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I come here to seek advice, admonishment and like-minded souls.
I am 3yrs in as 2nd-in-command (non founder) of an emerging tech startup. Roughly a $30m business that's just hit Series B. I have equity in the business (around 3-4%) that's illiquid until exit (goal would be $100m+). I look after the revenue/commercial operations of our business, basically everything aside from building the product. I've had a role in most of our ~$3m / year of recurring revenue. Pay is around $300k/year and will grow. Some days I like what I do. Many days I can't stand it and feel a FTE is extremely close. I fantasize regularly about building my own company. Oh and the CEO is a narcissistic pathological liar. It's objectively an incredibly difficult environment to succeed in, with very little empowerment, recognition or support. Kind of sounds like running your own company to me
To me I'm in the slowlane. I feel like I am failing @MJ DeMarco 's commandments. Like an employee with a little tiny bit of cream. This makes me incredibly anxious to do something else with my time.
Circumstantially I have done fairly well. Perhaps too well and the comfort prevents a complete FTE meltdown. From $0 in my pocket 10 years ago, I now have a house, investment property, stock portfolio, crypto investments, etc. and have been a well paid slowlaner for those years. I still for the most part live the same way I always have and tend to save and invest my money. I guess you'd call me a savings rat. I have a well-paid wife and two children under 3.
I am not risk averse, and I have progressively worked for riskier and riskier businesses. This company was absolutely fledgling with shitty, unknown customers when I joined and I have helped grow it from a nothing to where we now have major utilities, telcos and 100's of customers.
Recently I've been thinking it's really time to pull the rip cord. I want control of my own destiny. If I leave, I'll lose some of my unvested equity (probably $1m worth over 4-5 years), but my already vested equity will still be worth a couple of $mil, and I don't have a slog my guts out on something I have no control over working for a maniac.
I'm a little lost on what to do. It is a bit to walk away from. It's really not a topic I have anyone I can talk to about with and none of my friends are in similar situations nor do they have aspirations to build businesses from scratch.
I believe I have plenty to offer and have the chops to work through failure and struggle, but the pace and intensity of the shit I deal with daily leaves barely a moment to stop and think and plan for what next. I feel like I need to just jump.
I would greatly appreciate practical advice on what to do or criticism of my thought process or mindset. Don't hold back now.
I am 3yrs in as 2nd-in-command (non founder) of an emerging tech startup. Roughly a $30m business that's just hit Series B. I have equity in the business (around 3-4%) that's illiquid until exit (goal would be $100m+). I look after the revenue/commercial operations of our business, basically everything aside from building the product. I've had a role in most of our ~$3m / year of recurring revenue. Pay is around $300k/year and will grow. Some days I like what I do. Many days I can't stand it and feel a FTE is extremely close. I fantasize regularly about building my own company. Oh and the CEO is a narcissistic pathological liar. It's objectively an incredibly difficult environment to succeed in, with very little empowerment, recognition or support. Kind of sounds like running your own company to me
To me I'm in the slowlane. I feel like I am failing @MJ DeMarco 's commandments. Like an employee with a little tiny bit of cream. This makes me incredibly anxious to do something else with my time.
Circumstantially I have done fairly well. Perhaps too well and the comfort prevents a complete FTE meltdown. From $0 in my pocket 10 years ago, I now have a house, investment property, stock portfolio, crypto investments, etc. and have been a well paid slowlaner for those years. I still for the most part live the same way I always have and tend to save and invest my money. I guess you'd call me a savings rat. I have a well-paid wife and two children under 3.
I am not risk averse, and I have progressively worked for riskier and riskier businesses. This company was absolutely fledgling with shitty, unknown customers when I joined and I have helped grow it from a nothing to where we now have major utilities, telcos and 100's of customers.
Recently I've been thinking it's really time to pull the rip cord. I want control of my own destiny. If I leave, I'll lose some of my unvested equity (probably $1m worth over 4-5 years), but my already vested equity will still be worth a couple of $mil, and I don't have a slog my guts out on something I have no control over working for a maniac.
I'm a little lost on what to do. It is a bit to walk away from. It's really not a topic I have anyone I can talk to about with and none of my friends are in similar situations nor do they have aspirations to build businesses from scratch.
I believe I have plenty to offer and have the chops to work through failure and struggle, but the pace and intensity of the shit I deal with daily leaves barely a moment to stop and think and plan for what next. I feel like I need to just jump.
I would greatly appreciate practical advice on what to do or criticism of my thought process or mindset. Don't hold back now.
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