Episode 34: Risky Business: Why I left my corporate job for entrepreneurship

Teams at Work by BUNCH

In this week’s episode, we chatted with Louie Bacaj, who shared his journey from starting his career as an engineer in big tech to ultimately becoming an engineering leader at companies like Jet, Walmart, and Bank of America, where he has built teams and lead teams through massive growth, crisis, and various transitions.

Transitioning from the corporate world, Louie is now pursuing his passion as an entrepreneur, building Nines, and a creator, mentoring companies and individuals, and helping engineers navigate and succeed in their careers.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How a learner mindset can enable you to pursue any passion despite the risks

• What could be the future of big tech and what are the skills you need to acquire to succeed in it

• Why Louie made the decision to leave the big tech and become an entrepreneur, and a creator (and how he overcame the imposter syndrome on his journey)

• The principles of building lasting team relationships based on trust and transparency

• 3:00 - What inspired Louie’s transition from the corporate big tech world to entrepreneurship and creatorship

• 5:40 - Skills Louie had to learn as an engineer and engineering leader

• 6:00 - How does it feel to walk away from big money to chase your dreams as an entrepreneur

• 8:05 - Louie’s current projects and how he deals with imposter syndrome along the way

• 11:00 - What’s important for tech leaders now

• 14:15 - Why evolving technology caused trouble for big tech

• 16:30 - How to constantly stay in demand as an engineer

• 21:00 - Skills/traits people need to develop to succeed in the tech leadership roles

• 25:00 - How to grow in your career by always keeping the learner mindset

• 28:00 - How to stay on top of the relevant tech trends

Connect with Louie:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louiebacaj/

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/LBacaj

Connect with Darja:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darjagutnick/

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/darjagutnick

• Substack: https://weeklybriefing.substack.com/

Connect with Anthony:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyreo/

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/anthonyareo

Follow Bunch:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bunchai/

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/bunch_HQ

Become a better leader in 2 minutes a day with BUNCH, the AI Leadership Coach. Download it for FREE on the App Store