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Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

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Re: Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

#41

Post by ImprovedSilence »

jpdoctor wrote: post #14
larrys wrote: post #11

"A lot of people think that they want to be an entrepreneur because it’s a good way to make money. It just isn’t, that’s just wrong. Depending on how you count, 95% to 99% of companies fail." Excuse me. It is a way to make money. That figure assumes the definition of entrepreneur is only startups as discussed in places like HN, Techcrunch etc. Not only is the figure of 95% or 99% wrong with respect to "entrepreneurs"…

> Not only is the figure of 95% or 99% wrong with respect to "entrepreneurs" I believe he's quoting numbers from Shikhar Ghosh at HBS. Here's one article that google brought up with a little more detail about how "failure" is defined: The statistics are disheartening no matter how an entrepreneur defines failure. If failure means liquidating all assets, with investors losing most or all the money they put into the co…

Yup. But I'd like to see the numbers for second or third try entrepreneurs. of all types. If my first three goes tank it, but the fourth one makes it, OHBOYOHBOYOHBOY!. Then I've got a 75% fail rate, but I'm still a success. (insert inspirational "fall down seven times, stand up eight",I havent failed, I just found 99 ways that don't work" etc...)

Re: Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

#42

Post by carguy1983 »

dublinclontarf wrote: post #40
reason wrote: post #33

People in this space live in a thickly-lined bubble if they think something like Evernote is changing the world. Wisdom is not suddenly bestowed upon you because your note-taking service was recently valued at $1+ billion. I have always had a really hard time heeding to the advice of rich people who tell you what all the right and wrong reasons to become an entrepreneur are, especially when they start preaching about…

I don't know...Evernote is actually the ONLY service online I have ever paid for.

I'm 100% sure you're wrong.

Re: Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

#43

Post by [deleted] »

reason wrote: post #34
carguy1983 wrote: post #24

Ooh, me, me, pick me. Let me guess! Do it because you want to change the world ? It's a laughable, tired cliche now, especially coming from a guy who made the equivalent of a digital hipster moleskine who isn't changing a god damn thing about this world. People are still broke, sick, and starving. But I can take awesome notes on my MacBook Air! The better answer is "because it's interesting and fun and challenging an…

It's almost as if you don't deserve to be an entrepreneur if your goal isn't to change the world.

[deleted]

Re: Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

#44

Post by philaquilina »

reason wrote: post #33

People in this space live in a thickly-lined bubble if they think something like Evernote is changing the world. Wisdom is not suddenly bestowed upon you because your note-taking service was recently valued at $1+ billion. I have always had a really hard time heeding to the advice of rich people who tell you what all the right and wrong reasons to become an entrepreneur are, especially when they start preaching about…

I think you are thinking of "change the world" in the "topple bad governments, empower the meek, help make this world a utopia" type of way. Evernote is changing the world.

If you make 30 million people's lives just a tad bit easier, then yes, you've changed the world. If you've caused other companies to take note and copy your business strategy/idea and THEY make people's lives easier, then yes you've changed the world.

Yes, he's rich, but I think he's saying that was a side effect of purer motivations. If you're in it to be rich, then you're in it for the wrong reasons. If you're in it create an amazing product and be impactful on a stranger's life, then you're in it for the right reasons.

Just my take. Could be wrong.

Re: Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

#45

Post by pork »

philaquilina wrote: post #44
reason wrote: post #33

People in this space live in a thickly-lined bubble if they think something like Evernote is changing the world. Wisdom is not suddenly bestowed upon you because your note-taking service was recently valued at $1+ billion. I have always had a really hard time heeding to the advice of rich people who tell you what all the right and wrong reasons to become an entrepreneur are, especially when they start preaching about…

I think you are thinking of "change the world" in the "topple bad governments, empower the meek, help make this world a utopia" type of way. Evernote is changing the world. If you make 30 million people's lives just a tad bit easier, then yes, you've changed the world. If you've caused other companies to take note and copy your business strategy/idea and THEY make people's lives easier, then yes you've changed the wo…

> If you make 30 million people's lives just a tad bit easier, then yes, you've changed the world.

