Why I Want To Start a Company
When I joined VoiceOps in Feburary I told the founders I wanted to start a company. They asked me why. It was an obvious question, but I didn’t have a good answer. I have known I want to start my own company for as long as I can remember, so I never questioned it. I think most people probably fail to question why they want what they want. I have been thinking about the answer to that question since and will attempt to answer it here.
Freedom
The number one reason I want to start my own company is freedom. There are two ways I hope owning my own company will provide me with more freedom. The first is the freedom to choose the business domain. I want to find something I am passionate about that can support my life. The second is not guaranteed, but possible. Successful businesses often come with financial freedom. Financial freedom would enable me to work on what I want or do what I want forever, without building a business around it.
Purpose
I think a lot about purpose and have realized I cannot be satisfied with just making a lot of money. Money that came at the expense of others wellbeing would never make me happy. I need to have a net positive effect on the world to be happy with myself. I would like to start a company that directly helps people become better versions of themselves. I would also be happy starting a business that had a neutral affect on the world, knowing that I would be providing for my employees and their families.
High Level Problem Solving
I have always been a high level thinker who gets bored with details. I can focus on the details if necessary. I have to do this everyday for a living programming, but it is not what makes me happy. I would rather think at the strategic level and leave the implementation to people I trust who enjoy it. Starting a company is a great way to accomplish this. It makes me excited just thinking about setting strategic direction and watching it take shape.
That’s it! I may revisit this topic in the future as my thinking evolves, but for now these are the reasons I have been able to come up with.