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Ask HN: I'm lost. Please help

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Re: Ask HN: I'm lost. Please help

#41

Post by ascendantlogic »

enoptix wrote: post #5

Is this anonymous copy-and-paste medium how people start to deal with their problems now? What happened to just talking to people or making tough decisions? I've seen more of these posts in the last year than I have in my entire time on HN. I'm sorry you are having a tough time but you need to either 1) have a hard talk with your co-founders about your business model. present facts. make your case. they will listen.…

> Is this anonymous copy-and-paste medium how people start to deal with their problems now?

Obviously this person wanted some advice on their situation while remaining anonymous. I don't see a problem with being able to engage the community without having their name attached to it until they're ready to sit down and have a frank conversation with their co-founders.

> But really, the notion that a bunch of internet strangers will be able to give you some miracle advice is absurd.

I'm not sure how asking for advice is expecting "miracle" advice. There is a difference between the two.

Re: Ask HN: I'm lost. Please help

#42

Post by krmmalik »

Take it from someone who "stuck with it" for 8 years hoping my co-founder(s) would stop being idiots and worrying about the time and energy i had invested. The best thing you can do right now, is get out of there, and get out fast.

They will never change. You'll spend your whole life getting them to be less idiotic, and it will NEVER happen. No matter how good the product, how good the idea, how good the business, how much the money and how much your passion; if you do not have a team that you have any faith in, every step forward will always result in two steps backwards.

I'm a self-certified expert in team dysfunctions and i'm telling you categorically, that a dysfunctional team can never make it, despite what anyone will ever say to you or whatever ounce of hope you may have.

I'm on skype or available via email if you want to speak further. Let me make it clear, i'll be pretty harsh with you, because i rather see you wince a little now, than die inside a few years later.

You've gained a whole load of experience. Value it and cherish it. The experience is worth far more than the time invested and the product.

Let it go. Move on.

The only way to get out of a rut is to take a step back and JUMP!

Re: Ask HN: I'm lost. Please help

#45

Post by argonaut »

Everyone else has thoroughly covered the sunk costs and salary perspectives.

One thing I noticed in your post that I would strongly caution against: reading too much into VC rejection. I think you're placing too much faith into the VC's arguments and are being a little too sensitive to rejection. VC's are routinely wrong or misguided, and the vast majority of VCs do not deliver returns beyond that of the broader stock market.

Re: Ask HN: I'm lost. Please help

#47

Post by jessaustin »

shadowmatter wrote: post #16

> I think my co-founders are idiots, that they fouled up their side of the deal, but I feel as though I've invested too much time and energy to bail now. You've got to let go of this attitude. If you cling to it, then you will never leave, even if your co-founders are idiots and the business is a failure. What you need to do is quit as soon as possible. Only then can you start on a better endeavor and improve your qu…

There's only one co-founder you can't get rid of. I've tried! (I haven't tried the obvious method, if only because it isn't obviously effective for this problem.)

Re: Ask HN: I'm lost. Please help

#48

Post by peteforde »

Two pieces of wisdom for you, and a bit of empathy:

1. If you think that there's a problem, there's a problem.

2. The best kind of family business is a sole proprietorship.

I was once the drummer in a touring rock band. We had a real shot, with significant milestones behind us. Unfortunately our weak link was an immature, melodramatic singer that was terrified of success. I stuck around for two years longer than I should have, feeling like I'd invested too much time and money. My ego and identity were tied to the project.

Well, surprise surprise: the band broke up, and it sucked. However, there's no question that I learned a huge amount and that it prepared me for everything (good and bad) that came after.

You'll be just fine.

Re: Ask HN: I'm lost. Please help

#49

Post by x7r4wur57 »

The "sunk costs" situation is actually a little more complex than it might seem at first:

It looks like you have invested time and money in this opportunity and you ask yourself if it is likely to pay off. The intuition to stick to it even if there are hard times does actually have a sensible foundation: If the business took off in a couple of months without you being part of it, you would probably regret having left it.

So what you really want to evaluate is the likelihood of the business taking off within a timeframe that's tolerable for you. Startups have the property that not all progress is immediately rewarded. Some companies have to go through tough times until they hit gold. You now have to decide whether you think you have such a company or not.

As you obviously have more knowledge about your own situation/company than I do I can't assist you directly in that decision. However, I remember reading a rule of thumb that if a startup does not have any significant traction (users or customers) 1.5 to 2 years after its foundation it is likely that there is something wrong with the business or product. I think this may have some truth in it.

Re: Ask HN: I'm lost. Please help

#50

Post by [deleted] »

shadowmatter wrote: post #16

> I think my co-founders are idiots, that they fouled up their side of the deal, but I feel as though I've invested too much time and energy to bail now. You've got to let go of this attitude. If you cling to it, then you will never leave, even if your co-founders are idiots and the business is a failure. What you need to do is quit as soon as possible. Only then can you start on a better endeavor and improve your qu…

[deleted]
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