My buddy Francine says: "do eeeet~!"
ASK HN: I'm lost -- need direction
31–40 of 46 posts
Re: ASK HN: I'm lost -- need direction
#32I'm a nurse with over 15 years of Critical Care experience. I Read Hackers and Painters in 2003, and I went back to school part time for Software Engineering. I finished up last spring, and I started working on being a serial bootstrapper. As soon as I can adjust spending, I'll cut down to part time, or jump ship and do startups full time. I'm 36. I'm married no kids.
I have talked long and hard with my wife about this, and I have total buy in from her. That's huge. I wouldn't be able to do this if she wasn't on board.
Re: ASK HN: I'm lost -- need direction
#33Why do you want to an "entrepreneur"? What does that mean to you? I don't see a passion for any particular project or idea in your question. I would expect that someone that really wanted to be an entrepreneur, right from their college days, would have moved in that direction somehow -- either by saving funds away so they could do it without disrupting their family, or by working on something on the side in their spa…
PASSION ! The number one pre-requisite. Of course, you need to identify a problem/need/want AND work out how to monetize. If you don't have customers you don't have a business. So instead of wanting to be an entrepreneur, starting being more aware, find a problem that really get's you going, solve it, tell the world about it and charge them when they turn up. Being passionate and making a difference is what's really…
Many people, all more intelligent than I, tried to warn me about the miseries and ills of starting your own business, and they were right in everything they said.
If I could be content with a safe, regular job at a large company, I would do that instead without a moment's hesitation.
Unfortunately, I seem to suffer from some kind of mental illness which makes me cranky anytime I can blame anyone but myself for whatever mess I find myself in.
Re: ASK HN: I'm lost -- need direction
#34How about this - put aside $500 of your salary each month to hiring a coder on rentacoder that develops and idea for you. Take your time about it, but this is risk free and you get to learn for cheap.
Re: ASK HN: I'm lost -- need direction
#35You don't always have to be employee 0, there's plenty of room out in startup land for employee 1s, 2s, 3s, etc. Find industry friends to collaborate on new projects with, or simply go looking for brand-new startups to work for.
Re: ASK HN: I'm lost -- need direction
#36If you positioned yourself so well in life then accumulate wealth, wait for retirement and do whatever you like then. There is never too late to become entrepreneur. Being successful entrepreneur is about hiring guys smarter then you anyway so age is no barrier in becoming one.
Re: ASK HN: I'm lost -- need direction
#37It's never too late. As most people have pointed out, most entrepreneurs are older than you expect. The kids who build successful businesses at 20 get all the press because they're the exception, not the rule. There's lots of examples out there: Jay Adelson founded Digg at 34 and Revision3 at 35. William Hanna and Joe Barbera founded Hanna-Barbera Productions when they were both pushing fifty. You're never too old to…
That's really true. The media will always put on the magazine cover the guy how is billionaire in their twenties. Not necessarily because he is a genius (he may be) but because it sells magazines.
Re: ASK HN: I'm lost -- need direction
#38It's never too late. As most people have pointed out, most entrepreneurs are older than you expect. The kids who build successful businesses at 20 get all the press because they're the exception, not the rule. There's lots of examples out there: Jay Adelson founded Digg at 34 and Revision3 at 35. William Hanna and Joe Barbera founded Hanna-Barbera Productions when they were both pushing fifty. You're never too old to…
To be a first-time founder in your mid to late 30s, even early 40s, is not unusual at all, especially for ultimately successful companies.
E.g., John Warnock and Charles Geschke founded Adobe when they were 41 and 42, respectively.
Ignore the media fawning of young founders; it's only so much noise, and means nothing in the end.
Re: ASK HN: I'm lost -- need direction
#39I think you could benefit greatly from Gary Vaynerchuk's ideas in this keynote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhqZ0RU95d4&feature=playe...
The general overview of what he says: it's never too late, you don't have to jump neck deep into it at first (i.e.: quit a job and take funding), you need more passion than Gandhi, and just fucking do it.
Re: ASK HN: I'm lost -- need direction
#40Why do you want to an "entrepreneur"? What does that mean to you? I don't see a passion for any particular project or idea in your question. I would expect that someone that really wanted to be an entrepreneur, right from their college days, would have moved in that direction somehow -- either by saving funds away so they could do it without disrupting their family, or by working on something on the side in their spa…
That's an interesting view. I'm not scared of doing the hardwork no money entrepreneur thing for a while. Can you give me tips on how to go about finding direction?