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Ask HN: How did you calculate the right time to leave corporate america?
What kind of calculations or metrics did you use to finally get up and leave your day job to fulfill your desire to create a startup?
I see all over about the 6 month or 12 month (savings) rule, but then a ton of different articles saying those metrics are garbage.
Can you all share your experiences of when you got up and left? What metric did you use personally?
- GFischer 14y agoI'm also interested (not in corporate America, but in corporate anyway :) ). Me, I'm thinking of getting some freelance jobs first (without quitting) or other source or side income and then quit. I'm thinking of my car as emergency money, and I know I can get a job in a very short time if I need to come back.
- dglassan 14y agoI worked as a consultant for 11 Months right out of college. During that time I launched a side project that got some traction and a little press but didn't really go anywhere. I put it on my resume and started applying to startups in the Bay Area. The project got my foot in the door for some interviews and I was eventually hired as a lead dev for a YC company. I didn't create a startup but I was able to work in my spare time on a project that proved I could ship a product, which enabled me to leave my soul sucking corporate consulting gig.
- codegeek 14y agoEven though I have not taken the leap yet, but working on it with a solid plan. Overall, this is a combibation of subjective and objective items. Listing some of mine below which could give you an idea even though YMMV: Finances ---------- SAVE SAVE SAVE. Did I say that enough ? To your question about 6-12 months rule, it is the standard advice based on assumption that it could take you that much time to get back on your feet if you fail etc. For example, I will probably feel comfortable if I had 100K stashed away safe. I dont care if thats 6 or 12 months. Personal/Family ---------------- This is very subjective and could really vary. Are you married or single ? Do you support a wife/kids or single ? Obviously, if you are single, the risk appetite could be higher but if you have a family to support, you might want to get things in order. For example, do you have health insurance thourhg employer and have kids ? Can you switch to your wife's if possible ? etc. etc.
- calbear98 14y agoI've been working for a long time, so having savings already was the first step. Like codegeek said, family situation and health insurance are important, luckily everyone is in support of me doing my startup. A consideration that was one of the last things to solidify the decision in my mind was people telling me I could get another job easily if things didn't work out. A couple of them were actively trying to recruit/refer me, so I knew I would be in good shape. A fellow entrepreneur told me, you better be hell bent on what you're doing, because doing a startup is hard. For me I'm obsessed about trying this startup, so I knew it was only a matter of time before I had to leave and give it a shot. So no precise metrics. Just a gut feeling of: I can't take another day/week/month/year going by without giving this a shot.
- albahk 14y agoI planned my departure in my head for a long long time but never got any traction with side-projects - which is understandable in hindsight. Then one day I got sat down with the boss and tried to hide the grin from my face as they explained the redundancy package I was being offered (7 months salary). So, it was planned but I was still pushed in the end - and it was great.