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Tiny

tinycapital.com

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Re: Tiny

#151

Post by quickthrower2 »

HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #121
s_Hogg wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If that's the case then why are they ok with the founder leaving? I don't think this is a scam or anything, I just wish I understood the mechanics of how their business works better than I do

By the time the business is "stable, profitable and growing" the founder is likely far less important than in the beginning. There have to be processes in place to manage the business's day to day operations, and a good management team that looks to the future. You can't maintain a business at that level while still being dependent on a single person so the business at the time of sale has to be capable of continuing…

You might be relying on the top person for the “growing” part even if everything else can tick over nicely.

Re: Tiny

#152

Post by proexploit »

mrkentutbabi wrote: post #130
proexploit wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's a lot harder to pick a good business than you think. Many "micro" sized businesses have significant issues and avoiding them requires you to know all the right questions to ask. If you are able to make the right pick and the size of the deal is something you're comfortable seeing go to zero, it may be a good learning experience. However, you'll be learning to acquire and keep a business alive, not start…

Yeah I expect this. I think I would like to start from something I am somewhat familiar with. Interesting note about "acquiring and keeping a business alive, not starting a business", I am under the impression that these two skills are related, if not the same.

They're definitely related (and more so the closer to start a business is). Depending on the business you may be benefiting from research, product/market fit, marketing, experiments, and on and on.

It's not that the stuff you would do isn't relevant to starting your business but that it's not the complete picture.

Re: Tiny

#153

Post by spottybanana »

lovelyviking wrote: post #141
bluecalm wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I run a profitable business (1.5m+ revenue at 90%+ margins). I would love to sell it and do something else. I even think you can grow it in relatively straightforward way, I just don't have the energy to make it happen. Sadly it's a niche business, might be difficult to run by outsiders. The reasons I want to sell are that I want to do something else and that I am already set for life (maybe not fully Fat Fire but ve…

With your experience do you think it is possible or how realistic it could be to put some talented person as a manager instead of yourself and thus allow yourself to do something else without actually selling it?

There for sure are tons of people willing to manage someones else business if you pay them well. However how talented or good they are is a totally different thing.

Re: Tiny

#155

Post by movedx »

vasco wrote: post #22
movedx wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And not actually caring about the problem at hand. "Dude! We could make so much money if we made X!" - but do you actually care about X? Why is money the only reason people are setting up business and solving problems? It should be secondary, a happy side effect of solving hard problems (which people will thank you for with money.)

If someone solves a problem of mine because they're motivated by money instead of the problem domain I don't really care. Are you upset that the gas station operator doesn't have a hobby about gas?

> gas station operator

They didn't build the business. They're an employee.

Re: Tiny

#156

Post by movedx »

brtkdotse wrote: post #18
movedx wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And not actually caring about the problem at hand. "Dude! We could make so much money if we made X!" - but do you actually care about X? Why is money the only reason people are setting up business and solving problems? It should be secondary, a happy side effect of solving hard problems (which people will thank you for with money.)

Because people want to pay their rent and eat. “Hard problems” take a lot of work and time and no one is going to pay me to ponder on a tricky algorithm [1] [1] actually there is. It’s called “academia” and from what I’m told it’s pretty miserable to be in

> Because people want to pay their rent and eat.

That's the wrong reason to set up a business, but the right reason to simply get a job.

> “Hard problems”

Who said anything about hard problems? Are businesses only designed to solve hard problems?

Re: Tiny

#157

Post by movedx »

educatedfool wrote: post #52
brtkdotse wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because people want to pay their rent and eat. “Hard problems” take a lot of work and time and no one is going to pay me to ponder on a tricky algorithm [1] [1] actually there is. It’s called “academia” and from what I’m told it’s pretty miserable to be in

Agree. Very hard problems or big investments (e.g. rail network, infrastructure at a country level, basic research with high risk of failure that will take decades) you usually have some form of state agency running it. PS: have not heard a good word about academia from numerous friends in it. Might be regional (EU) but still...

> Agree. Very hard problems or big investments

Who said anything about hard problems or "big investments"? I never said that. Why are you saying that?

Re: Tiny

#158

Post by Jeff_Brown »

stronglikedan wrote: post #146
Jeff_Brown wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also good dating advice.

Indeed. Bested only by ghosting.

I have to disagree. Only in the rare case of potentially dangerous people with no way to hunt you down does ghosting seem appropriate. Everywhere else it strikes me as irresponsible, callous, and potentially damaging to the ghost's reputation.

Rejection does not have to be harsh. "I don't think we're a good fit," is easy to say, hard to argue with, and provides no concrete mistake for the rejected party to feel bad about, if that's something you want to avoid. (Personally, at least after sufficient time has passed, I prefer someone actually tell me what they didn't like, but not everyone feels safe doing that.)

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