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Startups

3 side benefits of going full time on my startup

About a month ago, I made the decision to leave my job at Sears Electronics as its social media manager and go full time on my startup.

We still haven’t launched yet, so I’m not going to say what it is, but there have been some great fringe benefits to working for myself:

– I’ve been exercising again, as well as eating breakfast regularly (and lunch semi-regularly). As a result, I’ve lost seven pounds in the last month, which is how long I’ve been full-time on this baby. (We’ll see if I can keep up this pace; I’m getting married in a little more than a year.)

– When I first started out as a social media professional at the Chicago Tribune, I was eight months out of journalism school and saw the role as a foot in the door at a major news organization. While that experience was great–and the subsequent experiences as well–I’ve wanted to break out of the professional mold of the “social media manager-type.” Just being involved as a co-founder in a startup has done that, and my network has expanded significantly as a result.

– Last, but certainly not least, is the fact that I’m working for myself. The effort I put in directly correlates to what I get out of it. It’s extraordinarily difficult to get that sort of satisfaction working for someone else, even at a company you really like.

There’s always a chance things won’t work out. Either way, I’ve learned a ton in the last few months, and I’ll be able to take these experiences, and others, to my next gig.

(NOTE: Two more benefits I just realized: my Klout score has gone up five points over the last 30 days. Not that I care about my Klout score, but it’s still nice to have. I’ve also finally had time to update my blog to WordPress 3.1.3, and tweak the template and plugin settings.)

Do you work for yourself? What are some other benefits you’ve experienced as a result? Please leave your thoughts below!