If Not Now, When?
How I decided when to quit my day job and follow my startup dreams….
Stories like Jeff Bezos quitting his lucrative Wall Street job to found Amazon, or Jack Ma being rejected for a job by KFC before becoming China’s wealthiest individual, are a part of internet folklore. We love to point to them and say ‘I’m going to do what he did’. But for every fairytale there are of course thousands of failures we never hear of. Truth is, it’s daunting to start your own company, and odds are we will fail and the world will quickly forget us (according to Forbes, 90% of startups fail).
The odds are stacked against us from the word go - we grow up and are educated to work for other people. It’s the safe, popular, and predictable option that is taught in schools and encouraged by parents. Or it certainly was for people of around my age (35) when we were growing up. Here’s how it’s supposed to play out:
Education → Job → Mortgage
Going it alone disrupts this well trodden path. And there comes a time in some people’s careers where they need to choose between working for themselves, or working for someone else. The daily grind of working hard for the same pay and making others rich can become exceedingly frustrating over time. And then there’s office politics, difficult teammates, corporate jargon, constantly changing priorities, miscommunication, and a host of other little annoyances - none of which you have any control over.
Ultimately for me, it’s always been about the need to create and control something myself. To build something useful, and enjoy the satisfaction around the journey of creation. When I was younger I wanted to be in a big rock band (OK, I still do!). I wanted to be famous, and create something that people would enjoy. Something I could point to and say ‘I made that, and people love it’. And I feel like it’s no different with a start-up. I want to be known for creating something awesome, something that people use, and yes of course, something that makes me enough money to keep creating new things.
And so I started using my evenings and weekends to build my own company [www.MuzeRoom.com - which I’ll talk more about in a future post]. I’m a passionate person and so I focused on two areas I’m fanatical about - music and technology. If that won’t get me out of bed, nothing will!
Things went well and before I knew it I was up till midnight most nights and working a lot on weekends. This was sustainable for a while, but I quickly learnt that with a high paced, highly stressful day job in a corporate environment, my startup was getting my leftover energy and second best. The balance was all wrong. I was super passionate about this new part of my life, and yet I hadn’t fully committed to making it my day job. I was still unsure, uneasy, and uncomfortable with throwing myself into an unknown quantity. I’d become apathetic and ultimately controlled by the predictability of the environment I had created myself through working for someone else.
So I asked myself three key questions:
- Am I enjoying my day job?
- Is this where I see myself in 5 years time?
- Can I support myself without the corporate salary?
The answer to one was a resounding no. Somewhere along the way the fun had been lost. This creates additional stress as you realise something isn’t quite right with the balance of your life. Really this should be the only question, but alas life is a little more complex than:
‘this = no fun ∴ I will resign’
Where did I see myself in 5 years? Running my own successful company, and a lot happier in my professional life. Another tick in the right direction.
And now the tricky part. Can I get used to not earning a regular paycheck? This is where the whole process became unstuck. The irony being, the longer I stayed in paid employment, the unhappier I got, but the harder it became to walk away. I’d come to rely upon a regular and predictable income, even though I didn't need it - with no mortgage or kids, I kept coming back to the phrase ‘If not now, when?’ (a very under rated Incubus album).
We used to have jobs for life, and when that were the case the stakes of leaving were MUCH higher. But these days it’s not uncommon to start looking around for new opportunities after 2-3 years, and as a result it’s much easier to move from job to job. Why not from job to start-up? Not to mention it looks great on your CV - EVEN IF your startup fails (and as mentioned, it probably will fail), it shows great character and entrepreneurial flair to go it alone - you’ll come back stronger and more employable either way, so it’s really a win-win situation when viewed in the right light.
To cushion the blow, I decided to find part time work. Enough to pay my bills, and enjoy the odd dinner out without feeling guilty that I was eating into my savings. That felt psychologically a lot more comfortable for me. Sure, I’ll need to invest my savings in developing MuzeRoom, but that’s an investment in my idea and my dreams.
And so with the aid of three simple questions, I realised I was ready - and subsequently resigned. I’m pumped about the future, and can’t wait for the adventure to unfold. If not now, when?
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Thanks for reading — I’m Ronan Mason. Follow me and my journey to innovate in the music space, or reach out and say hello:
