You'd be amazed how similar a new political campaign is to a tech start-up. You're creating an entire organization from scratch. Hiring and training employees

You'd be amazed how similar a new political campaign is to a tech start-up. You're creating an entire organization from scratch. Hiring and training employees on the fly, getting expanded offices, You have to fund-raise, only instead of VC you have to raise it individually from thousands of donors. Most people don't realize that successful candidates spend several hours a day just calling supporters and asking for money. It's worse than sales calls, because you're asking them to give you money, and they're getting nothing tangible in return. (as a side note, this is a big part of why so many politicians seem like snake oil salesmen. They're the ones who are good and willing to do sufficient call time) The schedule is insane. You spend the whole day on the road, shaking hands and giving speeches, while at the same time keeping informed on local and national issues and forming coherent opinions about them. You're also expected to provide leadership for your campaign staff, and occasionally spend some time with your family. In the end you either win big or get nothing.