Yeah, I agree. I'm really happy for the author to launch his product. It's an amazing feeling. However, I think it's important to stress that quitting your job to do this is not the only way for us to do this (as he says in the article.)
From the article:
> [Staying with your job and working on your idea at nights and weekends] seems to be an option because you always hear about ventures starting out as side-projects built on late nights and weekends. Well, I only have a few hours of focus every day. By midnight, I just blankly stare at my screen. Maybe it works for you, but it took me 2 years to figure out it does not work for me.
You know, some of us make it work for the same reason the author quit his job: We don't feel there is another good option. I have 2 kids, wife stays home, and we have a mortgage. I don't feel I have any choice but to keep my full time job. So we make it work. (Yesterday I worked a solid day at my company, came home, ate dinner, spent some time with both the kids and my wife, then put in a solid 8 hours on my own product trying to touch up the marketing site and get a major new feature up for some new customers. I got to bed a little after 5 AM. It's hard work, but again, I feel it's this or nothing.)
The only recommendation I would make to someone who feels they must quit their job in order to do a project like this: You may want to try and find a better company to work for that is more compatible with this sort of work and your goals. Flexible schedule and an understanding manager, for example, makes a huge difference. That allows you to work all night when you've got the urge, motivation, or potential customer, and still be successful in the job that pays the mortgage. In 4 years at my last job, I was never able to get a product of my own out the door. I had one out the door within about 7 months of joining the consulting company I work for now.
From the article:
> [Staying with your job and working on your idea at nights and weekends] seems to be an option because you always hear about ventures starting out as side-projects built on late nights and weekends. Well, I only have a few hours of focus every day. By midnight, I just blankly stare at my screen. Maybe it works for you, but it took me 2 years to figure out it does not work for me.
You know, some of us make it work for the same reason the author quit his job: We don't feel there is another good option. I have 2 kids, wife stays home, and we have a mortgage. I don't feel I have any choice but to keep my full time job. So we make it work. (Yesterday I worked a solid day at my company, came home, ate dinner, spent some time with both the kids and my wife, then put in a solid 8 hours on my own product trying to touch up the marketing site and get a major new feature up for some new customers. I got to bed a little after 5 AM. It's hard work, but again, I feel it's this or nothing.)
The only recommendation I would make to someone who feels they must quit their job in order to do a project like this: You may want to try and find a better company to work for that is more compatible with this sort of work and your goals. Flexible schedule and an understanding manager, for example, makes a huge difference. That allows you to work all night when you've got the urge, motivation, or potential customer, and still be successful in the job that pays the mortgage. In 4 years at my last job, I was never able to get a product of my own out the door. I had one out the door within about 7 months of joining the consulting company I work for now.