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It sounds like you already know what you want: to start your own company. But you are scared. You don't want to take the risk of leaving your company ("leaving

It sounds like you already know what you want: to start your own company. But you are scared. You don't want to take the risk of leaving your company ("leaving a black mark on your resume"). If you are really passionate about building a company, you shouldn't give a shit about what your resume looks like or what people will think if you only worked at your current job for six months. That is just not something entrepreneurs should worry about, because you should always be 100% confident in your success, not worrying about what you'll do if you fail! Also, consider the fact that even if you work on this company for six months and then fail/quit, employers won't think "this guy only worked at AmaGooFaceSoft for 6 months." They will think "this guy took initiative and spent 6 months building a cool product." You will positively impact your resume by building the business more than you will negatively impact it by leaving your current job before 1 year. My advice is to ask yourself why you are scared. That seems like a signal that you do not believe in your product. If you are not 100% confident you can succeed, you shouldn't even start. Perhaps you should spend the next 6 months at your job refining the product idea and building up a bank balance (salary + options once they vest) to give yourself a 6+ month runway once you quit. Also, don't be afraid of raising investment to cover your living expenses and the opportunity cost of spending the next 6 months at your job. You don't need to start with a million dollar round. You can raise enough to cover your living expenses ($100-250k) from angels via convertible debt. You could do this quite easily given your AmaGooFaceSoft background. Angel investors don't care how long you worked there, but they see it as a positive signal that AmaGooFaceSoft hired you in the first place. On the flipside, they would not see it as a positive signal if you are not 100% confident in your product. Feel free to email me. I hate large corporations and am always happy to convince people to leave them.

frustratedw2 10y ago
> If you are really passionate about building a company, you shouldn't give a shit about what your resume looks like or what people will think if you only worked at your current job for six months. That is just not something entrepreneurs should worry about, because you should always be 100% confident in your success, not worrying about what you'll do if you fail! I like a lot of what you said, but with all due respect I don't think I'm your intended audience for this pep talk. Remember, I just finished up two years running my own bootstrapped startup that was making no money -- most people wouldn't consider me particularly risk adverse. :) My life situation is now such that I can't afford another extended break from the workforce for a while at least. Also, I think the "you should always be 100% confident in your success" (which I've heard from other people as well) line of thinking is kinda BS. We know most startups fail. Even most startups by smart, dedicated and hard-working people fail. For the two years I was doing my own thing, I didn't spend much time on backup plans, but I did keep my door open to recruiters and friends who approached me with other opportunities. Not doing so would not have made my startup any more likely to succeed, and by doing so I ended up with a soft landing at a prestigious and high-paying job, if nothing else. I think it's much wiser to expect the best, but still prepare for the worst.
- cefthurston 10y ago
  Agreed and the 6 month mark thing will raise eyebrows amongst employers, as much as previous commenter things it won't. That kind of advice is meaningful to folks outside the Valley who need a counter-balance to the irrational risk-averseness that can occur there. For folks inside the Valley who've done bootstrapped (like yourself) I think you have a finely tuned sense of what will/won't look good to a potential employer and how something will be interpreted.

frustratedw2 10y ago

> If you are really passionate about building a company, you shouldn't give a shit about what your resume looks like or what people will think if you only worked at your current job for six months. That is just not something entrepreneurs should worry about, because you should always be 100% confident in your success, not worrying about what you'll do if you fail! I like a lot of what you said, but with all due respect I don't think I'm your intended audience for this pep talk. Remember, I just finished up two years running my own bootstrapped startup that was making no money -- most people wouldn't consider me particularly risk adverse. :) My life situation is now such that I can't afford another extended break from the workforce for a while at least. Also, I think the "you should always be 100% confident in your success" (which I've heard from other people as well) line of thinking is kinda BS. We know most startups fail. Even most startups by smart, dedicated and hard-working people fail. For the two years I was doing my own thing, I didn't spend much time on backup plans, but I did keep my door open to recruiters and friends who approached me with other opportunities. Not doing so would not have made my startup any more likely to succeed, and by doing so I ended up with a soft landing at a prestigious and high-paying job, if nothing else. I think it's much wiser to expect the best, but still prepare for the worst.

cefthurston 10y ago
Agreed and the 6 month mark thing will raise eyebrows amongst employers, as much as previous commenter things it won't. That kind of advice is meaningful to folks outside the Valley who need a counter-balance to the irrational risk-averseness that can occur there. For folks inside the Valley who've done bootstrapped (like yourself) I think you have a finely tuned sense of what will/won't look good to a potential employer and how something will be interpreted.