In 2008, I experienced a major setback when my prized side hustle was impacted by the Great Recession. It was a seriously difficult and challenging time for me but in the midst of these trying times I had a vision that gave me direction and hope.
That thought, which kept going round and round in my mind was:
“By intentionally going to work for equity in a technology company I could accelerate my time to achieving financial independence”
Like so many of us, I was aware that working for tech equity had resulted in significant wealth for others. So, why couldn’t it work for me? I realized then that I had to try my hand. I decided to leave the warmth of my comfort zone and immediately left the large consulting company I was working for to go to work for a startup company.
During the interview process, I was struck by the founder's enthusiasm and the company's ambitious goals, which aligned with my own interests and values. I was completely bought in and made the leap.
Cut to a year later...
We had not completed the minimum viable product and the entire program was hanging on by a thread. Some of our largest clients were losing faith that we could come through.
The strain brought on by the Great Recession generated an enormous amount of stress and tension. In a short time, that stress and tension began to seep into the company’s culture. It quickly became a joyless place to work. Quite literally, the thought of returning to work each day was giving me an ulcer.
It was clear my equity in this new company would not amount to anything. There was no payday, no liquidity, no money.
And then, the project was over.
My first attempt was a failure, but I wasn’t done yet.
I refused to accept defeat and resolved to try again.
I left that startup company and went back to consulting. I needed some space to process what had happened and figure out what went wrong. At this low point in my life, I was asking myself questions I’m sure many of us who work for equity have wondered:
- Is working for equity a pipe dream?
- Where do I learn how to make better decisions on how to work for tech equity?
- How do other people do this successfully?
So this is where I decided to do something that made me really uncomfortable. I started reaching out to people in my network and booking calls.
Yes, real live conversations. And what were we talking about? Tech Careers and Money.
Someone once told me that a conversation can change your life and I firmly believe that to be true. As I increased my outreach and engaged in more conversations, it became evident that in order to speed up my journey towards financial independence through working for equity in the tech industry, I would need to have a lot more conversations.
So, that’s exactly what I did.
In 2012, I went through my first IPO with a software company called Splunk, and that changed everything. It made me realize that I had to not only learn how to earn money, but also how to effectively manage it in order to achieve my goals.
I went on to work for three more start up companies after Splunk and two of them went public. With what I learned from the first failed startup, I was able to go to work for three more startups that each went through IPO.
In addition, in 2018 I learned how to start a private equity company for tech employees to diversify their equity holdings into high-yield commercial real estate. That company is now Wealthward Capital. Here I show you how to create a financial fortress that can passively support you and your family.
As of 2022 my tech career was done. I graduated from full time W-2 Employment in August of 2022 in order to speak, educate, invest, and work on projects that interest me.
One of the most important lessons I learned on my tech career and money journey is that I needed to keep learning and keep having conversations with like-minded people.
Tech Careers and Money Talk is me providing a powerful resource to my earlier self and you. Yes, you. I see you 🫵 The financially focused technology employee working for equity. This was built so that you can get answers to the burning questions you’ve been asking. I wanted to provide you with a valuable resource that is truly useful.
And so, the Tech Careers & Money podcast was born.
The guests, the people answering the questions, will be the ones who have done the work. They have real world experience and most importantly, are willing to share.
We want this to be more than a podcast. We want to start a movement, to empower tech employees to work for themselves and their families, to create impact in their communities, and to retire with financial independence.
We'll bring you up close and personal to the experts, share our own experience and success, and give you the tools you need to make better decisions about working for tech equity.
Join us on our journey to financial independence!