Many college graduates dream of starting their own businesses right out of school, but the financial realities often make this challenging. This article is a guide for recent graduates on how to balance high-paying jobs and pursue their startup dreams.
With an average student loan debt of over $30,000 and the cost of living, many graduates must put their startup aspirations on hold to pay off debt and save money. However, taking a high-paying job with skills and experience that could benefit their future business can be a launching pad for their entrepreneurial endeavors.
This article explores the debt-to-dream ratio and shares the stories of successful young entrepreneurs who managed to balance their full-time jobs with their startup dreams. It also highlights the hidden benefits of high-paying jobs for future startups and provides tips on how to gain startup-relevant experience while working full-time.
For many recent college graduates, the desire to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams directly out of school is strong, but the financial realities are harsh. The average member of the class of 2019 graduated with over $30,000 in student loan debt, limiting their options for risky or low-paying work.
While stories of famous college dropouts-turned-entrepreneurs like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates are inspiring, for most grads, a steady, high-paying job is necessary to pay off debt, fund basic living expenses, and save capital for building a startup.
Jenny, a 2019 graduate with a degree in computer science, would love to focus on growing her custom software development side hustle into a full-time business. However, she has over $40,000 in student loans to pay off and San Francisco rent to afford. “As much as I want to go all-in on my startup right now, it’s just not financially feasible,” she says. “A stable job with a good salary is the responsible choice so I can pay off my debt and build up savings.”
Like Jenny, many recent grads are facing what could be called the “debt-to-dream ratio”—the higher your debt and financial responsibilities, the harder it is to pursue risky entrepreneurial ventures immediately. However, this doesn’t mean your startup dreams are dead. Taking a high-paying job, especially one with skills and experience that could benefit your future business, allows you to pay down debt, learn, and save money to invest in your startup when the time is right.
The key is choosing a job that provides not just a paycheck but experience and skills that translate to your goals as an entrepreneur. For Jenny, a software engineer at a startup would gain valuable experience building and launching tech products. With a few years of experience, she could leave with highly relevant skills, industry connections, and money saved to give her startup a fighting chance.
While the desire to pursue your dreams right out of college is understandable, financial reality means putting in time at a stable, high-paying job first for most recent grads. But by choosing opportunities that provide startup-relevant experience and allow you to pay off debt and save money, you can turn that job into a launching pad for your future business. Your debt-to-dream ratio will improve with hard work and patience, and your startup dreams will be within reach.
It can be challenging to envision success that you haven’t experienced for yourself. These stories and lessons from successful young entrepreneurs are real-life examples of working toward your dream job.
Evan Spiegel, the co-founder of Snapchat, worked at a startup incubator at Stanford to help fund his living expenses and startup dreams. The experience exposed him to ideas that inspired Snapchat’s ephemeral messaging concept. Spiegel’s story shows how full-time jobs can spark ideas and provide financial security for aspiring founders.
Melissa Hanna was $100,000 in debt after graduating from Harvard Business School. She worked as a consultant while starting her company, Mahmee, which provides healthcare solutions for new mothers. Hanna’s job provided income to pay off debt and support her basic needs as she built her startup on nights and weekends. After raising $3 million in funding, she left her job to focus on Mahmee full-time.
After graduating college, Suzy Batiz worked in sales while launching her company, Poo-Pourri, which makes natural bathroom deodorizers. Batiz’s job provided financial stability for nine years as she grew Poo-Pourri in her spare time. In 2016, Poo-Pourri reached $30 million in revenue, allowing Batiz to leave her job and focus on the company full-time.
David Kalt and Andrew Cohen worked as consultants after college to pay living expenses while starting Reelgood, a streaming TV guide app. After three years, Reelgood gained traction and $6.4 million in funding, allowing Kalt and Cohen to quit their jobs. They credit their jobs for providing financial security to build Reelgood in their free time and skills that helped their startup, like managing clients and projects.
These stories of successful young entrepreneurs show how full-time jobs can provide the financial means and work experience to launch a startup on the side.
By managing their time wisely, gaining valuable skills, and staying determined and patient, these entrepreneurs could leave their jobs and successfully pursue their startups full-time. Their experiences offer financial and inspirational value to recent grads who want to balance a high-paying job with their dreams of starting a company.
While a full-time job may seem like an obstacle to launching your startup dreams, it often provides hidden benefits that can fuel your entrepreneurial success down the road. High-paying jobs offer opportunities to build in-demand skills, gain valuable experience, expand your professional network, and establish credibility—all of which serve startups well.
Research shows that work experience early in your career significantly impacts startup success. A study of over 2,000 founders revealed that the average age of entrepreneurs when they founded their first startup was 40, and over 95% had worked for an average of 14 years before launching their first company. This real-world experience allowed them to identify market problems, develop solutions, build networks, and gain the credibility to secure resources for their startups.
