In December 2023 I quit my cushy job as an engineering leader/manager at a CLO managing firm. I was getting paid a lot, I liked the people I worked with, and the job was relatively stressless. Still, I decided to burn the bridge and try to succeed on my own.
I have savings to last me a few years, now’s the time to take risk.
Since I quit about 3 months ago, I’ve done the following:
- Posted on Tiktok for 30 days
- Experimented with Facebook and LinkedIn paid ads
- Built 2 MVP’s
- Built 2 AI tools
- Painted several bad paintings
- Fasted for 24 hours (January) and 48 hours (February)
- Visited family in Atlanta
So far I’ve made $0. In fact I lost a few hundred on the paid ads. But all I can do is keep experimenting and focus on acquiring customers.
My focus has been subpar lately, likely due to my poor sleep. But my outlook is still optimistic. I didn’t expect to start making money within 3 months and I’m content with my output this so far. At the same time I’m critical of myself and am trying to re-establish discipline and smart ways of spending money (hiring people, automating things) to maximize my chances of success. This is the first step; weekly writing. If nothing else to become a better writer and crystallize my thoughts.