A very interesting question, which prompted me, a silent HACKERNEWS user, to post my first comment.
I graduated from university in 2007 and started my first job as a programmer. I began full-time entrepreneurship in 2010.
I am in China, working in the internet industry. The company I work for is listed on NASDAQ and is comparable to the level of the FANG companies.
Over the past 14 years, I have undergone two entrepreneurial ventures, both of which have been successful. One of the companies is relatively large, with hundreds of employees, while the other one is quite small, with around 20 people, both running stably.
Here are my answers to the questions:
1. No, and I had no income after resigning, this is a fact.
2. Countless pivots, extremely tormenting.
3. The income curve was zero for a long time, even during the stable operation periods of the businesses, the income and profit fluctuated from time to time due to the global situation and economic conditions being very unstable in recent years.
4. I have always maintained the habit of coding and might fully return to software engineering in my next venture, possibly by starting a game software company.
5. The first one was with friends, and the second one I completed independently.
6. Entrepreneurship is very difficult, and earning an income is hard. I think the key point of my personal story is that my financial situation was very dire for a long time. Since programmer salaries are very high, my colleagues who didn't venture into entrepreneurship had a very comfortable life, while I was tormented every day. After 14 years of entrepreneurial life, my personal financial situation improved around the 7th or 8th year. Of course, I am now a standard affluent class (currently 40 years old), but I am not intoxicated by wealth. My mental state also experienced significant ups and downs, and there was a period when I had to rely on medication. During this process, I gained some religious beliefs, which have enriched my perspective on the world.