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Mojito island is a mirage

37signals.com

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Re: Mojito island is a mirage

#51

Post by hughprime »

calambrac wrote: post #25
aditya wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unless you're the government and can just print as much as you want. :-) I think the 37signal's viewpoint is interesting, and the point they're trying to make is this, you can chose to do interesting stuff that will make you money while you work for the man. It is _not_ easy. You have to come back from a long day of "meetings, politics, and code" and shut everything out and just create. Sometimes it'll be fun, someti…

Unless you're the government and can just print as much as you want. Yeah, ask Zimbabwe how that's working out. you can chose to do interesting stuff that will make you money while you work for the man. I don't think that's the point they're making at all. They're saying don't work for the man, and don't look for an opportunity to sell your work to the man for a giant payday - "do your own thing" and keep doing it.

Yeah, ask Zimbabwe how that's working out.

Hey, if anyone has Fuck You money it's Robert Mugabe. (He also has a Fuck You army though, which I guess helps).

Re: Mojito island is a mirage

#52

Post by qeorge »

compay wrote: post #30
jgrahamc wrote: post #2

In short, the bliss of selling and giving up your business is overrated. It’s a long life and it’s often best spent enduring the ups and downs of pursuing something of significance. Don’t be so eager to give it up. Hmm. Recent posts seem to be 37Signals attempting to rationalize their business model vs. recent sell outs for large amounts of money. I'll stand up and say I'd happily take a $40m pay out so that I could…

"I'll stand up and say I'd happily take a $40m pay out so that I could be completely financially secure and get to do what I want." I agree. Just because you cash out doesn't mean you have to retire.

Just because you cash out doesn't mean you have to retire.

Exactly. You put it perfectly succinctly. A big exit should be a beginning, not an end.

Re: Mojito island is a mirage

#53

Post by fizx »

pyre wrote: post #40
tonystubblebine wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are people sure that the principals at 37s haven't just taken $40M out of earnings? Selling your company isn't the only way to get paid.

Does 37signals even make $40M in revenue?

DHH's car says so:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/symmetricalism/2860363997/

;)

Re: Mojito island is a mirage

#55

Post by Poiesis »

anigbrowl wrote: post #50
Poiesis wrote: post #15

Look: if you love what you do (they seem to), and you make enough money at it to be secure (they seem to), why would you "sell out"? Yeah, you could sell out--but why?

You might have other things you love to do but which are much less likely to yield up the financial security you want (or need, if you have a family). Suppose you want to dedicate yourself to, I don't know, singing opera. Maybe you know you'll never make it big professionally but you'd like to run an amateur opera company and perform moderately well for free. Or you want to run a charity of some sort. Or paint. Or...

Yes, I get this. And if this applies, sure--take the money. I guess you weren't doing what you wanted before. But what if you were already doing what you wanted? If you're lucky enough to wake up and do something you'd pay to do--and get paid handsomely for it--why the heck would you want to stop for more money?

Again--already making good money, already doing what you love: why stop?

Re: Mojito island is a mirage

#56

Post by [deleted] »

jgrahamc wrote: post #2

In short, the bliss of selling and giving up your business is overrated. It’s a long life and it’s often best spent enduring the ups and downs of pursuing something of significance. Don’t be so eager to give it up. Hmm. Recent posts seem to be 37Signals attempting to rationalize their business model vs. recent sell outs for large amounts of money. I'll stand up and say I'd happily take a $40m pay out so that I could…

[deleted]

Re: Mojito island is a mirage

#57

Post by tjogin »

replicatorblog wrote: post #19
tptacek wrote: post #4

The bliss of knowing that your kids college tuition is fully paid for, no matter where they get accepted, is not overrated. Thinking like DHH indulges in this post is a luxury.

Exactly. DHH is confusing a life of relaxation with the security that comes with a big payday. It's less about sipping mojitos and more the ability to pay for college, mortgage, retirement, and relieving the stress all those things bring. The tradeoff he proposes is a straw man: "Pull a few million from revenue each year or take a lump sum". Is this realistic in most cases? If Mint turned down Intuit, they could have…

> I know the 37 Signals guys are anti-VC, but it is a real, lucrative, and demonstrable way to create wealth.

I think their point is exactly that it isn't. DHH gave a talk at Startup School 08 (http://www.omnisio.com/startupschool08/david-heinemeier-hans...) wherein he likened that kind of big exit to winning the lottery.

I think this is the point they're trying to make: you're much better off trying to build a business than to try to win the lottery.

Re: Mojito island is a mirage

#58

Post by codyrobbins »

run4yourlives wrote: post #26
jasonfried wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Once you reach this point everything else is about being able to make your own choices, not being backed into a corner because you have bills to pay." You're an individual. You can already make your own choices. My big problem with this whole "FU" money concept, and your thought I quoted above, is that people seem to think they need to get this opportunity from someone else. That someone else gives them the opportun…

You can already make your own choices. Except of course, that the amount of money in your bank account directly influences the effects of those choices. The more you have, the more "free" your choice is. It's one thing to recognize that you are a man that can make your own choices, it's another to tell your kid he can't eat today because you didn't like what your boss was telling you to do.

Yeah, but I think his point is that the amount of money in your bank account is a direct result of your own choices and actions. And the fact that you have a kid is a result of your choices.

If you have a kid to feed and that’s constraining your ability to focus on a startup as you would like, maybe you shouldn’t have chosen to have a kid.

Re: Mojito island is a mirage

#59

Post by run4yourlives »

codyrobbins wrote: post #58
run4yourlives wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can already make your own choices. Except of course, that the amount of money in your bank account directly influences the effects of those choices. The more you have, the more "free" your choice is. It's one thing to recognize that you are a man that can make your own choices, it's another to tell your kid he can't eat today because you didn't like what your boss was telling you to do.

Yeah, but I think his point is that the amount of money in your bank account is a direct result of your own choices and actions. And the fact that you have a kid is a result of your choices. If you have a kid to feed and that’s constraining your ability to focus on a startup as you would like, maybe you shouldn’t have chosen to have a kid.

All fair points.

That being said though, your future choices are sometimes dictated by the results of your past choices. (i.e., the kid is always going to be more important that your startup dreams if you are a responsible adult)

Re: Mojito island is a mirage

#60

Post by dmv »

I think the title is more clever than the article. Traditionally, a mirage is a false vision of safety in a dangerous place. If the idea of Mojito Island drives you to keep going in a hostile environment: great. I don't see the suggestion that taking the payoff was the wrong thing, just that reality on the other side did not meet expectations. Sure, it may not be what you wanted, but if you walked that extra distance to get there, rather than giving up and dying, where's the trouble?
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