Poll: Did you start company in 2011?

Yes, well, I went into partnership. It was hard to leave my previous job in a big company as it was a good company, good package, great people, 10 minute commute. The reason I left was because although the job was good, I would never become more than a small cog in a large company and then retire. I wanted to do something cool, make a difference, and have a shot at earning enough for my family to have a good life and start some altruistic projects.

The things that enabled me to leave and start something new were that I became more known for my work so I was offered opportunities, advances in broadband, video conferencing, web based project management, collaboration tools, powerful hosted DVCS, and other free tools allowed me to easily work from home so I didn't have to relocate or commute for hours.

It has been a good few months, it is going well, and I'm excited for the next year.

Yes, to make money.

Yes. Became an independent freelance consultant.

Yes, I cofounded a little Wordpress theme business launching soon. Happy holidays!

Made it into a little poll to better quantify the results: http://p2.gg/5vc