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Ask HN: I don't want to be a founder anymore

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Re: Ask HN: I don't want to be a founder anymore

#461

Post by lstyls »

bhargav wrote: post #393
webwright wrote: post #272

(source: I've twice left my own companies- both companies continued to grow and prosper after I left). Personally, I'd suck it up and get the sale done, working hard to make the price as front-loaded as possible. Depending on the buyers appetite for you to keep working there you could: A) Suggest that you're excited to stay with the business, but if they feel there'd be too many chefs in the kitchen and that you shou…

Please do not advise people who are clearly depressed to take mushrooms. Always remember that whats an elixir for may be poison for others. Yes, mushrooms do help anxieties BUT it is also known that if you are not in a good mental state, you can have bad trip and a bad trip... is not going to be relieving any anxiety, it will make it worse. That said, maybe Microdosing is okay. I agree with all of your other points b…

Anecdotally, bad trips do not cause bad feelings after a trip. The overall feeling of improved outlook can result even after a truly harrowing experience.

That said, I agree that downing a bunch of psychotropics is probably not going to some OP's problems.

Re: Ask HN: I don't want to be a founder anymore

#462

Post by lstyls »

bhargav wrote: post #393
webwright wrote: post #272

(source: I've twice left my own companies- both companies continued to grow and prosper after I left). Personally, I'd suck it up and get the sale done, working hard to make the price as front-loaded as possible. Depending on the buyers appetite for you to keep working there you could: A) Suggest that you're excited to stay with the business, but if they feel there'd be too many chefs in the kitchen and that you shou…

Please do not advise people who are clearly depressed to take mushrooms. Always remember that whats an elixir for may be poison for others. Yes, mushrooms do help anxieties BUT it is also known that if you are not in a good mental state, you can have bad trip and a bad trip... is not going to be relieving any anxiety, it will make it worse. That said, maybe Microdosing is okay. I agree with all of your other points b…

Anecdotally, bad trips do not cause bad feelings after a trip. The overall feeling of improved outlook can result even after a truly harrowing experience.

That said, I agree that downing a bunch of psychotropics is probably not going to some OP's problems.

Re: Ask HN: I don't want to be a founder anymore

#463

Post by lstyls »

bhargav wrote: post #393
webwright wrote: post #272

(source: I've twice left my own companies- both companies continued to grow and prosper after I left). Personally, I'd suck it up and get the sale done, working hard to make the price as front-loaded as possible. Depending on the buyers appetite for you to keep working there you could: A) Suggest that you're excited to stay with the business, but if they feel there'd be too many chefs in the kitchen and that you shou…

Please do not advise people who are clearly depressed to take mushrooms. Always remember that whats an elixir for may be poison for others. Yes, mushrooms do help anxieties BUT it is also known that if you are not in a good mental state, you can have bad trip and a bad trip... is not going to be relieving any anxiety, it will make it worse. That said, maybe Microdosing is okay. I agree with all of your other points b…

Anecdotally, bad trips do not cause bad feelings after a trip. The overall feeling of improved outlook can result even after a truly harrowing experience.

That said, I agree that downing a bunch of psychotropics is probably not going to solve OP's problems.

Re: Ask HN: I don't want to be a founder anymore

#464

Post by pc86 »

throwanem wrote: post #401
unstatusthequo wrote: post #398

Agree. Suck it up, buttercup. Quitting is the only real certain way to screw up what you've built. Go find an executive coach and get yourself some help.

Flagged for arrant failure to add value to the conversation. I get that it's easy to just tear people down, and has a certain brief and nasty pleasure to it besides, but this sort of behavior helps nothing and nobody, and there is no place here for it.

> If you flag something, please don't also comment that you did.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: Ask HN: I don't want to be a founder anymore

#465

Post by maxander »

This thread has become piled high with self-help advice already, and none of us know whether our advice will help any with your own situation, but here's another take; make the best of one advantage you have, which is an endpoint.

Pick a date and say to yourself (and probably also your wife), "on that day, I'm out of this shit job." Maybe with the uncertainty of selling you can't pick an actual day now, but do so as soon as you can, or say "at most X days after the sale." You know you probably aren't going to just quit outright, since the stakes are too high, but if each day is part of a process towards eventual quitting, that'll give it a bit more meaning.

But also, for goodness' sake, take a vacation. The office is going to have to get used to your not being around eventually, why not practice now?

Re: Ask HN: I don't want to be a founder anymore

#466

Post by throwanem »

pc86 wrote: post #464
throwanem wrote: post #401

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Flagged for arrant failure to add value to the conversation. I get that it's easy to just tear people down, and has a certain brief and nasty pleasure to it besides, but this sort of behavior helps nothing and nobody, and there is no place here for it.

> If you flag something, please don't also comment that you did. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Noted. On the other hand, I've always thought that opprobrium was most effective when paired with an explanation of what warrants it. In any case, I'll remain mindful of the guideline in future.

Re: Ask HN: I don't want to be a founder anymore

#469

Post by my_throw_away »

A) Make time to de-stress. Force yourself if necessary.

B) Exercise is a good way to de-stress.

C) Start planning how to implement your third option. You need to do this anyway so that you are not a single point of failure. This is good risk mitigation practise. However I don't know enough about pitching/diplomacy/PR to tell you the best way to spin this to acquirers. D) You many need to delegate to multiple other staff, not just one.

E) Once you are de-stressed, you will be better able to judge whether you are able to suck it up as necessary.

F) Personally, I think that if it's only 2 more years, it may be worth sticking out, provided you first implement points A-E above. There is a big difference between 2 years and 5 years. You could give yourself a hard deadline to be out within 2 years, and take steps to make sure that you are not a single point of failure by that time.

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