Today, I gave notice at work that I'd be leaving. I have always wanted to take the plunge and take a stab at founding my own startup. I have so many ideas and no time to do it in. I've been working on side projects nights and weekends where I can, but it is almost impossible to make progress in large enough blocks.
I have a few ideas I'd like to pursue. In 2 weeks I'll lay out a game plan and make a go of it. I'm treating this like a writer who sets out to start their first book. I'm not sure where I'll end up but I'm excited to start the process.
I have a few goals in mind:
- Link my creativity to my financial success
- Work on something I am passionate about
- Blog the experience
- Live this experience with no regrets.
My dad tells me I was always a cautious kid. It's true. I take risks but not usually without lots of calculation. This, however, is a big risk, but I feel very excited to do it. I have an amazing wife who is supportive, and we've been saving a while to make this possible, but she'll be the rock throughout this journey. I can't wait to get started! I'll be blogging regularly about "starting up". More details to come soon.
As for what I'm leaving behind in my current work, all I can say is that I am very grateful to have been there. We built a great health behavior product, Three Two Me. I was lucky to get to lead the development team, teach students, mentor one to a full time staff, and work with others who stuck around despite low intern pay because they were enjoying it and we were teaching each other and working towards a quick but substantial product release. I'll miss the researchers that taught me a lot, and my students and fellow staff at the Center for Wireless and Population Health Systems.