your story is basically about a guy who quit a job which doesn't make him happy. adding the unlikely possibility of making $200MM by selling the company and starting working for charity doesn't really change anything?
Why I abandoned my startup
51–60 of 75 posts
Re: Why I abandoned my startup
#52Oh Weston, I'm in your shoes. I'm dreaming for a day when I can start a business that installs high powered vacuum suction motors and large hoses into 20 foot utility box trucks so I can help clean the billions of tons of trash that plague our cities. When I had time I created a hobby of cleaning up small forests and unclaimed land from trash. I'd show up in a green construction vest so people thought I was official…
I might totally misunderstand you as English is not my native tongue, but in Germany - and I assume in many other parts of Europe - there are large trucks that go around streets and smaller ones in parks that have vacuums and suck up the trash. Not sure if your idea was the invention or starting a service business to offer street cleaning services.
Road sweepers I believe they are called.
Re: Why I abandoned my startup
#53Oh Weston, I'm in your shoes. I'm dreaming for a day when I can start a business that installs high powered vacuum suction motors and large hoses into 20 foot utility box trucks so I can help clean the billions of tons of trash that plague our cities. When I had time I created a hobby of cleaning up small forests and unclaimed land from trash. I'd show up in a green construction vest so people thought I was official…
I might totally misunderstand you as English is not my native tongue, but in Germany - and I assume in many other parts of Europe - there are large trucks that go around streets and smaller ones in parks that have vacuums and suck up the trash. Not sure if your idea was the invention or starting a service business to offer street cleaning services.
"small forests and unclaimed land from trash"
Sounds like a slightly different approach - rather than having a vacuum cleaner of wheels (which can't go off-road). Have an "industrial" version of a standard canister/cylinder cleaner with a very long hose that can be used to clean grass/bushes.
Sounds like a pretty good idea to me!
Re: Why I abandoned my startup
#54Earlier quoted context omitted.
My jaw dropped when I read this, and then I felt sick. It's so dismaying to check in on HN threads and encounter this degree of nastiness and self-parody. Good for you, Weston. I look forward to hearing about your dragon-slaying adventures.
One of the things I try to do is learn from my experience, even when its a crappy experience I try to take something away that gives me a bit of meaning to that time I'll never get back. But that is not the way with everyone. Some people believe very strongly that collecting the most revenue in the time you have available on the earth is the best possible pursuit a person can have. They do not understand anyone who d…
I totally agree with you. Some people really see making money as the number one goal of life. I found it very frustrating to interact with such people. They calibrate everything with money. If you ask them whether it is a good idea to learn or study something, they will immediately ask you if learning it would help you make money afterwards. They would treat you nice if they believe you are rich or you will make money in the future..They will abandon you after they find out that you can't make too much money..
Re: Why I abandoned my startup
#55'Doing work for money, especially when you have passions and interests in something bigger, is the most soul-sucking and demoralizing thing you can do.' You have lived a very sheltered life.
Indeed. Most people who are afraid of failure are people who simply can't afford failure. They are supporting their family, their family is not supporting them. It's a nice problem to have if your fear of failure is simply based on ego. That said, it is nice to become the family that can support the younger generation being able to follow their passions, and support them in favour.
Re: Why I abandoned my startup
#56Without money or credibility it's quite likely that you'll find yourself still doing the startup grind in two years, without having raised money or not even having a company with paying companies. During these two years you'll also find yourself only being able to work on your dream startup 30% of the time, because you have to get money in for the remaining 70% with things you don't love doing.
So probably better selling that $200M startup and then start your dream business with $10M in the pocket?
Re: Why I abandoned my startup
#57>> I just have to sell this mobile shopping company for $200M And then.. >>But my girlfriend challenged this: “How does selling a consumer app company help you disrupt the potable water market?” She was right, and I knew it. In the same way Bill Gates can solve problems like Polio, Hunger and Poverty by using his fortune. You need money to solve the world's problems, Is this really so hard to understand? If you have…
Bill Gates didn't become that rich by thinking "I'll build this software company, sell it and then do what I'm passionate about".
He became successful by following his passion, and was then able to be philanthropic. People who are passionate about saving the world will be far more likely to change the world by focusing on that and use other people's money to do so.
The point is if you're miserable in your job, and you could be doing something else anyway you should change. Which is what makes it different from the other soul destroying examples mentioned. Go back to Maslow's hierarchy of needs and self actualisation. It could be arguably worse to look back on a squandered life when you know it could be different, those who have no opportunity to change their fate do suffer, but in a different way - they aren't the ones causing their misery.
Re: Why I abandoned my startup
#58Oh Weston, I'm in your shoes. I'm dreaming for a day when I can start a business that installs high powered vacuum suction motors and large hoses into 20 foot utility box trucks so I can help clean the billions of tons of trash that plague our cities. When I had time I created a hobby of cleaning up small forests and unclaimed land from trash. I'd show up in a green construction vest so people thought I was official…
I might totally misunderstand you as English is not my native tongue, but in Germany - and I assume in many other parts of Europe - there are large trucks that go around streets and smaller ones in parks that have vacuums and suck up the trash. Not sure if your idea was the invention or starting a service business to offer street cleaning services.
Yep, this is the French version, albeit we also have larger ones:
http://photo.europe1.fr/infos/faits-divers/eboueur-proprete-...
Re: Why I abandoned my startup
#59>> I just have to sell this mobile shopping company for $200M And then.. >>But my girlfriend challenged this: “How does selling a consumer app company help you disrupt the potable water market?” She was right, and I knew it. In the same way Bill Gates can solve problems like Polio, Hunger and Poverty by using his fortune. You need money to solve the world's problems, Is this really so hard to understand? If you have…
Bill Gates didn't become that rich by thinking "I'll build this software company, sell it and then do what I'm passionate about". He became successful by following his passion, and was then able to be philanthropic. People who are passionate about saving the world will be far more likely to change the world by focusing on that and use other people's money to do so. The point is if you're miserable in your job, and yo…
He was still doing philanthrophic stuff well before stepping down, and it was that much easier to do because he'd stuck with making MS a success first. One can have multiple passions in life, and still prioritize attention to each.
Re: Why I abandoned my startup
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
He is clearly sheltered, but he has a point. Most people live demoralized, defeated, horrible lives, and corporate work is the cause because it truly sucks. But let's remember that exceptions can happen for any of us. May the odds be ever in your favor. Personally, I'm OK with working for money as long as I'm actually paid-- at a consulting rate, not a 40-hour engagement. At $500 an hour, I'll do boring work (for a c…
I am all for doing what makes you happy etc... i just found the comment hilarious. People on earth are getting killed, raped, enslaved, women are stripping to put clothes on their kids back, etc etc etc working for money is not the most soul sucking horrible thing ever. Everything doesnt need to be over the top melodrama, dude didnt like his job, quit it to pursue something he found more meaningful, good for him... i…
OTOH, if those living "sheltered lives" do not have this "melodramatic" sense of purpose and passion for changing the world, then who will help those being killed, raped, enslaved, etc?