Anyone who here left their own ambitions to join a family business — worth it or a mistake?
I am 27M from India. I work in tech sales right now. I do not really like the job, but I am doing it to fund and learn while I build something of my own on the side. I am working 70 to 80 hours a week between both. The odds of success on my own are uncertain, but I genuinely enjoy the grind and the challenge.
I am selectively social. I have a close group of old friends and in the last two years I have made maybe 4 or 5 new friends. I have lived, studied, and worked in the same city my whole life. My goals are straightforward: earn well, travel, and eventually meet someone I connect with.
Here is the dilemma:
My family wants me to move to Sri Lanka and join the family business. The business makes serious money and the financial upside is massive and stable. The flip side is that the environment is full of extended family I do not want to be around. I do not know what my social or dating life would look like there. I worry that I will lose whatever independence and work style I currently have. It would mean leaving the life I built and the momentum I am trying to create for myself.
I am stuck between two paths:
- Stay here, keep grinding on something that may or may not work, but is mine.
- Move there, give up the life I sort of like, but gain guaranteed wealth and security.
For people who have faced a similar choice, leaving your own uncertain path for a guaranteed family business or staying and taking your own shot, what did you choose and do you regret it?
Any wisdom is much appreciated.
Posted Oct 29, 2025, 3:54 AM UTC