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Ask HN: How you left your job and survive your own?

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11–20 of 24 posts

Re: Ask HN: How you left your job and survive your own?

#11
The way to do it is to first secure some continuous income from your soon to be business , live way under your means and have a few years of savings.

Going on your own means working very hard to get clients which means that you are always looking for clients and them doing the work and doing all the other stuff that's relate to the adminstration of the business. There's stuff that's just a drag.

Is it worth it? Only you can decide that.

The people that seem to survive are self starters, people that are obsessed with succeeding and people that can make hard decisions fast. Hard decisions are usually related to people to people interactions. If you notice alot of business titans are considered jerks. That's the result of those hard decision.

Get a dog. You will want some one that will always be happy to see you.

Re: Ask HN: How you left your job and survive your own?

#12
If you can: Down size your life to the greatest extent you can. All fixed repeating payments should be as low as possible. This will change your runway.

Then work very hard and iterate. Your day starts at 6-7 . Your day ends at 6-7. Rarely break to "do nothing". Take lots of breaks that are productive in divergent ways.

Re: Ask HN: How you left your job and survive your own?

#13
post #8

I quit an exploitative workplace about ~7 years ago, totally unprepared (and in a foreign country), and barely survived until my business picked up enough work to be stable. Spent all savings I had, even had to borrow a bit at the end to keep me afloat. Hard work and persistence wasn't enough - there was a big element of luck involved, and things could have easily crashed and burned. It took me almost a year until I…

Nice story, as 20 something, i'm currently just graduated college at developing country. I 'm read most of stuff, learn the thing online, my english is not good to write. And i'm struggling too. I don't know what i've should do, i'm reading too much of book. Now i'm seeking a relationship, that will force me to find the job to nurturing. So what a mess, i'll be fine in the future, will I!

Re: Ask HN: How you left your job and survive your own?

#14

The way to do it is to first secure some continuous income from your soon to be business , live way under your means and have a few years of savings. Going on your own means working very hard to get clients which means that you are always looking for clients and them doing the work and doing all the other stuff that's relate to the adminstration of the business. There's stuff that's just a drag. Is it worth it? Only…

Nice story, as 20 something, i'm currently just graduated college at developing country. I 'm read most of stuff, learn the thing online, my english is not good to write. And i'm struggling too. I don't know what i've should do, i'm reading too much of book. Now i'm seeking a relationship, that will force me to find the job to nurturing. So what a mess, i'll be fine in the future, will I!

Re: Ask HN: How you left your job and survive your own?

#15
see if you can drop to part time work for a few months, see if you can get anything going in the interim period on your off days (you can work weekends too to get 3 days on personal project, 3 days at work, 1 day to rest)

if you cant make it work in 3 days a week, you probably cant make it work in 6 days a week.

Re: Ask HN: How you left your job and survive your own?

#16

Stop looking for other people's recipies. This is such an individual thing, 100 different people will probably give you 100 different ways how they did it. Know what you love to do. Become good at it. Use your skill and passion for that thing to make something that other people who don't have your skill and passion can't do themselves. Become comfortable with the unkown. Stop looking for reassurances by other people.…

Thanks for really great advice.

I loved doing what I am doing and still do and I think I am somewhat good at it.

But doing job sucked me. The job is really dreadful and I do not want to do more. All the fun is over in my job and my boss and other people do not value or care any work I am doing(big company) they do not take any suggestions and do not take work seriously.

My boss do not value the work he just want to get rid of issue in front. It's not only this job but it also happen in past.

Now I think why I am making these people rich. I work for them and they do not even care.

I see my situation, I am not financially that good and Independent. Job pays well but will it be safe. There are layoff recently. I am good at what I do and they have dependency but even doing your best you getting layoff even now and in future why you want to do this kind of thing.

You will be never rich making money for others. So I really want to start something my own which can pay off my bills and sustain me.

Re: Ask HN: How you left your job and survive your own?

#17
post #8

I quit an exploitative workplace about ~7 years ago, totally unprepared (and in a foreign country), and barely survived until my business picked up enough work to be stable. Spent all savings I had, even had to borrow a bit at the end to keep me afloat. Hard work and persistence wasn't enough - there was a big element of luck involved, and things could have easily crashed and burned. It took me almost a year until I…

Nice story, as 20 something, i'm currently just graduated college at developing country. I 'm read most of stuff, learn the thing online, my english is not good to write. And i'm struggling too. I don't know what i've should do, i'm reading too much of book. Now i'm seeking a relationship, that will force me to find the job to nurturing. So what a mess, i'll be fine in the future, will I!

Good luck with finding satisfying work and relationship! I think many of us have been in a similar situation, being young and struggling to find one's place in society.

As someone once told me, "The best way to learn is by doing" - reading, writing, working, loving. :)

Also, I guess I must be getting older to be saying this, but please remember to enjoy your youth, being alive is an amazing gift - even if one has to go it alone sometimes.

Re: Ask HN: How you left your job and survive your own?

#18
I'm actually making this leap this Friday! Basically been building the business nights and weekends for the last year and a half. It isn't something spontaneous, but planed out for awhile. At first I will be taking a good size pay cut, but the amount of effort and energy I can put into the business will quickly close that gap.
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