15 years ago

For posterity's sake, when would have been the right time to leave? Keep in mind that the nature of my previous work is such that I did not have spare time on nights/weekends to continue working -- hence I just cut the umbilical cord :)

velebak• 15 years ago

Don't second guess. What's done is done and now it's time to get to work. So get to work!

MatthewPhillips2• 15 years ago

Then maybe you did leave at the right time and are just having a window of uncertainty. It will pass. What's important is that you have the savings to survive what could be a lengthy process. I couldn't have done the same but we all have different situations.

Muchi• 15 years ago

You could always try creating a high-level roadmap for yourself. However, unlike your previous jobs, this roadmap would be more of a guideline than a detailed point-to-point execution plan.

mindcrime3• 15 years ago

And for some reason I feel paralyzed by the lack of a clear pathway [finance makes sense, startups for some reason does not].

I feel like I'm starting to sound like a broken record here, but... buy and read Steve Blank's The Four Steps to the Epiphany. That's step one. Step two is "do what Steve says." Seriously, he lays out a very detailed methodology for going from "an idea" to "a validated and profitable market for your product." Note that he's only addressing the customer / market side though... You'll have to figure out how to get the product built. If you're a coder yourself, you can play both Customer Development and Product Development (that's what I'm doing, for example), or if you're not a coder (or just need more help) you have to start looking at how to acquire help with the coding side.

veyron10• 15 years ago

I presume this is the book: http://www.amazon.com/Four-Steps-Epiphany-Steven-Blank/dp/09...

mindcrime3• 15 years ago

Yes, and just in case you think I'm kidding (or exaggerating) about how good it is... look at the Amazon reviews. 79 reviews, and almost all of them are 5 star. It's an excellent book; at least in terms of content. The production qualities leave something to be desired, but that stuff can be ignored. It's basically his class notes from his class at Stanford, printed through Cafe Press. But it's excellent material.

Gobitron• 15 years ago

You should read Vinicius Vacanti's blog, "How To Make It As a First Time Entrepreneur" (http://viniciusvacanti.com/). He quit a prestigious finance job to do his own thing, and it took him a while to figure his way around. I recommend reading his whole story from the beginning, I think it will inspire you.

Gorm-Casper• 15 years ago

I sort of did the same thing and occasionally get the same feeling.

I committed to lifting weights 3 times a week though (in the morning), as a way to keep myself going as it makes me get out of the door and I come home refreshed, ready to get to work.

Other than that, eat healthy, get proper sleep, and meet people!

Works for me :)

gharbad• 15 years ago

If you feel you need to have a roadmap to proceed, then you already know the first thing you need to do.

dvfer• 15 years ago

Do some research, decide what you want, then proceed. Along the way, pick up some talented guys to help you achieve your goal. One thing though, if you were not satisfied with your previous work, why didn't you just protest and get a better deal before quitting it for good, since you gonna quit anyway? It just seems weird to me.

veyron10• 15 years ago

"why didn't you just protest and get a better deal before quitting it for good, since you gonna quit anyway?"

My reasons for leaving were strictly nonfinancial. I've socked away enough money to cover me about three years in NYC. I'm 24 now, so it makes sense for me to take some time off and figure out exactly what I want to do :)

stray• 15 years ago

It doesn't much matter what you do right now. Just do something. Anything that moves you toward your goal.

The more trivial the better, imo. You just need to get some momentum. Now move out smartly, troop.

will_lam• 15 years ago

Congrats and props to you for making the jump. First get your finances in order and get a rough idea of your runway (how many months you can live off of your savings or other sources of income).

Some other ideas are to get a mindmap of the possiblities of where you can take this idea.

Use the business model canvas to sketch out your initial business models and the possibilities of your idea (http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/).

Start an action plan - I use Tony Robbins "OPA Method". Ask yourself, What's your desired Outcome (O), What's your "Purpose" (P) - why you're doing the idea and write doing all the reasons, and finally what are the concrete Actions (A) you specifically need to do to turn your idea into reality.

ian_cyw• 15 years ago

I left my job back in 2009 at the dumps of the financial crisis. Take a 2 months break, do something you've always wanted to do. I went to Hong Kong and partied for 2 months, recharging, before preparing for my current startup. No need to hurry, your next startup will consume you.

realgt• 15 years ago

I used tools to help me focus and organize my work, such as google tasks, remember the milk, and especially RallyDev community edition (free).

at some point it hits you that 'you are your own boss' means you have to tell yourself what to do

bhousel3• 15 years ago

First.. Let's assume you have enough money to get by for at least 6 months. And provide for anyone in your care. Including health insurance for emergencies. If you don't have money saved up, well, I'd try to get your day job back or something else, because you could be setting yourself and your family up for catastrophe.

