We're killing it, bro
mystartuphas30daystolive.tumblr.com
We're killing it, bro
1–10 of 55 posts
Re: We're killing it, bro
#2At the risk of making your very real journey seem trivial, I'll go ahead and say it: I'm hooked.
Just do me a favor-
don't A Million Little Pieces me, bro.
Re: We're killing it, bro
#3You're a good writer, your posts on this topic have been compelling, and I believe you are quite sincere in your desire to do right by what remains of your startup and your team.
That's why I feel compelled to ask: have you consulted your team before embarking on this blogging adventure? There's more than a hint of the macabre in the posts (hashtags such as "delusion" being a good example). Do your team members share your assessment? Do they know you're blogging about this stuff? You are inadvertently speaking for them when you speak about these things. I would just urge you to make sure this is not a vanity exercise. Your team members might be very disheartened to learn that their founder is blogging, in dark and occasionally bitter tone, about their impending doom.
In my history of reading these sorts of post mortems, I've noticed that the best of them attempt to draw lessons from failure. At the very least, mine your experience for wisdom and insight. I realize you're doing this in real time, so to speak, and that's part of the exercise. Even still, I would humbly suggest deeper introspection and less melancholy. I know it's ridiculously hard to do that -- but your team (and your readers) will be experientially richer for it. (The first installment in this series, for example, though controversial, was a lot more incisive).
You are off to a very compelling start here, and I don't want to deemphasize that. I feel for you (and your team) in a very real way, and I wish you the best in drawing meaning from what is to come in the next 30 days.
Re: We're killing it, bro
#4At the risk of making your very real journey seem trivial, I'll go ahead and say it: I'm hooked. Just do me a favor- don't A Million Little Pieces me, bro.
With this second installment, I'm pretty sure this is fiction. Kudos on the concept, though.
The posts are both very well written and have dramatic twists right on schedule. But s/he's using web marketing writing, with bolded thematic sentences alternating with short paragraphs.
We've seen posts from foundering founders on HN before, and it's usually more like a wall of text. This time, note how this author leaves us on a cliffhanger. Someone in their position should be trying to show they're still in control. So they'd explain more about their plan.
So I think we're dealing with someone who knows startups, who also is an experienced writer, and wants to subvert the business blogging form.
Re: We're killing it, bro
#5I'm dying to know what your startup does (or did)
Re: We're killing it, bro
#6Call me skeptical, but this whole blog smells of a giant PR campaign.
Miraculously, in 30 days, the author will reveal that he has saved the dying company, thanks to the Internet.
I wouldn't be surprised if there is a giant "subscribe to my newsletter" button very soon.
Re: We're killing it, bro
#7'I dreamt of building something that would shake things up and improve the web.'
A serious question from an outsider - is this something people really believe or is it a platitude?
I seem to see this statement often since I started reading HN. On the other hand success seems to be measured in selling companies for large sums of money and moving on to something else. Does this really improve the web?
Re: We're killing it, bro
#8Some advice. It's not going to be easy to hear, and you won't believe me until after you've gone through the rest of the process.
You're taking all of this way too seriously.
It's just a company. Sure, it was one that you poured everything you had into, and I'm sure you associate a great deal of your self-identity with it, but it's still just a company.
Some context: I sold my first startup, which I co-founded with my wife, to a company about 3 years ago. We worked there for two years, and then they fired me. I had poured so much of myself into trying to make the product survive post-acquisition that when they showed me the door, I just sort of walked around in a daze, not realizing what I was supposed to do next. Then, gradually, I started to realize that there was a life for me after the startup, and one in which I could do better things than I could ever have working for the company that fired me.
Over time I came to realize that the product wasn't really that important. It was just something I was working on for awhile. If I wanted, I could go build a new version of the same product, or I could work on one of a hundred ideas that I have brewing. Once you realize that pretty much everything is ephemeral, you worry less about each individual step in your life and are able to focus more on the big picture. When it gets dark around you, it can seem like the world is much smaller than it actually is.
I think there's something appealing about having an "arc" of some sort to your life story. In reality, life isn't a play in three acts, and you get lots of chances to define and redefine yourself.
Just be honest, clear, and concise with the people around you. Take your share of the responsibility. Take some time to understand what happened, how you feel about it, and what you learned. Use that information to become better in the future.
Re: We're killing it, bro
#9Call me skeptical, but this whole blog smells of a giant PR campaign. Miraculously, in 30 days, the author will reveal that he has saved the dying company, thanks to the Internet. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a giant "subscribe to my newsletter" button very soon.
No.
Re: We're killing it, bro
#10I assume the writer's trying to sell the company on the strength of the team, getting them (and him) jobs and hopefully returning his investors' money.
This is a good goal to have when your original plans don't pan out, but the writer needs to internalize that if it doesn't work out, the members of his team will find other jobs and be fine. His investors will be fine, too - they knew the risks going in. And finally, he will also be fine. He should try to sell his company, but if he doesn't manage to do it, he does not need to beat himself up, or feel for a second that he's failed again - which, based on the tone of his post, I'm a bit concerned he's going to do.