Are you a founder living in an employee's body?

“The world is full of people suffering from the effects of their own unlived life.

They become bitter, critical, or rigid, not because the world is cruel to them, but because they have betrayed their own inner possibilities.

The artist who never makes art becomes cynical about those who do.

The lover who never risks loving mocks romance.

The thinker who never commits to a philosophy sneers at belief itself.

And yet, all of them suffer, because deep down they know: the life they mock is the life they were meant to live.” - Carl Jung.

I’d like to add:

The founder who never starts a company and settles for a comfortable, but soul-crushing corporate existence.

Does that hit?

Here are some examples from both sides of the fence.

I know a bloke who is excellent at everything. I’m envious of his brilliance. He’s a critical thinker, a community builder and a creative. He was once walking his passion path in film. He gradually slid into corporate and now holds a role with my least favourite tech company of all time.

I have zero judgment - I do not intimately understand his motivations or goals, but I am certain the world would be a brighter place if he threw his shoulder into his full potential.

I met a younger, curlier-haired version of this fellow when I studied music production (which I was terrible at, but thoroughly enjoyed). He’s wonderfully talented and has the stage presence of a young Michael Hutchence.

I firmly believe he could take it all the way, whatever that means for him. He was considering a similar slippery slide. He asked me what to do. My advice to him is the same to anyone who might lack the courage, self-belief or see the tactical steps to take the leap:

“Please, please, please go FULL SEND on the thing you really want to bring into the world. If you fail, you’ll get to know yourself in a way few get the opportunity to. I cannot guarantee you any success. I can guarantee the path will be way more difficult and far more harrowing than corporate. You might even hate it once you’re in it. But, it will enrich your life in a way that no one can take away from you and few will fully understand. You can make this happen and I will help you get there in any practical way I can.”

I do not preach this advice to everyone - but you're still reading, so thanks for the permission.

I do not judge people who choose a more comfortable path. They might have constraints to work within, whether they are health, financial or familial.

My argument is: there is a risk-managed path for you to create what you want. Here’s a list of people who have backed themselves and are getting after it with all their might:

Kirk Reynoldson & Kate Morgan - they have been grinding for six years to bring Eggy to life. Their courage and tenacity to build tech that makes people’s lives easier is inspiring to me.

Chanel Clark - a future LinkedIn Top Voice, marketing dynamo and community builder who calls a spade a spade. She lays it all out there and her transparency is refreshing.

Craig Reid - the GOAT of process, a reliable bloke and the founder of a brilliant scaled service. His attention to detail helped him to stitch together a service and solve a series of complex problems that most would shy away from.

Jess Ruyter - a thoughtful designer I briefly met during my Canva days. He’s documenting his path of leaving Google and following his passion (link in comments). He is the inspiration for this post - thank you JR.

I’ve got a loooot more folks who fit this profile.

BTW - you don’t have to fully cast off the corporate shackles to get started on your thing.

Sacha Dixon and Alec Stobie are building Nook and holding down full-time gigs, as well. They have what it takes to go all the way.

Now, I don’t think any of these founders will tell you what they’re doing is easy. And they probably wouldn’t even say that most of the time, it’s not really that fun.

But, this act of pursuit creates a personal freedom that few get to experience.

In closing,

The world needs less alignment meetings, 100+ page slide decks and Game of Thrones-esque corporate shenanigans.

The world needs more of you, doing what you are called to (even if you fail) and living your unlived life.