Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company • Hacker News Board

Re: Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company

#21

Post by spurdoman77 » Fri, Feb 28, 2020, 9:46 AM UTC

bitL wrote: post #16

spurdoman77 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you tried freelancing alone, and of you have for how long? After working at a company, initially it felt quite nice but after some months/years I started feeling different. I have been working intensively at a companies, and then as a freelancer/solopreneur, alternating both modes along the years. Currently working mostly alone I have to admit that I crave the workplace - kind of the place where you go work and…

Throw parties at home when you feel lonely. Invite guests from various industries/walks of life. That would fulfill your social needs, make you more pleasant to be around, get that out of your system and allow you to focus 100% on your mission without wondering what if...

I throw parties etc. Workplace has totally different social point. I can do all that and have a workplace.

Re: Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company

#22

Post by mirap » Fri, Feb 28, 2020, 9:46 AM UTC

The next step might be to connect like-minded freelancers offline. Kind of Couchsurfing way.

Re: Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company

#23

Post by pts_ » Fri, Feb 28, 2020, 10:05 AM UTC

And here I am craving work from home. It's like another planet.

Re: Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company

#24

Post by Legogris » Fri, Feb 28, 2020, 10:16 AM UTC

pts_ wrote: post #23

And here I am craving work from home. It's like another planet.

You don't know what you have until you miss it, I suppose.

Re: Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company

#25

Post by bitL » Fri, Feb 28, 2020, 10:19 AM UTC

spurdoman77 wrote: post #21

bitL wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Throw parties at home when you feel lonely. Invite guests from various industries/walks of life. That would fulfill your social needs, make you more pleasant to be around, get that out of your system and allow you to focus 100% on your mission without wondering what if...

I throw parties etc. Workplace has totally different social point. I can do all that and have a workplace.

Probability of finding colleagues matching your interests and personality in a random workplace is very low and even if you are lucky, such situations usually don't last long.

Re: Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company

#26

Post by spurdoman77 » Fri, Feb 28, 2020, 10:21 AM UTC

bitL wrote: post #25

spurdoman77 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I throw parties etc. Workplace has totally different social point. I can do all that and have a workplace.

Probability of finding colleagues matching your interests and personality in a random workplace is very low and even if you are lucky, such situations usually don't last long.

I dont think thats the point of workplace. I'm not looking for friends, that is a different thing.

Re: Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company

#27

Post by LeonM » Fri, Feb 28, 2020, 10:34 AM UTC

I'm in a co-working space, and the primary reason I took it was loneliness.

But I think that, for me, a social app wouldn't be able to replace a physical work space. It's not just the interaction with co-workers, but also the separation of work and home. The routine of riding my bike to and from the office is like a mental barrier, helping me to switch between work and leisure.

By going to my office, I effectively switch to work mode. I'm less inclined to get distracted (HN, YT, Reddit, etc) while I'm at the office. Then, during the ride back home I have time to reflect on the day. By the time I'm back home my mind is clear and I can relax.

My findings are that (at least in the Netherlands) there is plenty of opportunity for new co-working spaces. Currently it's hard for small or solo businesses to find a suitable office. All offices I found are either geared towards larger groups (10+), or had ridiculous requirements to be eligible. All the 'innovation' spaces are hard to get in when you just make a software product. They require some 'impactful' business to be accepted, which basically means you can choose between creating yet another replacement for plastic straws, or blockchain.

I don't need foosball tables, I don't need eco-vegan food, I don't want to attend blockchain disruption events. I just want a desk to sit at, and do my work.

Re: Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company

#28

Post by im3w1l » Fri, Feb 28, 2020, 10:54 AM UTC

CGamesPlay wrote: post #12

Noughmad wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> So, why don't we kick it old school, and you just pay me money. That's the whole point of all these extra "benefits": so that they can pay you less money.

If the FAANG companies set any precedent, this isn’t really true.

They would have to pay even more money without the benefits. Maybe.

Re: Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company

#29

Post by Noughmad » Fri, Feb 28, 2020, 11:08 AM UTC

CGamesPlay wrote: post #12

Noughmad wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> So, why don't we kick it old school, and you just pay me money. That's the whole point of all these extra "benefits": so that they can pay you less money.

If the FAANG companies set any precedent, this isn’t really true.

Partially, but for those there's another catch.

They have the campuses with game rooms, food, daycare, etc. all in order for you to spend as much time there as possible. They are literally building company towns.

Re: Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company

#30

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Feb 28, 2020, 11:15 AM UTC

bitL wrote: post #25

spurdoman77 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I throw parties etc. Workplace has totally different social point. I can do all that and have a workplace.

Probability of finding colleagues matching your interests and personality in a random workplace is very low and even if you are lucky, such situations usually don't last long.

[deleted]