I quit my full time job about a year and a half ago to focus work on blockchain related tech, with Steem being the primary platform I've been building for. Some of the tools I've created for Steem I have ended up adapting for other blockchain (like Decent, Golos, Muse, etc), but Steem so far has seen the largest adoption and maintains the largest userbase.
As for supporting - simply being in my witness position is about all the support I need to keep going at the moment. The top 20 witnesses are paid by the blockchain for producing blocks and that's primarily the funding I've been using to support myself. At some point this year my plan is to transition this into more than just a 1-man show, at which point I may end up exploring additional revenue sources to hire additional support to keep these projects evolving.
It's pretty remarkable that we have this autonomous blockchain that can provide these things and encourage people like myself to dedicate themselves to it's growth :)
Thank you for the insight into your situation. I completely agree as well. It is amazing that you are able to quit your job and support yourself by applying your talent to these blockchains as you seek to significantly add value. I hope very much your plan of hiring support works out. Man, if you can put some horsepower behind all that you want to accomplish, watch out steemit. I don't think there is any limit to what you can accomplish as I've been following you for a few months now and you are one of the most driven and productive people I've witnessed.