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MailChimp’s founders built the company slowly by anticipating customers’ needs

nytimes.com

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Re: MailChimp’s founders built the company slowly by anticipating customers’ needs

#121

Post by lgleason »

itake wrote: post #101
lgleason wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You would take a pay cut and there are many in Atlanta who would still complain that you are making too much and be thinking about how they could move your job to a low cost country. I've had conversations with startups "leaders" in Atlanta where they have expressed this sentiment.

hey lance! ha I left ATL for SF last year and I had many similar conversations while I lived there. ATL Founder > What do you mean you are charging $100/hr? I can pay 5 shitty developers in India for that price. SF Founder > We are on a pretty tight budget. The best we can offer you is $140k/yr + 0.7% equity.

yup, seen the same thing!

Re: MailChimp’s founders built the company slowly by anticipating customers’ needs

#122

Post by yoamro »

If you can continue growth and profitability without taking outside investors, great for you and I recommend it. The reality is, a lot of times founders are faced with the problem of funding/paying bills and are left with no other option than to take VC money. If you go down that route, just make sure that everyone on-board has the interests of your users in mind.

Re: MailChimp’s founders built the company slowly by anticipating customers’ needs

#123

Post by [deleted] »

oftenwrong wrote: post #81
echelon wrote: post #37

The Atlanta tech scene is blossoming, just like our film industry. We have a couple of incubators, including a few that are funded/supported by Georgia Tech. The cost of living here is super cheap, and there are brilliant and talented people everywhere. We have satellite offices for tons of major tech companies, so there are traditional tech jobs too. Earning $200k here while the cost of living is so low is phenomina…

Is it practical to live in Atlanta without a car?

[deleted]

Re: MailChimp’s founders built the company slowly by anticipating customers’ needs

#124

Post by ledbettj »

SwellJoe wrote: post #117
echelon wrote: post #37

The Atlanta tech scene is blossoming, just like our film industry. We have a couple of incubators, including a few that are funded/supported by Georgia Tech. The cost of living here is super cheap, and there are brilliant and talented people everywhere. We have satellite offices for tons of major tech companies, so there are traditional tech jobs too. Earning $200k here while the cost of living is so low is phenomina…

As a counterpoint: My family is in Atlanta (well, just outside of it), and it's probably my least favorite major American city. The traffic is out of control (and has possibly the rudest drivers in the whole country), McMansions and suburban sprawl are a way of life (my brother-in-law has an hour long commute to his near-downtown office, and keeps an office in his house so he doesn't have to drive down every day), an…

I used to feel the same way you do; I grew up here, moved away, and eventually came back. Atlanta is a much different place now.

I wouldn't choose to live "just outside" of Atlanta either, for all the terrible traffic/commute reasons you mentioned -- I live ITP and a 5 minute walk from a train station with a 10-minute hassle-free commute. Somehow I can survive here as part of a one-car household.

Also please don't paint an entire city (let alone one with Atlanta's demographics) as full of "casual racism." C'mon.

Re: MailChimp’s founders built the company slowly by anticipating customers’ needs

#125

Post by wil421 »

bendmorris wrote: post #106
wil421 wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

According to this CNN Money calculator you would only need to make $114k here to match a 200k salary on SF. Even less if you didn't want to live downtown. The housing costs are listed at 75% less than SF! http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/cost-of-living/

And according to Glassdoor, average Software Engineer salary in Atlanta is $72k: https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/atlanta-software-engineer... Neither is very scientific but I don't think it's such an obvious win.

Glassdoor isn't a good reference. For one, the list you linked to looks like a bunch of consultants salaries which is usually lower than average for entry level positions.

I'm only a few years out of school and almost at the 72k level with much room to grow in salary at my current job and grade level.

Re: MailChimp’s founders built the company slowly by anticipating customers’ needs

#126

Post by flanbiscuit »

cyanbane wrote: post #55
irishloop wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to work for a company based in Conyers, GA, and would hang out in Atlanta when I traveled there. It is a great city. However, there is a huge cultural shift outside of Atlanta for people used to Silicon Valley or NYC, because the rest of Georgia is definitely... different.

