[choult]

I started on my own at the end of September; I'd resigned my job at Datto after an acquisition proved itself disastrous (never work for Kaseya, or any Insight Partners portfolio company), and the position I had lined up fell through for one reason or another.

I figured - I'm 40, I've always wanted to do my own thing, I've got runway... Why not? So I formed a company[0], started planning out a B2B product and networking like crazy; I'm fortunate to have a wide diaspora of former colleagues.

As I want to bootstrap my own SaaS app, I needed to get revenue coming in, so I began to offer my services on a consultancy basis. I got my first small customer at the end of November - a charity needing hosting and maintenance - and then landed my first major consulting gig at the end of December 2022.

Who knows what I'll be doing in a month's time, but I know that I can build a track record of helping others, and it's so varied! Every business or organization I talk to gives me more ideas for my app, so it's also a great way to collect more knowledge about the wants and needs of my potential customers.

If you have the opportunity and runway to give it a shot, I'd recommend trying it - put a plan together for how you'll achieve it, how long you can last without a gig and what you'll offer others. And then execute on it.

You'll never know unless you try.

[0] https://xarma.co