Founder Regrets Quitting Rs 50 LPA Lucrative Job to Build Startup

In a world where entrepreneurship is glorified and success stories of start-up founders seem fascinating, one man's candid admission of failure has taken the internet by storm. The founder, who left his lucrative job with a salary of Rs 50 LPA to chase his dream of building a start-up, recently announced the closure of his venture after two years of relentless effort.

Despite successfully raising Rs 8.44 crore in seed funding and achieving operational profitability, he realized that he had failed at being a founder.

'GrizzledTrillion' shares entrepreneurial journey 

The founder with the username "GrizzledTrillion" on Grapevine, shared a detailed account of his entrepreneurial journey on the platform's "Indian Startups" community. He reflected on how the idea of being a founder had consumed him back in 2021, prompting him to leave his well-paying job as a VP Of Ops to pursue his dream.

“Had a salary of Rs 50 LPA salary as a VP Of Ops, job security, weekends off, life sorted. But no, that wasn’t enough. LinkedIn posts, podcast founders, hundred million $ valuations – they all made me feel like I was wasting my life not building the next big thing," he admitted.

However, as time passed and the challenges of running a start-up mounted, he began to question his decision.

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"I wanted to be a founder. Turns out, I just wanted the idea of being a founder," he wrote in a heartfelt post. Despite building a successful product and achieving profitability, he found himself feeling unfulfilled and overwhelmed by the constant pressure of decision-making and uncertainty that came with being a founder.

As the stress of running a start-up took a toll on his mental health and personal relationships, the founder came to a sobering realization – building a start-up isn't for everyone. He admitted that he had been more focused on the title of "founder" and the idea of success rather than the actual problem he was solving.

“The stress piled up,” he revealed. “I hadn’t slept properly in months. My relationships went to shit. My mental health? I’ve seen better days. I’d built something successful by most measures, but it was draining the life out of me."

“And here I am, calling it quits," he added explaining that success doesn't always equate to happiness, and one's mental health should always be a top priority.

While concluding his post, the founder shared key takeaways from his entrepreneurial journey. He emphasized that the title of "founder" is overrated and that stability is often underrated. He also stressed the importance of prioritizing mental health over professional achievements and acknowledged that building a start-up isn't the right path for everyone. Finally, he admitted that while he may have failed at being a founder, he didn't fail at building something valuable.

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