I moved to Austin jobless in the summer of 2012 after having worked exclusively on self-funded passion projects for 2 years. I won’t even call my projects “startups” because that would be hyperbole.
Basically I split my time between playing online poker, creating an online dating ebook, and writing a blog in the self-help / humor niche.
While I enjoyed the freedom and thrills of entrepreneurship I needed the stability and financial security of a job that could provide guaranteed income. So job hunting, I went.
Everyone told me that my best bet to find a job in Austin was to contact friends & family and see what kind of opportunities came my way. It was also suggested to me that it was best “to just settle” for my first job in Austin and then use that job to network and position myself for a better job once I knew more people in town.
That sort of strategy wasn’t for me.
I don’t like asking for help. And, naturally, I wanted the most sought after job in Austin: marketer for a small tech company / startup.
I found out later that the marketing job I got had a 100+ qualified applicants.
Here’s how I got it.