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I was thinking it all right to work on my great concept during my free hours and weekend left from my day job. however, lately, I feel I cannot use this free time effectively due to job stress and I am at the "go!" part of my concept; marketing plan is unfolding well, good time to connect to partners, seek an early investor and simply network. for these I presume I need to work in peace and do some sound thinking as I could until a few weeks ago.

I am confident of my concept to receive funding, whether from an investor or a startup competition (due to its nature, bootstrapping would apply to only a brief proof-of-concept). but just quitting day job, without no finances as yet in the horizon..while it is also attracting to think that I could progress incomparably faster with dedicating all my time to the launch.

I look forward to your opinions on this case. what would you recommend?

thank you so much for your time, best greets!

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Concentrate on your project and you'll soon forget about your job. It doesn't seem like you can afford "peace" at this time. If you're short on hours, then reconsider. – JeffO Feb 16 '12 at 14:12
oh yes, Jeff, I do forget things when I work on the project, and that is what I wish to resume. In those times hours didnt seem short, either. It is likely to be about keeping this discipline :) – ned Feb 16 '12 at 16:24

3 Answers

up vote 1 down vote

This probably isn't the answer you're looking for, but what makes you think that being unemployed, with no income, working on your concept, will be less stressful than your current situation?

It's a fairly well understood fact that founders/entrepreneurs cycle through a massive range of emotions on a near constant basis. It's entirely feasible to be the happiest person on earth in the morning, suicidal by lunch and back to "meh" by dinner.

Stress, is an internal reaction to external influences. If I were in your shoes, I would start figuring out how to deal with stress before jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

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Nick..that "was" an answer I was looking for! I am at the moment really like I need opinions as to how to move on from here..indeed, I was figuring the problem of sustaining oneself in the case of quitting job. just that the stress at job seemed to hamper my efficiency. earlier I could focus totally on my launch for hours (i.e. at weekends), I felt totally calm and happy..a short holiday (which I already decided to take) seems best to get to a higher level at the project, and regain my own peace by staying away from daily fries :)... – ned Feb 16 '12 at 16:05
up vote 1 down vote

Do you have an estimate on how much time do you need to get the proof of concept working?

Sometimes it is useful to invest some half-baked holidays. Why don't you take a week of vacations to finish your POC?

Ask yourself what could you accomplish in 1 week. That would help you prioritize things to be done and get a real estimate on your launch without jeopardizing your job.

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very true, pdjota, I did express my intention of a holiday very recently to my employer. I have figured the steps of progress to POC and like you said, this holiday period will be a good time to go forward with them. – ned Feb 16 '12 at 16:16
I am glad the idea is useful. – pdjota Feb 21 '12 at 3:10
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If you don't have a qualified customer discovery and customer validation model with actual early adoption customers ready to buy your product then this is a big mistake. Even if you have those in place there is still a lot of work to do to get to a level of funding and or income. I suggest you read the book "four steps to the epiphany" by Steven blank. I believe that every start-up will benefit from reading this book and see what it really takes to successfully launch and run a start-up.

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thank you so much Tim, for your advice and recommending the book! I totally agree with your points. It is just that the current situation seemed to be constraining to make the next leap, and I hope to relieve and get back on rhythm through a short holiday..but yes, there is definitely a good deal more to do. – ned Feb 16 '12 at 16:21

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