It sounds like you already know what you want: to start your own company. But you are scared. You don't want to take the risk of leaving your company ("leaving a black mark on your resume"). If you are really passionate about building a company, you shouldn't give a shit about what your resume looks like or what people will think if you only worked at your current job for six months. That is just not something entrepreneurs should worry about, because you should always be 100% confident in your success, not worrying about what you'll do if you fail!
Also, consider the fact that even if you work on this company for six months and then fail/quit, employers won't think "this guy only worked at AmaGooFaceSoft for 6 months." They will think "this guy took initiative and spent 6 months building a cool product." You will positively impact your resume by building the business more than you will negatively impact it by leaving your current job before 1 year.
My advice is to ask yourself why you are scared. That seems like a signal that you do not believe in your product. If you are not 100% confident you can succeed, you shouldn't even start. Perhaps you should spend the next 6 months at your job refining the product idea and building up a bank balance (salary + options once they vest) to give yourself a 6+ month runway once you quit.
Also, don't be afraid of raising investment to cover your living expenses and the opportunity cost of spending the next 6 months at your job. You don't need to start with a million dollar round. You can raise enough to cover your living expenses ($100-250k) from angels via convertible debt. You could do this quite easily given your AmaGooFaceSoft background. Angel investors don't care how long you worked there, but they see it as a positive signal that AmaGooFaceSoft hired you in the first place. On the flipside, they would not see it as a positive signal if you are not 100% confident in your product.
Feel free to email me. I hate large corporations and am always happy to convince people to leave them.
Also, consider the fact that even if you work on this company for six months and then fail/quit, employers won't think "this guy only worked at AmaGooFaceSoft for 6 months." They will think "this guy took initiative and spent 6 months building a cool product." You will positively impact your resume by building the business more than you will negatively impact it by leaving your current job before 1 year.
My advice is to ask yourself why you are scared. That seems like a signal that you do not believe in your product. If you are not 100% confident you can succeed, you shouldn't even start. Perhaps you should spend the next 6 months at your job refining the product idea and building up a bank balance (salary + options once they vest) to give yourself a 6+ month runway once you quit.
Also, don't be afraid of raising investment to cover your living expenses and the opportunity cost of spending the next 6 months at your job. You don't need to start with a million dollar round. You can raise enough to cover your living expenses ($100-250k) from angels via convertible debt. You could do this quite easily given your AmaGooFaceSoft background. Angel investors don't care how long you worked there, but they see it as a positive signal that AmaGooFaceSoft hired you in the first place. On the flipside, they would not see it as a positive signal if you are not 100% confident in your product.
Feel free to email me. I hate large corporations and am always happy to convince people to leave them.