I was there. Didn't take the deal. Ended up filing chapter 7. That really sucked. Life moves on, it really does. Try to know what your heart is really trying to say before you say no or yes.
Ask HN: I don't want to be a founder anymore
311–320 of 527 posts
Re: Ask HN: I don't want to be a founder anymore
#312Earlier quoted context omitted.
> You must be a prudish woman. And if they are? Still welcome here. Shit like this is not appropriate. Either stop saying it, or get out.
Hey there White Knight. Don't tell me to get out or stop expressing a valid viewpoint. Your attitude of censorship betrays your position.
> Your attitude of censorship betrays your position.
And your spouting sexist comments cowering behind an hour old throwaway account with negative karma betrays how disgusting you are.
Delete your throwaway, delete your real account and get out of this community. You're not welcome here.
Re: Ask HN: I don't want to be a founder anymore
#313Are you familiar with the concept of the False dilemma[0]? It seems as if you've limited yourself to an "either/or" situation when in fact there are countless other possible solutions to this problem. Here are some possible alternatives: - find a leadership coach and/or mentor - delegate the parts of your job that you like the least - find a way to reduce stress in your life (exercise, hobby, etc) - try professional…
Great advice, thanks, to add to this, don't worry about the state of your existing product, it's what it is, if you are acquired it is more likely for your presence, reputation and talent than for actual lines of code. [edit] spend some time forest bathing if you can!
Re: Ask HN: I don't want to be a founder anymore
#314I've been there. I was unhappy, I left, I felt better. Later I started other businesses. In my case the threshold is ~200 people; after that I don't really recognize everyone. In once case I was having fun but my wife was miserable. In all these cases I was glad I left. Now: if an acquisition truly is imminent, and you can hang on a bit longer, go for it. The buyer will be able to find someone to run the business, pe…
+1 for talking therapy, all drugs have a risk profile, however low, I've never encountered anyone who has come to harm through talking therapy (prove me wrong, but it's rare right!), and trying that first still leaves the drug option if things seem to reach a crisis point.
Re: Ask HN: I don't want to be a founder anymore
#315I feel your pain. I honestly think you should talk to your wife or your close friends about this. You'll be surprised how people help out when they know you are in distress.
Also, taking on a different activity that involves leadership might greatly help in boosting your morale. What you have done with your company is quite commendable that you should be proud of. If I were you, I would focus all my energies on the company's future post acquisition. To think of ways of growing the company beyond what it is today and see the acquisition as a possible out in that direction, not the end goal in itself might be helpful. You might also want to try to accomplish something in a field that you have no clue about but is not super hard on your brain. For instance, you could learn ballroom or Tango. You could also join a basic mountaineering course. You'll be out in the nature and accomplishing an endurance task. All your energies will be focused away from your day to day mind numbing activities and towards accomplishing a very different goal.
Good luck !
Re: Ask HN: I don't want to be a founder anymore
#316Earlier quoted context omitted.
> - Lose respect for you - start hunting for a better provider (Don't be surprised if she starts staying out late and you find she cheated on you) > - she will work to limit your access to your children. > Make your decision (and make it final with only input from your closest friends and parents/brothers/etc) Your misogyny is not welcome here. Get out.
This is not about hating woman. You are pulling the 'misogyny' card and don't know what you are talking about. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging that a woman (or anyone) will want someone who is stable emotionally and doesn't cry to them over making serious money because "unhappy". I will never tell me enemies to "get out" or label them with a word to shame them. Look in the mirror. Your comment history is so…
> I will never tell me enemies to "get out" or label them with a word to shame them.
LOL and yet you called me a white knight literally one minute after you posted this comment. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14422213
Stew in your misogyny and hypocrisy elsewhere so we don't have to deal with you here kthx.
Re: Ask HN: I don't want to be a founder anymore
#317Re: Ask HN: I don't want to be a founder anymore
#318Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is a tone deaf and just plain wrong comment. Who are you to be posting these negative words from a throwaway? Why don't you tell us your real identity as a successful entrepreneur if you're such a hot shot? OP, it's perfectly normal to be feeling this way. Humans aren't built to take the constant stress that growing a company requires. There's nothing wrong with talking out your problems in therapy with a profes…
It is tone deaf. But he's right. OP, trust us when we say that crying to your wife will cause more harm. Take as much money in as short of period of time as possible (after acquisition) then eject ASAP and only THEN deal with your issues. If you eject now, you will be broke, wifeless and still fucked in the head. May as well have a few 100k (or more) in the bank and be still fucked up than being broke and fucked up.
Rough words, but yeah, definitely better to cry in rolls royce that hunting food stamps in a corolla
Re: Ask HN: I don't want to be a founder anymore
#319Groom someone to take over your role. Be honest with your cofounders, tell them you're feeling burned out and you need to take a step back to keep your sanity. > The product is just too complicated (tons of domain knowledge required) for someone to come in and take over. I doubt that this is actually true. It may take them time to ramp up, but you're there to guide them and mentor them. > Additionally, the product ju…
I'd like to add something to the simple CRUD app perspective. Make sure you hiring the right people for the job. An engineer with 15 years of senior experience might be bored working on crud apps and might be the wrong person for the job. But a junior engineer, someone fresh out of an engineering academy, or someone early in their career might be excited by the challenge. Everyone says they want to hire "the best". T…
Conversely, an engineer with 15-20 year's experience may have - and want - a life outside work. And be very happy to trade-off an exciting project for one that allows them to work without using all their mental energy. Because right now there's enough other challenges in life.
Re: Ask HN: I don't want to be a founder anymore
#320The problem you are experiencing is a result of the lack of systems and processes in your business. You need to make an important hire- you are missing a systematic. See, creatives like you are awesome at solving problems but hate to have structure and order because it doesn't allow you 100% freedom. But, as a result, you just have 100% creativity/problem solving- which is draining. The worst thing is, you can't even…
Do you have somewhere we can sign up to be notified when the book comes out?