Building a company is fucking hard • Hacker News Board

Re: Building a company is fucking hard

#71

Post by the_clarence » Wed, Nov 28, 2018, 3:46 PM UTC

lotsofpulp wrote: post #36

cik wrote: post #7

There's an old adage that successful people surround themselves with success. It's all about cohort - if you don't have other friends who are pushing themselves the way you are, it will be very, very, hard. It doesn't matter if you're in tech and your friend is in gardening, what matters is the shared struggle, and dreams. It helps knowing you're in a boat others have been in before. Spouses/partners can understand a…

This is why it's important to grow up in the right zip code, do well in school, score high enough on standardized tests, get into the best universities. If you want to maximize your chances of getting to the top, the best way to do that is to know the right people.

I have the opposite experience. And still managed to surround myself with like-minded people. What did I do? I did what the op wrote:

> I find goals that excite me, and I dedicate every molecule in my body towards achieving this goal.

I did this for many things. And I finally connected the dots.

Re: Building a company is fucking hard

#72

Post by PopeDotNinja » Wed, Nov 28, 2018, 3:46 PM UTC

jacknews wrote: post #44

Some very good points, though the tone slightly reminds me of the the Mark Twain quote: “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” It's certainly very difficult to start a business from scratch, and to grow it. A trick is if you can spin off a job into a contract, int…

> A trick is if you can spin off a job into a contract, into a larger contract, etc, with the same customer(s), ideally people who may move to larger companies, and carry the relationship with them.

Similar story for me. I had what I thought of as a temp job Client #1. The CTO of Client #1 liked the work I was doing & introduced me to the CEO of Client #2. I was like, "hey, am I allowed to work for 2 companies at once", and they were like "sure!". And that's how my brain flipped from temping to consulting.

Re: Building a company is fucking hard

#73

Post by simonebrunozzi » Wed, Nov 28, 2018, 3:46 PM UTC

tnolet wrote: post #66

Not dissing the general message. Startups can be brutal, but still. Dude is 22 and claims having seen more hardship than others. Try dealing with raising kids, health issues, sick family members, dying friends, mid life (all of which will probably happen as you near the age 40) and a startup will look like a pleasant distraction from the actual hard stuff in life. I,d say enjoy being 22, don’t take yourself to seriou…

Completely agree with you, and was going to comment the same.

Perhaps at 22 you don't have the full perspective of what life can be. I certainly didn't at that age (now I'm 41 and I guess I have a better perspective for sure).

Re: Building a company is fucking hard

#74

Post by ryanmarsh » Wed, Nov 28, 2018, 3:47 PM UTC

I can remember feeling similarly at his age and expressing myself similarly. I think others here shouldn’t fault him for behaving in a manner commensurate with his age and experience level. This guy will mature over time. He will some day be 40 and if he keeps learning like this he might be pretty successful. You could use this opportunity to get to know him.

Re: Building a company is fucking hard

#75

Post by ogn3rd » Wed, Nov 28, 2018, 3:48 PM UTC

tnolet wrote: post #66

Not dissing the general message. Startups can be brutal, but still. Dude is 22 and claims having seen more hardship than others. Try dealing with raising kids, health issues, sick family members, dying friends, mid life (all of which will probably happen as you near the age 40) and a startup will look like a pleasant distraction from the actual hard stuff in life. I,d say enjoy being 22, don’t take yourself to seriou…

Exactly. Stopped reading after the first sentence.

Re: Building a company is fucking hard

#76

Post by refurb » Wed, Nov 28, 2018, 3:48 PM UTC

vinceguidry wrote: post #17

dqpb wrote: post #15

> I have yet experienced more in these four years than most people do in all of their lives. Lol, hearing that from a 22 year old.

I think anybody that would say this is very likely completely right about it, despite their age.

That would only be true if starting a business was the only thing that mattered in life. However, we know that's not true.

Re: Building a company is fucking hard

#77

Post by porphyrogene » Wed, Nov 28, 2018, 3:49 PM UTC

saiya-jin wrote: post #58

porphyrogene wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is difficult to take someone seriously when they introduce themselves by saying something like that. Experiencing life is not a competition, nor is it a valid bragging point. I guess it is good to know that there are some painfully obvious lessons that are not learned by building a company.

Indeed, whenever I hear something along those lines, its obvious that I talk to young immature person, who experienced quite a bit in a very narrow part of life, and not much more. Arrogance never helped anybody, did it. Truly experienced people who properly seen-it-all get a proper dose of humility about themselves, the world and the others. You can really feel it from them. Unlike this kiddo.

I can relate to him. I used to think that adulthood was a permanent state, that I would feel the same age at 30 as I did at 20. That is not the case, I feel exactly the age that I am and I learned just as much in my last ten years as I did in the ten years prior.

Re: Building a company is fucking hard

#78

Post by ryanmarsh » Wed, Nov 28, 2018, 3:50 PM UTC

tw1010 wrote: post #27

I mean, if you're experienced, plan ahead (mentally and economically), and have a good idea and product market fit, it doesn't have to be torture, or even that hard. It's like trying to prove a really hard theorem. For Goedel proving the incompleteness theorem was probably incredibly hard, but he did achieve it in the end (thanks to previous experience and training and because he tackled a good problem with respect t…

Business is hard when you get emotionally invested. Otherwise it’s just work. As I’ve gotten older I feel like the latter perspective has helped me handle the challenges better and make better decisions.

The more I look at my business as “just work” and not some egotistical search for meaning the better I am at it.

Re: Building a company is fucking hard

#79

Post by barry-cotter » Wed, Nov 28, 2018, 3:50 PM UTC

DoofusOfDeath wrote: post #70

tnolet wrote: post #66

Not dissing the general message. Startups can be brutal, but still. Dude is 22 and claims having seen more hardship than others. Try dealing with raising kids, health issues, sick family members, dying friends, mid life (all of which will probably happen as you near the age 40) and a startup will look like a pleasant distraction from the actual hard stuff in life. I,d say enjoy being 22, don’t take yourself to seriou…

I agree with everything you said, but it really feels like you're laying the groundwork for a smackdown by an 80 year old.

Everyone you love will die and you will be a stranger in your own country.

Re: Building a company is fucking hard

#80

Post by jbigelow76 » Wed, Nov 28, 2018, 3:51 PM UTC

the_clarence wrote: post #65

dalbasal wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In fairness, I feel like I had more formative experiences between 16-20 than I have since (35). Young adulthood tends to be eventful and formative in a way people's 30s usually aren't. Throw in entrepreneurship... It's not that far fetched.

Can’t agree more. I experience and changed a lot when I was in my early 20s. Now life moves slowly.

I can't make assumptions as to whether you or the gp have kids, but I didn't have my first until 37 and the second last year at 41. For me personally, having kids was the single most trans formative experience of my life with regards to how I have to examine my life and the world around me. Nothing before that came anywhere close, perhaps if I had lost a parent/sibling when I was younger or had enlisted after 9/11 I could say something else was in the same league, but as it stands, kids in my late 30s is it for me :)