Why I quit my 6 figure salary for my startup

With all the hype around post-graduation employment becoming increasingly competitive while salaries continue to decrease, most people would call me crazy for quitting my job where I was on track to make over $100k in my first year. During the 4.5 years I spent in school, landing great paying internships and getting full time offers was never a problem — though I can say I had never expected a 6 figure offer right out of school.

But I always felt like I needed something more.

No matter what I was doing — Technology Analyst at JP Morgan Chase, consulting for a renowned firm in New York City or doing sales for an innovative B2B software startup, there constantly was this everlasting feeling of emptiness. I’m still not able to pinpoint what it is that’s created this feeling with every position I’ve held, but I think it’s been my drive to take an idea from concept, and put my everything into turning that idea into reality.

When I started working on my startup back in January of 2014, I honestly can say I hadn’t the slightest idea what I was doing or if it was going to go anywhere. I just thought it was a great idea. 4 months later I won a business plan competition, and 3 months after that I had placed top 25 in a global startup competition. But it was still just an idea. It was an idea that kept blossoming and changing every day. What started out as a point of sale recommendation engine, was now a plan to build a full suite of proactive financial management tools for millennials.

I can say with certainty that I’m truly thankful the investors I had pitched this idea to in the early stages had not invested in me. I was not prepared to be a founder. Sure, I had the motivation and drive, which I think that most entrepreneurs do, but I was not the right person to give a large investment to with the expectation of high returns. Could I have created a successful startup had someone had invested in me a year ago? Maybe. But I look back and I see a 21 year old who was winging it. But in my humble opinion, that’s what it takes to get that initial experience. If it were not for all the mistakes I had made in the last year and a half, I would never have learned so many valuable lessons that shape the way I approach every business decision and lead our team. If it were not for the mentors and close friends that had supported me and encouraged me at each roadblock, I would have settled for a job in a company that was not mine.

Was now the right time to quit?

I’m not sure if there ever will be a “right” time, but I trust myself enough to make well informed business decisions using all the experience that I’ve learned since I began this journey. I also have an incredible technical co-founder/great friend, and that may be the most important missing link to this puzzle.

Eventually going into the startup life full time was inevitable. No matter where I was working I always had this ambition to go out and do something on my own. The perks and pay were irrelevant. I now wake up in the morning excited to work on our software that I hope will be impactful and change people lives — at the end of the day this is what drives us to succeed.

We’re also now being backed by some of the largest financial technology investors in Australia, and I trust their judgment in believing in our team. I believe in our team. In February, we head down to Sydney for 6 months to focus solely on turning our idea into a full fledged company, working alongside these experienced mentors, investors and other founders.