Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well, you don't need a million dollars to do nothing, man. Take a look at my cousin: he's broke, don't do shit.
my favorite quote in the whole movie
I celebrate the [movie's] entire catalog
Thank HN: My bootstrapped startup got acquired today
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Re: Thank HN: My bootstrapped startup got acquired today
#242Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’d buy a house, myself..
For 50k?
Found a place in a rural part of Missouri for $60k at the end of 2019. Everything has more than doubled in value since then. I had no idea what was about to happen when I signed that paper… but I’m sure glad I didn’t wait even a few months. Literally moved in February 2020 just in time to get really familiar with the new surroundings.
Re: Thank HN: My bootstrapped startup got acquired today
#243Totally random, but did you use Flourishlib (PHP) at some point ~15 years ago? Your name sounded familiar from a long-ago open source project.
Either way, congrats on your hard work and success!
Re: Thank HN: My bootstrapped startup got acquired today
#244Earlier quoted context omitted.
When something consumes you so rabidly and ferociously for so long, and then is just gone (poof), it leaves you searching. Searching for recovery and meaning. It's 4 years later, and I'm still searching...
Zuckerberg said something along the lines of if he would have sold facebook, he would have gone on to build another facebook Is that how you feel? Ive spent the past 10 years building my company, I dont feel like another venture could compare (for now)
I wouldn't, at least not in its current incarnation. I started mine in 2008, after a 2007 Supreme Court decision. For cpg brands, we built a SaaS for e-commerce dealer base compliance and management.
Ultimately, because competition eventually grew like crazy, I don't think the market timing is worthy of trying to rebuild it at this point. Maybe some analog for AI instead of e-commerce.
Oddly, after looking at your profile, it looks like I've been building the last few years in the same space as you. But product market fit has been elusive.
Re: Thank HN: My bootstrapped startup got acquired today
#245I have thought about selling to PE as well, I founded my company in 2009 as well. But I have seen too many times how PE breaks promises made to customers and employees and I think it is unethical to sell to them.
Re: Thank HN: My bootstrapped startup got acquired today
#246Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just as a counter point, private equity seems to have helped WPEngine become so successful that Mullenweg has totally lost his mind over it.
And WordPress can thank CPanel and the tens of thousands of customer support and sysadmins that supported millions of WordPress users at $9/mo for a decade and have never once interacted or known who Mullenweg is. And they can thank mysql.. and apache.. and php.. Take your money and be happy. I met some of the worst people (CEOs) working in webhosting. Some truly awful people became very rich. edit; I thought this wa…
This brand new drama (well, August/Sept vintage drama) reveals a _lot_ about Mullenweg.
I, for one, am happy to specifically call him awful.
Re: Thank HN: My bootstrapped startup got acquired today
#247Earlier quoted context omitted.
When something consumes you so rabidly and ferociously for so long, and then is just gone (poof), it leaves you searching. Searching for recovery and meaning. It's 4 years later, and I'm still searching...
My discovery having gone through something similar: If something made you happy and gave you purpose before, it probably will again. So just do it again. The second time around, you may discover that finding success, getting rich, etc., wasn't actually the reason you were doing it.
Getting rich was never the reason. I was a solo bootstrapper who rarely got paid for a decade+. If it was about the $ I would've dipped week one of the startup.
My issue is product market fit. I've been building different ideas for the past few years, but traction has eluded me.
Re: Thank HN: My bootstrapped startup got acquired today
#248Happy for you - congratulations Paras, Sparsh and VWO. Did the (long-term) employees make anything?
Re: Thank HN: My bootstrapped startup got acquired today
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