My commute would possibly look fairly uncommon to most individuals: I normally catch a 7 a.m. flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco each Wednesday and fly house each Friday night time — touring about 5 hours door-to-door every manner.

I by no means deliberate on turning into a supercommuter. However an sudden dialog changed into a job provide, and I discovered myself splitting my life between two cities.

I reside in Los Angeles, however I lead gross sales and advertising and marketing as Head of GTM (go-to-market) on the AI startup daydream. Along with two flights, my weekly commute additionally consists of too many Ubers and extra 4:30 a.m. alarms than I care to rely.

A 12 months into my supercommute, although, I can say that what began out as exhausting — and truthfully somewhat unhinged — changed into among the finest profession choices I’ve made.

This is why I selected this path, and what I’ve discovered from it.

The largest driver behind my resolution was entry. San Francisco’s AI scene has a focus of builders, thinkers, and off-the-record conversations that Los Angeles simply couldn’t match.

It is easy to underestimate the ability of proximity nowadays, however being within the room modifications every part. You meet somebody at a panel, seize espresso after, and immediately, you are a part of the dialog.

That is how I landed this position. I related with somebody in San Francisco over a shared curiosity in search engine marketing (search engine optimisation), which is the method of adapting your web site to achieve extra customers by search. A couple of chats later, they mentioned, “Is it crazy if we brought you on?” I had no gross sales background, however I mentioned sure and figured it out as I went.

These sorts of doorways do not normally open over Zoom. The final three roles I’ve landed all got here from face-to-face interactions. 

Being within the room helped me get my bearings and succeed as I pivoted to a brand new trade and a brand new job perform. It meant I might resolve issues shoulder-to-shoulder with colleagues, bounce concepts round in real-time, construct belief with shoppers, and increase crew morale. That is onerous to duplicate from a display. 

It is also the place I run my private finance teaching enterprise, Doing Effectively, within the evenings and on weekends. I began it after constructing a cash administration system to beat my very own monetary nervousness, and now we assist others do the identical.

Juggling a enterprise and a full-time job is exhausting, and being in Los Angeles — close to my assist system and lots of of my earliest shoppers — helps me keep grounded and motivated to maintain my facet hustle going. 

I did not need to surrender what both metropolis needed to provide, so I selected each, despite the fact that it meant residing out of a suitcase.

Regardless of the wins you would possibly see now, the primary few months had been onerous. I left a secure job. I’ve cried in Ubers and eaten solo dinners on the workplace. And I bounced between short-term leases, usually in sketchy neighborhoods, to save cash.

Usually, daydream encourages individuals to relocate. Since I made the selection to supercommute, the journey prices are on me. So I pay for each flight and lodge out of pocket, averaging round $450 per week. 

Janet Lee is the Head of GTM at daydream, an AI startup that helps firms develop by constructing and managing their end-to-end natural progress engine, from search engine optimisation to generative engine optimization (GEO). She additionally based Doing Effectively, a private finance firm that gives month-to-month teaching and bookkeeping to assist individuals handle their cash, construct higher habits, and make knowledgeable monetary choices. She usually shares private finance and profession insights on her socials @startdoingwell. Discover her on Linkedin.

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