Julie Zhu Startup Strategy | How She Scaled Before Quitting

Preparing for the Transition

Julie Zhu, a former Apple employee, spent eight months maintaining a 13-hour daily grind to establish her own venture while remaining employed. Despite pressure from peers to quit immediately, Zhu stayed at her desk to secure the financial and logistical runway needed for her artist collectible startup, Odd One In. The decision to ignore the standard startup advice of jumping into the deep end without a plan allowed her to maintain stability during a period of wider industry instability.

Zhu recognized early that the traditional narrative of quitting a stable job to pursue a dream blindly did not suit her risk tolerance or personal circumstances. She established a strict checklist before submitting her resignation. This list included confirming her cofounder, validating her product idea, and ensuring she had three to five years of financial runway. This approach provided a buffer against personal financial stress and helped her secure the support of her family, who were also entrepreneurs.

The Dual-Employment Reality

Starting in December 2024, Zhu formalized her business operations while continuing her responsibilities at Apple. She verified with the company’s internal teams that her side project did not violate conduct agreements. Her daily schedule became an exercise in discipline. A typical day started with a 5:30 a.m. gym session, followed by two hours of startup development before clocking into her primary role. After concluding her duties at 5 p.m., she returned to her venture until 10:30 p.m.

This schedule was not merely a reaction to workload but a calculated move to meet specific milestones. By tracking her progress against set goals, Zhu kept her motivation high and turned long hours into intentional development. She relied on savings accumulated during her corporate career to handle personal costs while the startup reinvested its revenue into production and artist payments.

Long-Term Considerations for Founders

By August 2025, the weight of balancing both roles became unsustainable. The decision to leave Apple arrived only when the business generated enough traction to warrant full-time commitment. Zhu notes that while her startup, Odd One In, generated close to six figures in its first year, she remains bootstrapped and focused on growth over salary.

This transition serves as a counterpoint to the common advice that speed is the only metric for success. For founders, the choice to remain in a corporate role can offer the necessary safety net to build a sustainable business model without external debt. Future founders should consider whether they possess the discipline for dual roles and if the security of a corporate paycheck provides the peace of mind required to execute their vision properly.