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Post YC Depression

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Re: Post YC Depression

#41

Post by speedplane »

ansq wrote: post #25
hawkice wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For most people, owning 100% of a company making $1M/year would be preferable to owning 10% of a company making $1B. It's not just that money has decreasing marginal value. It's about what life you want to live. The ten percent life is... just not for everyone, and maybe not for anyone, which is why it needs to be incentivized so much to ever happen.

Owning 10% doesn't mean you're a peon. At 10% of a 1B company you probably have a good amount of autonomy. Some people take pride in creating products that are widely used + lots of jobs.

> Owning 10% doesn't mean you're a peon.

If you own anything, you're not a peon. However, owning 100% of something is simply a very different mindset than owning just 99% of something. In the former, you solely control you own destiny.

In the latter example, you're beholden or subject to others. Not necessarily bad, but a very different experience.

Kind of like long term dating versus getting married.

Re: Post YC Depression

#42

Post by csomar »

fastball wrote: post #31
fab1an wrote: post #27

One of the advantages of running your own business is that you set the tempo and values of it yourself. You. No one else. If you end up with something that isn't working out for you, you're doing it wrong. At my previous company, one of our (somewhat implicit) values was "suffering is not a KPI". And even though there are times when things are rougher, these should be exceptions, not the rule. At the same time, worki…

I work 85ish hours a week and nearly 100% of it is spent on actual productive work.

Is this 100% actually coding?

Re: Post YC Depression

#43

Post by speedplane »

juskrey wrote: post #12
speedplane wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Gary vee talks like he does something amazing while what he does can really be done by a good cold caller. I don't see what he has done to earn the recognition he has. Gary Vee's main resume star is that he has become successful and well known. He has become more of a celebrity than an oracle, and many of his side-companies have not done well. Still, his main points that the internet has changed the way of doing bu…

He is a PR consultant, what would you expect him to sell? PR conultant's way of doing things: Spend the budget. If project was a win, claim own success. If the project was a failure, blame a business, never show results.

> PR conultant's way of doing things: Spend the budget. If project was a win, claim own success. If the project was a failure, blame a business, never show results.

Close but I don't think this is quite right ... "PR conultant's way of doing things: [Find and convince the client on your abilities.] Spend the budget. If project was a win, [convince your client that it was your] own success. If the project was a failure, [convince the client that it was their] business, [always] show results."

Re: Post YC Depression

#44

Post by Traster »

mekaron wrote: post #18
zenincognito wrote: post #4

Gary vee talks like he does something amazing while what he does can really be done by a good cold caller. I don't see what he has done to earn the recognition he has. I agree with the author. Selling a $90 poster that basically is the worst advice you can give to an entrepreneur.

Thats missing the point of the poster. Its not about self destructive behaviour. You're not going to make it to month 48 by running yourself into the ground. It just means results are not instant. Maybe we should all be focused more on delivering actual value, instead of obsessing over what other people think on the internet..

That's one selective reading of the poster. But it doesn't say work hard for 48 months. It says "Eat shit for 48 months". What it's saying is that you can't have nice things unless you make yourself suffer.

Re: Post YC Depression

#45

Post by ksaun »

StevenWaterman wrote: post #15

This was a good article, but I want to briefly call out that `6X more likely to suffer from ADHD` is not a useful stat when trying to argue that being a founder causes health issues. ADHD is present from birth and cannot develop as the result of trauma. It's still an interesting statistic, but for a different reason. People with ADHD are more likely to become founders, as they're more driven by passion, challenge, an…

I'm uncertain we can trust that '6X more likely' statistic. There is evidence/speculation that sleep deprivation can cause symptoms that mimic ADHD symptoms. For example: [0].

[0] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4340974/

*

Edit: That statistic is attributed to a Tech Crunch article [1], which in turn references another article [2]. The "6X" figure appears to be from one study involving 242 "entrepreneurs" and 93 "comparison participants" self-reporting on ADHD (and some other mental health-related conditions). It appears that the "comparison participants" were all students and faculty associated with the university.

