I was working for a big corporate when I had a start up idea. The route I took was to jump ship to a smallish start up for as long as it would take to feel comf

I was working for a big corporate when I had a start up idea. The route I took was to jump ship to a smallish start up for as long as it would take to feel comfortable (I figured around two years, it actually took a bit longer than a year). There were several good things about doing it that way: - I got a lot closer to customers and the sales/marketing process and saw product development cycles much more akin to the kind of thing I would be doing on my own. - I met a lot of people and made some great connections. - I picked up some related skills and qualifications and contacts (on my own time) which have cut ~£1k+ off my business admin costs and made me more competent technically. - I saved up a nice healthy seed fund at the same time as moving (myself) to a city that's better for start ups. There were some negatives to go with it as well. - I burned out a little bit on the really long days, which made it hard to work in the evenings. Oddly enough that's no longer the case now I'm doing my own thing - it's too much fun. - I couldn't carry on with product development for contract reasons. It did give me time give the product a serious review and to pick up some other skills I would need though. - I lost a year's first mover advantage. It's a big market though, and a year hasn't radically changed the competitive picture. The niche I want to steal is still under-served and stuffed full of people with money. On the whole it was a good idea for me, but everyone's circumstances vary.