I was out sick the past two days with a horrible cold/flu. I’m came back to work today (although I still don’t have my voice back), to find a bunch of emails asking about me leaving. There are a bunch of reasons why I feel that now is the right time to take this step. I’ll outline them, more so I can remind myself later when my resolve isn’t as strong than for anyone else. These aren’t in any particular order.

1. There isn’t enough time in the day to work full-time and run a side business. I tried that for the past two years. It sounds good in theory, but your home life suffers, and it wears you out to the point where if you don’t take a sizable vacation from everything every two months or so, you start to go a little crazy.

2. I am spending about 3-3.5 hours a day traveling back and forth from Long Island to Brooklyn. This is clearly a large and unproductive (and non-entertaining) chunk of the day. From the time I wake up (to go to work) to the time I get home is about 12 hours. This is not an ideal lifestyle when I have an option otherwise.

3. The freedom to make large and unilateral decisions in my private business stressed the lack of that ability in my day job. That’s not anything that wouldn’t be the case at any large company — there are policies and procedures, and they are there for a reason. However, a small company has the ability to turn on a dime in either its procedures, infrastructure, or business strategy, and a larger company can’t. As time went on, the difference between the two was getting more frustrating.

4. If not now, then when? I’ve been talking about starting businesses — with viable plans — among my friends for quite a while. I am about to get married. If I don’t take this opportunity now, then when will I have a better chance to do so? I refuse to be forced to tell stories about what I “could have done, but was too afraid.” After all, there is nothing to be afraid of, other than some serious effort.

5. I think I can succeed. I’ve been reading up on some of the myths of start-up businesses. For example, the proverbial “9 out of 10 fail.” It turns out, that this counts all small businesses — the bulk of which is restaurants, deli’s, dry cleaners, etc. And, of the 9 that fail, most are closed voluntarily, not because they bankrupt. I don’t think the chances are so poor as that. Also, my company already has existing sales. These sales have dropped lately because I haven’t had the time to devote to it.

Of course there are all the other reasons one might imagine: “be your own boss,” “work from home,” etc. I think the ones above are the biggest, for me.

I hope this has answered at least some people’s questions. I think it answers mine.

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