Ask HN: What stops you from starting today? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What stops you from starting today?

#71

Post by ynniv » Wed, Aug 18, 2010, 6:23 PM UTC

joshu wrote: post #57

bmelton wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having over-focussed on so many details in the past, let me offer some simple advice -- move past it. Start working on the product. The product that I'm building right now was named "something maybe" for weeks until the right name struck (that had an available domain name). Historically, I've moved forward in leaps and bounds until either a problem presented itself or I'd get bogged down in something so trivial as a…

Yeah, I'm not worried too much about the product name, but I do need to do the company named and incorporated (this is actually holding up funding at this point.) My last company had (IMO) a great name, so I'm struggling to measure up.

Is the company name as important as the product or domain name? The company name mostly appears on legal documents, and you can add a DBA once you find a domain name. Unless investors are waiting for a flashy name, you could file for a random company name right away.

Domain names are becoming a serious problem. I spent a couple of months coming up with names before finding something remotely passable. Even now I am not happy with what I have, but the dismal return on effort prevents me from wasting anymore time on it, at least until I have a growing customer base.

Re: Ask HN: What stops you from starting today?

#72

Post by BrandonM » Wed, Aug 18, 2010, 6:23 PM UTC

Gibbon wrote: post #44

I actually did start and was able to quit my job about a month ago.. and a week later I was in a drowning accident and ended up in the hospital with heat stroke, dehydration and acute kidney failure. Now I'm in limbo trying to recover as quickly as possible. I still have lower back pain near my kidneys which makes it hard to sit in a chair. It's not that bad actually, I'm just finding it really hard to get the motiva…

Maybe try setting up a standing desk?

Re: Ask HN: What stops you from starting today?

#73

Post by vgurgov » Wed, Aug 18, 2010, 6:27 PM UTC

ez77 wrote: post #47

I don't know enough. In particular, I don't know where to start, even for a simple project. A lot of what Paul Halmos called pencil sharpening . I'd love to see an hours-long screencast of how you guys kick off a project.

How about that:

Start by getting a job in "something you like". Learn maximum from it. When you will learn enough(you will feel that, believe me), just quit that company (bonus for taking some of its clients) and start you own!

Dark side, i know. But it works!

Re: Ask HN: What stops you from starting today?

#74

Post by raju » Wed, Aug 18, 2010, 6:27 PM UTC

keeptrying wrote: post #63

raju wrote: post #4

I guess I have a few issues - 1. Immigration - I am an immigrant which makes launching your own company hard. I have a few years before my permanent residency comes through 2. Point #1 can be very demotivating. I have some ideas, and I keep playing with projects [Nothing worth releasing, or even having much potential, mind you] but not knowing if and when I can actually do something about it proves very unsettling, a…

Its still possible man. I was in your place. I focussed on the problems instead of finding solutions for them. It is possible. If you email me then I can find the articles about people in your position who started companies. Its difficult but its better than sitting gloomily that you cant do anything (like I did for a while). Also theres so much to learn before you start your own venture - networks to be a part of, u…

I just sent you an email (using hackernewsers email facility). My email is in my HN profile, and I am also on hackernewsers. Thanks!

Re: Ask HN: What stops you from starting today?

#75

Post by mcgraw » Wed, Aug 18, 2010, 7:12 PM UTC

An immense amount of destractions are stopping me from really breaking down the doors. I've been doing independent game development for the past couple of years, but I haven't really been able to focus as much as I need to despite releasing two products.

I moved out to the bay with $1k just a 1.5yr ago to find a job after college. I thought it was going to be awesome. Found a job at a great company, got to meet some really great people, learned a lot, but come to find out my wife is not coping well with the new location which is really consuming time and energy. I spent the early part of this year trying to figure this puzzle out, but ultimately it is what it is.

So at this moment, I need to break away from the destractions. Moving back home in late December to the midwest where I can live on a fraction of what it costs out here. I'll have a happy wife that will have the ability to buy a house for 80k and will be with her family/friends. I plan to do consulting (which I'm already starting to build relationships for) to earn money to live / bootstrap with, and I'll start working on a business away from the gamedev train.

