When age and marriage and kids forces entrepreneurs to get a job

Interesting:

Yet, I still struggle with the fact that I’m no better off financially than I was when I started on this journey. In fact, it’s worse. I now have a wife, three kids, two dogs and a mortgage. All of that meaning that I can no longer take big risks. I need health insurance. I need a salary — and that salary needs to cover my family expenses. And, because I’ve ran so lean for the past 10 years, there is really nothing to fall back on.

You may wonder why I don’t just bite the bullet and find a well-paying job? That’s what I’m doing now and it’s what led to my anxiety.

First, as any entrepreneur can attest, getting a “job” is pretty much the worse thing you can imagine. It’s submitting to failure, even if just temporarily. It’s denying yourself the pleasure of following your passion. Deep down you know that wherever you go, it won’t be for long and you’ll constantly be thinking of what’s next. Lately though, I’ve been wondering if I’ll even get another shot.

I feel like an aging musician that finally realizes that he needs to stop playing in dive bars, cut his hair and get a real job.

The idea of taking a job is dreadful, but it’s really the only safety net that I have.

My age is starting to catch up with me though and that has me scared. I’m no longer as marketable as I once was. That safety net is starting to fray. All of those years of farting around with projects that went nowhere has left me without a consistent skill set. What I mean is, as an entrepreneur, you end up being a little bit of everything, which means you’re also a whole lot of nothing. Same as a company that tries to please everyone and ends up pleasing no one.

You believe that what you’ve done is impressive, but it really doesn’t translate. The only real thing that’s clear is that you’re a flight risk. To be fair, I would probably think the same thing if I was hiring me.

I’m feeling the pressure and can practically hear the clock ticking. Maybe that’s normal for my age. Maybe I’d feel this way regardless of my financial position. Or maybe this is the start of a midlife crisis.

Whatever it is, I’m moving on…

I now have a job, and it pays well. One month in and I’m already looking to scratch an itch. Maybe I need startup rehab so I can hold a job. Then again…