SXSW2009 - Quitter: How to Leave Your Perfectly Good Job
- Session Description: Your folks won't understand it, but sometimes you just need to quit your perfectly good job and go to work for yourself. This panel discussion will seek to understand what it is that makes a good entrepreneur and what are the best first-steps towards being one.
Bryan Mason - Small Batch Inc
Ryan Freitas - Plinky
Christopher Sacca - Lowercase Capital
Laura Mayes - Kirtsyby AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 6:58:42 PM - Session running a tad late, people stil filing in.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:00:38 PM
- Mason: Why now is the perfect time to give Chris Sacca equity in your startup or how to get laid off or fired.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:02:16 PM
- Mason used to work at Adaptive Path, left in August for his current job.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:02:37 PM
- Mason: Worked with Twitter in design/business contract.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:02:59 PM
- Ryan Freitas, also a former Adaptive Path guy. Lead redesign of MySpace. Does exceptional work "so he quit"by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:03:29 PM
- Sacca: Former Google employee.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:04:08 PM
- Sacca: Electrical data, WiFi, 100 MHz networking stuff at Google. So he quit.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:04:25 PM
- Mayes: VP of ad firm in Houston for 9 years. Left 2 years ago.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:05:03 PM
- Mayes started Kirtsy, "Digg for chicks"by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:05:25 PM
- Employement figures shown for CA (10%), NY (7.6%), Texas (7%), National average (8.4%)by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:06:03 PM
- Rase to Witch Mountain is the #1 movie in America right now (about the apocalypse) – good times.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:06:21 PM
- Things to do if you want to quit...by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:06:28 PM
- 1) Resign. For legal reasons, all you really have to do is a one liner (like Nixon).by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:06:49 PM
- 2) Get a copy of all agreements (showing Google's confidentiality agreement.. hah) for no poach, non-compete, equity agreements.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:07:27 PM
- Google has more lawyers than you do, so cover your ass.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:07:35 PM
- Sacca: Expected more people in the audience to be wearing disguises.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:08:05 PM
- Mason: Been spending last 4-5 months doing reference checks for Twitter. Using LinkedIn to find people you used to work with/for.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:08:35 PM
- Freitas: In consulting, you can feel like you've been doing your best work. Rather than continue and keep doing stuff you might be sort of happy with, you need to find a way out.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:09:18 PM
- Freitas: Handle it as professionally as possible to maintain relationships. Don't burn bridges (or take joy in burning them.. hah)by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:09:38 PM
- Stuart Butterfield: Best resignation letter ever (was going to go into metal working)by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:09:53 PM
- Freitas: When I left AP, it was hard. Wanted to make certain everyone understood that he was going through it and it doesn't have to suck.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:10:18 PM
- How do you quit gracefully? Resignation letter, finishing strong - the last things you do is what people remember. #quitter #sxswby Greeblemonkey via twitter at 3/16/2009 7:10:20 PM
- Sacca: Do a lot of good business with former employers still as a result of leaving on good terms.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:10:53 PM
- Sacca: Was to get fired, but they didn't think he knew, so he prepared a speech. The woman that came to fire him then cried.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:11:37 PM
- Sacca: It's really hard to fire people. He hires people because he likes them, so showing empathy to people you have to fire you is nice. (whatever.. lol)by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:11:56 PM
- Why leave Google? Sacca: Tried to leave in Spring 07. Everyone told him he had the greatest job in the world. Let others set the expectations for him. Wasn't what he wanted though. Finally in November realized it wasn't making him happy.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:13:40 PM
- Sacca: Like having a really good looking girlfriend, but being totally unhappy with her.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:13:52 PM
- Mayes: What if you're dating two people that you really like? (lots of laughs from crowd)by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:14:04 PM
- Sacca: For the very first time thanks to mentors (**key), he started going on offense and doing things that make him happy.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:14:31 PM
- Sacca: Personal story – left a shit ton of story in Spring 2000 (millions.. holy crap)by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:15:01 PM
- Sacca: Took multiple ventures until Spring 2005 to get back to zero.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:15:15 PM
- Sacca: When you're in school, etc. you're in reactive mode and take everything people give to you and just do it. Was first time he finally just pulled the trigger.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:15:50 PM
- Mason: Any financial interests? Or did you just go do it?by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:16:08 PM
- Sacca: Didn't do any analysis, just thought 'what do I want to do this time?' Really good at doing nothing, but that isn't sustainable.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:16:41 PM
- Freitas: When people are giving a lot of advice to you, it's sometimes about your passion, sometimes about a fallback position – having a plan for yourself.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:17:08 PM
- Freitas: If you're like me, you have backups upon backups.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:17:17 PM
- Freitas: You can continue to learn Excel, or you can pursue what you're passionate about. (eff yes)by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:17:58 PM
- Freitas: Was laid off. Could go to Munich or go to hell. So he took the sev. package.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:18:19 PM
- Have a plan in place--savings, backup plans, etc. #sxsw #quitterby ruralocity via twitter at 3/16/2009 7:18:29 PM
- just walked to the Quitter session. packed. #quitsxswby niche via twitter at 3/16/2009 7:18:33 PM
- "Quitter" panel rocksby MeJayne via twitter at 3/16/2009 7:18:35 PM
- Freitas: Was working at Aqua, restaurant in SFO.by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:19:08 PM
- Freitas: Spend 3 years hiding from economy. Got to do something he was passionate about but put himself in debt every day working there ($7/hr, 16 hrs a day)by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:19:35 PM
- Freitas: If I go through another economic collapse, I'm going to open a fish taco stand (hah)by AdamSchwabe at 3/16/2009 7:20:00 PM
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thody
AdamSchwabe
Greeblemonkey
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This liveblog is being crossposted to AdamSchwabe.
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