Company A is my main company, built around my personal brand, and I'm the sole owner. Its the one I'm most passionate about. I'm currently (trying) to focus on growing this company, building out the team, etc. Company B is a startup that I joined as co-founder earlier this year (I'm 1 of 3 equal partners). I thought I could manage it as a side-venture, but now, 8 months into it, I'm finding myself more and more stressed about it. Partly because my co-founders and I don't see eye-to-eye on many things. But mostly I'm finding Company B to be a distraction as I'm trying to focus on growing my Company A. My dilemma: Company B is *not* a failure. If it was, I'd just quit and move on. But it's actually doing quite well, adding paying customers each week and growing quickly. I also get tons of great feedback about it. From the outside, it looks like a winner, but behind closed doors, I'm stressed because of the reasons stated above. I don't foresee a future where Company B would ever merge with my Company A. They are separate entities. Company A is where I see my longterm vision. My only vision for Company B is my exit, just a question of exit now (no return) or exit later (some kind of return, but with a cost) Would you quit Company B, despite it's early success? Can you share a similar experience? Lessons learned?
Hey, you've phrased the question in such a way that suggests that you already know the answer. You're just looking for some confirmation.
The right answer is to withdraw from company B gracefully.
The good news is that you have a clear vision about your commitment to company A and that company B is doing well so withdrawing may have minimal negative impact.
It may be a good time to plot through how to manage that graceful exit. You may even find that it generates goodwill with your co-founders in Company B.
What you're experiencing is pretty typical. The process of focus involves a fair amount of defocusing -- we just don't talk about it much.
I've been through the growing pains of three startups, in each case gradually withdrawing from one to pick up the next. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help. Cheers!
Answered 11 years ago
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