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Started a stupid company. Failed.

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Re: Started a stupid company. Failed.

#361

Post by Edmond »

Not sure how old you, but one of the central sacrifices that a young entrepreneur has to be ready to make is on the matter of family formation.

The moment you are a family man, things are different, you can still try starting a business but you really need to think long and hard about what you are doing before you make a move.

In fact I would say if you already have a family to support the only business you should start is one where you already have customers lined up ready to pay, or you have investor money to cushion you.

Good luck with everything am sure things will work out.

Re: Started a stupid company. Failed.

#362

Post by no-brainer »

tifareth wrote: post #303
zedshaw wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, here we go again. You'll call me a cock, and then I'll rip you in half verbally, and then you'll forget that you called me a cock and go off telling everyone I'm such a big bad bullying meanie for all the horrible awful things I said to you, and then I'll be crushed by the general opinion all you highly influential meaningful people have about me that I'll... Wait, actually I don't give a fuck what you think. I…

People like you - the genuinely transparent and fearless - are the only ones capable of sincere gestures. The scoundrels and cowards hate you because your honesty makes them self-conscious, so they'll fight you on grounds of "politeness". Thank you for your honesty. Whether you care or not, know that the people that value it -truly- do (unlike the cooze that reacted on you). Also, thank you for your amazing coding le…

I'll upvote any use of the word "cooze" especially one so apt.

Re: Started a stupid company. Failed.

#363

Post by gress »

Angostura wrote: post #286
zedshaw wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, here we go again. You'll call me a cock, and then I'll rip you in half verbally, and then you'll forget that you called me a cock and go off telling everyone I'm such a big bad bullying meanie for all the horrible awful things I said to you, and then I'll be crushed by the general opinion all you highly influential meaningful people have about me that I'll... Wait, actually I don't give a fuck what you think. I…

I think you greatly misunderstood the intent of that message. Still, I doubt you give a fuck what I think either, so as you were.

I don't think Zed misunderstood anything. That poster is standing in judgement of Zed, and has Zed expressed his reaction.

Re: Started a stupid company. Failed.

#365

Post by gress »

singular wrote: post #219
kibibu wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It strikes me that Zed has been on the receiving end of way more bullying than he has given out (including being called a cock by you in this very post)

"I have for a while thought of you as (total honesty here) a bullying cock" Notice the past tense. I based that opinion on the many aggressive attacking posts by Zed (for which he is well-known), particularly the attack of Mark Pilgrim (now deleted.) That impression may be right or it may be wrong, but for good or for bad it's one that I got, and I felt my not mentioning that or hedging it here would be intellectuall…

The point is that you stand in judgement of Zed.

Just because you now have a positive judgement doesn't change the fact that a few hours ago you judged him to be 'a cock'.

Why shouldn't he be pissed about that, and why should he care what you think?

Re: Started a stupid company. Failed.

#366

Post by BHSPitMonkey »

jaxn wrote: post #338
lgieron wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You forfeit the freedom to be irrational when you have a child, let alone four of them.

As a parent of 6, I call bullshit. I want my kids to take risks. I want them to challenge the status quo. I want them to think for themselves. I want them to appreciate the irrational. I don't care if they get an xbox for Christmas.

I'm pretty sure we're discussing taking risks that could move your kids into foster care because you're homeless, not the risk of not being able to afford an Xbox.

Re: Started a stupid company. Failed.

#367

Post by gress »

singular wrote: post #36
zedshaw wrote: post #13

Hey, other comments are going to give you a few lines telling you to not quit, that you should hang in there, and that it'll be alright. That may be true, but to me it sounds like you're possibly not doing well enough to make any of that possible, and you probably need to find work fast. Here's what I want to do: 1. I have a little list of companies looking for employees that I'll send you. Not much just companies th…

I have for a while thought of you as (total honesty here) a bullying cock (though talented at what you do), but this comment which is sincere, genuine and offered to someone for whom this could be greatly helpful has made me seriously reconsider. Kudos.

Will people please stop replying to this otherwise HN's 'flame war' and controversy detectors will kick in and bury the posting.

Re: Started a stupid company. Failed.

#368

Post by porter »

31reasons wrote: post #98

I don't care if I get down voted. But if a person already has 3 kids and another on the way, why would you spend all your savings on a startup ? even if you run out of savings, why would you max out your credit ? There is something called calculated risk.

Because people who take these risks change the world. Failure just goes with the territory sometimes. Without entrepreneurs, you'd have life filled with many more daily aches and pains. We need to celebrate these folks. They are the real heroes of society.

Re: Started a stupid company. Failed.

#370

Post by bmelton »

beagle3 wrote: post #222
bmelton wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Calculated risks, no matter how number of, or how precise the calculations, often still fail. The idea that all risk can be eliminated is a fallacy, as there is literally always a risk of failure unless you're already independently wealthy.

Even if you are independently wealthy, there's risk of failure: Health reasons, financial reasons beyond your control (e.g. currency hyperinflation; draconian tax measures as happened in Greece and Argentina and will likely happen in other places as well; Significant loss of finances to fraud, as in the Bernie Madoff case) It's never possible to eliminate all risk. However, there's a difference between taking a calcu…

You're not wrong -- I just wanted to delineate between 'failure' and 'bankruptcy'. Clearly, if Bill Gates wanted to start a new company, the likelihood that it would bankrupt him is indeed minuscule, though not impossible. I would wager though, that unless it was exceedingly ambitious (e.g., very high risk), the possibility of him going bankrupt from any new venture is infinitesimal.

It's also perhaps worth noting that yeah, I'm also not making any value judgements on the OP, except to say that sometimes, even calculated risks are subject to sheer and utter failure, and that even playing things extremely safe, unless one has piles and piles of money, could easily lead to bankruptcy-worthy situations.

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