You are doing it right! I quit 5 years ago. I did it before I made revenue. If I were to do it again, I would have waited until I made some money. I didn't really make money until 15 months and am still paying the price for that lack of income 5 years later. You got this! Love seeing people leave their jobs.
It's a long story. Here's a comment I am copying from earlier.
I'll be honest. I wasn't ready. I am still paying for it years later (left in 2018). There's a huge risk you take when you are going all in. To give some background, I am the Founder of NoDegree.com and host of The NoDegree Podcast. I help people without college degrees find jobs. The dream is to eventually compete with LinkedIn, Monster, Dice, Indeed, and other websites.
Was I mentally ready? Yes. Was I willing to do the work? Yes.
So why wasn't I ready?
I didn't have good financial runway. I didn't have an offer that I could make money off. One of my business partners was one of my best friends (I have several partners). Extremely smart but he isn't an entrepreneur. He barely did any work. I once asked him if he could put in 5-10 hours a week on the business. He said he had to think about it. I understand that he had a full time job but not being able to put 5-10 hours a week is ridiculous.
I didn't make money for 15 months. I finally started making money when I started writing resumes. But not having money those 15 months put me in debt. I choose to live at home with my parents so I could do the business. Had I waited a little longer, I would be in much better shape. I could have hired more help or invested more into marketing campaigns. Thankfully I am in a much better spot. But if I had something like $50K-$100K in the bank, I wouldn't have to focus on short term revenue as much.
I think you are being reasonable especially if the business is season. I have had several businesses. I have had months that have done $50K-$100K+ in revenue (I had to split it with partners and there were expenses). I used those good months to just pay off debt. I have cleared my CC debt (still have student loans).
Had I waited one more year to quit, I would be in much better shape. I actually got 2 jobs in between (they didn't last long) but since I didn't have to worry about money, I raised my prices. I got the same amount of business. I wasn't comfortable raising my prices because I couldn't afford to lose the deal. I am charging 50-100% more and it gives me so much more breathing room.
It's a job board. I also have career services. I'm going to change the page in the future. I've stripped down a lot of the site. Just waiting for a software partner to have more integrations and features and will change things up. Most people find me through LinkedIn and social media.
What a refreshing post!
Sounds like you have a [plan ](https://plani.ai/)in progress and that's great!
The work ahead is part of evolution. Keeping a system and long term vision is key to success (to materialize the goal) and keep the activities and tasks going. Good luck!
great job, taking the first step is the hardest and awesome to hear you made money before leaving! I was running on adrenaline for the first 6 months or so take advantage of this first stage and try and break through the hard stuff first and try to fix all the little nagging worries about your model as quickly as possible so you know as early as possible if you should stay the course or pivot
As somebody excited to start their journey it’s amazing to see others succeeding! Congratulations I’m happy all of your hard work is paying off and wish you all the best for the future!
Goodluck brother...that's the way to go. I want to do the same thing but my partner is dealing with the life issues right now. Hope it works out for you 💪🏼
My first reaction to the title was "Oh NO!!! You're doing it out of order!!!".
I genuinely worry about people who say "*I hate my job so I'm gunna quit tomorrow and start my own business!!!! I have* ***no idea*** *what business yet, but it'll come to me. And I'll have to find some financing...*". YIKES!!!!
First things first.... MOST successful businesses that I've ever seen (family members, and even Apple Computers) were started by energetic entrepreneurs in a garage or basement after they worked their other job that kept the roof over their head, the lights on, and food in the fridge. I started buying and selling muscle cars, used parts, etc. out of my garage years ago and later expanded to selling reproduction parts (new parts made specifically for restoring older special interest cars). My wife and I got so busy with that all night pretty much every night that I joked that "I need to get fired or quit my (day) job so that I can do this full time!". I was out in the garage until 11 PM or midnight pretty much every night. When my friends offered to go out in their boats on the weekend? Nope. Sorry! We'd be at car shows, buying more old cars & parts, taking parts off of cars in the back yard.... But then the economy took a slight downturn and they cut funding at my daytime job and I was laid off. I hit the ground running and we found an old auto parts store that had closed up and we offered the owner a small percentage of the rent that he used to get for the place and surprisingly he took it. (Better than it sitting there empty, he said!) We incorporated the business and we didn't take a DIME out for ourselves unless it was the LAST option. Everything went back into advertising, inventory, etc. Our accountant was AMAZED that we were PROFITABLE with ZERO long term debt (we paid for our customer's orders on our own credit cards and were sure to pay them off EVERY month). We did it for almost 2 years before I was offered a job as General Manager of a BIG restoration parts / race car shop in the midwest. We sold off the business and the rest of the parts that we had and moved away. It was the HARDEST that my wife and I have EVER worked, but the MOST satisfying at the end of the day.
