Hey, drop me a line: balajis at a16z dot com. We try to help entrepreneurs who have an experience like you've had get back on their feet. No promises, but often we can find you a great job at one of our portfolio companies.
Do any VC's provide subsidized (and heavily encouraged) psychologist/therapists to their portfolio companies? Obviously wouldn't help in this situation, but I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Lots of pressure on founders, and often no one they can really open up and talk to truthfully.
Ask HN: Looking for advice – Failed startup, long term relationship at same time
51–60 of 61 posts
Re: Ask HN: Looking for advice – Failed startup, long term relationship at same time
#52I've been through a similar break-up at a low point as well, so I understand the pain.
Someone in this thread suggested going physically far away. There's a great aphorism in Latin America which, translated into English, roughly means, "no one's a prophet in his hometown." Going far away gives you a bizarre super-confidence and super-powers, since what was simple and obvious in your own world that you're comfortable in, suddenly becomes insightful and smart. So I second the suggestion someone in this thread made, of going far away! (Hello from South America;).
More abstractly (the following point isn't about you anymore; this just got me thinking), questions like this make me think: I sometimes feel that people don't talk enough about the risks of the startup world. They all sound so theoretical: oh, you could potentially lose money or friends... but no, that won't happen to me! The reality is... it's a "superstar economy," no different than being a soccer player or a rock star. Mark Zuckerberg as John Lennon (maybe Dustin Moskovitz as Paul McCartney? Ha! Maybe Eduardo Saverin as the famous "fifth Beatle" who left before they took of hahahaha!!!!!). We all instinctively understand that, okay, if my friends and I start a band in our garage, there's a 0.000000001% chance we'll end up successful - okay, so eventually you grow up and get a real job, and stop the band once we go to college. But yet, it's so curious to me that, when we want to start our own company in that very same garage, for some reason we think that we are much more likely to be the next Mark Zuckerberg, that the chance is more like 1% than 0.000000001%. We think we're not like the annoying cool kids in high school, but actually, within our own circles, we see the same patterns emerging: everyone, it seems, wants to be a superstar. Oh human nature!!!
My unsolicited -- and probably wrong so ignore away, I don't know the actual stats etc! -- instinct is the following, and I apply this to myself (and this works only for myself so it might not work for you, everyone's different): when I'm evaluating whether to jump into a project, when I'm evaluating whether to completely run with it and see if I can be the next John Lennon or Mark Zuckberg then, I would treat it no different than buying a lottery ticket or casino game that would be partially a game of skill but mostly a game of chance. If I feel like I'm in a position where I think I can afford to lose a lot of time, friends, and money (since I'll likely lose all three!) -- then I would go for it. But if I'm not in a position where I think I can afford to lose a lot of time, money, and friends, then I just wouldn't go for it. Or I do it as a background project on nights and weekends and see what happens :) So it's about your own evaluation of your own situation more than anything else.
Again, just because this sort of analysis works for me, doesn't mean it would work for you: everyone of us has different levels of risk tolerance, financial situations, family situations, etc. Even issues as basic as age: it's easier to be 21 and lose everything than to be 51 and lose everything, etc. They used to say Rome of antiquity, naturam expellas furca tamen usque recurret -- you can push nature away with a pitchfork, but it'll always come back!
Okay now time to listen to Janis Joplin's Me & Bobby McGee. Freedom's just another word, for, 'nothing left to lose'...
-morgan
Re: Ask HN: Looking for advice – Failed startup, long term relationship at same time
#53As with all personal advice, all I can offer is my perspective, so take from it what you can and ignore the rest. In life, we move through multiple contexts that support us: Friends, family, relationships, careers, intellectual movements, social clubs, et cetera. Typically, when we fail in one of these contexts, we can rely on our success in the other areas to sort of "justify" or "rationalize" our experience. We say…
Yeah, unfortunately i've neglected most of my friendships b/c of the startup. GF breakup isn't a result of startup failure, but more around our long term goals - children. Appreciate your perspective, thanks
Re: Ask HN: Looking for advice – Failed startup, long term relationship at same time
#54Use your experience to do another startup, but avoid doing things which led to startup failure. The worst thing you could do is give up. Also try to find investors first instead of spending family money on first business.
Are you sure that's the best advice? I can't be certain, but I would advise some stability (get a good job for a while) and then another startup only if that's what the OP wants. "Never give up" makes a great saying, but it's terrible advice because the scope is completely undefined. Never give up on what? A particular startup idea, the idea of having a successful startup, or perhaps just working in the tech industry…
Re: Ask HN: Looking for advice – Failed startup, long term relationship at same time
#55I'm a slave.
Fuck da man.
I made God's temple.
God will kill the CIA like passover killed first born egyptians.
I am solomon.
All men will worship in God's temple.
I do miracles all day long and talk with God.
The Bible says God's priests wait on the Lord with continual sacrifices.
I chat with God all day until He kills the CIA and His temple rules the world.
Re: Ask HN: Looking for advice – Failed startup, long term relationship at same time
#56Strangely, this comment stuck with me and seems to help when I am going through rough patches. "Cheer up and look on the bright side... things will get better!" doesn't help one bit, I don't feel it, and at the moment it is scarcely believable. It just makes me feel worse and is in my opinion, useless lip flapping designed to make the person saying it feel better. Meanwhile thinking about what hasn't gone wrong yet but could really does seem to bring a bit of perspective. And motivation.
For whatever it's worth.
Re: Ask HN: Looking for advice – Failed startup, long term relationship at same time
#57Re: Ask HN: Looking for advice – Failed startup, long term relationship at same time
#58Re: Ask HN: Looking for advice – Failed startup, long term relationship at same time
#59Hey, drop me a line: balajis at a16z dot com. We try to help entrepreneurs who have an experience like you've had get back on their feet. No promises, but often we can find you a great job at one of our portfolio companies.
assuming this applies to developers and doesn't work for marketing/product manager types
The company I now work for (CloudFlare) seems to have 100% of the PMs come from startups (including me), either from acquisitions or direct hire. It works really well.
We're also looking for a head of marketing. Email me (rdl@cloudflare.com) if you're interested, although I'd also strongly recommend balajis.
Re: Ask HN: Looking for advice – Failed startup, long term relationship at same time
#60If you'd not met her 8 years ago, and if you'd not started your startup 2 years ago, you'd be right where you are now but without the sense of loss. You gained something, for a short while, and now you've lost it again. As for your family and friends, whose money you lost: they can handle it. It's only money. It's to your credit to feel bad, but now you need to work to pay back the money you lost . At least some of i…