7
11 Comments

How do you explain to others why you quit your job to be an entrepreneur?

Yesterday, I met a few friends whom I haven't been in contact for some time and they were shocked I left my job as a well-payed, yet overworked Engineering Manager, to become a solopreneur.

Some people even mentioned that "it's okay to get fired in times of Covid", when in fact the company was in the e-learning sector, which made the business bloom but created an environment where we were constantly getting too much work on our plates.

I love what I am doing now, which includes reading a lot of programming and other books in general, greatly increasing my career capital, but I can't find the right words to explain why this is a good move for me and my sanity.

I just started on my own a few months back and it's going to be some time before any kind of revenue comes in.

If anyone has tips on what arguments to give or has been in a similar situation, advice is welcome :)

  1. 5

    try not to spend energy on that is my thinking, get out of that conversation if you can
    the thing is the gap is thinking, knowledge, core assumptions, risk taking and a long list of other thing is huge, and is not going to be narrowed enough even in an 8 hour long conversation at least in the context of a generic person that only ever considered being and Employee.
    basically if the other person has not read a book like rich dad poor dad or 4 hour work week or anything of that nature the conversation is just too complicated

    You can see something like that if you look for example in Vegan groups, when people that aren't supportive try to clash their ideas with it, it's just not a short easy conversation.
    Or like trying to argue politics to the other side.

    :shrug: maybe it's not good advice, but your energy is more important than to try to justify yourself in my mind

    1. 2

      This is actually great advice, I just thought about it and there are just too many factors to explain and indeed even in a few hours of talking, people around me either immediately approved and felt identified, or simply wouldn't bite.

      I'm trying to make a mental list of people who are enjoyable to talk to, and those who are not. Those who are not, it's better I avoid hard conversations with them while I work on my ace project and they are nearer to completion.

      Thanks!

      1. 1

        Your project progress and even crazy success might not change the conversation with these people either

  2. 1

    Why should you try and explain anything to anyone?
    I think that if you do, you open a door to many ugly things that might discourage you in a way or another.

    I think that if you do not owe anything to anyone, you are just responsable for your own actions.

    People will understand only what they can understand based on their own experience, so no matter what your arguments are, those who will not understand why you do it, they will not understand in 1000000 years.

    As a huge brand would say: "Just do it".

  3. 1

    Don't. Nobody will 100% understand how it is to be in your shoes. Be you.

  4. 1

    Once I get to this point, I would probably just reply “Because I am happier this way”.

    that word, “happier”, for me would cover meaning, purpose, challenging, flow, freedom, healthy, etc

  5. 1

    When I quit my job at SAP, most of my colleagues and friends understood. I loved my company and the people I worked with but I wanted a challenge where I could make a big contribution. I did recognize that it's a privilege that many people may not have. Often, you have dependents and starting something new is always risky.

    However, becoming a solopreneur is also rewarding. It's likely that you will fail a lot but you will also learn things much more quickly than you would as part of a company. Also, the skills you require will always be useful. If things workout, you will be independent and you don't have to depend on anyone for your income. If things don't workout, you have acquired skills which will make you a great fit for another job.

    My only advice is to find a community (which you already did with indiehacker) because it can get lonely. Good-luck! :)

  6. 1

    I was working for IBM & IBM offered me an H1B visa(even got through the process) to travel & work in the USA. But I wanted to start my Startup. So I quit without taking the formal offer. All my colleagues thought I have taken a shitty decision!

    Few things I learned regarding the topic "explain to others why you quit your job":

    1. It's a complete waste of energy to explain to others why you quit because others are busy with their priorities. Better make them understand by your results.
    2. Helps you build a thick skin when you don't explain. Which is a much-needed characteristic when you start a startup!
  7. 1

    Yes! Me, I did it when COVID hit in March. I ended my work with Microsoft to build a productized service ( brain optimization for founders) which I feel more purpose, meaning, impact. Yeah I did forgo cushy payment during chaos. Here are 2 tips:

    1. talk about the burning challenge/ the problem, help them see & feel the problem that you chose to solve & why it’s a big deal that it should be solved (ultimately by you)

    2. connect with them on the topic of a time when they didn’t find meaning or purpose in their job & how it made them feel... then share your story of how you also didn’t feel it brought you to this point to solve a challenge that you find more meaningful & purpose

    Essentially it’s important to build a background story where it can connect with your friends at a “feeling” level and then lead the conversation to how these feelings led you to this decision

  8. 1

    I don't justify my choices to other people who aren't affected by my choices. Makes everything easier and keeps me happier!

  9. 1

    I usually say "I didn't agree with the direction of the company." It sounds like you can say "company culture" and be done with it. If anyone asks for more, I think it's totally fine to say you wanted to learn more and have the time to do that.

    Your lifestyle and how the company culture impacts your lifestyle matters.

  10. 3

    This comment was deleted a year ago.

  11. 1

    This comment was deleted 3 years ago.

Trending on Indie Hackers
How I grew a side project to 100k Unique Visitors in 7 days with 0 audience 47 comments Competing with Product Hunt: a month later 33 comments Why do you hate marketing? 27 comments $15k revenues in <4 months as a solopreneur 14 comments Use Your Product 13 comments How I Launched FrontendEase 13 comments