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RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

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Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#11

Post by codesushi42 »

tekkk wrote: post #9

I did not expect to read the whole thing through but I guess I just did. It's fascinating the inner struggle of someone so successful yet who still feels the need to find something bigger to accomplish, a higher mountain to climb. I feel for him, since life is not easy for most of us and he purposefully tries to make it harder for him. But I also think, that the meaning he so desperately wants can come from other thi…

That is what makes ambitious people successful. They always want more and never stop wanting more.

Those who are content with settling don't have the drive to make it.

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#12

Post by sudhirj »

ericmcer wrote: post #8

It is interesting that creating a healthy bar with 'No B.S.' seemed to be motivated entirely by money, no idealism, no concern for public health, etc. He was totally willing to sell to a massive corporation that will almost certainly dilute his product to save cash and his main concern around that seemed to be 'but what will I do now?'. Maybe his life doesn't seem empty now that he has money, maybe it has always been…

That seems like a partial mis-characterization - he did insist that the buyer keep the company as an independent unit and retain all the employees, which is about as much as you can do when you’re selling. And he was likely tired and burning out as well - better to sell than run it to the ground or wait till someone else kills you off.

That said, he does seem to have been hustling from a young age, so why not? Could have just as easily been a new department store chain or movie theatre chain that he started instead, and we wouldn’t think he had “no idealism, no concern for public health”. Why the negativity for a food company?

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#13

Post by bryanmgreen »

Seems like this individual is in need of a re-branding as much as the re-branding that turned RX Bar from a soulless company into a raging success.

(Shoutout to The McQuades and Scott & Victor for their incredible brand and package design work. http://www.themcquades.com/rx-bar)

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#15

Post by p_roz »

ericmcer wrote: post #8

It is interesting that creating a healthy bar with 'No B.S.' seemed to be motivated entirely by money, no idealism, no concern for public health, etc. He was totally willing to sell to a massive corporation that will almost certainly dilute his product to save cash and his main concern around that seemed to be 'but what will I do now?'. Maybe his life doesn't seem empty now that he has money, maybe it has always been…

His selfish motives resulted in a new product that many people seem to like. I think it’s amazing that we have a system that can harness his ambition, benefitting both him and the consumers of his product.

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#17

Post by klipt »

x0ner wrote: post #10
iandanforth wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. The trivial answer to 'reintroducing struggle' isn't even discussed.

“That’s one of the problems he seems to be grappling with: more money, generally, means less struggle, and if it’s struggle that made him, how does he find that going forward?”

Money only removes some struggles. As Steve Jobs found, even ridiculous money won't prevent you from struggling if you have terminal cancer.

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#18

Post by mfoy_ »

compiler-guy wrote: post #4

Actually getting the money itself in reality did happen overnight, but the setup took him years and thousands of hours of work and much blood sweat and tears. This isn't so much about what happens when you become rich quickly, as "What happens when you achieve your goal?"

Well, yes and no, the article does grapple with the issues of becoming rich. So... both things can be true.

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#19

Post by dropit_sphere »

iandanforth wrote: post #6
ocfnash wrote: post #5

According to Chekhov: "One is shy of asking men under sentence what they have been sentenced for; and in the same way it is awkward to ask very rich people what they want so much money for, why they make such a poor use of their wealth, why they don't give it up, even when they see in it their unhappiness"

This. The trivial answer to 'reintroducing struggle' isn't even discussed.

Sure, because that's not actually the problem.

What he was looking for was self-actualization. He thought he'd find that through building a company. He was wrong. That doesn't mean building a company js a bad thing! It's more like watering your plants when what they actually need is higher nitrate content.

It's easy to mock the rich for being at a bit of a loss on how to live life, but in their defense, they have fewer models to follow, and many of the most important lessons apply to private rather than public behavior.

There are lots of people out there who unironically believe that "if they only knew how to code" a lot of their problems would be solved. And perhaps they would---but new, unforeseen ones would arrive.

Re: RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire

#20

Post by ryanmarsh »

compiler-guy wrote: post #4

Actually getting the money itself in reality did happen overnight, but the setup took him years and thousands of hours of work and much blood sweat and tears. This isn't so much about what happens when you become rich quickly, as "What happens when you achieve your goal?"

It's like the reverse of the Hemingway quote:

"How did you go bankrupt?"

"Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly."

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