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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

#81

Post by jacobush »

ryandrake wrote: post #72
tachyonbeam wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. I also grew up poor and now live comfortably. Having my own place with no roommates (or mentally ill family members screaming at me) brings me a lot of peace. Being able to just uber somewhere when I have an appointment but feel too tired to take public transit for 45 minutes makes my life easier. There are a lot of problems in life that you can make disappear (or simplify a lot) by throwing a little money at…

I often hear the “money isn’t everything” platitude from people who already have it. It’s gatekeeping. See also: “You don’t REALLY want to be promoted like I was—it’s so much more stress and work. You should be happy as an individual contributor!”

I like to say, money can't buy happiness, but it can keep at bay a whole lot of the kind of grief and worrying that comes with just scraping by.

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

#82

Post by umeshunni »

solotronics wrote: post #78
misiti3780 wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

they are a good snack right before you lift weights ... they do taste like shit but who cares

Business idea: rX bar that doesnt taste like shit.

Most of those involve adding copious amounts of sugar to make the bars taste bearable. This, of course, has other health negatives. I've seen protein bars with 50+ grams of sugar in them!

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

#83

Post by mywittyname »

solotronics wrote: post #78
misiti3780 wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

they are a good snack right before you lift weights ... they do taste like shit but who cares

Business idea: rX bar that doesnt taste like shit.

Cut out three of the ingredients from each bar.

4 Cashews, No BS

1 Egg, No BS

2 Dates, No BS

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

#84

Post by orasis »

dvt wrote: post #51

I don't like articles like this for two reasons: (1) they trivialize actually building a company, growing it, and selling it, and (2), they provide comfort for those that don't have the drive/luck/privilege of getting there by arguing that "hey, money doesn't make you happy!" First of all, as others mention in the thread, this is hardly an example of an "overnight success" -- there are no such examples, barring a few…

Spot on. People also don't realize that spending money effectively is a skill. $1000 bottles of champagne are for those that lack creativity with how to deploy their capital. Those of us who practice conscious spending can derive significant joy from money.

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

#86

Post by tempsy »

soneca wrote: post #70
tempsy wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He went from nothing to $600M in 5 years. It isn't "technically" overnight but 5 years is not that long. And the 7-10 grind was probably only true of year 0-1. RxBar got a lot of traction well before they were sold, and so to believe he was grinding for the entire 5 years in the same way he was in the basement when they first started is a bit naive. Worse than "overnight millionaire" porn is "hustle" porn. The truth…

> "RxBar got a lot of traction well before they were sold, and so to believe he was grinding for the entire 5 years in the same way he was in the basement when they first started is a bit naive" I would have the opposite perception. That it is naive of your part assuming that once a business gets good traction that its founders start working less hours.

If they kept working the same hours as when they just start up then it's because they want to and not because they need to. Your sales figures once you achieve product market fit is not a function of how many hours you can work in a day.

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

#87

Post by christiansakai »

steve_adams_86 wrote: post #47

I wonder if he struggles with these underlying things not because of the money but because of his own grappling with his success and identity. The money makes these things louder because he 'made it' yet nothing is better. I grew up on the 'stupid list' too (I was the only kid who made it on there one year), and like him, I suffer from ADHD. Growing up as the idiot does serious damage, and it drives you to succeed li…

This hits too close too home :(

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

#88

Post by dr_dshiv »

ryandrake wrote: post #72
tachyonbeam wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. I also grew up poor and now live comfortably. Having my own place with no roommates (or mentally ill family members screaming at me) brings me a lot of peace. Being able to just uber somewhere when I have an appointment but feel too tired to take public transit for 45 minutes makes my life easier. There are a lot of problems in life that you can make disappear (or simplify a lot) by throwing a little money at…

I often hear the “money isn’t everything” platitude from people who already have it. It’s gatekeeping. See also: “You don’t REALLY want to be promoted like I was—it’s so much more stress and work. You should be happy as an individual contributor!”

It's also embarrassment at success, rather than deliberate gatekeeping. It holds a lot of people back, too...

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

#89

Post by dpq »

hef19898 wrote: post #63
tachyonbeam wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. I also grew up poor and now live comfortably. Having my own place with no roommates (or mentally ill family members screaming at me) brings me a lot of peace. Being able to just uber somewhere when I have an appointment but feel too tired to take public transit for 45 minutes makes my life easier. There are a lot of problems in life that you can make disappear (or simplify a lot) by throwing a little money at…

The most precious thing money can buy is freedom. Any more money than that and it can become a burden. The tricky part is the sweet spot, you have to find it, be aware of it. Ah, and yes, just where that spot is so depends on everything that it won't be the same for more than one person.

Essentially, money is freedom. It's a wonderful, marvelous experience when you can suddenly turn your problems into expenses.

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

#90

Post by pathseeker »

tempsy wrote: post #86
soneca wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "RxBar got a lot of traction well before they were sold, and so to believe he was grinding for the entire 5 years in the same way he was in the basement when they first started is a bit naive" I would have the opposite perception. That it is naive of your part assuming that once a business gets good traction that its founders start working less hours.

If they kept working the same hours as when they just start up then it's because they want to and not because they need to. Your sales figures once you achieve product market fit is not a function of how many hours you can work in a day.

I don't know what area of sales you've worked in, but that absolutely doesn't hold in many industries. Founders need to keep promoting the product, feeding the pipeline, aligning the employees on strategy, etc.
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