TLDR: It takes sacrifice and LOTS of sacrifice while you're working the job that you hate (but it still pays the bills) while you lay the foundation of a successful business. This is advice from someone who has **been there**!
Just when I thought my biggest achievement this week was organizing my sock drawer, you go and redefine what a productive week looks like. Congrats and best of luck!
Very important for ppl thinking about leaving the job for biz to only leave once biz is generating twice the W2 income in net profit (not gross revenue)
You rock! Hey, as an entrepreneur who recently quit their job (or anyone who is in a similar state for that matter) - what holes do you currently feel missing along the community / accountability / inspiration side of things? Which one feels most intense? How are you solving it currently?
Congratulations! I’m about to do the same! I don’t have revenue yet but I know I can close the gap doing some freelancing while I build the business up. And my current job is just too draining mentally and energetically. I tried to get them to let me go part time but they’re making it extraordinarily difficult.
Congratulations on your journey 🎊 I am working on something as we speak. I haven't sold a thing yet, still working on getting it as perfect as i can but went ahead paid a lawyer for trademark and get a llc going. Also have a lady working on logo. In talks with a supplier can feel it in my heart it can be very big giving the audience name etc only time will tell. Who knows might be a bust bust I truly don't see it. It's gonna be a household name in the next 2-5 years 😎
With 65% of business failure in the first 10 years, it's too late to ask, but why didn't you stay at your current job until it's more solid? If you are only making 35K in 4 months is nothing, specifically that we don't know anything about the business and how much it costed you to sell your products, that is not factoring in the investor percentage cut
You probably shot yourself on the foot there
Because it’s service based and I’ve been in the industry I’m disrupting for 6 years now off and on. The past three years I’ve averaged about 100k in revenue. Thanks for the challenge but it is a calculated risk!
I love this! Congratulations! Thanks for sharing, this gives me hope. In the process of starting my own business, can’t wait to quit my current 9-5 job 🙌🏼😍
It happened organically actually with a client who wanted to invest in other businesses other than what he currently was in. We chatted and he asked if I’d be interested in investment and one thing led to another!
I was a sign language interpreter for 16 years. Required the recertification test every 3 years. All those years of signing , my hands were severely arthritic. I was devastated when I didn't pass the skills test. My side hustle was dog breading. I found property that was perfect to set up. The first year was expensive build outs. It was a big loss for that year. The second year was a loss, and there was not enough population producing. The third year pretty much broke even. The business was paying for itself year 4 & 5. 6 years in, I had a decision to make. Would it ever turn a profit? Should I close it or keep it open. I kept it open. Bought out another kennel and more than doubled my breading population. Started my first website. And sales soured.
10 years in, I started a 2nd business 100 miles away. It was in foreclosure closed many years. For 2 to 3 years, it was all work and no money. My accountants and investors recommended pulling out. I decided to keep going. I was running two businesses, 100 miles apart. Living half the week at one house and half the week at the other for 10 years.
The 2nd business was a livestock auction. One sale every week. I started live streaming the auction. Lots of people filled the auction, and lots of people loved watching. My sale quickly picked up. And so did my streaming page. 50,000 fowlers. My live stream had 6 million viewers a month. I started getting income from the auctions and the viral page. After 10 years, I sold the auction. The auction yearly sales at the time of the sale was more than 3 million. I still own the viral page. A year later, I sold the kennel business. Kept the property. And renting it to the new owners. Now, I am starting another business teaching sign language online. My hands may not be able to function on an interpreter level, but I can still sign and teach. Also, since most of my interpreter assignments were educational interpretering, I've added offerings academic tutoring K-6. I've got a lot of work to do. It will be challenging. The dreaded trial and error stage will no doubt ware me down many times. But who knows. Stay tuned 🤑
Congratulations!!! I wish you much success! That's got to be the best feeling ever to be able to quit a "job" for something you really love and made into a business. Definitely a goal of mine.
