Your job might be the smartest way to fund your first business

Before building six businesses, I had a job. A pretty good one. And before that? An OK one, and another before that. And at the start of it all I delivered newspapers for $11.37 a week. Rain or shine, six days, before school. That job taught me something many founders forget: the value of stability.

When I quit my last job to start my first business, I didn't have a product yet, just a conviction that I'd figure it out. In the meantime, I moved back in with my original flatmates (AKA parents). Free rent, summer tan, minimal costs. It was a great few months… Until my mum came home one day and said:

"Son, it's so great to have you here helping out. It's like I've got my own wife!"

That was the day I got to work.

Why this matters.

There's a cult around quitting your job and "taking the leap." But not everyone should, and not straight away. Jobs offer stability, safety and sometimes sagacity. They give you the income, discipline, and resources to build what's next. And sometimes only having a job is the smartest strategy.

A few reminders if you're job-bound but founder-minded:

• Jobs buy you clarity. Stability helps you think clearly - not react out of financial fear.
• Seed yourself. Use your salary to build your savings and fund your first test projects.
• Start small. A side hustle on 1-2 days a week builds confidence without upending your life.

And for god's sakes; don't romanticise burnout. Many founders work themselves into exhaustion because they confuse pressure with progress.

I love business ownership. But I also know the job I had before it all gave me the freedom to build on solid ground. If you're in the grey zone between employee and entrepreneur, I see you.

Make your next move deliberate, not desperate.

Cheers,
Josh