What is the worst case scenario? Your startup fails and you get a job again? If the worst case scenario is that you're back where you are right now, then it's not a big leap to make.
How do you get over the fear of quitting your job to start a startup?
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Re: How do you get over the fear of quitting your job to start a startup?
#22What is the worst case scenario? Your startup fails and you get a job again? If the worst case scenario is that you're back where you are right now, then it's not a big leap to make.
That's not the worst case scenario, that's the second best case scenario (the best being that your startup succeeds). The worst case is that you spend a lot of time floundering unsure if your startup will succeed or not. Meanwhile your debt is growing, your eating bologna sandwiches every night, your relationship with friends and/or family is strained because you're in a bad mood all the time or because you've borrowed money from them. Then you decide that your startup has failed and you try to move back into corporate jobs except it's harder to find one this time because you've got the experience of an entrepreneur not of a recent graduate or because the economy is down and demand is low, or a number of other reasons. You're going to find a job but it's taking longer and that debt number keeps growing. Your dream has turned into a nightmare that'll take 5-10 years to pay off.
That's the worst case scenario, and a good reason to take the decision very seriously.
Re: How do you get over the fear of quitting your job to start a startup?
#23If your heart tells you too, then you won't feel fear. If you do feel fear, don't do a startup :-)
This is ridiculous. Most people experience fear and anxiety when approaching risk, even if it's a risk they're absolutely willing to take. This whole "fear means you're not ready" meme only discourages people experiencing normal human emotion. Well, screw that. If you feel fear, remember that all of us do, and if you're ready go for it! Don't let other folks tell you the stars will align and you'll magically "feel ri…
You are taking fear as a sign of shyness, which is a romantic view of what it really is. Fear results out of a subjective mismatch of your own perceived skills vs. the task ahead.
If in doubt (fear), you should probably spend more time and resources working on your skill set and finding out how (and if) you can be up to the task.
While "Just go for it" will certainly do if you know the guy personally and you're convinced that all he need is encouragement, generally stated (like in this thread) it is bad advice lacking both facts and perspective.
Re: How do you get over the fear of quitting your job to start a startup?
#24Very interesting point of embracing the fear associated with starting a startup. I thoroughly believe in working with individuals who have something to lose; without fear true motivation and commitment are far from commonplace.
> without fear true motivation and commitment are far from commonplace. This is an alien mindset to me. Fear has never motivated any of my longer term planning or actions. Maybe if I had a family whose life and welfare depended utterly on my success in a risky endeavor, it would be different. But people in that position rarely found startups. Lost opportunities is the larger if more abstract issue for younger would-b…
I find the possibility of failure very real; it is this possibility that serves as one of many factors that motivates me. I realize that I almost see it as a game: the opportunity to lose makes me more competitive. This line of thinking is analogous to a poker game: no one is competitive unless the chips are worth something.
Could you elaborate on your lost opportunity point? Are you suggesting that the inability to focus on a particular idea can be crippling?
Re: How do you get over the fear of quitting your job to start a startup?
#25a) Redefine failure for yourself. Failing is not getting what/where you want.
b) Don't fail.
Re: How do you get over the fear of quitting your job to start a startup?
#26Earlier quoted context omitted.
> without fear true motivation and commitment are far from commonplace. This is an alien mindset to me. Fear has never motivated any of my longer term planning or actions. Maybe if I had a family whose life and welfare depended utterly on my success in a risky endeavor, it would be different. But people in that position rarely found startups. Lost opportunities is the larger if more abstract issue for younger would-b…
I find the possibility of failure very real; it is this possibility that serves as one of many factors that motivates me. I realize that I almost see it as a game: the opportunity to lose makes me more competitive. This line of thinking is analogous to a poker game: no one is competitive unless the chips are worth something. Could you elaborate on your lost opportunity point? Are you suggesting that the inability to…
I interpreted your 'fear' to mean a kind of desperation. My point about lost opportunities was that your average startup founder is not at a loss for options, so desperation is not the driving force of his day to day work. I'm a very competitive guy as well, but I wouldn't put that down to anything like fear. In competition I'm motivated predominantly by the positive side of winning rather than the negative side of losing. That's the case even if I go all in.
It's always interesting to hear of someone else's experience with these matters because it's all too easy to forget how different we all are. Thanks for weighing in.
Re: How do you get over the fear of quitting your job to start a startup?
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
I find the possibility of failure very real; it is this possibility that serves as one of many factors that motivates me. I realize that I almost see it as a game: the opportunity to lose makes me more competitive. This line of thinking is analogous to a poker game: no one is competitive unless the chips are worth something. Could you elaborate on your lost opportunity point? Are you suggesting that the inability to…
I interpreted your 'fear' to mean a kind of desperation. My point about lost opportunities was that your average startup founder is not at a loss for options, so desperation is not the driving force of his day to day work. I'm a very competitive guy as well, but I wouldn't put that down to anything like fear. In competition I'm motivated predominantly by the positive side of winning rather than the negative side of l…
You as well. I suppose I'm just rather nervous about pursuing this. I'm just about to graduate from college and have decided to pursue my startup idea.