The day I knew it was time to move on from my first startup

I still remember the day I fully committed to moving on from my first startup, MoPix.

As a third culture kid who grew up in Senegal, Nepal & Indonesia it was only fitting that I arrived at the final aurora of my startup while sitting on an airplane, returning home to Los Angeles on a flight from Portland; dejected, overwhelmed and with barely any money in our startup bank account.

Staring out the window I found myself having a panic attack. I had tried to be the duck calmly swimming above water that everyone sees while I kick like crazy underwater. The reality was that I was close to rock bottom, overwhelmed by stress, and grabbing for anything to help me rise up.

I had run out of all my startup runways

I had hidden a lot of my financial situation from my fiancé (now wife), but I didn’t have money to pay my bills, spent the money I needed for the next wedding deposit, and was close to being maxed out on credit cards.

From an outsiders perspective, what to do when you run out of runways seems like an easy decision. But for those who have gone through it, you know the emotional turmoil. It’s the paradox of startup life. The passion it takes to start a business often ends up being the thing that prevents you from…