Quitting Your Job To Start a Startup
HANI ANIS: Kahani Digital, Founder
Quit job to start a company
WHY?
I already had Anis Collections so in May of 2019 I quit my job to pursue that full time. My plan was to go back to the finance world in 6 months once I had built the foundation for the company and really given it the time it needed. I went back and got my full time job in March (March 15, 2020 exactly) in venture capital, specifically in their marketing department. When I started back in the finance world, Anis Collections had shut down for a brief period because of COVID so I had more time on my hands I was freelancing and working an 50-80 hour-a-week corporate job. I hit a point at the end of 2020 where I just simply had way too much going on and also hated the corporate life yet again. January 2021 I went into the new year resigning from my job for good and I thought, I'll just freelance. When word spread through my clients and their friends, suddenly I had double my initial client roster and needed to hire someone full time by March. That is how Kahani started!
WHEN?
January 2021 is when I officially gave my resignation, I didn’t end my job until February 2021 and then was full time freelance.
PROS?
The flexibility of working for yourself is like no other. You have a lot of freedom and really get to own what you do. Also the risk and reward payoff is a direct correlation, and the harder you work, usually the higher the reward. You really do get to see the fruits of your labor come to life.
CONS?
It's really not easy, and the lack of stability is real. For a long time you have no idea of a regular pay schedule, no benefits and no real hours until and unless you dictate those. Additionally the flexibility can definitely be a con for some people because you really have to learn how to manage your time and set work life balance boundaries.
ADVICE?
Take every day as it comes. Having your own business, while its great to have goals and milestones, its also a reality that nothing is really stable. You can plan ahead but know that you have to be flexible and that is okay. I used to be a planner and now I just plan for every day and for the short term. At the end of the day, there's nothing quite like what it means to be your own boss.
AMBER SABRI: AZHAR PR, Founder
Quit job to start a company
WHY?
My journey to starting a company is a little all over the place. I left for first corporate PR job after a year of working there - around November 2020 - because it didn’t feel right for me. I learned so much about the industry and it was great, but I felt a little unfulfilled. I wanted to work with clients that I was genuinely excited to work with and I wanted to know my pitching was making a difference in those brands' lives. So, luckily for me, I was living at home and had the luxury of quitting my job before finding a new one. In the interim, I decided to start freelancing until I found a new agency that was a fit for me.
While freelancing I was able to connect with some truly amazing brands + people that I love. I was able to pick & choose which brands to work with, who I knew I could do great things for etc., and around August 2021 things started to snowball. My first-ever client that I signed was going to be showcasing at NYFW and through putting that together I met some more incredible people in the industry - founders, influencers, and creators. After that things sort of blew up. I was signing more clients, and it was starting to seem a little more ‘real’. At this point I had started another job for stability, but as my freelance business starte to grow they gave me an ultimatum - choose them or choose my work. I was loving what I was doing, getting amazing results + opportunities, so I made the jump and officially started my agency - Azhar PR.
WHEN?
I started freelancing around February 2021, but Azhar PR came to be officially on October 1, 2021.
PROS?
The biggest reason why I stay working for myself is because of the flexibility - in my work schedule, in who I work with, and what projects I work on. I don’t feel creatively drained because I get to choose projects + brands that ignite my creativity and make me really enjoy work. And this is coming from an extremely lazy girl. Also, as someone who has been told she’s bossy all the time since she was a little girl, it’s great that I am my own boss and only have to listen to what I say. I’m no working for someone else who doesn’t understand the vision I have.
CONS?
The instability. At the end of the day, I don’t know if my clients are always going to resign. And in PR, results are never guaranteed so sometimes it’s difficult to keep a client because they have a different perception of successful results as I do. Entrepreneurship means rolling with waves, and sometimes its a low-tide for a while, but it’s all about perspective & determination to get that wave going again - bigger & better than before.
ADVICE?
I say this to everyone who wants to pursue their side hustle or start their own business. Start now, perfect later. You can’t think too much in this type of career, you just have to know how to pivot. I am to this day still perfecting processes, and workflows that I launched a year ago, but with every passing day things change and I learn how to streamline processes. If I had waited until everything was perfect, I still wouldn’t have launched my agency. Nothing is perfect.