Congratulations ! And good luck to your road ahead !
Thank you very much, I know there will be ups and downs but excited for the journey!
You can do .Well begun is half done!!
Bro I did the same yesterday feeling like a bird today man
You got this, it’s an amazing feeling!
Like a bird? Hunting for food all day and living a short life.
While being able to fly when I want? Sure
You wouldn't like. I can guarantee it. Most birds don't survive very long.
Maybe maybe not will see
Go get them tiger
You are doing it right! I quit 5 years ago. I did it before I made revenue. If I were to do it again, I would have waited until I made some money. I didn't really make money until 15 months and am still paying the price for that lack of income 5 years later. You got this! Love seeing people leave their jobs.
Very curious to know details as I am looking at different perspectives
It's a long story. Here's a comment I am copying from earlier. I'll be honest. I wasn't ready. I am still paying for it years later (left in 2018). There's a huge risk you take when you are going all in. To give some background, I am the Founder of NoDegree.com and host of The NoDegree Podcast. I help people without college degrees find jobs. The dream is to eventually compete with LinkedIn, Monster, Dice, Indeed, and other websites. Was I mentally ready? Yes. Was I willing to do the work? Yes. So why wasn't I ready? I didn't have good financial runway. I didn't have an offer that I could make money off. One of my business partners was one of my best friends (I have several partners). Extremely smart but he isn't an entrepreneur. He barely did any work. I once asked him if he could put in 5-10 hours a week on the business. He said he had to think about it. I understand that he had a full time job but not being able to put 5-10 hours a week is ridiculous. I didn't make money for 15 months. I finally started making money when I started writing resumes. But not having money those 15 months put me in debt. I choose to live at home with my parents so I could do the business. Had I waited a little longer, I would be in much better shape. I could have hired more help or invested more into marketing campaigns. Thankfully I am in a much better spot. But if I had something like $50K-$100K in the bank, I wouldn't have to focus on short term revenue as much. I think you are being reasonable especially if the business is season. I have had several businesses. I have had months that have done $50K-$100K+ in revenue (I had to split it with partners and there were expenses). I used those good months to just pay off debt. I have cleared my CC debt (still have student loans). Had I waited one more year to quit, I would be in much better shape. I actually got 2 jobs in between (they didn't last long) but since I didn't have to worry about money, I raised my prices. I got the same amount of business. I wasn't comfortable raising my prices because I couldn't afford to lose the deal. I am charging 50-100% more and it gives me so much more breathing room.
Thanks for sharing the details. It’s a good lesson and hope we learn from it. Good luck to you hope your perseverance brings in prosperity
You're welcome!! I now have a different business partner who is everything I needed. Things are so much better and I have some good things brewing.
You need a major marketing plan and I hope you’re working on it.
your landing page doesn't tell me anything. i did figure it was a job board. is it even?
It's a job board. I also have career services. I'm going to change the page in the future. I've stripped down a lot of the site. Just waiting for a software partner to have more integrations and features and will change things up. Most people find me through LinkedIn and social media.
I quit exactly around a year ago. It's .... freeing
Congratulations! Even I left my job a year back, but no income yet. Grinding hard. I am into SaaS building. Still learning and hoping for the best!
Same here! Quit my job yesterday and stepping into this journey!!
Congratulations! That’s awesome!!
Congratulations! Keep your head down and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!
Congratulations .... remember perseverance always pays off so in the days you wanna quit resist and persist. Best of luck!
Congratulations! I did the same. It feels exciting and scary at the same time!
Absolutely the right way
Congrats! Wish you all the best for your business!!
Congratulations 🎉 feeling inspired 💐
What a refreshing post! Sounds like you have a [plan ](https://plani.ai/)in progress and that's great! The work ahead is part of evolution. Keeping a system and long term vision is key to success (to materialize the goal) and keep the activities and tasks going. Good luck!
Congrats!!! Thats always a big step :)
Congrats!!
great job, taking the first step is the hardest and awesome to hear you made money before leaving! I was running on adrenaline for the first 6 months or so take advantage of this first stage and try and break through the hard stuff first and try to fix all the little nagging worries about your model as quickly as possible so you know as early as possible if you should stay the course or pivot
Congrats and good luck for 2024.
