Why I couldn't hold any job and had to build my startup

A tale of a bored 9-5 employee

It has been almost impossible for me to hold a job. I worked at Exotel, Instamojo, Practo, MoEngage, and Razorpay. The only company where I had crossed 1 year was Razorpay. Because I wanted to get my ESOPs (employee stock options) vested.

If I had worked for 4 years at Razorpay and didn't sell any of my stock options, I would have a portfolio of $600,000 right now. But I couldn't work for more than a year even at a company like Razorpay. I sold almost all my stock options to fund my venture.

A lot of people think that I am either lazy or don't like having a boss or manager. That's not the reason why I couldn't work in these companies.

The No.1 reason why I couldn't hold any job was because I felt things were moving too slowly. If I wanted to start something within the company, it would take time to get approval from management and other people from the team to help me implement it.

In one of the companies I was working for, I wanted to start a blog for them. A blog is a great way to do content marketing and that's how I have built my brand.

They did not allow me to start a new website. They did not allow me to use a subdomain and install a WordPress blog myself. The tech team wanted a different platform and it took me one whole month for the tech team to prioritize installing the blog on the website.

No one lets you move fast within a company. Everything is controlled and someone has to get things done for you to get things done. I wanted to get an Ahrefs subscription to do some keyword research. The manager has to approve that for me, and then I have to wait for the finance team to process the payment and only then I can do keyword research. These things frustrated me. I can set up a blog in 2 hours. I can get my keyword research data within an hour if I am working for myself.

I worked with smart people but with big egos. Some people don't want me to look smart in front of the management. Some people want to take credit for my work. I would rather spend time being productive than playing corporate politics. That's why I got tired of working for others.

My productivity also comes in spikes. As a startup founder, on a Thursday, I don't feel like working and on Sunday I will work. It's random for me. I can't be productive Monday to Friday and just relax on Saturday and Sunday. If I am forced to work on a Thursday and I don't want to, it just feels like slavery for me. For the monthly salary, I had to push myself. I don't like pushing myself. I like being pulled into something because I am passionate about a project.

These are some of the reasons why I couldn't keep a job. I quit 5 well-paying corporate jobs and looking back, it was the best decision of my life. I took the risk, built a startup and today, I can work because I want to, not because I have to.

I was able to quit my job because I lived frugally, had some savings, and had already done my homework on the DigitalDeepak blog. I was not posting much. From 2013 to 2016 I only posted 2 articles a month. But I did that for 4 years consistently. Without having the blog and 10,000 subscribers who supported me by buying my first course in 2016, I couldn't have jumped into building a startup.

That's why I recommend that you start building something on the side while you are at your job. The best way to get started is to build a personal brand. When you build a brand, it is easy to get started with coaching and services. You are building your network from which you will get initial clients. You don't need a lot of revenue to start with. Just a little bit to give you confidence to quit your job.

The best way to build a personal brand is to build an email list. Even if you just have 2000 subscribers and get 3-5 clients who will pay you 30,000 to 50,000 rupees, you have a side income that will give you confidence.

It's not about the amount of time you invest in your side hustle. It's about the amount of energy that goes into it. If you write with passion and focus consistently over some time, you are bound to build an asset that will give you returns in the future.

So are you going to quit your job and start something of your own?

Cheers,
Deepak Kanakaraju