I Quit Engineering for My Dream Business — One Year Later I Still Can’t Cover Rent

1. When you throw away a stable career, health insurance, and social approval, many people will question your choice.
2. The worst voice you’ll hear will be your own though. No matter how down-to-earth you are, you’ll start your journey with expectations that will turn out to be too high.
3. Deep down, you’ll expect results to show up within days, but the days will turn into weeks then months. That’s when self-doubt comes banging at the door.
4. Scary stuff? Sure. Can you handle it? Absolutely.
5. By the time the self-doubt part starts, you’d already built enough mental muscle to withstand it.

• Call that one person who believes in you. I often cry to my girlfriend about my failures, and Tina would always ask me the same question. “How can you make this work anyway?” Find your Tina.
• Connect with others in your dream job / field. Chasing your dream is a lonely job but you don’t have to do it alone. Seek Facebook groups and Slack communities where you can share your thoughts, find accountability partners, and receive feedback.
• Move your body. Exercise helps you relieve stress and stimulate your brain. Go for a walk and do some push-ups; both your health and career will thank you for it.

1. There’s a brain feature called survival bias. It makes us focus on the people who make it and forget about all of those who didn’t.
2. At this point, you’d expect a breakthrough that turned my clusterfuck into a triumph. I wish I could give it to you, maybe even humblebrag a little bit. But I’m not there yet.
3. You can see me as a failure. Or you can see me as a possible outcome. I’m somewhere between delusional and determined, which some people refer to as optimism.

If you embark on a similar adventure and struggle with money, observe yourself. Do you still enjoy doing what you said is your dream job, or does it make you sick? Are you considering solutions to make your business work, or are you thinking about returning to your old job?

Your answers won’t be the same every day, but you’ll develop a preference.

• If you want to make your project work above everything else, then stick with it.
• If you feel exhausted and dread your new life, stop and go back to the old one. There’s no shame in changing your mind. You just have to own it.

1. Sometimes, life sucks. You’re stuck in a job you don’t like, and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves running online businesses and getting rich. Or so you’d think.
2. In reality, making a decent living as a solopreneur is hard. Your gurus will tell you it’s simple and doable — and I’m sure that’s what they believe.
3. Everyone sees the world through their personal lenses and since things worked out for them, they genuinely think the same is possible for you and me.
4. When you quit your job to write, coach, or sell online, you don’t rise to the occasion; you fall to the level of your preparation.

1. Save enough money to survive one year before quitting your job.
2. Keep your social life and body healthy to handle stress and self-doubt.
3. Observe yourself during your dream-chasing adventure. It’s okay to change your mind if entrepreneurship doesn’t turn out to be your thing.

See you around.