After four years, I've decided to leave Gumroad and go full-time on my own projects. While the move to NYC didn't work out as planned, I'm grateful for the experience and ready to head back to Romania with my family by the end of the month. This move will extend our runway, giving me time to continue work on my own projects. My goal is for these apps to fully cover my expenses within one year. We'll see.
I ended things with Sahil on good terms, so we'll keep in touch and help each other wherever we can. I'm incredibly grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to write my name down in Gumroad's journey book.
During my time at Gumroad, I was fortunate enough to work alongside incredibly talented people who significantly shaped my growth. The Gumroad retreats in Rome and Bali will have a special place in my heart. It was amazing to meet my colleagues and their families IRL!
Some of my proudest achievements at Gumroad include building the initial content editor, a core feature for launching digital products, that's currently used by over 55,000 creators monthly and drives the majority of the company's GMV. I also contributed to Gumroad's 10-year anniversary rebrand and was part of the core team behind Flexile, a powerful platform serving as the business OS for US companies.
For Flexile, I built the Quickbooks integration, the IRS tax filing system (with which I filed taxes for nearly 10k investors and contractors over the past two years), invoice expenses, and custom docs. Additionally, I led the Flexile team for the last six months before leaving. Over my 50 months (nice round number!) at Gumroad, I contributed to nearly 2k pull requests. That's an average of 40 PRs per month, or at least 1 PR per day. Pretty neat!
I don't think I would've felt as confident as I am now that I'm able to become a solopreneur and make it, if I wouldn't have had these opportunities.
Even though my in-office experience was brief, I don't regret the decision to move here. The relocation was tough as hell, especially with a 20-month-old toddler. Long-haul flights at this stage are brutal, and the never-ending cycle of packing and unpacking without additional support makes it even harder. It’s 10x more challenging than moving alone or with just a partner.
We took a chance on the US because the initial offer was great, and we thought it was the ideal time for our daughter to adapt and learn a new language before getting enrolled into the educational system. However, this time around, it just doesn't feel right.
Someone recently mentioned that people would pay a fortune for an O-1A visa, like the one I got approved in just six days by USCIS. Yeah, I get it. Some might think I'm a coward or loser for stepping back from the "land of the brave." But honestly, this decision lifts a massive burden, allowing me to focus more clearly on achieving the financial independence I've always dreamed of and making it easier to raise our daughter with the support of our friends and parents around us.
Sahil offered to recommend me to other US companies, and I know I could've easily found another job here. Companies in NYC seem to hire engineers like crazy now. But here's the truth: I kept promising myself that after Gumroad, I'd build my own business. It's time to keep that promise.
Unfortunately, my current work visa restricts me to do that here in the US unless I get a green card, which would require at least $28k in legal and processing fees. That's to riskier of a bet for our family right now.
So instead of staying in one of the world's most expensive cities, it makes far more sense for us to return to Romania. Here, just one month's rent + full-time daycare expenses are equal to almost a year's worth of rent back at our house in Romania.
Saying goodbye to my best friends before moving to the US was one of the hardest things I had to do in my life. I'll never forget the strange mix of excitement and sadness. Smiling at the new adventure while simultaneously sobbing because I was unsure when I'd see them again and hang out IRL. I'm genuinely thrilled to know we'll soon be in walking distance from each other once again.
My plan upon returning is to focus on marketing Git Digest, the codebase reporting tool I started building in September. Currently, it sits at $38 MRR with two customers on autopilot. If this doesn't pan out, I have plenty of other app ideas I've never had time to tackle. With all the free time and AI, I should be able to launch these projects 10x faster.
Reflecting on my journey since joining Gumroad in 2021, I sometimes think I overstayed my time there. Maybe I should have embarked on this solopreneur journey sooner. Still, better late than never. So here's to new beginnings! 🥂
Signed,
The 60-day New Yorker