5 Reasons Why I Quit My Own Business to Work for Someone Else

Two years ago I quit my own business to work for
someone else, and it was the best decision I’ve ever
made.
I was 26 years old when I “retired” from a terrible desk
job at a local bank and set out to become self-employed.
As with most modern entrepreneurs, I had read The 4-
Hour Workweek and was convinced I could create a
lifestyle business on my own that could pay my bills
while I enjoyed a life of freedom.
Between my rental properties and my growing real
estate investing blog, I had built up enough semi-passive
cash flow to pay the bills. I was financially free.
Only … it wasn’t free.
Within a year I quit the real estate investing blog and
jumped back into a day job as vice president of growth
at BiggerPockets.com , and although it was agonizing to
make, it was perhaps the best decision I’ve ever made.
Here’s why.
1. Paid education
When I look back at the year I spent trying to build my
own online business, I laugh.
I had no idea what I was doing.
Related: How to Shut Down Your Struggling Startup
Sure, I got the basics: start a blog, build an email list,
monetize that list. But I knew nothing, Jon Snow .
When I joined BiggerPockets.com, a niche-dominating
startup in the real estate education space, my knowledge
on growing a company grew at an astonishing rate. In
fact, to this day I probably spend 50 percent of my time
just learning and testing new ideas, and I get paid for
every minute of it.
Yes, I could have figured this stuff out on my own, but it
would have been a much slower process, and I would
have paid dearly to learn it. I would have had to focus on
trying to do 50 different tasks at once rather than
learning the things that are going to benefit me the most.
I don’t have to deal with bookkeeping. I don’t have to
deal with hiring and firing. I just to focus on growth, both
personal and business.
2. Accountability
While working under a boss, I am held accountable for
making progress.
I am paid to drive the company forward (and incentivized
well for doing so), and as such, I am not tempted to
simply relax and “take the day off” as I did during my
self-employment time. Instead, I am able to produce
incredible results.
People often ask me how BiggerPockets is able to
accomplish so much with so few people in the company
(I was the very first employee, and we are now up to
around 10).
The answer is simple: accountability.
Sure, we all hate having a boss. But having a leader
consistently drive you to be the best you can be is not a
liability -- it’s an incredible asset.
3. Play a bigger game
Deciding to take a job again was one of the most
difficult decisions of my life. The internal argument that
finally won me over, however, was this: I could play a
much bigger game.
When I was growing my own business, I could work for
days to create some incredible new lead magnet to
attract more subscribers, but in the end, the results were
hard to see. After all, if I’m converting 10 percent of my
readers into email subscribers and I'm able to move that
needle to a 15 percent  conversion rate, it’s not all that
impressive to the bottom line when I have only a few
hundred unique visitors.
However, by jumping on board a larger company, I'm
able to leverage myself into a much larger sandbox and
have a lot more fun with the results. A conversion
increase of a few percentage points could result in
thousands of dollars (or hundreds of thousands) in new
revenue. The results of a split test could be seen in days
rather than weeks. Writing a blog post can help tens of
thousands of people, rather than just a few.
To emphasize this point, in the past year I’ve published a
book, spoken at Google, maintained one of the most
popular business podcasts on iTunes, and am having
serious conversations about creating a television show
about my life.
I simply couldn’t play that game on my own -- at least
not this quickly.
Related: Before You Quit Your Job, Do These 10 Things
4. Meaningful relationships
Let’s be honest: being self employed can be lonely at
the start.
Working in my pajamas at the kitchen table seems like
the ideal life for those stuck in a cubicle, but it’s not the
answer I was seeking.
By working with a company, I am able to build
meaningful relationships that help both personally and
professionally. I am able to learn from an incredible
serial entrepreneur (my boss, Joshua Dorkin) who
bootstrapped a real estate forum into a 250,000-member
niche social network. I am able to brainstorm new ideas
with my coworkers for hours and work together to
achieve something great. I am able to sit down with
major influencers in the business world as equals , not as
a super fan.
The relationships I’m building today will extend much
farther than just my current job.
They’ll positively impact my life forever.
5. More disposable income
Finally, it would be a lie not to mention one of the
greatest reasons for having this job: stable income.
But not in the way you might think.
Buying stuff is nice, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t
get you any closer to financial freedom. Wealth is built
over time collecting assets such as real estate, stocks or
businesses.
By working a day job, I am able to substantially increase
the amount of income, but at the same time keep my
expenses constant at “pre-job” levels.
Translation: I have a lot more disposable income.
While most of the world would simply buy a larger
house, a nicer car and better wardrobe, I’ve been sinking
this cash into several other more productive avenues,
including more real estate investments, paying off
debt and going on some relaxing vacations.
Simply put: I’m leveraging this job to create even greater
wealth in my future.
Conclusion
I’m a lifelong entrepreneur, and that will never change.
However, just because I’m an entrepreneur, it doesn’t
mean the highest and best use of my time right now is
building my own business.
During this period of my life I am gaining an incredible
volume of knowledge from incredibly intelligent people.
I’m moving the needle forward in a business that’s
helping millions of people. I’m increasing my net worth
and designing a lifestyle that allows for both work and
play.