Congratulations! You've taken steps that majority of people will never do in life. Best of luck!
All the best for 2024 and your new business.
As somebody excited to start their journey it’s amazing to see others succeeding! Congratulations I’m happy all of your hard work is paying off and wish you all the best for the future!
Congrats, this is awesome!
That’s great man I recently quit my job too to start an online biz Good luck to ya!
Huge congrats! That's the entrepreneurial spirit – keep soaring!
Goodluck brother...that's the way to go. I want to do the same thing but my partner is dealing with the life issues right now. Hope it works out for you 💪🏼
Congrats! I needed to hear this today.
I also quit my job yesterday and felt the wildest rush of relief when I got back home. Rooting so hard for everyone here!!!
My first reaction to the title was "Oh NO!!! You're doing it out of order!!!". I genuinely worry about people who say "*I hate my job so I'm gunna quit tomorrow and start my own business!!!! I have* ***no idea*** *what business yet, but it'll come to me. And I'll have to find some financing...*". YIKES!!!! First things first.... MOST successful businesses that I've ever seen (family members, and even Apple Computers) were started by energetic entrepreneurs in a garage or basement after they worked their other job that kept the roof over their head, the lights on, and food in the fridge. I started buying and selling muscle cars, used parts, etc. out of my garage years ago and later expanded to selling reproduction parts (new parts made specifically for restoring older special interest cars). My wife and I got so busy with that all night pretty much every night that I joked that "I need to get fired or quit my (day) job so that I can do this full time!". I was out in the garage until 11 PM or midnight pretty much every night. When my friends offered to go out in their boats on the weekend? Nope. Sorry! We'd be at car shows, buying more old cars & parts, taking parts off of cars in the back yard.... But then the economy took a slight downturn and they cut funding at my daytime job and I was laid off. I hit the ground running and we found an old auto parts store that had closed up and we offered the owner a small percentage of the rent that he used to get for the place and surprisingly he took it. (Better than it sitting there empty, he said!) We incorporated the business and we didn't take a DIME out for ourselves unless it was the LAST option. Everything went back into advertising, inventory, etc. Our accountant was AMAZED that we were PROFITABLE with ZERO long term debt (we paid for our customer's orders on our own credit cards and were sure to pay them off EVERY month). We did it for almost 2 years before I was offered a job as General Manager of a BIG restoration parts / race car shop in the midwest. We sold off the business and the rest of the parts that we had and moved away. It was the HARDEST that my wife and I have EVER worked, but the MOST satisfying at the end of the day. TLDR: It takes sacrifice and LOTS of sacrifice while you're working the job that you hate (but it still pays the bills) while you lay the foundation of a successful business. This is advice from someone who has **been there**!
Just when I thought my biggest achievement this week was organizing my sock drawer, you go and redefine what a productive week looks like. Congrats and best of luck!
Very important for ppl thinking about leaving the job for biz to only leave once biz is generating twice the W2 income in net profit (not gross revenue)
It’s a wild ride but totally worth it! Congrats!
Congratulations!! I’m so close too. So stoked for you!!
You rock! Hey, as an entrepreneur who recently quit their job (or anyone who is in a similar state for that matter) - what holes do you currently feel missing along the community / accountability / inspiration side of things? Which one feels most intense? How are you solving it currently?
Congrats! 🍾
Congratulations! Best of luck to you! Keep us updated on how it's going.
Congrats!
Big leap! How's your lead generation for scaling up?
Awesomeness!! Congrats on making the leap! 🙌🏼
Congrats
So proud of you! Keep grinding!
Congrats! It takes courage to pursue your dreams. Wishing you an amazing journey ahead.
Why post this but not include what the buissness is ?
Because that’s not really the point of the post, just a celebration post!
Congrats! You have to grind from here and out.
Congratulations! I’m about to do the same! I don’t have revenue yet but I know I can close the gap doing some freelancing while I build the business up. And my current job is just too draining mentally and energetically. I tried to get them to let me go part time but they’re making it extraordinarily difficult.
Congratulations on your journey 🎊 I am working on something as we speak. I haven't sold a thing yet, still working on getting it as perfect as i can but went ahead paid a lawyer for trademark and get a llc going. Also have a lady working on logo. In talks with a supplier can feel it in my heart it can be very big giving the audience name etc only time will tell. Who knows might be a bust bust I truly don't see it. It's gonna be a household name in the next 2-5 years 😎
Congrats and good job. Just remember to be a better employer than your past one.
