Obligatory Why I Left My Job Post (Second Edition)

More than six years ago, I penned my first Obligatory Why I Left My Job to Start a Blog Post. It was short and a bit confusing, upon reading it again now. Last month I left Red Ventures, which had acquired Bankrate, which had acquired Wallaby Financial, which is the company I founded precipitating the first post. So, what now?

As I noted in my first post, I continue to believe that happy parents, mean happy families and happy children. After more than seven years of work on the concept that was Wallaby, it was simply no longer the right path for me. Similarly, as noted in that 2012 post, I found myself again at a big company (around 4,000 people, I think) headquartered far away and I was not the CEO.

Although it might cause this post to have a title that is misleading, I don't want to focus on the past seven years. They were, overall, very good to me in many ways. Most of all, I learned amazing things about myself and business and I made some great friendships that I strongly believe will stand the test of time.

I want to look forward. Now that I'm few weeks gone from my job I get asked on a daily basis what I'm doing next. The plan is to come up with a plan. For the first time in probably 20 or 25 years I don't have a solid plan. It's scary, exciting, and creates some awkward answers to that last question.

I started by first real business when I was 15 years old and ran it for six years. I went to college, I went from job to job to startup with hardly a week in between (sometimes just a weekend). It's who I am and I am grateful to many who have provided solid counseling that I should enjoy and extend my break here. To be frank, I am not sure I can handle it. I get pretty fidgety.

I'm hoping to do so more writing here. It's mostly words into the ether of the Internet, but it does help me organize my thoughts. In addition, some day I aspire to a book, so writing here is excellent practice. I'm evaluating a few startup ideas and thinking about doing some consulting, etc.

What I am most hopeful to do is to take the time to absorb the lessons of the past seven years and be sure I come to my next experience an improved version of myself. There is a saying that one year at a startup is like three years at a regular major corporate job. If so, I have a lot of notes to review.