New journey - is it a bad decision?
I finally get to write this post! First, some news recap - I recently quit my super-awesome job to work full-time on my product, CSSBattle. That's not it! We got blessed with baby boy exactly around the same time 😃 I know… that 2 news coming together triggers surprise, but more so - a lot of questions. Let me come to them.
Why Quit?
Let me start by talking about why I quit my job. People generally quit their job either because they are not enjoying their current work, not growing professionally or are getting a better salary somewhere else. I was enjoying my job though - great team and good work & money. But if you know me, you know how much I love doing side projects. One such side project I started with a friend 3 years back is CSSBattle. Over time it has grown a lot organically, to be one of the biggest platforms to learn and practice CSS. It gets us decent revenue without putting in too much development or marketing efforts regularly. What that means is that it has a huge huge scope to become even bigger. There is so much we want to build there. This whole idea of taking it to the next level is too exciting! And I believe unless I devote myself 100% to it, unlocking its 100% potential won’t be possible.
But what about job and financial stability? That is another reason why people tend to stick with what they are doing. To be clear, this is not an ad-hoc decision I have taken. I have made sure I have a well-buffered runway to give me enough time to give 100% to CSSBattle and not worry about finances. And just in case I run out of money sooner than expected, I have confidence that I can again get back to a good job whenever I want. So there is essentially no risk on that front.
But why now?
You never know when there pops another product that builds on top of yours. This doesn’t mean I am scared of competition or don’t want one. I have confidence that nobody can build this thing better than us! But competition would be bad if that becomes a reason for me to quit my job one day in haste. You can’t compete with a product being worked full-time on while you take yours as a side project. I wanted me to control my decision, not a competition that comes in the future.
Moreover, each person I have talked to about CSSBattle and shared our vision with has only shared astonishment on where this has come and that gives me reassurance on what this can become! PS: I am lucky to have such friends around me who constantly motivate you to live your passion and are ready to support you in any way required! I am thankful to them 🙏🏼. And when I know where we can take CSSBattle, there is no point in delaying it further.
But going indie, with a kid?
I know, it is damn hard to run your own thing with a little kid! It is challenging! But one of the basic principles I go by is - “If you are comfortable, you can’t progress”. I realized it had been a while since I became uncomfortable again. Just that reason was enough for me to take the leap.
I know it's going to be challenging, it’s a problem I’ll have to solve. And I am a problem solver in the first place, that’s what I have been doing my whole career. So a problem can’t be a reason for me to not do what I want to do because it’s what I do - solve problems. Anyways, there will always be an excuse for not quitting, if you don't want to. This challenge is new for me, it’s exciting and am looking forward to solving it! 😄
Did I take a bad decision or a good one at the wrong time?
I don’t think so! I know my decision involves a lot of risks & challenges. But whenever I have such risks, the only question I ask is what can possibly go wrong? And here the answer is — nothing much really! The worst that can happen is I run out of money - then I take a job again. Or I might not have enough time for CSSBattle - fine, it might a little more time to get where we want. But I know my efforts will definitely be more than what I would have had with a full-time job. I know one year down the line I won’t repent for not giving it my best shot or delaying further!
How’s it going?
Well, it has been 24 days since I started this new journey. With a newborn, it’s very difficult to get time for yourself (for every feed, baby needs a burping of 10-15 mins and baby takes feed every 2-3 hours or so. That’s 2 hours gone in just burping - crazyy!) 😅. But I got more time this week to build things compared to last week — so that’s all I want — improvement! I know I’ll get there.
We (the “Kushagras”) have already started shipping things on CSSBattle and working on other exciting stuff we had in the pipeline. I am super pumped and excited to build and figure out what the future holds for CSSBattle!
We are not hiring nor looking for investments, so that means we can 100% focus on building and shipping! 🚀😄
I hope this post gives some perspective to those who have been sitting on their dreams and waiting for the right time. Trust in yourself, believe in your abilities, and take action toward your dreams. It may not be easy, but it will be worth it in the end. Remember, life is too short to settle for anything less than what truly makes you happy.
Peace!
