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Drop the ego and prove "I could make that so much better"

blog.lawnstarter.com

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Re: Drop the ego and prove "I could make that so much better"

#21

Post by jfasi »

I consider this post part of a nascent trend to de-bullshit the startup and technology scene. For years the narrative has been "we in the tech industry are standard bearers leading society into a bright new tomorrow." The recent protests around the Google buses, as well as John Oliver's takedown [1] of the tech industry seem to be striking a chord with the public, and there's a lesson to be drawn: we tech folks are not as important as we think we are.

A business is just that: a business. Not a humanitarian aid mission dispatched from your benevolent head into a world made unbearable by its lack of smartphone apps and productivity software. It's an organization that is focused on delivering a product that people will pay for. I'm thrilled for the author that he found something he can profitably produce, and I commend him on his exit from the messiah complex echo chamber that's plaguing our industry.

[1] http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/11/john-oliver-kills-at-crunch...

Re: Drop the ego and prove "I could make that so much better"

#22

Post by pekk »

tluyben2 wrote: post #17

It's one of those things you (well I at least :) learn when you get older; you have a few years to do what you came here for and then you expire, so feeling embarrassed or otherwise caring about the negative things people might think about you is not very interesting and should best be not at all even in your brain at any time. Took me about 34 years to learn that and it's not actual advise you can give someone as pe…

Is your attitude toward bragging about income culturally typical for Dutch people?

Re: Drop the ego and prove "I could make that so much better"

#23

Post by einhverfr »

lmm wrote: post #14

Lawns are conspicuous consumption at its finest; improving them is not making the world a better place. This is one case where the guilt is telling you something.

I totally agree with you.

but....

If we are ever going to see great alternatives to lawns develop, I wouldn't be surprised if it is going to be in part done by good-quality landscaping firms. Team up with a permaculturist and start making a bigger difference.

Re: Drop the ego and prove "I could make that so much better"

#24

Post by fit2rule »

arethuza wrote: post #12
fit2rule wrote: post #4

I make roads for a living. (Well, my software does.) Actually this has been a bit of a boon for me - whereas in the past peoples eyes would glaze over when I told them about SIL-4 practices and other such nonsense involved in keeping the trains running on time (safely), nowadays I can just point at the road and say - software makes this happen, now. Software is boring. What the software does - now _that_ captures peo…

My view is that software is fascinating and the real world problems you can solve with it are also fascinating - so it is a double win!

I of course meant in the social context - if I didn't think software was interesting I wouldn't be involved with it. But I have to say that this is an article about the social effect of explaining what you do to people - so many times, young developers come to the scene wanting to be rock stars, whereas that's just simply not going to happen in software. If you want to be a rock star, learn to play the guitar and rock ass.. but if you want people to understand why your job as a developer is so cool, you have to be prepared to explain it to them. If a person doesn't have the humility to describe your task in a way that people will understand - they've got a ways to go as a developer.

Saying "I make a logistics/analysis/solver system for mowing lawn - i.e. I'm a gardener" is not so easy when all you want is praise for doing something cool .. right .. coz mowing lawns isn't cool. Well it sure is, if you're using software to do it ... better.

Re: Drop the ego and prove "I could make that so much better"

#25

Post by rjf90 »

jfasi wrote: post #21

I consider this post part of a nascent trend to de-bullshit the startup and technology scene. For years the narrative has been "we in the tech industry are standard bearers leading society into a bright new tomorrow." The recent protests around the Google buses, as well as John Oliver's takedown [1] of the tech industry seem to be striking a chord with the public, and there's a lesson to be drawn: we tech folks are n…

Give this guy a medal.

Re: Drop the ego and prove "I could make that so much better"

#26

Post by dethstar »

pekk wrote: post #22
tluyben2 wrote: post #17

It's one of those things you (well I at least :) learn when you get older; you have a few years to do what you came here for and then you expire, so feeling embarrassed or otherwise caring about the negative things people might think about you is not very interesting and should best be not at all even in your brain at any time. Took me about 34 years to learn that and it's not actual advise you can give someone as pe…

Is your attitude toward bragging about income culturally typical for Dutch people?

I think it is a Douche thing to do.

Re: Drop the ego and prove "I could make that so much better"

#27

Post by mikeg8 »

Loved this piece.

> I got so caught up in this mentality that I was literally embarrassed to be working on a company that was making money in a less than sexy industry. Seems ass-backwards to me...

Spot on! I wish you much success in your venture. Oh and in my opinion, a freshly cut baseball field is waaay sexier than any mobile app haha

Re: Drop the ego and prove "I could make that so much better"

#28

Post by tfgg »

stickydink wrote: post #3

The author touches on being embarrassed. As a game developer making games that many players would call evil (IAPs, IAPs everywhere.), I tend to prefix my "what do you do?" with "Oh uh, it's not something I'd actually play, but it's called ...". Shame, really.

There was a great comment recently about "social" game developers being like heroin dealers who don't use their own product and look down on their customers, and "traditional" game developers being like cannabis dealers who are happy to smoke it with the customer.

Re: Drop the ego and prove "I could make that so much better"

#29

Post by mikeg8 »

ohwp wrote: post #13
icebraining wrote: post #5

We all have a list of things or industries that “we could make so much better”. We do?

Don't you? I've got a list of things that I think could be improved. For instance: The interface of the remote control? Could be improved for elderly. The price of a CNC router? Could be cheaper. The atmosphere of that bar? Could be nicer. Easy to say, hard to do.

Same here. I want to make a battery powered noise canceling headphone that automatically shuts off if the jack isn't plugged in. Why should a 250 dollar pair of headphones not do this automatically when the battery is required for the experience!?

Re: Drop the ego and prove "I could make that so much better"

#30

Post by jt2190 » 

  > For some reason, I bought into this premium that our 
  > community puts on companies that produce gimmicky 
  > technology and raise massive rounds without having any 
  > real revenue streams. I got so caught up in this 
  > mentality that I was literally embarrassed to be working 
  > on a company that was making money in a less than sexy 
  > industry.
Anyone who is looking to take VC money needs to be able to convince investors that they'll have a 100M+ exit within seven to ten years. Investors who are looking to make these "long-shot" bets are not looking for solid companies with predictable growth like a lawn care business.

It's really important to understand the investor's point-of-view when considering a position at a VC-funded company, otherwise the company's behavior may seem irrational.

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