No meetings, no deadlines, no full-time employees • Hacker News Board

Re: No meetings, no deadlines, no full-time employees

#361

Post by wolco5 » Fri, Jan 08, 2021, 5:22 AM UTC

pugz wrote: post #311

deathgrips wrote: post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do Canadians and Australians need as much healthcare as aging and obese Americans do?

I just looked into it now. As of 2018, apparent 38% of Americans are obese and 28% of Australians. So it's probably a difference that _does_ factor into costs, but I wouldn't know how much.

That is such a big difference. Is it food suply related or lifestyle? The states with larger cheese production tend to be heavier than hotter states which could mean location might be the cause but it might be genetic.

Re: No meetings, no deadlines, no full-time employees

#362

Post by marsdepinski » Fri, Jan 08, 2021, 5:25 AM UTC

Congratulations, you turned a VC product into a business where revenues have to be more than expenses and can't come from a ponzi pyramid of other VC products with expenses higher than revenues.

Re: No meetings, no deadlines, no full-time employees

#363

Post by langitbiru » Fri, Jan 08, 2021, 5:33 AM UTC

philmcp wrote: post #44

In years to come we will look down on the 5 day working week in the same way we currently do with 15hr factory shifts during the industrial revolution. It absolutely blows my mind that 99% of office roles are still 5 days / week, Monday to Friday - why is there basically no variation on this model? I'd be more than happy to work a job for 80% salary for 4 days per week... So much so, I'm about to launch a website lis…

Similar to you, I'm building a part-time jobs website. https://parttime.careers

I feel that the part-time jobs trend now is like the remote jobs trend in 2007. It's still in the early days.

Re: No meetings, no deadlines, no full-time employees

#364

Post by tmilard » Fri, Jan 08, 2021, 5:40 AM UTC

I find refreshing this idea of likenind contractors just doing carefully their jobs. Without a 'coorporate culture'.

I also find that in various development project I do people mater just more than the frame.

Re: No meetings, no deadlines, no full-time employees

#365

Post by bash-j » Fri, Jan 08, 2021, 5:49 AM UTC

wolco5 wrote: post #361

pugz wrote: post #311

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just looked into it now. As of 2018, apparent 38% of Americans are obese and 28% of Australians. So it's probably a difference that _does_ factor into costs, but I wouldn't know how much.

That is such a big difference. Is it food suply related or lifestyle? The states with larger cheese production tend to be heavier than hotter states which could mean location might be the cause but it might be genetic.

Food is more expensive in Australia and serving sizes are smaller.

Re: No meetings, no deadlines, no full-time employees

#366

Post by philsnow » Fri, Jan 08, 2021, 5:49 AM UTC

DVassallo wrote: post #284

callmeed wrote: post #280

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I make more than enough to afford proper health insurance on the open market. Everyone at Gumroad is paid very well and should be able to afford the same. This might be true for everyone at Gumroad , but I wouldn't be so sure. You also seem dismissive (probably unintentionally) of one of the biggest problems we have in the US right now: health care and insurance is ridiculously expensive–especially for people with…

When I lived in Ireland I paid 51% of my income in taxes. Imagine that!

I don't have to imagine it, I live in California.

  Top federal income tax: 37%
  Top California income tax: 13.3%
  Federal Medicare tax: 1.45%
  Additional federal medicare tax*: 0.9%

The "additional" Medicare tax is only on whatever income is over $200k/$250k for single/joint filers. Call it "0.55% effective".

Adds up to 52.3%.

There's also a sizeable additional capital gains tax for three lucky ones who live in California.

Re: No meetings, no deadlines, no full-time employees

#367

Post by smaslennikov » Fri, Jan 08, 2021, 5:51 AM UTC

This is actually a business style I worked on describing[1], but it wasn't well received[2].

[1]: https://smaslennikov.com/posts/industry-and-workers/ [2]: https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/R4djofDLGRsYx5wqf/industry-a...

Re: No meetings, no deadlines, no full-time employees

#368

Post by markdown » Fri, Jan 08, 2021, 5:52 AM UTC

jokethrowaway wrote: post #347

markdown wrote: post #335

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In Canada the waiting lists for mri and other advanced testing can be long where the same tests/operations can be done as a walkin option that day in the US. Are there no private MRI machines in Canada? In many countries with free healthcare, you can still "just walk in" to any private hospital/clinic and get an MRI done.

Sure, but you're already paying for a public service

We all pay taxes that build and maintain our roads, but that's no reason to not shell out for an airline ticket if we want to get somewhere faster.

In my country I can see a doctor for free after a 0-4hr queue in a hospital waiting room or pay USD$10 to immediately see any of the dozen private doctors within a 5 min drive of my home.

My taxes already pay for free healthcare, but I'm more than happy to pay more to avoid wait times.

But I live in the "third world", so I understand your experience might be different.

Re: No meetings, no deadlines, no full-time employees

#369

Post by masonic » Fri, Jan 08, 2021, 6:07 AM UTC

rattray wrote: post #344

callmeed wrote: post #280

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I make more than enough to afford proper health insurance on the open market. Everyone at Gumroad is paid very well and should be able to afford the same. This might be true for everyone at Gumroad , but I wouldn't be so sure. You also seem dismissive (probably unintentionally) of one of the biggest problems we have in the US right now: health care and insurance is ridiculously expensive–especially for people with…

As another data point, I pay ~$350/mo for a low-deductible, high-quality HMO ACA plan as a single male in Maryland. (It would have been $550 in California). I'm incensed at the idea we leave families out in the cold like that - IMO healthcare should be free - but I don't find my care to entirely unaffordable.

  I pay ~$350/mo for a low-deductible, high-quality HMO ACA plan

That's the total amount the provider gets, or just your out of pocket before ACA subsidy?

Re: No meetings, no deadlines, no full-time employees

#370

Post by cercatrova » Fri, Jan 08, 2021, 6:07 AM UTC

Bakary wrote: post #319

stuxnet79 wrote: post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. Really inspiring story. I'm not as far along on my entrepreneurial dreams as the CEO but as a freelancer, I'd be interested in working at a firm with a similar set up as Gumroad. I'm very much a mercenary and I find it's hard to be honest about this while still maintaining a good working relationship with colleagues.

I think the person you replied to was being sarcastic but I'm not even sure anymore

Even if sarcastic, it really is an amazing model and the execution was great. Vincent Woo of Coderpad had this exact question, why not raise a seed or series A round, then never raise again? There's no legal reason stopping you from doing so, given you still own the majority of the company. It's just frowned upon.