Ask HN: Am I crazy?

So I just graduated college in the spring and I have about $1500 in savings that I could spend on the deposit + rent/moving expenses for an apartment somewhere and continue looking for a job, but something in me is telling me there's a better way. I have a plan, but I want to see if you guys think I'm crazy (If HN thinks it's too out there, then I know I'm off-base) or if I'm going to need more money or what.

I have known for some time that there's something different in the brain of an entrepreneur that changes the way they see the world, and I want to find out what that is.

So I want to set out to find entrepreneurs, either through appointment or serendipity, and spend a little time with them. Just get to know how they decided to do what they do, what keeps them going, what their hopes and dreams are, etc. I posit that there's commonalities to be found there and a lot of insight to be gained from those commonalities. My contacts are somewhat slim, and it would probably be reasonable to spend a few years building up more, but something tells me now is the time to do this and it's getting harder and harder to ignore.

I spent some time as a freelance writer, so I believe I can make the result compelling and interesting. But there's a lot of things I need to work out, and this is where I need your help: - Do I have enough money to do this long enough to produce anything of substance? (numbers at the end of the post) - How should I publish this? It could be a blog that I update regularly, an ebook that I put together as I go, a physical book (leaning away from this for many reasons) or some combination thereof? - Can I somehow monetize this as I'm working on it so as to extend my trip? - How should I pitch the project to potential subjects? Free publicity? Altruism?

Numbers: A trip from Chicago(where I live) to NY, boston, New Orleans, Austin, SF, Seattle, back to chicago is 7695 miles. I'm thinking $700 for gas, oil changes, and some other tune-up stuff before I leave/along the way. If I eliminate the west coast, this drops to around 4000 miles, If I just do SF and Seattle (this is probably what I'll end up doing) I end up with around 5000 miles.

I have no aversion to couch surfing, sleeping in my car or camping, all of which I've done plenty of. With around 5 days of pure driving, I can spend a month doing this at just over $20/day to spend on food/bribery.

My hope would be to get around 15-20 case studies of at least an hour or so interview time, plus maybe shadowing and secondary interviews. Though this is flexible. I think this would be enough for a worthwhile product.

So. Am I crazy? Should I do it? Suggestions? Volunteers? Donations...?

Also, you can email me at alex |at| mohrslaws.com

If you don't have any other streams of income, you might want to think about ways you could get $1k/mo flowing into your bank account to keep you afloat while you flesh this out. $1500 isn't a lot of money, but perhaps that constraint will just make you more creative.

As for the validation that you're seeking, I've seen people do much crazier things that have turned out well. Which is all to say that, yes, the idea is crazy -- maybe even just crazy enough to work if you are committed to it. It sounds like the downside risk to you is pretty minimal, so why not?

To get you started, here's your first tip from an entrepreneur: don't be too attached to the outcome you have planned now. Just like in a startup, once you start on your adventure, you may find that going in a different direction looks more promising. Take the first step, then go where opportunity leads you.

How about reaching out to Mixergy and see if he needs any help?

Yeah, you're a little crazy, but there's no better time than now to do crazy things. It won't get easier, cheaper, less stressful, as you get older. I think you're underestimating the expense of some aspects of this...but if you plan extremely well and live extremely cheap, you can probably live a couple months on the road for $1500.

You should start blogging about your plans (your route, what you're taking with you, who you want to talk to, etc.) immediately...it won't bring in any revenue, but it will (hopefully) get you in touch with enough people willing to help along the way. Video might also be helpful. Once you're actually setting out, you might be able to get enough traffic to bring in some cash. The blogging process is also good for other things...it makes you a better writer, and if you get some traffic it might catch the attention of a publisher or magazine editor.

Also, you can crash at my place when you get to Silicon Valley, if you like.

Where did you go to college?