what do I do now?
Last month – I left a lucrative marketing job in a technology company and corporate world behind after almost 17 years work experience across the globe and launching 20+ products.
The reactions are mixed. Some congrats, others sorry to hear that but more of surprise, disbelief, anticipation of my next move
One question was universal… why???
Motivations were equally unclear to me. Until I had taken the plunge and committed to the course, is when the ambiguity was lifted. During my recent visit to Pakistan I had an epiphany.
As with most people my early years helped shape me. I was always an avid reader and doer… of business. Not a big fan of fiction and fantasy or sitting back and enjoying or reading a book under the sun. I always liked taking calculated risks and sometimes got burnt but always used that as a learning opportunity. I felt safe in the unbounded space of my imagination and company of my close family and few friends. My grandmother always used to tell me stories of our great grand family and how they were successful business people and tradesmen. She always used to say – why work for others when you can work for yourself. That really was the epiphany I was looking for.
In contrast my fathers’ experiences had molded a more conservative and secure approach. He lived through the separation of the sub-continent (after the British colonial rule ended). Leaving a lavish life behind he had to struggle to reinvent himself from scratch. Having lived through major changes and traumas in life, he was entrenched in the security and comfort of a corporate loyalty.
Family traditions and social pressures combined to restrain the more adventurous side of me.
Today, my Grandmother’s golden words guide me. “Not anymore” I thought to myself, “If I can’t do it now than when”. Luck also played the factor of forcing me to entrepreneurship besides a deep desire to help others more (which was limited while in the corporate world). I certainly wanted to be rich – not the one with loads of personal or materialistic wealth but the one who had immense emotional wealth and deep strength to help others succeed in life.
Nauman Jaffar
CEO & Founder, MarkiTech
Recent Comments