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After seven years in a high-paying finance role that looked perfect on paper but made him miserable, a 30-year-old finally quit. The job paid $300,000 a year, and came with a lifestyle full of fine dining, skiing, and status. But deep down, he hated it.
“No dramatic blow up, no big revelation,” he wrote in a recent Reddit post on r/Entrepreneur. “Just the quiet realization that I could not keep pretending I enjoyed it.”
So he left. He bought into a 40-year-old family business and launched a Miami real estate startup, both funded out of pocket. As the sole builder, designer, and marketer, he quickly realized that entrepreneurship was a different beast.
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“I really thought I could just show up and grow something. Absolutely delusional,” he admitted. He underestimated how hard it is to get attention, compete in ads, and drive revenue.
The real challenge, however, was the whiplash from losing the old life. “The lifestyle freefall,” he said, “has been absolutely brutal.” He misses the ease of dropping $200 on sushi, skiing every winter, and having an identity people instantly respected. “Telling girls I’m building companies instead of being the finance guy at a big fund,” he said.
On top of that, headhunters keep calling with mid-six-figure offers, tempting him with an easy return to comfort and status.
Though he’s still financially secure, with hundreds of thousands in the bank and investments, the shift in daily life has been harsh. No more luxury, no more easy social validation. “Honestly, some days it is embarrassing,” he said.
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His post struck a nerve with many former high earners and corporate dropouts sharing their own sobering transitions.
One commenter who left a $430,000 salary said they also nearly gave up during the early years of their business: “Constantly thought of scrapping it and going back to what worked. Now I work 15-20 hours a week, $10 million in revenue… 8 vacations this year with my family.”
Another person who left a $500,000 tech job admitted, “I just couldn’t live with potentially destroying my prime earning years, but there might be regret if that company makes it big.”
“I quit a $300k job to retire at 36,” another wrote. “Money really doesn’t equal happiness. I wouldn’t trade the last two years of freedom for anything.”
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Even those who returned to corporate life said they came back with new clarity and values. “If I were to do it again,” one said, “I would have saved up way more and not chosen the sh*tty business partners I had.”
For the original poster, it’s a day-by-day mental grind. He hasn’t ruled out returning to the finance world, but for now, he’s choosing the harder path.
“I have so much respect now for entrepreneurs who stuck through this phase and made it work,” he wrote. “You do not realize how much grit it takes until you are the one staring at the ceiling at 3 a.m. wondering if you are insane.”
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This article He Walked Away From A $300K Finance Salary To Start A Business. Losing $200 Sushi And Ski Trips Every Winter Was 'Absolutely Brutal' originally appeared on Benzinga.com
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