One Year In: What I Learned After Leaving Google to Build My Own Company

One year ago, I walked away from a great career to start my own company.

It’s been a year, and my company still hasn’t launched.

Here’s what I did, what I learned, and what’s next.

The Moment I Knew It Was Time

In November 2023, I got an offer I couldn’t refuse.

My role at Google was being eliminated, and I had two choices: find another role within the company or take a generous severance package. For years, I had wanted to quit.

I believed there was so much untapped potential inside companies like Google—brilliant people who, if they had the courage to leave, could make an even bigger impact on the world. I didn’t want to wake up at 50 still working for someone else. I wanted to build something of my own.

But I was afraid to leave.

Then one day, the decision was made for me.

At 47, I left to become an entrepreneur. I wanted to build something that helps people take control of their finances—so they can make smarter decisions and create more opportunities in their lives.

Lesson #1: My Biggest Advantage Was Also My Biggest Weakness

I thought my experience at Google would be my greatest asset. It turned out, unlearning was just as important as what I already knew.

The first shock? Time and energy management.

Suddenly, my calendar was empty. No late-night calls with Mountain View. No back-to-back meetings. No corporate travel. I thought this would mean total focus on my startup, but instead, life rushed in.

• I wanted to travel to all 50 U.S. states and 47 Japanese prefectures before turning 50.

• My teenage daughters needed more of my time as they navigated their final years of school.

• I became the default person for all the little things—dog walks, errands, scheduling.

• I started practicing yoga. I joined Toastmasters and became club president.

On paper, this might look like I was avoiding work. But breaks aren’t failures. After college, I took a year to travel around China before starting at Dell. Before Google, I spent two weeks volunteering at my kids’ school. Every major career shift in my life started with a reset.

This past year was another reset. And something better always follows.

Lesson #2: No One Else is Coming to Save You

At Google, if I needed something done, I had a team of talented, highly motivated people who could execute flawlessly. I had managers, colleagues, and resources at my disposal.

Then, overnight, that safety net was gone.

• Need a logo? Find a contractor.

• Need content? Hire a freelancer.

• Need leads? Figure it out.

At first, I assumed I could delegate like before. But I quickly learned you can’t outsource ownership.

The truth hit me hard: No one else cared whether my business succeeded or even existed.

That led to a deeper question: Did I care enough?

Was I making enough sacrifices for what I wanted? Did I even know what I wanted? Was I just keeping myself busy and hoping a business would magically come together?

That was my biggest revelation: It’s all up to me.

No title, no team, no one to hide behind. If I don’t make this work, it doesn’t work.

Lesson #3: I Had to Relearn the Two Most Important Skills in Business

For two decades, I was a middle manager. My job was to strategize, coach, and navigate corporate politics.

What I wasn’t doing? Creating and selling.

The two most essential jobs in any business—creating and selling—had been buried under layers of meetings, planning, and slides. I had only been hands-on in the first few years of my career before moving into management. Now, I had to start from scratch.

This past year, I learned:

✅ How Japan’s financial system really works—from pensions to NISA, and why so many people are unprepared.

✅ How banks are struggling to attract new customers—and why fintech startups (like mine) have the upper hand.

✅ How to create CNBC-style finance content using just Canva—without a design team or production budget.

✅ How to build a fully functional net worth tracking app in FlutterFlow—with no coding experience for over 20 years.

✅ How to automate portfolio rebalancing and market insights with Google Cloud—turning data into action.

I’m still learning fintech. A year ago, I didn’t even know where to start.

Leading is different from doing. One year ago, I had never built and sold a product from scratch. Today, I can do both.

It’s not revenue yet. But it’s growth—and that keeps me moving forward.

The Takeaway: Keep Moving Forward

A year in, I’ve learned this:

Success doesn’t come from knowing what to do. It comes from doing. Adapting. Doing again.

So if it’s been a year, and you’re not where you thought you’d be—good. That means you’re in the middle of your story, not the end of it.

Keep waking up at 4AM. Keep building. Let’s go!