How Timothy Ferriss got me to Quit my Job
June 2009
Once I had written a business plan, my dream suddenly felt like reality. It was the first time in the entirety of this process where I actually felt as though I had something to show for my work. After all, while working at an investment bank for two weeks, all I did was sift through different business plans, and my business plan was better than most of those.
The only problem was that I had no way of actually putting the website together. When I would get home from the office, I would ask friends if they knew anyone who was experienced with web development, but I couldn’t seem to find anyone interested. As I put it back then, “I’ve got this great idea, but I need to find someone to build the thing!” At work, I often went to career websites to look for college students who might be interested. The logical thing, I thought at the time, was to find a technological co-founder, and have them build the website from the ground up. I looked at a number of resumes online, but I really had no way of evaluating talent in this field.
Unfortunately, it was extremely difficult to mount an effective search at work because of the website blocks the firm had in place and because every time I would start to gain some momentum, the associates and managing directors would ask me to do something for them- how inconsiderate! Didn’t they know I’m trying to build a business?
…
I should mention that at this time, I was still sending my resume out to different investment banking and consulting firms. Although I had written a business plan, I am still a realist. This internship was supposed to be temporary until I could land a full-time job, so I would use some of my free time at work to send out resumes. Fortunately, I didn’t get any bites… at least while I was still an intern.
…
By the end of the third week of my internship, I began reading The 4- Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. (http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/) I would describe Timothy Ferriss as an expert in marketing and working the system (two of the most important skills anyone can have, in my opinion). While it would be difficult to follow his advice word for word, he does provide a ton of useful advice about how to succeed and lead a more fulfilling lifestyle, which is why I recommend this book to anyone.
I guess The 4-Hour Workweek spoke to me because I quit my job that Friday to follow my dream. While I told my superior that I needed more time to send out my resume and look for a job, I knew that I really needed more time to find a developer and get the ball rolling on the business. I’ll admit, I was kind of nervous quitting, but it turned out to be one of the greatest decisions I’ve ever made.
June 2009
Once I had written a business plan, my dream suddenly felt like reality. It was the first time in the entirety of this process where I actually felt as though I had something to show for my work. After all, while working at an investment bank for two weeks, all I did was sift through different business plans, and my business plan was better than most of those.
The only problem was that I had no way of actually putting the website together. When I would get home from the office, I would ask friends if they knew anyone who was experienced with web development, but I couldn’t seem to find anyone interested. As I put it back then, “I’ve got this great idea, but I need to find someone to build the thing!” At work, I often went to career websites to look for college students who might be interested. The logical thing, I thought at the time, was to find a technological co-founder, and have them build the website from the ground up. I looked at a number of resumes online, but I really had no way of evaluating talent in this field.
Unfortunately, it was extremely difficult to mount an effective search at work because of the website blocks the firm had in place and because every time I would start to gain some momentum during a search, the associates and managing directors would ask me to do something for them- how inconsiderate! Didn’t they know I’m trying to build a business?
…
I should mention that at this time, I was still sending my resume out to different investment banking and consulting firms. Although I had written a business plan, I am still a realist. This internship was supposed to be temporary until I could land a full-time job, so I would use some of my free time at work to send out resumes. Fortunately, I didn’t get any bites… at least while I was still an intern.
…
By the end of the third week of my internship, I began reading The 4- Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris. (http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/) I would describe Timothy Ferris as an expert in marketing and working the system (two of the most important skills anyone can have in my opinion). While it would be difficult to follow his advice word for word, he does provide a ton of useful advice about how to succeed and lead a more fulfilling lifestyle.
I guess The 4-Hour Workweek spoke to me because I quit my job that Friday to follow my dream. While I told my superior that I needed more time to send out my resume and look for a job, I knew that I really needed more time to find a developer and get the ball rolling on the business. I’ll admit, I was kind of nervous quitting, but it turned out to be one of the greatest decisions I’ve ever made.
Tags: The 4-Hour Workweek, Timothy Ferris
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