Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

thenextweb.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–100 of 100 posts

Re: Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

#91

Post by eli_gottlieb »

antidaily wrote: post #18

"you should just get a real job instead, like become a banker or an investor or a consultant or something" yeah, consulting. the pie-eating contest where the prize is more pie. but at least you have a nice salary to pay back your MBA student loans. and you get to travel every week and get fat eating out every meal and drinking at networking events.

In direct contrast to software jobs, where you can stay very healthy by spending an hour in the gym every day after sitting in a cubicle for your 10-hour workday.

Re: Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

#92

Post by gexla »

Reason to do it: Because you have to. When all else fails, your only option my be to hustle up your own work. For the thousands of people in the U.S. who have been unemployed for over a year, do it! I'm another example, I live in the Philippines but I can't work here because I'm a U.S. citizen, so my only option is running my own business.

Re: Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

#93

Post by dkrich »

reason wrote: post #33

People in this space live in a thickly-lined bubble if they think something like Evernote is changing the world. Wisdom is not suddenly bestowed upon you because your note-taking service was recently valued at $1+ billion. I have always had a really hard time heeding to the advice of rich people who tell you what all the right and wrong reasons to become an entrepreneur are, especially when they start preaching about…

I completely agree, and it's not because I think he is necessarily wrong. It's just that business rules of any kind are so freaking ridiculous. One person's interpretation of the "right" reasons are no more valid than one person's opinion of the quality of a book or movie.

You say you shouldn't start a business because you want to get rich? I think Sheldon Adelson, Ray Dalio, and Mark Cuban might disagree.

You say you shouldn't start a business because you want to be your own boss? I think Vineyard Vines and 37Signals might disagree.

I think we're in this Steve Jobs era where every successful CEO wants to suddenly espouse Steve Jobs' philosophies as if that will somehow bring them similar successes. But in reality, for every Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg, there are thousands of people who yes, just did it for the money. Some succeed, some fail. I'm not sure about the 99% failure statistic, but to just throw that out without any qualification is ridiculous.

I have a good friend who owns a local high-end video equipment rental business. You will never hear of him, but he makes about $250k a year and has an outstanding life. I can assure you he is no rocket scientist and he certainly isn't out to change the world. He just did it and didn't really do much investigating first. I think that's probably the best advice you can give- don't look for generalized advice. It doesn't help you and will probably harm you.

Re: Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

#94

Post by tensor »

eli_gottlieb wrote: post #90
niels_olson wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, I think a lot of folks find that to have an impact, you often have to charge for it. Somebody's gotta keep the lights on, and there's a weird tic of human psychology where people associate cost with value. Many an entrepreneur has discovered you can't give it way, yet the more you charge, the more people buy.

I'm not saying you can't do well by doing good. I'm just saying that people need to admit they are in business to succeed in business rather than for an altruistic cause. There's a whole sector of benefit-corps, cooperatives, and chartered social enterprises for altruistic causes.

If you are doing well by exploiting people, you shouldn't expect any sort of respect. There are all sorts of charlatans who sell awful damaging products who do well financially. Some more obvious examples are gambling and fake medical products like those holographic armbands or homeopathy.

If your end goal is to make money for yourself at all costs, don't expect any sort of respect or good people to work with.

Re: Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

#95

Post by mcantor »

pork wrote: post #45
philaquilina wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you are thinking of "change the world" in the "topple bad governments, empower the meek, help make this world a utopia" type of way. Evernote is changing the world. If you make 30 million people's lives just a tad bit easier, then yes, you've changed the world. If you've caused other companies to take note and copy your business strategy/idea and THEY make people's lives easier, then yes you've changed the wo…

> If you make 30 million people's lives just a tad bit easier, then yes, you've changed the world. By that reasoning, if I kick a rock on the street and it shifts 10 feet to the left, I've changed the world too. EDIT: more analogies * Bic pens have changed the world * Toilet paper has changed the world * Shoes have changed the world

Dude, if I invented toilet paper or shoes, I would be pretty fuckin' proud.

Just saying.

Re: Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

#96

Post by jzycrzy »

Who's the audience? Sounds to me like he's looking for employees who will take a piece of changing the world (equity?) over cold hard cash.

Based on all the talkers I hear, and the positive feedback they constantly get about how "cool" it is that they want to be an entrepreneur.. I think a good hard "don't do it" would be helpful fire under their butts to JFDI.

Re: Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

#98

Post by dasil003 »

eli_gottlieb wrote: post #91
antidaily wrote: post #18

"you should just get a real job instead, like become a banker or an investor or a consultant or something" yeah, consulting. the pie-eating contest where the prize is more pie. but at least you have a nice salary to pay back your MBA student loans. and you get to travel every week and get fat eating out every meal and drinking at networking events.

In direct contrast to software jobs, where you can stay very healthy by spending an hour in the gym every day after sitting in a cubicle for your 10-hour workday.

If you eat well and go to the gym for an intense (ie. not just jogging on the treadmill) 1-hour workout every day, I think you'll be in quite decent shape.

Re: Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

#99

Post by eli_gottlieb »

dasil003 wrote: post #98
eli_gottlieb wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In direct contrast to software jobs, where you can stay very healthy by spending an hour in the gym every day after sitting in a cubicle for your 10-hour workday.

If you eat well and go to the gym for an intense (ie. not just jogging on the treadmill) 1-hour workout every day, I think you'll be in quite decent shape.

Actually, no. Sitting for large periods of time, past a certain age as I remember, is simply harmful to your health. You can't "make it up" with exercise later in the day.

Re: Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

#100

Post by dasil003 »

eli_gottlieb wrote: post #99
dasil003 wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you eat well and go to the gym for an intense (ie. not just jogging on the treadmill) 1-hour workout every day, I think you'll be in quite decent shape.

Actually, no. Sitting for large periods of time, past a certain age as I remember, is simply harmful to your health. You can't "make it up" with exercise later in the day.

You don't make it up the negative effect of sitting, but you'll be in generally better shape, perhaps by a greater margin than someone who never sits but also never gets any strenuous exercise.
Post reply on HN