Ask HN: Founders who were established engineers. How did you make the change?

I am currently engineer/manager running a fairly large team in a stable well paying job. How did you guys make the jump? I find myself running into several problems

- Golden handcuffs - Legitimate problem/product - Cofounder

It is really easy to say "just quit and make the leap" but I am cautious about diving right into that. What are some little things you did that eventually got you there? I am trying to figure out a plan to get me there one step at a time.