A couple days ago I had a pretty good conversation with another female founder who like me has been through a startup acquisition, to …
A couple days ago I had a pretty good conversation with another female founder who like me has been through a startup acquisition, to her credit a couple. We gabbed about ways to market products better, tracking analytics, you know the usual Silicon Valley startup stuff… Then the conversation turned a different direction. We started to talk about how the two of us have decided to live a modest lifestyle despite having some financial success. For the longest time I thought I was the only one who lived in a shack by choice, ok its not really a shack but I’m sure my parents would call it that 😀
Yesterday I looked over 3 tax returns: 2009, 2010, and 2011. While I haven’t had a real salary since 2009, and have been living off of my savings since, I’ve actually been really happy, probably the happiest that I’ve been in years. I haven’t afforded myself luxuries that most people would if they had made bank, instead I chose to bootstrap my business along with some outside funding, cook my own meals, fly to Paris but stay with friends or in AirBnB apartments, and drive my 7 year old fully paid off Honda Civic. So why have I chosen to live this modest lifestyle?
Well a lot of it has to do with my upbringing. See my parents were actually really poor when we came to the US. I was 2 years old. I literally went to engineering school when I was 4, my dad would sit me in the classroom as he was taking classes at San Jose State for his masters. I’d wake up at 5am with my mom to ride the bus and watch her clean houses to support us. Experiencing all of that at a young age leaves a lasting impression on you. Fast forward 15 years later, and my parents had a LOT of money. Not the kind of money that sends your kids to boarding school or buys villas in Europe, but the kind that gives you the freedom to buy Lexuses, go to the mall, and maybe send your kids to an Ivy League school. But they still weren’t happy. At one point they got into some pretty bad debt, went through a few job losses, which finally resulted in my brother and I paying for our college educations.
I actually had arguments with my parents regarding marriage, buying a house, and going to business school. The first two seemed like things to do when I felt more financially stable and independent, the later I decided against because I didn’t want to pay 6 figures for another degree.
Yes its tough have to say no to yourself, and its even tougher to say no to loved ones. But going through all of that before you turn 30 makes you realize what does really matter. To me that’s family, friendship, and pursuing a career that’s motivated by passion. My desire to get to profitability and build a BIG business is only driven my a desire to have greater freedom. Not the freedom to buy things, but the freedom to experience cultures, create value, and help others pursue purpose based on passion.
I know its a little uncharacteristic for a femgineer post, but I wanted to shed some light into misconceptions that people may have about success and motivation. Too many talk about the successes they’ve had in life but fail to share the BIG bumps they experienced. Its also not meant to be a rags to riches story by any means, because it isn’t. I always had food in my belly and clothes on my back. Instead its mean to illuminate the need for not taking anything for granted.
Unlike my parents generation, which wanted to live the American Dream, my goals are to live a modest debt-free life where I can instead focus on accomplishments: learning to speak foreign languages, travel around the world, create products that help improve the lives of others, and hopefully teach my own children the value of earning a dollar.
