I met with an entrepreneur. He almost has enough money to retire early, but he loves what he is doing. He loves the freedom to work on a company with substantial potential. He is having fun. He is working for upside.
He also mentioned that a key part of his financial freedom has been his modest burn rate. He has no debt. He owns his home. He lives in a very nice town and lives very comfortably, but he’s careful with his money.
I think that’s the real key to early retirement: managing your burn.
The Good Wife and I watch what we spend. That decision many years ago later let me quit a job, take no salary for a while, and start a new VC firm. It gave me freedom.
I’m doing this “VC 2.0” thing because I love what I do. I love working with entrepreneurs and being part of company formations. It’s a total head rush, in a good way.
Don’t get me wrong, start-ups are hard. Insane stress. Many ups and downs. Car wrecks along the way.
But there’s so much joy when a business plan becomes a real company that employs many people and has impact on the world.