Quitting my corporate job to follow my startup dream worked out, but not in the way you think

I was inspired to write this after reading an article by Ali Mese, where he discusses how quitting his job in order to chase his startup dream stuffed up his life. I found myself in a similar position not too long ago, and I want to share my story with those of you who may be contemplating doing the same thing.

The startup journey begins

In 2011 I was working for one of the top engineering companies in South Africa, a job I got fresh out of varsity. I had been with the company for four years and had established myself as a key member in my division. I wasn’t exactly swimming in money but I earned a good salary, I was working for a cool company and it was in my field of study (Electronics Comms Systems), which is something that not too many of my varsity friends could say. Something was missing though. I was bored out of my mind and I had started to hate my job. Soon after graduating I realised that I wasn’t passionate about engineering, I just happened to be really good at it. So in 2010 I started working on ideas for a possible startup in my spare time. I didn’t exactly know what I wanted to do, I just knew I had to do something!

I started with a Web Design business called Ash Digital Media, aimed at Small Business owners. WordPress was still somewhat new in South Africa, and this was around the time Premium WordPress Theme companies like WooThemes started taking off. Soon after this, I came up with the what would become the driving force behind my decision to quit my job. CHEKA Clothing. An online clothing label.

I handed in my resignation letter in October 2011, and would spend the next couple of months working tirelessly on getting the business ready for launch in January 2012.

What really happens when you quit your job in order to chase your startup dream

Without going into too much detail about how my startup journey went, this is what happens when you quit your job to work on your startup:

• You end up working more than you ever did when you were employed.
  
• There will be days where you don’t even bother with getting dressed because you’re so busy working on a new feature or product.

• ESPN becomes your new best friend (thanks for all those late nights SportsCentre!)
• Your friends and family don’t really get why you quit your job to follow a ‘silly’ dream.
• You never have any money.
• Regret starts kicking in — did I really just quit my job?
• You get asked “So how is your business doing?” — a lot!
• You end up spending less time socialising with friends— possibly to avoid the above mentioned question.
• You disappoint people who invested money in your startup.
• You consider getting a paying job to help you stay afloat.
• Then you die (okay not really!)

Eventually you will be presented with two choices. Give up on your dream, accept that you have failed, and get a job. Or continue pushing and working on your startup with the hope that things will turn around, and that you’ll get R1 Million in seed funding. After 10 months of working on my startup, I opted for the first option. I started job hunting again for the first time in five years. After a string of unsuccessful interviews with some big local Ad Agencies, I ended up getting a break at 6th Avenue, a new Digital Marketing Agency based in Cape Town. This was an entry level position. Looking back on it now I realise I was actually just an intern — at 27!

I will however always be grateful to 6th Avenue for the opportunity they gave me. It allowed me to get my first bit of Digital Marketing experience under my belt, and it was a step closer to doing what I actually love.

There are no regrets in life, only lessons

Do I regret quitting my job to work on my start up? CHEKA Clothing was a failure. I started CHEKA Digital soon after that, which resulted in me getting those interviews at top agencies, and eventually my job at 6th Avenue. Ash Digital Media was not a complete failure, and I still take on projects from time to time, but trying to run two businesses at the same time was a very bad idea.

I failed as an entrepreneur and I’ve accepted that, but I do not have any regrets. The lessons I learned from my startup failure have been invaluable for my career, and has resulted in me landing (approximately 32 months after resigning from my corporate job) what I honestly consider to be my dream job as a Digital Project Manager at Africa’s biggest sport publication.

Deciding to work on a start up is not as glamorous as Silicon Valley makes it seem. It sounds great repeating mantras like “chase your dream” or “do you what you love” but quitting your job to work on your start up is one of the most difficult things you could ever do.

Make sure you come prepared.

Image: sualk61 via Flickr.