- 06 Nov, 2025 *
I just got asked this question yesterday at a dinner. What made me start a startup instead of getting a job?
People who start a company say something along the lines of, “I want to be my own boss,” “I don’t want to work a 9-to-5,” and all that.
But I don’t think there was a singular reason why I decided to start a company. I always knew on some level that I wanted to do my own thing from the time I think I was a teenager. But even now, I do not have an idea of what that thing looks like.
Starting a company just seemed like the default thing to do for me personally because it sort of felt like I was unemployable. I had all of t…
- 06 Nov, 2025 *
I just got asked this question yesterday at a dinner. What made me start a startup instead of getting a job?
People who start a company say something along the lines of, “I want to be my own boss,” “I don’t want to work a 9-to-5,” and all that.
But I don’t think there was a singular reason why I decided to start a company. I always knew on some level that I wanted to do my own thing from the time I think I was a teenager. But even now, I do not have an idea of what that thing looks like.
Starting a company just seemed like the default thing to do for me personally because it sort of felt like I was unemployable. I had all of these different skills, but I could not fit myself into a particular job role.
And also, I honestly don’t know what else I would rather be doing in life. It almost feels like I don’t have a backup at this point. If this venture does not work out, I’ll probably do another one, and another one. At least, that’s what it feels like to me.
One of the most important things that I feel a lot of people miss is: “What is the price that you’re willing to pay for this?” The price for not having a conventional job. My threshold is pretty high by that standard. I am willing to pay a very high price to be able to do my own thing, even if it means not having a “normal life”.
One of the things that stops most people is that they are not able to get over their mimetic desire. Like even for me personally, it’s hard to see your peers go through all of these different milestones in life and it just feels like you are stagnant. In moments like those, I just ask myself if that’s what I really want. The answer has always been no. I just want to build something that makes me proud of myself, is useful to other people, and obviously something that makes a bit of money along the way.