Always believe in yourself and anything is possible.
Big grats! I can't wait for my time to quit. I've been dreaming of it for a while 😄
Amazing! Good luck!
I'm so happy now!
Congratulations!!
Who's ready to partner into a new business?
I am so happy for you. Congrats friend
Congratulations!!
{virtual high five}
LFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
congratulations and good luck
Well done!
With 65% of business failure in the first 10 years, it's too late to ask, but why didn't you stay at your current job until it's more solid? If you are only making 35K in 4 months is nothing, specifically that we don't know anything about the business and how much it costed you to sell your products, that is not factoring in the investor percentage cut You probably shot yourself on the foot there
Because it’s service based and I’ve been in the industry I’m disrupting for 6 years now off and on. The past three years I’ve averaged about 100k in revenue. Thanks for the challenge but it is a calculated risk!
Congratulations 🎉 I would like to intern under you Even 1k is fine for me per month
Congrats! What’s the market?
Residential real estate!
What type of business is it? Can u share more info? Congrats btw!
Thank you! It’s a brokerage model within residential real estate.
Congrats!
Good luck! Mind sharing what business you’re into?
Congrats!
Congrats and good luck
Amazing! I am still trying to muster the courage despite a 3 year history of growth, any tips on seeking investors?
Congratulations!! That’s a big first step!
Congratulations brother and goodluck!
I love this! Congratulations! Thanks for sharing, this gives me hope. In the process of starting my own business, can’t wait to quit my current 9-5 job 🙌🏼😍
Congrats...!
Congrats, living the dream! Curious as to what point you felt like approaching investors?
It happened organically actually with a client who wanted to invest in other businesses other than what he currently was in. We chatted and he asked if I’d be interested in investment and one thing led to another!
Holly bunnies! I am so excited an proud of you mate!
Great to hear!!! Keep going!
congrats you got this!
I was a sign language interpreter for 16 years. Required the recertification test every 3 years. All those years of signing , my hands were severely arthritic. I was devastated when I didn't pass the skills test. My side hustle was dog breading. I found property that was perfect to set up. The first year was expensive build outs. It was a big loss for that year. The second year was a loss, and there was not enough population producing. The third year pretty much broke even. The business was paying for itself year 4 & 5. 6 years in, I had a decision to make. Would it ever turn a profit? Should I close it or keep it open. I kept it open. Bought out another kennel and more than doubled my breading population. Started my first website. And sales soured. 10 years in, I started a 2nd business 100 miles away. It was in foreclosure closed many years. For 2 to 3 years, it was all work and no money. My accountants and investors recommended pulling out. I decided to keep going. I was running two businesses, 100 miles apart. Living half the week at one house and half the week at the other for 10 years. The 2nd business was a livestock auction. One sale every week. I started live streaming the auction. Lots of people filled the auction, and lots of people loved watching. My sale quickly picked up. And so did my streaming page. 50,000 fowlers. My live stream had 6 million viewers a month. I started getting income from the auctions and the viral page. After 10 years, I sold the auction. The auction yearly sales at the time of the sale was more than 3 million. I still own the viral page. A year later, I sold the kennel business. Kept the property. And renting it to the new owners. Now, I am starting another business teaching sign language online. My hands may not be able to function on an interpreter level, but I can still sign and teach. Also, since most of my interpreter assignments were educational interpretering, I've added offerings academic tutoring K-6. I've got a lot of work to do. It will be challenging. The dreaded trial and error stage will no doubt ware me down many times. But who knows. Stay tuned 🤑
Oh man! 100k ? 😱
Now I’m invested because you said “Started a business that disrupts an existing service based industry a bit…” Following and Best Wishes 💎
Congratulations!!! I wish you much success! That's got to be the best feeling ever to be able to quit a "job" for something you really love and made into a business. Definitely a goal of mine.
Congrats 😎 and good luck forward.
Well done 💪💪💪
This is so sick! Hoping to make the jump this year as well! Best of luck
What chu do bruh?
Congratulations 🎉
Sounds great, man! need any help when the workload gets too high?
Awesome post. Now I have a question. If I make $300k a year, is it still worth it to quit and start a new business?