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Take the Money and Run

nate.io

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Re: Take the Money and Run

#91

Post by yesimahuman »

exelius wrote: post #23

Aah, so it sounds like one of the big reasons you sold was because of imposter syndrome? I don't mean that negatively -- I feel one of the things that comes with experience is you realize that nobody knows what they are doing. This dispels the impostor syndrome pretty quickly. Once you think you know how a business or industry works, you develop patterns to solve it. This can sometimes work against you because it can…

Every time I made a decision in my startup based on fear or insecurity, I always regretted it. When you have something awesome, you need to believe in yourself more than anyone else. I constantly try to remind myself of that, but it's especially hard when it's your first real startup and you have nothing to measure it up to!

Re: Take the Money and Run

#93

Post by goatforce5 »

rogerbinns wrote: post #62
waqf wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If there's an item of American culture you may be missing, it's probably that American restaurants can be very cheap.

Also the portions are large (which everyone already knows). But it is also culturally normal to take a doggie bag of the leftovers home with you, to supply additional meals. ie one restaurant meal is good for more than one meal. This arose because the easiest way for a restaurant to increase revenue is to increase portion sizes and hence the price.

I've eaten at places in the US where they're straight up confused/offended if you don't doggie bag your leftovers.

"What? Was there something wrong?"

"No, i'm in a hotel and don't really have anywhere to store or reheat it."

"Yeah, but... Are you sure you want it?"

Re: Take the Money and Run

#94

Post by nikibeth »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #6

I'm probably being petulant or don't understand American culture, but: > To avoid spending money, we'd been subsisting on a diet consisting largely of soup. [...] But now, we'd gradually started to feel like we might be able to afford to eat at restaurants again. No middle ground?

Co-founder and "soup-maker" here. Not to dwell too much on the soup point, but it was our go-to meal for several reasons. I personally love making soup, especially when it's cold out. I can make it reasonably balanced in terms of meat, veggies, and carbs. It's pretty budget-friendly too because it extends more "expensive" items like lean meats. Lastly, it's convenient to make in between working on marketing content or answering support requests.

Re: Take the Money and Run

#96

Post by ArkyBeagle »

exelius wrote: post #23

Aah, so it sounds like one of the big reasons you sold was because of imposter syndrome? I don't mean that negatively -- I feel one of the things that comes with experience is you realize that nobody knows what they are doing. This dispels the impostor syndrome pretty quickly. Once you think you know how a business or industry works, you develop patterns to solve it. This can sometimes work against you because it can…

Some people DO know what they're doing, but they're way to the right of that particular distribution. One acqu. I was in (not a founder here, just an humble hireling) - the first one - was part of one of the acquirers' five year plans and it went just like they planned.

I kinda doubt impostor syndrome per se. Perhaps I missed something, but sounds like selling was the perfect move here. In any acquisition, there is significant performance anxiety - just plain old stage fright. Not necessarily paralyzing, but just the ... cognitive shear from being backstage to being under the lights. "It just got real" to mangle a cliche. Your ...calibration gyros are whirring a lot.

Re: Take the Money and Run

#97

Post by roel_v »

sumedh wrote: post #37

Just out of curiosity, can you share a ballpark figure about the buyout price. 5,10,20 Million?

The article says they had 70k turnover. Take http://www.quora.com/What-are-typical-exit-revenue-multiples... as a ballpark estimate for a multiple. They'd have been very lucky to be paid 7 figures.

5 million is a lot of money. Sometimes I feel like it's 1999 all over again - people spouting 200k salaries and 8 digit 'acquisitions' of < 10 people companies as 'normal'.

Re: Take the Money and Run

#98

Post by a3n »

antognini wrote: post #90
ssharp wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Weather seems like a commonly-stated reason for leaving Ohio. I'm from here, so I obviously take note of it, but I do wonder if people commonly talk about leaving places like Boston and NYC for warmer climates. Those areas seem to have equally miserable winter weather.

As someone who moved to Ohio from California for grad school, the big problem I've had with the winters is just the lack of sun. [1] It's as though sometime around the beginning of November a gigantic cloud descends on central Ohio and doesn't lift until late April. Boston and New York get cold, but I would find them much more tolerable just because the sun is out more often. I had heard this complaint from the other…

BTDT. I lived in Seattle 15 years, and while I loved it, and learned to love the rain, when I moved to Colorado I realized that sun and light and dry can be more than pretty nice too. (There's moss growing on the roads in Seattle, fer cryin' out loud.)

For some of us, sun and light make a huge difference. And yes, the sun does come out in Seattle, and when it does it's especially beautiful, but in a way that's like saying that you're hitting yourself on the head because it feels so good when you stop. (But I still miss Seattle.)

Re: Take the Money and Run

#99

Post by sswezey »

antognini wrote: post #90
ssharp wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Weather seems like a commonly-stated reason for leaving Ohio. I'm from here, so I obviously take note of it, but I do wonder if people commonly talk about leaving places like Boston and NYC for warmer climates. Those areas seem to have equally miserable winter weather.

As someone who moved to Ohio from California for grad school, the big problem I've had with the winters is just the lack of sun. [1] It's as though sometime around the beginning of November a gigantic cloud descends on central Ohio and doesn't lift until late April. Boston and New York get cold, but I would find them much more tolerable just because the sun is out more often. I had heard this complaint from the other…

The lack of winter sunlight is one of the biggest reasons I moved (back) to Atlanta from Seattle. I can definitely attest to what you've said - it's a much bigger impact on your well-being than people think.

And no, SAD lights or Vitamin D don't cut it when you're used to seeing the sun on a semi-regular basis.

Re: Take the Money and Run

#100

Post by s73v3r »

lbotos wrote: post #9
Cthulhu_ wrote: post #6

I'm probably being petulant or don't understand American culture, but: > To avoid spending money, we'd been subsisting on a diet consisting largely of soup. [...] But now, we'd gradually started to feel like we might be able to afford to eat at restaurants again. No middle ground?

I assume he was alluding to "ramen profitable": http://www.paulgraham.com/ramenprofitable.html Some people actually try and live off of Ramen.

Which is a terrible thing, because those things are so bad for you.
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