In addition to work experience, many successful founders have leveraged skills, connections, and credibility gained in full-time jobs. For example, Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield credits his time working in tech as key to envisioning the internal communication tool. PayPal co-founder Max Levchin relied on knowledge from his jobs to identify security risks in the early days of the digital payments industry.
While a high-paying job may require long hours, the benefits to your future startup can make the investment worthwhile. Look for jobs that expose you to startup skills like product design, growth marketing, and data analysis. Take opportunities to network and find mentors. Build credibility by excelling in your role. And keep learning—the more skills and experience you gain, the better equipped you’ll be to identify and solve problems as an entrepreneur.
The job you take today for financial security could be the secret to startup success tomorrow. Leverage your full-time work to gain knowledge, connections, and credibility that will fuel your dreams of becoming an entrepreneur. With the right mindset, that “boring” day job can transform into an invaluable experience for your future startup.
As a recent grad, you need a job that provides financial security today but also helps propel your startup dreams for tomorrow. The ideal job allows you to pay off debt, fund your living expenses, and save for your startup, all while gaining valuable experience. Here are five attributes to look for in a job that complements your entrepreneurial ambitions:
Look for a job that offers flexibility in hours and work arrangements. You’ll need time outside of work to build your startup, so seek out roles with options like flextime, job sharing, or remote work. Some companies even offer sabbaticals or “intrapreneurship” programs that give employees time to pursue new ventures.
Choose a job where you can develop skills and experience that will benefit your startup. Look for roles where you can build product development, marketing, sales, or management expertise. Fast-growing companies or leadership development programs are ideal.
Look for a job that allows you to make professional connections that may help your startup. Seek roles where you frequently interact with clients, executives, investors, or industry leaders. Tell your manager about your entrepreneurial interests—they may connect you with valuable contacts.
Choose a job at a well-known, respected company. The credibility and reputation of your employer can lend authority to your startup efforts. Working at a leading company in your industry also helps you build knowledge and relationships that translate to your own venture.
Look for a job with reasonable work hours and limited travel so you have time and energy for your startup. While you need a job that challenges you, avoid roles with extreme hours or frequent travel that will burn you out. Negotiate for work-life balance from the beginning.
If you evaluate opportunities strategically, the right high-paying job can provide the foundation for your startup dreams. Look for jobs that offer flexibility, learning, networking, credibility, and work-life balance, so you gain valuable experience and resources for your entrepreneurial journey ahead. With the right job, you’ll be well on your way to balancing job security today with following your startup dreams for tomorrow.
Working full-time can be time-consuming, and slipping into a routine that leaves little time to pursue your startup dreams can be easy. Here are seven strategies to leverage your full-time job:
Look for opportunities to build skills that will translate to your startup, like sales, marketing, product development, or management. Take additional training or ask your manager for more responsibility. The skills and experience you gain will prepare you for startup success.
Connect with colleagues and managers who can become your startup’s advisors, mentors, or customers. Attend industry events to make new connections. Leverage your company’s brand and network to open new doors. The relationships you form can lead to partnerships, funding, and growth opportunities for your business.
Exposure to challenges in your industry can inspire new startup ideas. Look for issues that regularly frustrate colleagues or customers. See if you can develop a solution to pitch as a new product or service. Solve a big enough problem, and you may find the motivation to launch your startup.
Observe how high-level executives and managers operate. Study their communication, decision-making, and leadership styles. Try to understand their vision and what has made them successful. The insights you gain will help prepare you for a leadership role in your own company.
While gaining valuable experience at your job, be careful to avoid becoming completely absorbed by the demands of your work. Make time for your startup dreams and personal relationships. If you feel completely burnt out, you won’t have the energy to put in the long hours required to build a business. Learn strategies now for maintaining balance.
Take advantage of your employee benefits and stable income to save as much money as possible. Build an emergency fund in case your startup struggles at first. Save to invest in your business. The more money you accumulate, the less dependent you’ll be on outside funding to launch your startup.
As your startup gains momentum, start developing an exit strategy from your full-time job. Set a date to go all in on your business and work towards it. Make a plan to wrap up key projects and responsibilities. Build a financial cushion. Start shifting your mindset from employee to entrepreneur. With proper planning, you can smoothly transition to running your startup full-time.
After months or years of balancing a full-time job and working on your startup dreams, there comes a point where you need to evaluate whether it’s time to leap into entrepreneurship full-time. This is not an easy decision, but there are a few signs that may indicate you’re ready:
The decision to leave a stable job for an uncertain startup life is always challenging. But by achieving key milestones around funding, customers, work-life balance, and financial security, you can transition at the right time—and set your startup up for success with planning and perseverance. That “boring” day job can be a stepping stone to your ultimate dream job as an entrepreneur.
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