And making The Jump is one of the biggest psychological stumbling blocks to setting out on your own path in business.
Paul van der Linden is one budding SA entrepreneur currently doing just that.
The experienced systems architect has spent the last seven years in a senior role at IBM. It’s a great gig, and there were bigger opportunities on the horizon.
But he’s spurned them to quit and start his own business, “cognitive solutions” company outThought.
He tells Adelaide’s Rooster Radio podcast the decision was never clear-cut, “it was me vacillating for months on end saying ‘do I, don’t I?’”.
“I want to do something that means something,” he says.
“At some point I had to jump and do something different.”
And for him, “starting my own business is almost a lower risk option” than going with the flow.
“I don’t kid myself – we all know the stats on startups and the percentage that don’t last through the first year.”
But in the end the move was driven by not just ambition but lifestyle and the fact “I just felt I needed to be challenged”.
Jon opportunities in Paul’s field might have meant a shift interstate, a move he was less keen to make.
“I live in Adelaide for the lifestyle – it’s a sensational city to live in and bring up a family in… I can pop home for lunch if I want, how many people in Sydney can do that?” he says.
But he admits to some trepidation.
“Obviously the money is one – there’s no clear path to bring in an income, it’s going to be on me [to create revenue].”
Also, he concedes “I know myself well enough to know I work best in a team environment”, so making the jump has also meant adapting to a new creative model.
Rooster Radio will be tracking Paul’s process for a case study on Making The Jump into a small business startup.
Over a series of episodes, his journey will be mapped out – the good, the bad and the ugly.
His journey begins here, detailing why he’s making the jump into his own business, as well as his hopes, fears and challenges ahead.
Listen to the podcast below, or download it from iTunes here (where you’ll also find more Rooster Radio podcasts).
Rooster Radio is featured regularly on InDaily.
