Does anyone know what company the writer of this article started?
I'm 23, An Entrepreneur, and Fucking Terrified.
41–50 of 89 posts
Re: I'm 23, An Entrepreneur, and Fucking Terrified.
#42Quote "A business partner that compliments my skills perfectly." No, in point of fact, he complements your skills perfectly.
Perhaps he needs someone around for the validation and it was not a mistake at all? /snark.
Re: I'm 23, An Entrepreneur, and Fucking Terrified.
#43Earlier quoted context omitted.
To back up your point, in what world is having a good job, nice house, and large retirement savings "mediocre"?
When you come from the country club life (first paragraph) it is indeed mediocre. I'll toss in the counterpoint that having kids that are thrilled to see you, even if you live in a tiny apartment, is anything but mediocre. The OP seems to have a lot of priorities out of whack.
Agreed. As a new father, having the chance to go home at a reasonable hour and have your kids smile at you can be a significant benefit that one would gladly take over increased compensation or options.
Re: I'm 23, An Entrepreneur, and Fucking Terrified.
#44I relate to you a lot, so if I'm harsh towards you I'm really just being harsh to myself. You're not really saying anything. You're describing your emotional state, but that's it. You say you're afraid, but you're not actually getting to the root of your fear. Sure, you don't want mediocrity. Who does, anyway? (Rhetorical question.) Is this just a pep-talk? If so, all the best to you, live long and prosper, focus, wo…
Getting married, particularly when you're the primary earner, does an awful lot for your perspective. You can't be so cavalier as the author when somebody depends on you to put food on the table, and that's usually a good thing (especially in terms of relating to the rest of the world that is wrapped up in family life).
That it does. It almost immediately made me realize how much of my earlier thinking was narcissistic, romanticized, self-entitled bullshit.
I'm finding this an interesting position to be in now, because I completely relate to OP, but I also... don't. It's like hearing a teenage boy telling you how much he's well and truly in love with a girl he met that afternoon. You don't want to falsely encourage him, but you don't want to cruelly discourage him either... just trying to be helpful in some way, if that's in any way possible. Cause I think I could've used some help then.
Re: I'm 23, An Entrepreneur, and Fucking Terrified.
#45And a kindly "Fuck you." for calling those of us who choose to work "normal" jobs mediocre and sell outs. You're a douche. Here's hoping you grow up.
Re: I'm 23, An Entrepreneur, and Fucking Terrified.
#46Never give up, don't end your life. Failure is a part of life, we humans learn from our mistakes. If you ever read "Dune" or watched the movie "Fear is the mind killer." and it makes a lot of sense that statement. I am 45, and I am having a hard time. I am flat broke, disabled, and 100K in medical debt. No startups want to hire me, nobody wants to help me, and I did a great job when I was working and did two startups…
"No startups want to hire me, nobody wants to help me" --> why does your profile then say "I am not looking for work, or joining a startup" ?
because I am going through a period of healing. Before I ended up on disability nobody wanted to hire me or let me join a startup. I had just been in a hospital recently and almost had a stroke and heart attack with high blood pressure, and found I have a defective heart valve. I had to take some time off to heal.
What I am trying to do is side-projects on my own. If you think I can better do that by joining a startup and getting work, I can change my status. But I had tried for over a decade and got nothing, before I put that status up.
Re: I'm 23, An Entrepreneur, and Fucking Terrified.
#47I've been there, Zach and I feel your pain. The furiously maddening aspect of the entire ordeal is just how little money you actually need to be free, and how the lack of that little bit of money can wreak havoc on your entire life and nervous system.
Oh what wonders could be conjured with a soothing $2500 per month trust fund deposit! How quickly things could move forward, with doubt and existential dread erased!
Sadly, we are just well educated serfs holding the arrogant pretense that we can become lords. We can, but its not going to be easy.
So I feel you, and I read what you wrote carefully and I sympathize so here is my advice.
I would suggest recalibrating your concept of what is old. 23 is incredibly young. Forget about what your friends are doing. Half those guys getting married and having kids young are wishing they were free like you are right now.
This experience will teach you some things, but what doesn't kill you doesn't necessarily make you stronger. More likely it causes burnout and the dwindling of your dendrites.
I wouldn't prolong it for romantic notions.
Consider pivoting towards becoming cowboy auxiliary engineering help for companies that already have revenue. You can retain your freedom and get much needed cash.
This is what I have done, and put my own product visions on hold. It is quite good. I retain my freedom and people send me large sums via paypal. It is a strategic retreat. Sometimes you advance ahead of your supply lines and strategy dictates a pause.
Also, ignore your guilt about not taking your girlfriend out more.
Don't move. I was living in a penthouse studio apartment in Boulder and I thought a move to Austin would be worth it to lower expenses. The time and stress of the move was is no way worth it.
Depending on where you live, sell your car. The faster you do this the better. It is the most expensive non critical thing that you own.
Think of the one thing you can do today to bring in $5000 and do that. Godspeed, you crazy bastard. You're probably just insane enough to pull this heist off and cheat your capitalist oppressors out of the smug satisfaction they have when you stay in your place.
Re: I'm 23, An Entrepreneur, and Fucking Terrified.
#48> The idea of three twenty-somethings in a studio apartment, writing code and eating ramen is romantic to entrepreneurs. Really? Maybe to aspiring entrepreneurs in their teens and very early twenties, that sounds romantic. To everyone else, that likely sounds awful. You're 23. You don't really know anything yet. Maybe a little, but not much. You're parents aren't in charge now, you're out of school, and now you're go…
I am 25, eating ramen, living with lots of people in a cramped house, and seeing my money get burned paying debts.
I have a startup because lack of choice (here in Brazil programmers are very badly paid, and I don't figured yet how to move... most countries has some weird requeriment or another that I cannot meet).
It is not romantic at all, it suck.
5 years ago my dream was have a 9-5 job, a house, a wife and kids. This proved kinda impossible here...
Now my dream is become absurdly rich and own a farm... And I have that dream because since I was forced into a risky situation, I plan in failing, or having great rewards... I had no choice in having a risk, but since I have lots of risk, at least I can choose to really go for it...
But I am sure, that if I could have a 9-5 job, house and wife, I would be perfectly happy.
Re: I'm 23, An Entrepreneur, and Fucking Terrified.
#49Like untog said, I don't like judging people based on their age as well. But here is the reality. A 20 year old even if a superstar entrepreneur has not experienced the ups and downs of life enough as a 30 year old. (I am 32) A 30 year old not the same like a 40 year old and so on...
If the OP wants to be free, it comes with a cost. Plain and simple. Don't want to be like your friends who have 9-5, a wife, a kid ? Thats fine. But be willing to pay the price for it as well.
I only want to say this "There is a cost and price for everything you do/want in your life". You decide what is worth to you.
Re: I'm 23, An Entrepreneur, and Fucking Terrified.
#50Been there, done that. Welcome to the club buddy! Name a prominent successful entrepreneur and there's a VERY good chance they've felt the same exact way you do. Yes, even Steve f'n Jobs.
As an entrepreneur I often have people (who are 9-5'rs) saying to me "that's awesome you're doing it on your own. I'm so envious". Yet, they have no idea the sacrifices that are required to make it on your own. The reality is that they are scared shitless to do it themselves. Take pride in knowing you are doing something 95% of the "comfortable" population in the world are scared as hell to do themselves.
Feel free to get in touch (contact in profile) if you wanna talk things through over Skype.