Also, I do want to note my privilege to be able to quit my job and start a side business. I saved a lot of my money, and didn’t have too many expenses living at home. If you don’t have this privilege, you can still launch a business. Work your 9-5, save your money, and work on your 5 - 9 to build your business. Don’t stress too much about everyone else’s timelines, yours is the only one that matters.
SWATI CHAKRABORTY: Kahani Digital, Creative Director
Quit job to join a startup
WHY?
I was switching jobs almost every single year and was feeling really frustrated and unfulfilled in my roles. I was always some sort of project manager at creative agencies that had to manage “the work” but never got to have any input in it. I knew I had a creative side that I just hadn’t gotten a chance to foster. I was in a very toxic environment with a job I had last summer and out of desperation, I wanted to explore the avenue of copywriting so I could potentially do work on the side and eventually work for myself. I found Kahani through Facebook, worked part-time as a copywriter/editor for over a year and finally became full time as a creative director and have not regretted it at all!
WHEN?
I joined Kahani full time this August 2022.
PROS?
So many! I feel like I really went through it with my career path until Kahani. I was always working for people and things I didn’t believe in. I really thought I could just put my head down and work and treat a job like a job but I finally realized I can only achieve the success I want if I am truly passionate about what I’m pursuing. At Kahani, I am able to implement my creative visions within our internal brand and client brands. I work with women around my age who I respect and who respect me. I feel like I have a voice and am making a real impact for myself, for our clients, for the company and of course, our diaspora. I also love having the flexibility of working when I need to in order to do things in my personal life.
CONS?
It’s a startup so the cons are really only startup specific. You have to do things out of your scope until the company has scaled. It might be a little overwhelming because you can’t hide under processes or policies… it’s the work and you so you have to be very accountable as everything is very visible to your team and clients.
ADVICE?
A corporate 9-5 OR being an entrepreneur are not your only options. It is possible to find someone and believe in them as a founder, as I do with Hani. I never had a desire to start my own company as I know I wanted to pursue a more creative path, not get stuck in the management, finance and operations of it all. I think people should really reflect on who they are as a person and realize that if you help someone win, you are winning too.
HAJAR DALLAL: Kahani Digital, Account Manager
Graduated into a start up
WHY?
I was just about entering my senior year of college (Fall 2021), pursuing a degree in Human Resource Management. I was already very hesitant about the way my career was heading, since I didn't really care for HRM, I kind of just fell into it. I also needed to start looking for work, since I had no experience in any field and I needed some sort of stream of income, due to getting laid off because of the Covid pandemic. This whole situation made me realize that this is the point in my life where I can take control and change the path of my career. It was an opportunity to take risks and figure out what I actually wanted to do. I knew that furthering my career in HR was not something I wanted to do and that I didn’t myself in this career for the rest of my life. So I sat back and analyzed my life and options, and what I would be fulfilled doing. Over the past 2 summers (2020 and 2021), I started an Etsy shop where I would create and sell art prints, which became a hobby. I used this very, very minor experience to look for any internship. I saw that Kahani was hiring and I took a chance with the no experience I had. Next thing I knew, I was an intern at this start-up within a week!
Now I work full time with Kahani, as a creative account manager.
WHEN?
Beginning of Fall 2021, right before my senior year at college.
PROS?
One of the biggest pros in working with a start-up agency was the experience. Since it starts off quite small, and there are plenty of things to get done, it's an amazing opportunity to dip your toe into several different niches. This also allows you to test your skills and see what responsibilities suit you the most, and which you’d prefer to have. This then strengthens and furthers your skill sets.
Another pro is definitely the time management skill you develop. In order to complete tasks and responsibilities, a specific amount of discipline upon yourself needs to be in place, otherwise it would be impossible to one, complete your responsibilities, and two, maintain the work to life balance.
CONS?
Since it is a smaller company, many tasks can be redirected and delegated to you, which can cause a lot of stress. You may get very tight deadlines and very short turnaround times. Heavy workloads may also be thrust upon you do to the fewer amount of people.
ADVICE?
A big piece of advice would be to take chances. If you’re in a position where you’re unsure of where you’re headed, unsure of your experience, unsure of yourself, just take the chance. Take the chances even if you feel that you are underqualified. You literally never know what will happen unless you try. You just have to be willing to work for what you want and to believe in yourself. Be confident in yourself and your abilities.