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ASK HN: I'm lost -- need direction

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ASK HN: I'm lost -- need direction

#1

Post by selfemploy »

Background:- I am a hacker/developer with over 10 years of experience working with cutting-edge software consulting company. Clients list includes fortune 500 companies many of them banks and some product companies. Skill set includes technology and project execution but not marketing and people management.I am married with kids.

Problem:- Always wanted to be an entrepreneur, right from the college days but never got myself to do anything about it. Now it seems time is running out.

Is it too late to get into startup mode?

Re: ASK HN: I'm lost -- need direction

#2

Post by vaksel »

No it's not, use your age to your advantage. All the kids are focusing on YATA or YAIA(yet another twitter app or yet another iphone app)...use your old age and life experience and develop something for the baby boomers.

I dunno, a site to create bucket lists with reminders emailed every 24 hours, something like that

Re: ASK HN: I'm lost -- need direction

#3

Post by cwan »

Absolutely not - but it'd probably be a good idea to find (hire or partner with) those who are strong where you're weak. Check this out - http://www.scribd.com/doc/17772299/Anatomy-of-an-Entrepreneu... - it gives an outline of what the typical entrepreneur looks like. For starters, a typical entrepreneur isn't just coming out of university (and that includes entrepreneurs of tech startups).

Re: ASK HN: I'm lost -- need direction

#4

Post by sachinag »

This is the question I always ask: do you want to be an entrepreneur or do you want to work for yourself?

Being an entrepreneur is about being so passionate about a product or service that you, and only you, can produce that you're willing to move heaven and earth to get it out there. Working for yourself means freeing yourself from the shackles of pointy haired bosses and stupid corporate policies.

Being an entrepreneur means going for the startup (or opening that bakery or what-have-you); working for yourself means setting out a shingle and starting a consulting practice.

If it's a little bit of column A and a little bit of column B, do the consulting practice for a year, then start your product on the side after you've built up a base of clients to support yourself.

Re: ASK HN: I'm lost -- need direction

#6

Post by selfemploy »

sachinag wrote: post #4

This is the question I always ask: do you want to be an entrepreneur or do you want to work for yourself? Being an entrepreneur is about being so passionate about a product or service that you, and only you, can produce that you're willing to move heaven and earth to get it out there. Working for yourself means freeing yourself from the shackles of pointy haired bosses and stupid corporate policies. Being an entrepre…

It is more of starting a company and doing everything that is needed to make it success. I have few product ideas but I am agile to change in ideas.

Re: ASK HN: I'm lost -- need direction

#8

Post by markbao »

> In fact, twice as many U.S.-born tech entrepreneurs start ventures in their 50s as do those in their early 20s.

- Kaufmann Foundation for Entrepreneurship, http://www.kauffman.org/Details.aspx?id=1784 "New Study Challenges Popular Perception of Founder Makeup of Technology and Engineering Companies"

The idea of college being "the time" to start a startup is the fact that it's lower-risk, because you can always fall back on college. There is no reason that it is the only time to start a startup; on the contrary, any time is the right time.

I know many an entrepreneur who have started businesses who are well into their 40s and married with children. Your experience is valuable; use it!

Re: ASK HN: I'm lost -- need direction

#10

Post by nostrademons »

cwan wrote: post #3

Absolutely not - but it'd probably be a good idea to find (hire or partner with) those who are strong where you're weak. Check this out - http://www.scribd.com/doc/17772299/Anatomy-of-an-Entrepreneu... - it gives an outline of what the typical entrepreneur looks like. For starters, a typical entrepreneur isn't just coming out of university (and that includes entrepreneurs of tech startups).

PDF version:

http://www.kauffman.org/uploadedFiles/ResearchAndPolicy/TheS...

And Google cache HTML:

http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:FKhjp-qc6sIJ:www.kauffm...

I never thought I'd find myself suggesting a PDF version, but I really do hate iPaper that much. If only Scribd had put all that effort into doing a PDF to HTML converter that doesn't suck...

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