If building something in the midwest that ultimately brings me back to silicon valley, oo-rah. But, in the end, a location isn't going to define me.

Re: Ask HN: What stops you from starting today?

#76

Post by keeptrying » Wed, Aug 18, 2010, 7:30 PM UTC

ez77 wrote: post #47

I don't know enough. In particular, I don't know where to start, even for a simple project. A lot of what Paul Halmos called pencil sharpening . I'd love to see an hours-long screencast of how you guys kick off a project.

If no one will give you a project then give yourself one. Help someone - your mom, dad, brother, friend. Anyone. Make something that makes their lives easier. Thats really what all businesses do in the end. Make life a little easier for as many people as their product will allow.

Re: Ask HN: What stops you from starting today?

#77

Post by njharman » Wed, Aug 18, 2010, 9:42 PM UTC

vgurgov wrote: post #46

njharman wrote: post #39

I suffer depression. Mostly it's not that bad but it does mean that I never sustain the passion/effort required for a startup (or even modest personal projects). hmmmm, I think everything else is either fall out from the depression or an excuse to avoid facing fear. Fear of personal failure, fear that I'm not elite, fear that I don't "have what it takes", etc. I'm also "old", 40yr, and I hate to say it but I feel les…

Ok let me say this again. Its 100% fine not to be a founder and work for somebody. It is NOT a shame! You can leave full and happy life without it! Many do that! It might be that you read way too much HN - This resource pushes towards starting company. Its not the only way to go for hacker! Relax and enjoy your life! PS I was super surprised to see that so many replied about being stressed about not starting a compan…

Nah, I'm generally happy, I don't wanna be a founder (too much work/stress). I've run my own business, twice. Once into the ground ;) It's not for me, I'm fine with that. In my first post I had written and then deleted for not adding anything. "Happyness & lazyness. In that I'm happy and lazy enough to not try for something "better"."

Re: Ask HN: What stops you from starting today?

#78

Post by alex_h » Wed, Aug 18, 2010, 9:50 PM UTC

vgurgov wrote: post #18

jwdunne wrote: post #7

Salford in Greater Manchester (UK) is the antithesis of startup hub :(

Buy one way ticket to SF PS: I dont know why somebody downvoted this and dont really care about that. This was a case that changed lives for at least two friends of mine. I hope somebody might benefit from that. Its a question of like $500 for somebody in the UK. I fail to understand when ppl from well-developed countries complain for such small issues. Read what it takes from somebody from india china or pakistan to…

I suspect you're being downvoted by people who know what a huge amount of time and effort it actually takes to immigrate to the US.

There's also the minor technicality that USCIS won't let you in the country with only a one way ticket.

Re: Ask HN: What stops you from starting today?

#79

Post by adn37 » Wed, Aug 18, 2010, 10:56 PM UTC

bmelton wrote: post #33

Turns out? Nothing. I halfway participated in a hackathon recently, and since then, I've found myself... motivated. Usually when the urge strikes, my day job starts taking up too much time, or life happens, or I realize my idea is stupid. This time, however, I'm just going to go for it. I don't care that the product I'm building is in a VERY crowded space. I don't care that there's no 'killer feature' to draw the cro…

Exactly. At some point it's about making something real, just to make sure you still got it. Luck or not, this is another story.

Re: Ask HN: What stops you from starting today?

#80

Post by sshah » Wed, Aug 18, 2010, 11:59 PM UTC

raju wrote: post #4

I guess I have a few issues - 1. Immigration - I am an immigrant which makes launching your own company hard. I have a few years before my permanent residency comes through 2. Point #1 can be very demotivating. I have some ideas, and I keep playing with projects [Nothing worth releasing, or even having much potential, mind you] but not knowing if and when I can actually do something about it proves very unsettling, a…

You can file a LLC or S-Corp while on H1 or EAD. It requires you to maintain a full time job (it doesn't mean you cant have a business). USCIS has an entrepreneur category for Green card (I think its new and faster than regular categories). If your idea kicks in you can always switch to this category. You are in a good place to start something....in US.

dont wait