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I Don't Want to Be a Founder

carolchen.me

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Re: I Don't Want to Be a Founder

#191

Post by x87678r »

thisisbrians wrote: post #156

I enjoyed this article, but I think it glosses over a very important part of my (and my cofounders') own motivation for starting a company: vision. Sometimes you see or believe something that others simply can't or don't, and you want to do something about it. Trying to find a (usually narrowly-defined) job that lets you work on these things can be very hard because there usually has to be someone looking for solutio…

> you see or believe something that others simply can't or don't, and you want to do something about it.

It must be more than vision. I see things all the time that more others can't but I really dont have the time or inclination to start a company.

Re: I Don't Want to Be a Founder

#192

Post by x87678r »

djeiasbsbo wrote: post #106

I like the article but I honestly have never even stopped to think "should I create a startup?"... is that a common thing? Maybe it's because I'm still young or because I've never actually been in huge financial distress (which I realise is a privilege) but I don't have the desire to make a lot of money or sell my dream idea/company. All I want is to make enough to cover my living costs and in my spare time work on s…

Its easy when you're young and single. Imagine you are married and want kids to go to a nice school - where would you live? How much does a house like that cost? (including bills like replacing roof, rebuilding kitchen etc etc)

Re: I Don't Want to Be a Founder

#193

Post by christiansakai »

nlh wrote: post #153
christiansakai wrote: post #147

Is software startup by solo founders still viable anymore? Today the age of apps/SaaS seems ending. It is oversaturated, and the low hanging (low technical complexity) fruits are already taken left and right.

This comes up a lot here. In short: * Yes, software startups by solo founders are very much still viable. * No, the age of apps/SaaS is not ending * It is not oversaturated either. There are ALWAYS new ideas to build, new products in demand, and new ways to make money. * It always seems like the low-hanging fruits have been "taken", because you've observed them being successful (it's a reductive argument). They proba…

That's really an interesting example. Thanks

Re: I Don't Want to Be a Founder

#194

Post by pier25 »

For me the main reason to try it is the frustration of having been working for 20 years as a freelancer or as en employee.

In both cases I've been investing my time and blood in exchange for money. Then the money runs out and you start all over again, and again. I want to invest my time into something which hopefully can grow so that I can keep investing more of my time instead of just giving it away. I want to plant a forest that will produce on its own instead of having to plant and harvest again on each season.

Freedom is another important aspect. I've been frustrated during my professional career with clients and bosses making the wrong decisions again and again and living with the consequences of those decisions.

I might totally fail while building what I'm building (see my profile) but that's better than waking up one day and realizing I've wasted my life. Thankfully I'm in a position where I can invest a couple of years of my life without earning money and I don't have people depending on me.

Re: I Don't Want to Be a Founder

#195

Post by unphased »

startup_thrway wrote: post #138
auspex wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is a valid reason. Some people start companies to actually make money. If that is your motivation it can be very powerful. I would also say that it’s going to be (probably) years of 12+ hour days that might end in failure.

Thanks. Somehow that doesn't sound as bad, as long as there is reasonable (whatever that means) chance of it working out. Although, logically, it's clear to me that it is harder than working a job. Only way to know is to do it, I guess. And maybe see a therapist, because this dread of having to work sounds weird now that I put it in writing. And I did it for many years without seeming to suffer too much, at the time…

You have to at least try to find a path toward self-actualization at your current job. Depends on how your relationships are with your various coworkers. For example my personal experience is this: Last gig was a startup, but I was stuck with the wrong people. It only takes one bad apple in your group of cofounders to generate enough chaos to plunge the whole thing into the ground. Since I bailed, I started working 9-5 at a job that pays me more than I've ever been paid and I split my time here working on 3 different projects which are all exciting and which I have a good deal of creative control over, and I enjoy working with every single one of my coworkers. It is my belief that the most effective way to move yourself toward the working environment that you want to have is to shape yourself in the image of the type of person that you want to work with. In my experience that has something to do with experience and knowledge... so I do not shy away from opportunities in which I can expand my experience or knowledge especially in the topics that I'm passionate about. And it's also important to proactively share your experience and knowledge. That one is the most genuine way to demonstrate that you know your stuff.

