合夥人：「真的要想清楚，創業後的生活型態真的會跟你之前的生活完全不同。」
剛開始聽到這個提醒，我心裡想：「這是不是在警告我，創業會讓生活更累而且品質更差？」
在 MTK 8 年半，還以為自己可以作到退休。可惜沒有拿到 10 年的紀念金幣。在 MTK 一路從 Data infrastructure , business dashboard, prediction, reinforcement learning 做到 LLM，感謝一路上前輩同事合作一起學習成長。
跟大部分的人一樣，工作中總是有喜歡的部分也有不喜歡的部分。大概在第 7 年的時候，就開始思考為什麼自己好像在目前的工作上慢慢的沒有熱情。常常滑手機到半夜捨不得睡覺，逃避睡覺醒來就要去上班的生活。覺得很迷惘，也曾經請假坐在公園發呆幾個小時思考自己到底是怎麼了，接下來要怎麼辦。看了好多的心理類型的書籍跟 podcast 才慢慢嘗試在工作有限的範圍類試著把自己想嘗試的做法跟想法帶入，也試著自己在下班之後進修專案管理課程。運氣很好也因為一直以來一直專注在 Data 相關的領域，所以才有這次的踏出一步的機會。
決定創業後，我們一邊組建團隊，一邊收集顧客需求。每週固定與團隊開會討論，有機會向客戶 pitch 時就請假參加。過程中遇到許多優秀的夥伴、合作對象和客戶，投入越多，越發現自己的不足。晚上和假日，我就閱讀從 Google 或各處找來的創業書單：創業心態、股權結構、公司成立流程、招募面試、團隊經營、教練模式、僕人領導、行銷、銷售、怎麼說故事等等。這陣子，我把晚上報復性熬夜滑手機的時間都拿來看書了。奇妙的是，一邊白天工作，一邊晚上籌備新創，明明事情更忙更多，平均睡眠時間反而比過去多了一個小時，也更早起不賴床。
我自己後來想一想，推測也這就是找到自己想做的事，也真的去嘗試了，不管是從外部的或是自我感覺的也真的得到好的正向的回饋。甚至我覺得不管最後是成功或失敗，至少過程就是我喜歡也正在享受的。
題外話：推薦大家多利用圖書館，下載圖書館 APP，預約想看的書，等書送到離家近的分館就行。在捷運上看書真的很有氣質 ：）
對了，我並不是鼓勵大家創業。我想鼓勵的是：勇敢踏出第一步，去嘗試那些你心裡想過卻一直沒做的事，不管是一件還是好幾件。祝福大家都能找到自己願意投入時間、享受過程的事情。真的很值得，共勉之。
很喜歡 “最後一次相遇我們只談喜悅” 裡大主教說的一句話，跟大家分享。
你是尚待完成的傑作
YOU ARE A MASTERPIECE IN THE MAKING
Translated by AI
Co-founder: You really need to think this through - your lifestyle after starting a business will be completely different from your previous life.
When I first heard this warning, I thought to myself: Is this a warning that entrepreneurship will make life more exhausting and lower quality?
I spent 8.5 years at MTK, thinking I could work there until retirement. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the 10-year commemorative coin. At MTK, I progressed from data infrastructure, business dashboards, prediction, and reinforcement learning all the way to LLM. I’m grateful to all the seniors and colleagues I learned and grew with along the way.
Like most people, there were always parts of the job I enjoyed and parts I didn’t. Around the 7th year, I started wondering why I seemed to be gradually losing passion for my current work. I would scroll through my phone until late at night, unwilling to sleep, avoiding the reality that waking up meant going to work. I felt lost and even took time off to sit in a park for hours, pondering what was wrong with me and what to do next. After reading many psychology books and podcasts, I slowly tried to incorporate my ideas and approaches within the limited scope of work, and I also studied project management courses after work. Fortunately, because I had always focused on the data field, I had this opportunity to take a step forward.
After deciding to start a business, we began building our team while gathering customer needs. We held regular weekly team meetings and took time off to pitch to clients when opportunities arose. Throughout the process, I met many outstanding partners, collaborators, and clients. The more I invested, the more I realized my shortcomings. In the evenings and on weekends, I read through startup book lists I found on Google and elsewhere: entrepreneurial mindset, equity structure, company formation procedures, recruitment and interviewing, team management, coaching models, servant leadership, marketing, sales, storytelling, and more. Recently, I’ve been using the time I used to spend revenge bedtime procrastinating on my phone to read books instead. Strangely enough, while juggling my day job and preparing for the startup at night - clearly busier with more on my plate - I actually sleep an average of one hour more than before and wake up earlier without hitting snooze.
Thinking back, I suppose this is what happens when you find something you want to do and actually try it - you receive positive feedback, whether from external sources or self-perception. I even feel that regardless of whether it ultimately succeeds or fails, at least the process is something I enjoy and am currently savoring.
Side note: I highly recommend using the library. Download the library app, reserve books you want to read, and wait for them to be delivered to a branch near your home. Reading on the MRT really makes you look sophisticated :)
By the way, I’m not encouraging everyone to start a business. What I want to encourage is: be brave and take that first step to try those things you’ve thought about but never done, whether it’s one thing or several. I wish everyone can find something they’re willing to invest time in and enjoy the process. It’s truly worthwhile - let’s encourage each other.
I really love this quote from “The Book of Joy” by the Archbishop, and I’d like to share it with you all.
YOU ARE A MASTERPIECE IN THE MAKING