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Emmanuel Lefort

Have you left a safe stable job to become an entrepreneur and would you ever go back?

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I spent almost 20 years in a very stable job until circumstances forced me to make the jump. Setting up a company had been itching me for years but I never could find "the great idea". Two years later, I know that the idea doesn't matter at all... The mindset does! What's your story?

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Craig Hill
As a "Boomer" I left a CFO career two years ago for the glamorous life (sarcasm intended) of a first-time fintech founder. Last year I thought I could help a friend with their acquisition of a company, kind of as a side-gig to make a little extra $$, but my 70 hour weeks turned into 90 - nearly killed me. I'm all in now on my startup exclusively (backed off to 80 hours), working without a net, and I love it. When failure is not an option there's no lack of motivation to get up and make the donuts every day:) Won't ever go back to killing myself to feather someone else's nest.
Emmanuel Lefort
@814chill Love the positive mindset. Clearly the burnout is a risk and the mindset when you are "on your own" is totally different.
Rosie Higgins
I quit my stable job in 2019. I was working as a technical lead in a waste and recycling company, at the time I'd been living and working in London for 5 years. My main reason for quitting was that I needed to get out of London and have some more time for myself, mostly for personal reasons. A few months before leaving my side hustle started kicking off and my partner and I landed a big contract to build a kids mobile game. So we were moonlighting for a few months before we left London, this inspired us to start our first business (a software consultancy) and now here we are with a startup 3 years later. The initial plan was to leave for a year, travel and go back, but three years on I can say I would never go back to a "normal job" if I can avoid it!
Emmanuel Lefort
@rosie_higgins_grapevine Quite inspiring, thanks Rosie !
Dawn Veltri
I feel like the pandemic provided the opportunity for a lot of people that were on the fence to make the jump into entrepreneurship. I know so many people that decided to just go for it and are happier than ever now.
Peter Griscom
I was a turnaround and restructuring professional prior - left a comfortable turnaround CEO role at a healthcare technology business. I should clarify that I had been a founder prior so it wasn't necessarily anything new but it was an adjustment jumping back in after several years of stability with kids and a wife at this point. Its definitely been worth it from my perspective - although the lifestyle differences meant I did significantly more due diligence regarding the market opportunity and planned significantly more than the prior experience. In my opinion the question should never be whether of not to jump into entrepreneurship, but rather at what level. Do you buy a business and operate it? Franchise? Build a business? Create a side hustle? OR go for the moonshot?
Emmanuel Lefort
@peter_griscom Thanks for the insight and sharing Peter. This is my first build so totally discovering every aspect of it. But will definitely look at things very differently for the next one (if there is one!) as I have much more perspective now, even after (only) 2 years.
Kolton
Absolutely - while it looks like I am on the younger side of this thread, I left a great job in a fantastic industry to pursue my own ideas / visions. While things have drastically changed (in terms of what I am building + the direction), I still wouldn't have it any other way. Freedom aside, being able to create and turn your ideas into real things (and be validated for them via new clients/customers) is a feeling unlike any other.
Janinah
About to leave my business analyst job - A 12 month contract they were happy to extend - So I can go back into consulting/fulltime freelancing- Did it years ago, but never fully made the most of it/did it properly. Whereas this time round I'm hoping to provide a service, plus build/sell digital products and potentially teach an online course as well at some point.
Erik Hansson
Have left a stable job twice to start my own business. Regret going back the last time and will not repeat that misstake.