The lifestyle business bullshit • Hacker News Board

Re: The lifestyle business bullshit

#41

Post by mixmax » Thu, Apr 23, 2009, 9:08 AM UTC

hbien wrote: post #25

mixmax wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I honestly don't think 37Signals is changing the world in a big way. You're not inventing the transistor, you're making one of many online to-do lists and chats. I'm not saying the products aren't nice, they are. But they aren't gamechanging in any way. You're great at marketing though.

I'm pretty sure Rails was game changing.

Lisp was gamechanging, C was gamechanging, maybe fortran was gamechanging.

Rails is just a framework, albeit a popular one. Let's see if people still use it in five years, or if they have moved onto the new new thing.

Re: The lifestyle business bullshit

#42

Post by mechanical_fish » Thu, Apr 23, 2009, 1:23 PM UTC

smoody wrote: post #18

It's a lot easier when you have a strong brand (corporate and personal). It's not so easy when you don't. Granted, they had no brand when they started (which was in a different climate than the climate facing startups today), but I think they've forgotten what it's like to be brandless, moneyless, etc. If they want to prove their constant mantra of "anyone can do it!," then they should try this: Start a new company w…

They've created exactly one successful company (a huge achievement to be sure). However, that doesn't qualify them to spread general wisdom about how anyone can do the same.

So... who is qualified?

Steve Jobs, maybe. But even Steve can't meet your crazy criterion: He's not dumb enough to have run NeXT and Pixar under an alias. He used his own name. Because he had invested a lot of time in that name and it remains one of his biggest assets. And because it's probably impossible for Steve Jobs to run away from his name. And because, even if he changed his name and got plastic surgery, everyone would know it was a Steve Jobs company. I'm told that working for Steve Jobs is a really unmistakable experience. His style sticks out from a mile away.

Business isn't a science. All you get is anecdotes. You have to do what everyone else in Silicon Valley does: look at what Fairchild or Hewlett-Packard or Apple or Google did, and try to generalize. You might accidentally overgeneralize. Try to survive anyway.

Re: The lifestyle business bullshit

#43

Post by alanthonyc » Thu, Apr 23, 2009, 7:37 PM UTC

axod wrote: post #39

alanthonyc wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is probably happening because the same point of fact is being repeated multiple times and you seem to be skipping over the point. As a rephrase of the statement I was originally going to put: Why do you not seem to believe that headcount is merely a side-effect of business growth?

So your hypothesis is: * Company grows profits * Company decides to spend profit on head count * Profit goes down Why do you believe that's the case? Any hard data? I'd say it's more usually * Company makes profit * Company invests in more people * Profits rise, company grows.

Well I think we've identified the point in which our opinions diverge.

1. Company makes profit. 2. Company invests in more people. 3. Profits rise, company grows.

Step 2 is not a prerequisite for step 3.

And what you state is my hypothesis is not what I'm saying either.

How about this: 1 - Company makes profit. 2 - Company figures out how to grow profits, regardless of increase or decrease of headcount. 3 - Profits rise.

What, do you work in HR or something? (jk)

Re: The lifestyle business bullshit

#44

Post by axod » Thu, Apr 23, 2009, 9:12 PM UTC

alanthonyc wrote: post #43

axod wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So your hypothesis is: * Company grows profits * Company decides to spend profit on head count * Profit goes down Why do you believe that's the case? Any hard data? I'd say it's more usually * Company makes profit * Company invests in more people * Profits rise, company grows.

Well I think we've identified the point in which our opinions diverge. 1. Company makes profit. 2. Company invests in more people. 3. Profits rise, company grows. Step 2 is not a prerequisite for step 3. And what you state is my hypothesis is not what I'm saying either. How about this: 1 - Company makes profit. 2 - Company figures out how to grow profits, regardless of increase or decrease of headcount. 3 - Profits r…

>> "What, do you work in HR or something? (jk)"

Heh no. I'm a single founder with a 'lifestyle business', making money off it currently. But I plan to grow the business (head count+diversify) when I can.

Re: The lifestyle business bullshit

#45

Post by webwright » Sun, Apr 26, 2009, 2:52 AM UTC

dhh wrote: post #6

webwright wrote: post #3

Gah, it's honestly the people who RUN lifestyle businesses who make it such a dirty word. It's not, and you should stop being defensive about it. People's dreams vary. Some people want to change the world in a big way and gain satisfaction from herculean effort against incredible odds. Other people aspire to a comfortable living and a life that has lots of room for non-work activities. There's no shame in either.

Another bullshit dichotomy. We want to change the world in a big way. We certainly face hard odds (building a multi-million dollar business is very hard regardless of how you go about it). We just want to do all of that and do other things at the same time. So far that has been going pretty well.

It's not a dichotomy, it was a generalization and certainly there are exceptions. My point wasn't that it's impossible to change the world with a balanced lifestyle (Reagan famously stopped work at 5 at the White House and he certainly made a dent in the world). My point was that some people love to be monomaniacal and throw themselves at huge problems (or huge risk)-- just because that's not your bag doesn't mean it's the wrong choice.

MOST of what people would characterize as "lifestyle businesses" are owned by people who have other priorities. And if the mega-risk startup junkies look down their noses at that, it's their fault-- not yours.