I Don't Want to Be a Founder

Reacting mostly to the ending/conclusion here.

I don't know about other founders, but for me, startups are basically the only vehicle for solving big problems that nobody else will/can solve.

Often the reasons that (nearly) nobody else is trying to solve your exact problem are 1) it is risky/unlikely to monetize well, 2) it is hard, grueling, or boring work that may not even function right in the end, 3) might believe it to be impossible or not worth it.

But if you have a big problem in front of you and you strongly believe it can be solved and should be solved, then what other choice do you have but to start a startup?

There are lots of people (maybe myself? I dunno.) who feel strongly about solving a problem but also feel that they don't have "what it takes" to be a successful startup founder. I have a failed startup in my past. The failure process wrecked me for years, emotionally, socially, financially, the whole thing. I'm okay now, don't worry.

But are there any other reasonable options for "trying to solve a big problem that is otherwise being ignored" other than starting a startup?

I want to solve big problems I care about. I have that ego discussed in the article; often I find I do believe I have the right combination of things to solve a particular problem better than other people. So I feel like it is my responsibility to do it.

But being a startup founder is hard and if your personality or circumstances aren't a good fit, then, what do you do? Just stay frustrated that the problem isn't being solved?

Dave McClure had a pretty aggressive talk about why not to do a startup[0] back in 2012 and it resonates with what's written here.

Startups are hard and we love to parade those who made it, struck it rich, but the reality is the vast majority don't. It also requires a skillset/discipline/constitution that is very different than what most people want to do.

In the very large group who don't make it, lies burnt relationships, heartache, debt, lawsuits, depression, even suicide/death. Which on closer inspection, the success group has a lot of the same traits. Only they made it out with IPO, sale, merger, self sustaining business to show for it.

It is scary. It is hard.

But to me, you won't know until you know. And if you want to know, the only way is to try.

That is reason enough.

[0] https://vimeo.com/15799330

I do find it interesting that in spite of the fact that so few companies will ever accept VC money or go public, this model is viewed by many as the dominant or only way to start a tech business. This is in spite of the fact that Technology businesses may very well have the lowest capital requirements of any type of company in history.

It was the same way in the 80s with finance. Even though most finance workers were (and are) accountants working boring 9-to-5 corporate jobs, everyone assumed that anyone in finance worked on Wall Street and snorted coke off of strippers in NYC nightclubs every weekend.

Yah my feelings about running a startup are completely different for bootstrapped/hacked up companies (I think that's the term?)

I'm not sure I understand the post, what's wrong about getting rich?