Starting a company
Should I start—and can I afford to?
Starting a company combines several decisions that deserve separate answers: whether the problem is real, whether you want the work, and whether your finances leave room to learn. Enthusiasm for an idea does not answer all three.
Begin with a small test you can finish while your options remain open. Write down who has the problem, what they do today, and what would count as evidence of demand. Then use your own expenses and obligations to decide how much time you can commit. The essays here show the personal side of building; the guide helps turn an intention into a bounded experiment.
Questions worth answering
- What can I learn before leaving my job?
- Who will pay, and what have they actually committed to?
- What would make me stop or change the experiment?
Start here
Before you quit your job to start a company
A decision worksheet for testing demand, separating personal and business runway, and setting a review point before leaving your job.
Read the guide and use the worksheet →Use your own numbers
Quit Calculator
Calculate your runway, risk level, and safe quit date based on your savings and revenue trajectory.
Free tool · no email required →
Startup Runway Calculator
Estimate cash runway from expenses, income, reserves and buffers. Compare scenarios using your own assumptions.
Free tool · no email required →
From the field
Personal accounts behind the questions. Each essay reflects when it was written.