I believe the relevant chart is on p. 14. Sleep and/or sleep deprivation doesn't appear to have been something that this study considered (or attempted to control for). (I didn't read this material extremely closely, however; maybe I missed something.)

[1] https://techcrunch.com/2018/12/30/investors-and-entrepreneur...

[2] (sorry, https seems unavailable) http://www.michaelafreemanmd.com/Research_files/Are%20Entrep...

Re: Post YC Depression

#46

Post by heavenlyblue »

speedplane wrote: post #30
hawkice wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For most people, owning 100% of a company making $1M/year would be preferable to owning 10% of a company making $1B. It's not just that money has decreasing marginal value. It's about what life you want to live. The ten percent life is... just not for everyone, and maybe not for anyone, which is why it needs to be incentivized so much to ever happen.

> For most people, owning 100% of a company making $1M/year would be preferable to owning 10% of a company making $1B. It's not just that money has decreasing marginal value. It's about what life you want to live. Being in control of your life, or of anything, is a huge benefit and comes with a big premium. When one company acquires a public company, they usually pay more than the public stock price. If you don't dri…

>> owing a car

But there are no car rentals which would bring a car to your door in the next 15 minutes.

Re: Post YC Depression

#47

Post by alaskamiller »

fab1an wrote: post #27

One of the advantages of running your own business is that you set the tempo and values of it yourself. You. No one else. If you end up with something that isn't working out for you, you're doing it wrong. At my previous company, one of our (somewhat implicit) values was "suffering is not a KPI". And even though there are times when things are rougher, these should be exceptions, not the rule. At the same time, worki…

Suffering, indeed, is not a KPI but your takeaway is off.

I use Timing app to track my digital. I spin up at 11am, get reving by 1pm and don't stop until I pull up to the drive way at 1am or 2am. Monday to Sunday.

There are plenty like me as owner-operators that put in the time/work to get shit done until there are enough rev to hire out.

At the alphabet soup company we worked maybe 11am until 4pm, wrap up to go home on the busses, put in another 1-2 hrs at night time to checkin. But during that 3-5 hrs it's highly focused flow that takes dozens of other supporters and personnel to get to.

The pirates that go flitter about, whether in silicon valley or los angeles, to get production done, show going, or keep it moving, all work however they work.

Re: Post YC Depression

#48

Post by tonyedgecombe »

StevenWaterman wrote: post #15

This was a good article, but I want to briefly call out that `6X more likely to suffer from ADHD` is not a useful stat when trying to argue that being a founder causes health issues. ADHD is present from birth and cannot develop as the result of trauma. It's still an interesting statistic, but for a different reason. People with ADHD are more likely to become founders, as they're more driven by passion, challenge, an…

I suspect it's also that employers don't like to hire people with ADHD. If traditional avenues get closed off then self employment might be the best alternative.

Re: Post YC Depression

#49

Post by EinsDueTresFour »

fastball wrote: post #31
fab1an wrote: post #27

One of the advantages of running your own business is that you set the tempo and values of it yourself. You. No one else. If you end up with something that isn't working out for you, you're doing it wrong. At my previous company, one of our (somewhat implicit) values was "suffering is not a KPI". And even though there are times when things are rougher, these should be exceptions, not the rule. At the same time, worki…

I work 85ish hours a week and nearly 100% of it is spent on actual productive work.

I believe the focus of what's being said is that people who claim to work these insane hours, _and_ manage to keep all other plates in their personal lives spinning, usually do not spend that much time doing productive work.

That is not to say that there are others who can do many actual productive hours. But usually, at least in my personal experience, when one does that they are sacrificing other aspects of their personal life in the hopes that when they achieve their goals they can then deal with everything else.

In my experience, things don't really work out all that well. Ideally one should find balance in the now.

Re: Post YC Depression

#50

Post by fluuuhi »

Reads very very illusional.

What is it what people actually want? Change the world or become rich?

I have seen enough ideas or things people persue not because they really love that idea or product but because they wanna be 'entrepreneur'.

Just wierd to read.

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