This may come as little to no consolation, however I'm in a very similar boat. Left employment over a year ago, and while I don't regret that per-say it definitely wasn't the time for me to try my hand at a startup.
I put feelers out for a CEO/sales type founder leading up to this but came up empty handed. Decided to take the plunge anyway and work on finding funding and partner opportunities along the way. Built out an MVP over the past year, tried shopping around for opportunity, and came up empty.
A lot of this is due to me, having recognized early on but now having fully accepted, not being that CEO/Sales type and having limited success trying to force myself into that role. We would 100% need such a person, with connections, on board to raise and handle business development to move forward. Particularly in this climate.
Now to stop the savings burn, and for family reasons, I'm entering the job market again. And it's ROUGH. Two years ago and for the decade before I would have recruiters reaching out constantly. Two years ago I had easy job opportunities through my network. Now, it's been hard to get on the phone with even 4-5 interested parties in 2-3 weeks of actively seeking. And two of those are through HN who wants to be hired, and 2 are through recruiters I've previously worked with. The interview processes are SLOW right now too; companies dragging their heals and indulging in the glut of options.
I'm happy for those reporting the market is fine for them. But for myself with 14 YOE, "name brand" previous employers, successful startup exit experience, and a somewhat significant body of work on GitHub it's very cold out there ATM. Same story for many I know, even on the hiring side; a friend trying to get more head count for over a year now in a good sized, growing, and successful startup.
I put feelers out for a CEO/sales type founder leading up to this but came up empty handed. Decided to take the plunge anyway and work on finding funding and partner opportunities along the way. Built out an MVP over the past year, tried shopping around for opportunity, and came up empty.
A lot of this is due to me, having recognized early on but now having fully accepted, not being that CEO/Sales type and having limited success trying to force myself into that role. We would 100% need such a person, with connections, on board to raise and handle business development to move forward. Particularly in this climate.
Now to stop the savings burn, and for family reasons, I'm entering the job market again. And it's ROUGH. Two years ago and for the decade before I would have recruiters reaching out constantly. Two years ago I had easy job opportunities through my network. Now, it's been hard to get on the phone with even 4-5 interested parties in 2-3 weeks of actively seeking. And two of those are through HN who wants to be hired, and 2 are through recruiters I've previously worked with. The interview processes are SLOW right now too; companies dragging their heals and indulging in the glut of options.
I'm happy for those reporting the market is fine for them. But for myself with 14 YOE, "name brand" previous employers, successful startup exit experience, and a somewhat significant body of work on GitHub it's very cold out there ATM. Same story for many I know, even on the hiring side; a friend trying to get more head count for over a year now in a good sized, growing, and successful startup.