What made it possible was that I spent an entire year before hand designing and developing apps on the side. I got to the point where I was averaging at least $2,500 a month from the App Store, which was half of what I made at my design job.
I knew with that as a base I could make up the difference with consulting.
The other really important thing I did was save a lot of money. I took all the profits from an entire year of selling apps, plus my regular savings, and had just over $30,000 in savings.
Those two things gave me the confidence to leave, even with a newborn baby.
Now, 1 year later, I've written two books (one comes out next week), released more apps, and make more money than I did at the day job. All while having more flexibility.
If you want to talk further, my email address is in my profile.
My former boss did a successful startup in his 40's with a wife and three kids. The recipe was:
1) Spend that time becoming an expert in your field and developing a network of professional contacts;
2) Marry a bright, accommodating spouse with a stable career and generous health insurance;
3) Be willing to work your family into your business life so you don't become alienated from them.
I think it's a bit of HN echo chamber thinking to believe that you can't do a startup while married with kids. Outside Silicon Valley, a startup by a married person will raise fewer eyebrows than a startup by a 20-something.
100% agree. I am 43 self employed, the fourth child is due in March. The understanding spouse with a good career helps a lot. You can do any company a 20-something can, you just use your greater experience and social contacts to make up for the extra time you don't have.
Have plenty of savings and the full support of your spouse. Don't let your new venture consume time to the detriment of your family life. Everything else can be pretty similar.
I think having a strong personal and professional network of friends and colleagues in "bigco" type places will help getting back into such an environment if/when the entrepreneurial venture unfortunately fails.
I think that kind of peace of mind would be invaluable in really giving it a go.
Have huge savings, so that your decision doesn't put your dependents at risk too much. That's the main difference. And, just like some stuff in the original article, this partially depends on how lucky and good at making money you were previously.