That said, the first thing you need to do is to get your ideas down in writing somehow. Take a day or two if necessary. It's really important. Don't just "start coding" like other people are suggesting. Get organized first. If this idea was so good that you quit your day job, you should have no trouble writing down a few pages about what you're trying to accomplish. Call it a "business plan", or not, at this stage it doesn't matter. But at least write down what you want to do, who will buy it and why, and who your competitors are.

I started to write a bunch of stuff about how to plan out your business, and then I realized that it would be easier for you to just get Four Steps to the Ephiphany by Steve Blank - it's full of worksheets that will help guide you through these early stages.

It sounds like you might need to meet some technical people to help you build your idea. You can meet them here on Hacker News, but it's far better to go to meetups in your area and meet real developers in person. The best developers will want to take some ownership in this part of the business, rather than just being told what to build.

Try to build relationships with people and tell them about your idea. If it's in a space that they're interested in, you'll find people who want to work with you, and at this stage it will be helpful to be able to bounce ideas off of others. Seek out the kinds of people who will tell you what's wrong with your idea or poke holes in it.

Hope this was helpful, and good luck!

veyron10• 15 years ago

Such a long comment deserves a reply :)

Personal finance issues are tucked away for some time, and I'm still eligible for my parents insurance [thank Obama].

Too bad B&N doesnt have a copy .. will have to wait for amazon :/

Can you point me to some NYC meetup groups?

bhousel3• 15 years ago

NY Tech meetup is the biggest: http://www.meetup.com/ny-tech

NY Founder Dating: http://www.meetup.com/new-york-founder-dating

NY Hacker News: http://www.meetup.com/NYHackerNews

There are many many more.. It's very easy to get caught up in going to meetups in NYC. Don't let them become too much of a distraction.

imechura• 15 years ago

Hey veyron, where are you located? You can email me from my profile.

veyron10• 15 years ago

I'm in NYC. How does one email from a profile? I dont see your email address in the /user?id= page ...

centdev• 15 years ago

Take a deep breath. Realize that your startup will consume you so look to surround yourself with 1) people that you can get advice from 2) people who you can use for feedback and 3) if it requires more than just yourself, so to find a team to work with.

Jumping from something stable into the unknown is probably the hardest in my opinion. The road ahead is going to at times seem unclear, just remember to put together a plan of being able to accomplish something, anything towards bringing your idea to reality.

iterationx• 15 years ago

Make a list of what needs to be done, if any item on the list seems difficult to start, break it down into smaller items until the way to proceed is obvious.

truthsayer• 15 years ago

Uh oh.

noahc• 15 years ago

Please add value in your future posts. You could have made a valid point or given great advice with a bit more effort. I see you're new to the community so welcome and I look forward to seeing you add tons of value in the future.

joebo• 15 years ago

I'd also suggest putting your contact info in your profile.

veyron10• 15 years ago

Done. Intransigence123 at gmail dot com

bcrawford2• 15 years ago

Congratulations, man! I'm transitioning to this sort of thing myself (going from 6 figures to a pt gig, 2 days a week).

My suggestion: get a whiteboard, now. Don't do anything but decompress for the next few days (i.e.. fuck off) and write anything that comes to mind about your startup.

One of the most important processes for the human brain is externalization: it's why talking about problems helps as you can't think feelings... but you can write them down and later think about them.

I'd wager you're quite emotionally charged right now, hence the paralysis, so just start writing (don't erase anything) and sort it out next week. Things will be much clearer then.

Best of luck to you!

veyron10• 15 years ago

> Don't do anything but decompress for the next few days

Decided to enjoy the great weather here, drive around a lot and play with legos :) The real work starts tomorrow

bcrawford2• 15 years ago

Where is here? Legos rule... Mindstorm?

Mz• 15 years ago

Didn't quit my job but very recently and very suddenly moved to a new team at work -- by "new team" I mean one that didn't exist before and is doing work without clear parameters. It's been a bit stressful, not knowing how performance is going to be measured and so on. One of our first priorities is determining how we will measure productivity. I suggest you do something similar. "Wishcraft" and similar books by the same author might help in that regard.

Best of luck.

rakila• 15 years ago

Recommended reading: "Rework" by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, and "Getting Real". Both by 37 signals-the ruby on rails guys. Best of luck!:) trust me, they are well worth the buy...

keeptrying• 15 years ago

I quit one day after you. :)

My email is in my profile, if you want to contact me. I'm ex finance too.

veyron10• 15 years ago

congrats :)

Ask HN: I quit my job .. now what?

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