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Started a stupid company. Failed.

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Re: Started a stupid company. Failed.

#261

Post by manmal »

Tarks wrote: post #252
manmal wrote: post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If there is no way to express something without hurting either yourself or the other one, express yourself on a different topic. I would hate this comment too if it were directed at me.

Terrible, terrible advice. Every interaction with someone carries the chance of impact, the closer you get to talking about things related to or stemming from their core values the higher the chance you'll provoke a strong reaction (positive or negative). If you're not willing to potentially (perhaps not intentionally) express a viewpoint that could hurt the other person, then you'll be forever only talking about uni…

Well it's a different kind of thing to say "I think you're a cock" vs "Hey I think you're doing this wrong - I'd do this and that to improve". While the latter can have the impact you describe, the former will just create alienation and destroys any basis of sensible communication. As demonstrated above.

Hurting is optional for learning. And personally I think it's entirely disposable.

Re: Started a stupid company. Failed.

#262

Post by markmm »

Putting all your personal wealth into a startup is a huge gamble. When you have a wife and young kids it's just plain idiotic and selfish. You have done the equivalent of taking all your families and kids money and taken it to Las Vegas hoping to hit the jackpot.

Re: Started a stupid company. Failed.

#263

Post by scrrr »

singular wrote: post #227
zedshaw wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, here we go again. You'll call me a cock, and then I'll rip you in half verbally, and then you'll forget that you called me a cock and go off telling everyone I'm such a big bad bullying meanie for all the horrible awful things I said to you, and then I'll be crushed by the general opinion all you highly influential meaningful people have about me that I'll... Wait, actually I don't give a fuck what you think. I…

...but this comment which is sincere, genuine and offered to someone for whom this could be greatly helpful has made me seriously reconsider. Kudos. I felt you'd appreciate an unhedged opinion rather than me adding a bunch of weasel words like "I had the impression, right or wrong, that you were a bullying cock..." I meant to say, very sincerely, that I was moved by your offer of help and it very much made me reconsi…

What a world, what a world.

If a man helps another man, which I consider normal and I thought everyone would, you are "moved" when someone is nice. On the other hand it's a scandal if someone seems unfriendly, even though their actions are kind.

Stop please. And as parent wrote, nobody really cares that you changed your opinion. Opinions are nothing, you know. Actions on the other hand really count.

Re: Started a stupid company. Failed.

#264

Post by markmm »

ars_technician wrote: post #247
knackernews wrote: post #244

Don't be the man that fell. Be the man who fell, got back up and kept going. Don't be afraid to ask for help. And please read up on birth control and family planning.

>And please read up on birth control and family planning. WTF is that? Did it ever occur to you that they may have intended to have children? Your comment is not only useless, it's offensive. When you have your first child, you are already bombarded with literature on birth control and family planning. The last thing they need is some person on the Internet making a suggestion that implies their family was a mistake…

I think the poster meant its utterly selfish and idiotic to gamble everything on a start-up when you have 3 young kids to look after. The OP did the equivalent of taking all his and his children money to Vegas and trying to hit the jackpot.

Re: Started a stupid company. Failed.

#265

Post by happywolf »

zedshaw wrote: post #195
singular wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have for a while thought of you as (total honesty here) a bullying cock (though talented at what you do), but this comment which is sincere, genuine and offered to someone for whom this could be greatly helpful has made me seriously reconsider. Kudos.

Well, here we go again. You'll call me a cock, and then I'll rip you in half verbally, and then you'll forget that you called me a cock and go off telling everyone I'm such a big bad bullying meanie for all the horrible awful things I said to you, and then I'll be crushed by the general opinion all you highly influential meaningful people have about me that I'll... Wait, actually I don't give a fuck what you think. I…

Am I the only one laughing after reading Zed's comment? Haha, nice reply :P

Re: Started a stupid company. Failed.

#266

Post by __alexs »

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #130
themanthatfell wrote: post #120

My wife cried reading all of your comments. I guess we were looking for some sign that someone somewhere is pulling for us. During the first hour this post was up I hovered over the delete more than once. It doesn't seem right to bring an entire ecosystem of ambitious and wonderful people a story of failure. I guess I learned that hitting delete would be worse. Thank you from the 5.3 of us.

These stories should be required reading. To that end the community would benefit massively from you documenting it. Just as there are Journals of Negative results [1][2] so too should there be a journal of failed startups. Your detailing of what caused the failures could save thousands of man hours and potentially someone falling into the same traps. Goal #1 for you right now is to get your family in order and steel…

> Just as there are Journals of Negative results [1][2] so too should there be a journal of failed startups.

We used to have something like that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fucked_Company

Re: Started a stupid company. Failed.

#269

Post by niels_bom »

sharkweek wrote: post #138
typicalrunt wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Getting a bit OT here but I have to wade in... To people that know him personally, like myself, Zed is a great guy. My guess at the problem is that his Internet persona took on its own life outside of his control, and it grew to such a bad situation that it was better to not try to feed the trolls and simply put some distance from it. In other words, let the haters hate and be ignored, stand up for yourself when appr…

I don't personally know Zed outside of his internet persona -- and to me it seems like he's just a guy who doesn't put up with bullshit. I have never seen a time where he's an asshole to anyone who isn't shooting first. He puts his opinions out there and sometimes those cause flame wars so if you catch him in the middle of one those on Twitter then I can definitely see where people might think he's a jerk. His tweets…

"case in point" :-)

Re: Started a stupid company. Failed.

#270

Post by meira »

zedshaw wrote: post #13

Hey, other comments are going to give you a few lines telling you to not quit, that you should hang in there, and that it'll be alright. That may be true, but to me it sounds like you're possibly not doing well enough to make any of that possible, and you probably need to find work fast. Here's what I want to do: 1. I have a little list of companies looking for employees that I'll send you. Not much just companies th…

Awesome, Zed! I guess that you'll receive a lot of emails :) Me included. lol.
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