30yr old law grad with no traction and feeling hopeless

Hey All,

This is my first time posting so I hope its in the right place lol. Just for some background, Im 30 years old from NY (Long Island) and after law school, instead of going to practice, serendipitously founded my own tech/fitness startup that after running for a year, eventually got acquired by a large competitor, its a lot less glamorous then it sounds. I didn't walk away with millions or anything. After that I was doing freelance consulting for other startups and local businesses through word of mouth referrals.

I wanted to get into finance after law school but because of medical issues and how I fell into my startup, it was put aside. I come from a non-target school (hofstra undergrad and law) with no finance background but always had the interest in the markets. I took the Invest Like the Street course to learn more about being an analyst and how to value, model, etc. as well as to have something on my resume that shows something finance related. the course was great for me in a learning capacity but I also understand it may look like a joke to people already in the business and on the street, but i figured it showed my interest in learning more and hopefully being able to provide value if I ever got a job.

I finished the course around early December 2018 and since then have been trying to find jobs in NY, LA, SF and have had ZERO traction. I decided to get the WSO IB Interview course and also do mentor sessions offered by WSO to see if there was something different i could do. The mentor sessions were good and everyone said that I had a pretty good resume and they wouldn't change anything and that i was def suited for a job on wall street. A few mentioned that I should apply for associate positions, not just analyst positions and also private equity/VC analyst positions given my experience which sounded crazy to me but I have been doing more of that.

the mentors told me to use LinkedIn to reach out to my network for opportunities. the problem there was that everyone in my network is mostly lawyers or not in finance. I've sent a few messages to people in my network and a couple to people outside my network and was ignored, which is fine. I'm hesitant to be "that guy" that is in your inbox that you dont really know or dont know at all. Is it really what i have to do?

Sorry for rambling, just feeling pretty hopeless since it looks like there's no end in sight. If you guys have any recommendations or have dealt with this I'd love to hear or learn about how to better position myself...Thanks

 

I do not have nearly enough experience to provide great advice, but I would get more specific about what part of finance you want to do. Maybe PE of VC would be a good fir for you other than IB. Also, I think you have to come at it other than just your out of undergrad experience. You are probably gunning for associate level rather than analyst. And I would just be not afraid to network your ass off.

 

I have been looking in LA and SF, but haven't really been able to leverage it. I bootstrapped the company so there was no outside funding and the company that bought me did it to kill competition, I had to sign a pretty strict NDA so it wasn't a very public exit, more of hush money to go away lol

 

Have you thought about business school? They often like people with unorthodox background (and your law school + startup exit background definitely applies). I know a few people who did a variety of things before business school that weren't finance, and your resume will help you write good essays and stand out from thee crowd. If you went to a top business school you would definitely have an easier time getting into IB/PE/whatever you want.

 

If you are interested in VC (which it sounds like it since you are involved in startups) I am recruiting for my firm. If you re interested please lmk and I can private message you to see if we can work something out!!

Array
 

I have thought about it B School, but was hoping that i could land something without it. I dont know if Bschool is really worth it as just a resume builder. This may not sound right, but running a business has probably taught me more than business school could; i've also just done so much schooling that the thought of more is not enticing. keeping my options open but hoping thats not the route i'd have to take

 
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Dude: Starting and selling a business, even if you didn't get rich from it, is more difficult than pretty much anything anyone will ever do in banking. I realize it wasn't a massive exit and isn't paying the bills anymore, but don't sell yourself short.

Have you considered playing up the startup/bootstrap -> exit credential in your linkedin bio? It counts for a lot. How about starting a new one, but this time getting VC funding and aiming a little higher? As a second time (and first time successful) founder, you might get a welcome reception.

Alternatively, how about working as in house counsel or corp dev in the tech/fitness world you know?

 

Thanks for recognizing that, being a solo startup founder was an arduous but rewarding journey and taught me a lot and certainly helped me look at adversity differently. That being said, I'm not a serial entrepreneur, I just happen to think entrepreneurial. I'm not one of those founders that just start different business', especially being that I'm non-technical and dont know how to code lol. I just saw what i thought was a white space in the market and took a shot with the main goal to just not have regrets of "what if?"

I can try playing up that angle on LinkedIn better i suppose, good point! I have mainly been looking at financial positions in IB/PE because of my initial passion/interest for the markets and business in general and because I was under the impression that PE/HF/VC jobs were exit ops from IB. In house counsel/legal jobs dont really make me excited about the work i'd be doing.

I enjoy new challenges that im passionate about and those roles just dont do it for me. For some reason the financial world kinda does with the possibility of VC route as well.

 

Up to you, but I'd stay far away from finance. I think you will find it a tedious grind and unrewarding. You are probably very well qualified for a number of senior operating roles in tech/fitness - COO, business development, market development, etc. etc.

One other angle, you might look around for companies in your space that are owned by private equity firms. They're always looking for good people for their portfolio companies, and you'll almost certainly be working under a group of superstar managers (i.e. learning a ton). Comp will be good plus a leveraged equity position.

 

Respectfully, are you Fking kidding me, you "don't want to be 'that guy' in your inbox? Good, I'll be 'that guy' in your inbox, in your mailbox, at your reception desk, on your front lawn, in your guest room. Because if not, I'll be working for 'that guy'. Or worse, unable to even get a crummy job working for 'that guy'.

I don't mean to be harsh but this is America and people are risking their life to sneak in here for far less opportunity than you have in the palm of your hand.

The answer is wholly inside of you and you've got a great foundation to build on.

Good luck,

.

Global buyer of highly distressed industrial companies. Pays Finder Fees Criteria = $50 - $500M revenues. Highly distressed industrial. Limited Reps and Warranties. Can close in 1-2 weeks.
 

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