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Dealing with life after self-employment?

I started a startup four years ago, shut it down last year, and have been freelancing since then.

I loved working on the startup even though it was a disaster, but I hate freelancing and I don’t have any other brilliant ideas, so I decided to try corporate life. I recently accepted an offer I was really excited about, but it hit me today that I’m basically signing away my rights to create anything of my own for the foreseeable future.

The last five years were the best (if hardest) years of my life, I got to learn and experience so many things, and right now I feel like I’m doomed to never to do anything worthwhile again.

Has anyone else made it past this stage?

  • Forgive my lack of empathy but how would you feel if your employees regarded working with you like the kiss of death?

    Employment is not the worst thing in the world somebody is paying you your paycheck. It’s a trade you make consciously. I’ve spent my savings on a startup and am now making a decent salary as a W2. I’m grateful for the opportunity to not have to worry about my paycheck at least for now.

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  • I have gone thru the cycle ; I spent 5 years (1 year more than 4!). Myself under compensated to the bone as outside investment was zero and me forced to bootstrap. I did it. No regrets but wished the outcome was better after all the hard work.

    I transitioned to corporate; feels every co worker or Sr mgmt is institutionalized siloed and brainwashed what they need to do. As startup guy you feel working w a bunch of monkeys and when you connect the dots you see the siloed efforts are counterproductive to each other. You will become an idea generator for somebody else and sit behind scenes

    Yup it’s a bit gut wrenching but not bad from income stream

    Thinking of redoing again this time focused on success within 6 months else go back to corporate. Carefully also weighing in external funding so I get paid decent and distribute the “upside” along with your downside (not being solo and risk leveraged)

    You try until you succeed rather licking wounds, but definitely take the lessons learnt with you

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