By that reasoning, if I kick a rock on the street and it shifts 10 feet to the left, I've changed the world too.

EDIT: more analogies

* Bic pens have changed the world

* Toilet paper has changed the world

* Shoes have changed the world

Re: Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

#46

Post by jaredsohn »

pork wrote: post #45
philaquilina wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you are thinking of "change the world" in the "topple bad governments, empower the meek, help make this world a utopia" type of way. Evernote is changing the world. If you make 30 million people's lives just a tad bit easier, then yes, you've changed the world. If you've caused other companies to take note and copy your business strategy/idea and THEY make people's lives easier, then yes you've changed the wo…

> If you make 30 million people's lives just a tad bit easier, then yes, you've changed the world. By that reasoning, if I kick a rock on the street and it shifts 10 feet to the left, I've changed the world too. EDIT: more analogies * Bic pens have changed the world * Toilet paper has changed the world * Shoes have changed the world

Kicking a rock on the street is different than the other examples you gave in that the directly measured impact is minimal.

It is possible that it could cause major change (in a butterfly effect kind of way), but usually it would be hard to measure and predict.

But if you kick a rock and a few days later that rock ends up causing an accident of an "important" person you did in fact "change the world" by kicking that rock.

IMO, the other things that you mentioned have changed the world.

Re: Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

#47

Post by jeremyarussell »

reason wrote: post #33

People in this space live in a thickly-lined bubble if they think something like Evernote is changing the world. Wisdom is not suddenly bestowed upon you because your note-taking service was recently valued at $1+ billion. I have always had a really hard time heeding to the advice of rich people who tell you what all the right and wrong reasons to become an entrepreneur are, especially when they start preaching about…

I think people are hearing "change the world" and attaching that meaning to two things. First that it must be an altruistic change, and second that it must impact all the world (and hence the entire worlds 7 billion population).

Re: Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

#48

Post by tensor »

jfernandez wrote: post #5

This article's title is misleading, it should read more like "...Don't do it for the wrong reasons" as he explains in the actual post. Beyond these reasons there are tons of people who want to make a company because: - They will offer something novel or fresh - They have the passion to change an industry that has otherwise been stagnant - They want to offer choice or competition for a product that has been relatively…

I think all of these reasons are good and fall under the "change the world" reason outlined in the article.

People seem to be misinterpreting the article by assuming that these can't be factors at all. It's pretty clear that everyone needs an income. These should be interpreted as primary reasons and that I agree with completely.

If your primary goal is to make yourself money or get power, it is guaranteed that the rest of your company does not share your vision and if they knew about it, they would probably try to find other jobs.

Re: Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

#49

Post by vibrunazo »

larrys wrote: post #11

"A lot of people think that they want to be an entrepreneur because it’s a good way to make money. It just isn’t, that’s just wrong. Depending on how you count, 95% to 99% of companies fail." Excuse me. It is a way to make money. That figure assumes the definition of entrepreneur is only startups as discussed in places like HN, Techcrunch etc. Not only is the figure of 95% or 99% wrong with respect to "entrepreneurs"…

Also, it's important to note that most startups that fail to make money, also fail to change the world. So if statistics are the reason why you shouldn't start a company for money. That's the same reason why you shouldn't start a company to change the world.

The argument Phil Libin is making very silly and very typical kind of advice from people who are not really trying to help you at all.

Re: Evernote CEO to entrepreneurs: "don't do it"

#50

Post by vibrunazo »

muhfuhkuh wrote: post #36

Or, if you really want to change the world, alleviate the spectre of massive world hunger by coming up with radical agricultural techniques and selective breeding for drought resistance, then teach that technique to everyone you know for free[1]. Or, come up with a novel vaccine for one of our most vexing diseases of our time, then give away the formulation for free[2]. That's how you change the world. Cue the capita…

If instead of "do it to change the world", he had said "do it to build something cool". Then would you have agreed?

I personally still wouldn't. But it seems there are a lot of people cherry-picking with this "world" hyperbole and ignoring his actual point.

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