Re: I Don't Want to Be a Founder

#196

Post by Axsuul »

adwn wrote: post #190
Axsuul wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All those functions all lead back to how difficult of a problem you are solving for them. A difficult problem means there are less competitors and more market share for you, with a high chance that the competition's solution doesn't even deliver on its promises. Less competition naturally leads to a higher premium you can charge. Businesses typically set aside a static budget for software that solves a "low-hanging f…

> All those functions all lead back to how difficult of a problem you are solving for them. No. 1) The market size is independent of the hardness of the problem. 2) The hardness of the problem is independent of the customer's pressure to solve the problem [1]. 3) Even if a customer has a pressing problem, their budget for your product has a hard upper bound: their revenue. In reality it's nearly always several orders…

1) I mentioned your market share increases, not market size. Increasing market share has the same effects as increased TAM. I 100% agree that value is not always directly related to the difficulty of problem you are solving. I think we are talking past each other here. When I say hard problem, it's also assuming this hard problem is a big enough problem for the customer to pay for, not for something "pretty inconsequential"

2) A problem is still a problem that your customer is looking to solve. Because it's a hard problem, it's unlikely they have a solution for it. I wouldn't call it pressure–opportunity sounds better which leads to you getting paid

3) That is correct but what's relevant here is what percentage of that revenue the customer is willing to give up

4) It does but marketing/sales is a lot easier when you are solving a hard problem. You don't need to invest as much into marketing/sales when solving a hard problem because there is less noise and competition. Word gets around much easier

Re: I Don't Want to Be a Founder

#197

Post by pjdemers »

Only be a founder if you:

A) Think you are better than what your resumes/work history says. B) Are better than what your resume/work history says.

Most people with a strong enough resume/work history to get funding fail both.

Re: I Don't Want to Be a Founder

#198

Post by mbesto »

jkepler wrote: post #152
mbesto wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For the record - I think the issues identified here are isolated to founders of venture backed businesses that are shooting for the moon.

So, could one avoid them by self-funding and growing very slowly?

I've bootstrapped several businesses. The stress is there but its different and highly depends on the situation (how much money you have saved up, what market you're in etc.)

Re: I Don't Want to Be a Founder

#199

Post by neutronicus »

djeiasbsbo wrote: post #106

I like the article but I honestly have never even stopped to think "should I create a startup?"... is that a common thing? Maybe it's because I'm still young or because I've never actually been in huge financial distress (which I realise is a privilege) but I don't have the desire to make a lot of money or sell my dream idea/company. All I want is to make enough to cover my living costs and in my spare time work on s…

It's probably because you're still young. More specifically (and here I'm guessing something about you), romantically unattached. Dating is a tough road to hoe if you can't or won't fund about half of a wedding and at least one of kids-and-a-house or traveling-the-world. Well, not dating exactly - you can get laid and even start relationships but in my experience the relationships will have a half-life and eventually fall apart in the face of increasingly unpleasant conversations about your lack of interest in the expensive stuff mentioned above.

Especially as a software engineer, I think, because ... hippies don't really like us that much, so there just aren't that many would-be ascetics out there willing to date us, and the people who do date us tend to pretty good at pegging their lifestyle expectations to a "leveled-up" career progression.

Re: I Don't Want to Be a Founder

#200

Post by h1srf »

blackrock wrote: post #127
Melting_Harps wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> For me it is absolutely no choice to be employed or working in larger companies. I want my own freedom :) Living the dream, what are/were a few of them? I still have too much psychological/mental stuff from my Fintech startup I left in 2018 to seriously consider doing it again, even though this pandemic put the Industry I focused on as an 'essential' Industry despite denying them access to financial services and pa…

What are some viable startup ideas in fin tech? Insurance by app? Stock trading for free?

Not everything needs to be B2C. There are a ton of problems to solve for B2B - for example reconciling buy side transactions to the street. In this space though usually a bank/fund will spin off a product they developed in house but there are a few companies that have started from scratch.
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