I worked for almost five years after college with the same organization, BACARDI U.S.A. How I came to work for them in the first place is a story for another day, but suffice it to say that I lasted five years with BACARDI not only because they were a great company to work for, but also because I thoroughly enjoyed what I did for a living. I had a comfortable salary, great benefits, a hefty expense account, a company car, and was fortunate to attend a lot of really great events (Playboy Mansion parties, De La Hoya fights in Vegas, trips to Cabo, Puerto Rico, etc.). All things considered, I was doing pretty well for my age. As good as all of that may sound, I always felt like I was meant to do something different - that I had been fortunate to have fallen into a great job with BACARDI, but my true calling lay elsewhere - outside of the corporate boardroom, in the land of the entrepreneur.
It took me a long time to come to grips with what my conscience was suggesting I do, primarily because I was so comfortable in my current position. In fact, I put off quitting my job for almost 18 months, thinking that I could somehow test the entrepreneurial waters on the side and still have the best of both worlds. In the fall of 2008 I began to realize that being an entrepreneur is not about having it both ways - the experience itself is predicated on the notion that you are swimming in the water alone, without a life raft or jacket. Until I ditched my cushy life raft, I would always just be dipping my toes in the water.
In September 08, my wife (yes, this makes it an even harder decision) and I sat down over the course of a couple of weeks and talked through the different scenarios of me leaving my job and pursuing my company full time. Was this the right time? The economy was still ok at that point, but signs pointed towards a recession. On the flip side, we were still renters (no mortgage payment to default on if things got really bad), and hadn’t yet had kids (even more reason to stay in the life raft), so we knew that if there was ever a time in our personal lives to “go for it”, this was the time. We knew it would require tremendous lifestyle changes and serious sacrifices to our spending habits, but at the end of the day we believed in the business concept enough that we decided to go for it. I’m very fortunate to be married to such a great, supportive woman.
My last day with BACARDI was October 22nd, 2008. I believe the bottom fell out of the stock market, and subsequently the global economy, pretty much the same week, and I had just quit my “recession-proof” job. Those first few days were very surreal. I knew I had just started my trek down the road less traveled, and in a way, it felt like I was an observer rather than the central participant. It’s been about 6 months now, and I still feel that way some days. I think it’s just part of the human experience, when you make a major life change, to go through moments like that.
Looking back on it now, I realize that making the jump out of corporate life into the world of entrepreneurship is analogous to the line everyone gives you about having children - “It’s never the right time to have them, but then it just happens.” If you’re reading this and having similar thoughts of leaving your career for the unexpected, please know this - it will never be the right time. There is no magic moment when you realize, “Aha, I should quit my job now!” If being an entrepreneur were easy, and sounded like a rational decision to the outside observer, everyone would do it. And then what fun would it be for us?
I’ve experienced and learned a lot in the last 6 months, about the entrepreneurial process and especially about myself. It’s stressful. We’ve had some team member issues, are still in product development, and haven’t raised any funding - so money is very tight. I’m likely going to have to get a night (or early AM) job to keep afloat until we have a working product. But I’m OK with that. At the end of the day, I chose this life, and I have no regrets. It’s very easy to get discouraged, but if you remain patient and determined, this journey will play itself out - success or failure. In my eyes, the experience is already a success, no matter how the business ends up. It led me to where I am at this moment. You can find your way there too. You just have to jump out of the raft.
