In January 2020 I quit a great Digital Marketing job in Melbourne, Australia, aiming to start my own business.
My previous job was in an early-stage, super-fast-growing tech unicorn. I got to wear many hats in there but for a long time, I was the Email Marketing guy.
Even though I knew the database’s structure (400+ tables) better than my own hand, the company’s real value came from the data stored in that database, obviously. So how were they getting the data in? Thanks to the software that the developers were constantly producing.
See, this is what fascinates me the most about software (and technology):
It was an amazing experience where I got to know great, high-performing people and learned more than I could have ever possibly imagined. I even got a pay rise but the job got repetitive and demotivation started to kick in.
Still, in the search for happiness, I found the 80,000hours movement. This helped me to draw my next big plan: Move to Melbourne, learn Python, and become a Data Scientist. The “hottest job on earth” in “the most liveable city in the world”.
Boom, life's sorted. Not really.
It’s a bloody competitive market down here, mate. Even with a fresh Udacity Nanodegree under my belt, the job hunt was getting tough AF. Luckily, an opportunity came up in Marketing & Data Analytics. Same same, but different.
Once again, fun environment, heaps of learning, beers, pay rise — until demotivation kicked in again.
This time though, it was clear to me that the real source of my demotivation wasn’t about not finding happiness but rather not pursuing something meaningful (to me).
“Digital Social Enterprise” is a term that I don’t really use or like but it’s a good way to explain what I initially wanted to pursue. Plus, it had the potential to let me own some equity and not have to (completely) rely on renting out my time in order to make a living.
I refined the business model in my head for quite a bit of time. I knew that cracking the code side of it would have taken me a good few months of full-time trial & error — with no income. On the other hand, I knew that the less risky path isn’t necessarily the “safe path”. The clock is ticking and with 32 years of age and no kids yet, I would have rarely found a better time to take the leap. Worst case scenario: I would have ended up with an on-demand, highly transferable skill.
So I quit my job — again.
And then, COVID-19 struck :/
Like many of you, the pandemic did change my plans. And the business that I had in mind had to be changed as well, including the value proposition — and that’s OK. Many things have changed since I began my developer journey and I take them as nothing but as amazing learnings.
My sister and I launched the beta version not long ago and so far we’ve had a few sales, likes, and subscriptions. Are those numbers less than what I expected in a world without COVID-19? Yes. Would I do it all over again? Hell yeah!
What about raising capital? The whole idea of working for myself is about not having to compromise my own decisions and interests with anyone — and that definitely includes shareholders. I also don’t have an “exit strategy”, I developed a project that’s aligned with my values and worldview, and that can eventually help me to live a comfortable life. Getting rich (and what entails) is not of my interest.
I’ll probably have to mix it up a bit with consulting and/or remote work — and that’s also OK. It’s part of being adaptable. No matter what, I have the peace of mind of knowing that I took the risk and just went for it. Who knows, it could still become a success story!
The key for me is knowing that I’m moving towards an independent and meaningful life. I’m also very excited about diversifying my revenue streams by creating a portfolio of digital products that can also contribute to society, with leverage and impact.
If you want to know more about this journey feel free to follow me on Twitter, where I’ll be documenting and sharing a few tips.
I hope you can learn a thing or two from my experiences.