Why do I do it?

Leaving the stability of a job is not for everyone. During my time in Uni, everyone wanted to do a startup. The idealism of being successful is what everyone wants, but until you truely go for it, all there is is an ideal.

Personally, I've knew all along that starting a business, whatever it may be at that point in time, was something I've always wanted to do. Never mind the hours may be long (or not), never mind that this may wipe out all my savings, never mind that at the end of the day, I may land up with nothing. To me, this is a journey worth undertaking. I'm glad that my parents don't need me to support them, so this frees me to pursue whatever it is that I want to do in life. Honestly, the thought of working my life in a 9-6 job seems alien to me, and I'll do whatever I can to either prolong it, or avoid it altogether.

The thought of being an entrepreneur honestly, first came to me after my stint in Orlando, Florida, working at seaworld. The summer of '07 was the point where I truely grew up, and experienced the world without the shelter of my family. It was there that I saw the American dream, and it inspired me to want to do something with my life. From there I moved on to living in other countries, and it further reinforced the point of what I want to achieve.

The other aspect of running your own startup is the freedom and creativity that comes along with it. I can actually implement strategies and see it happen in real time, and not just what I read in theory in textbooks in the Business school. If i feel that taking this line is what will make the business work, I can go for it, and monitor if it works, if not, I can try something else the next time round.

I've always been a sort of risk taker. In life, in love and well, gambling. It is well known that startups have a 90% chance of failing. Still, I say the 10% seems totally worth it. At the end of the day, it's the experience that matters. At the end of the road, I want to be able to say, I've been there, done that. My big boss told me, I'm throwing away the good standing i spent 10 months building up, for scratch, for something but may never materialise.

In one week, I'll be officially "unemployed". The journey will be tough and long, but I'm ready for it. As Helen Keller says: "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all".

I hope you find your own daring adventure in life, be it career, love, or family. The important thing, is to be able to look back, and look back without regrets.