I think it is different in the way that most big cities are when compared to other parts of their states. San Fran and East California might be one of the better examples. Marietta is very similar Merced; Athens is similar to Berkeley. I don't think Atlanta is very different in that regard. (From Athens, longtime Atlanta resident - spent a lot of time in Cali, lots of family out in Sacramento/Berkeley)

I was just in Calistoga (near Napa) and I saw houses with Trump signs, so yeah there definitely tends to be a city vs rural shift in politics even in states like CA.

Re: MailChimp’s founders built the company slowly by anticipating customers’ needs

#127

Post by rebelidealist »

echelon wrote: post #37

The Atlanta tech scene is blossoming, just like our film industry. We have a couple of incubators, including a few that are funded/supported by Georgia Tech. The cost of living here is super cheap, and there are brilliant and talented people everywhere. We have satellite offices for tons of major tech companies, so there are traditional tech jobs too. Earning $200k here while the cost of living is so low is phenomina…

How is the weather in ATL?

Re: MailChimp’s founders built the company slowly by anticipating customers’ needs

#128

Post by gnufied »

echelon wrote: post #37

The Atlanta tech scene is blossoming, just like our film industry. We have a couple of incubators, including a few that are funded/supported by Georgia Tech. The cost of living here is super cheap, and there are brilliant and talented people everywhere. We have satellite offices for tons of major tech companies, so there are traditional tech jobs too. Earning $200k here while the cost of living is so low is phenomina…

State of Georgia mandates 0 day paid maternity leave. Was quite shocking for me in this day and age - having moved from London.

Also although I like Atlanta, the casual racism comment is not unfounded. For example, we have bunch of white only elementary schools and then we have some with black majority ones. Also putting my son through this system convinced me schools like to keep this segregation.

Re: MailChimp’s founders built the company slowly by anticipating customers’ needs

#129

Post by stouset »

ledbettj wrote: post #124
SwellJoe wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a counterpoint: My family is in Atlanta (well, just outside of it), and it's probably my least favorite major American city. The traffic is out of control (and has possibly the rudest drivers in the whole country), McMansions and suburban sprawl are a way of life (my brother-in-law has an hour long commute to his near-downtown office, and keeps an office in his house so he doesn't have to drive down every day), an…

I used to feel the same way you do; I grew up here, moved away, and eventually came back. Atlanta is a much different place now. I wouldn't choose to live "just outside" of Atlanta either, for all the terrible traffic/commute reasons you mentioned -- I live ITP and a 5 minute walk from a train station with a 10-minute hassle-free commute. Somehow I can survive here as part of a one-car household. Also please don't pa…

Agreed.

Grew up in the suburbs, hated it. Moved into Atlanta and fell in love. It's perfectly proportioned for cycling. The food everywhere is amazing (I still miss Atlanta's food, now that I'm in SF).

Re: MailChimp’s founders built the company slowly by anticipating customers’ needs

#130

Post by vsloo »

adekok wrote: post #69
ohnoesmyscv wrote: post #36

Depends on what you mean by 'making it' as a startup - is it the revenue growth? burn rate? profit growth? Number of users? Number of employees? A SF office? How well funded you are? It's hard to grow a business without going the conventional SV route and getting VC funding. Unless you have a revolutionary product, the bigger competition will likely stomp over you unless you have resources to grow your team and produ…

> Unless you have a revolutionary product, the bigger competition will likely stomp over you unless you have resources to grow your team and product and marketing. Or if you are comfortable with a small market share but a profitable one. Case in point, me. I started FreeRADIUS in 1999. Started making money in 2007. Incorporated in 2008. I now have multiple offices, multiple employees, and good growth. No investment.…

Totally agree with this. We started Reamaze back in 2012 and have never needed an injection of money nor wanted it. We focus on our core customers and deliver a curated experience we all love as a community. We have good growth and our team is extremely happy all the time since we're building what we know to be important long term, not what others think is profitable in the short term.
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