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Confessions of a 20-Something Startup CTO

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Re: Confessions of a 20-Something Startup CTO

#61

Post by dennisgorelik »

jskopek wrote: post #56
dennisgorelik wrote: post #50

I don't see much traction here: http://siteanalytics.compete.com/attachments.me/ It looks like aqui-hire is the best option for attachments.me

That's a little harsh of you, and totally unwarranted. The site's user-base has absolutely nothing to do with the article or current conversation.

Are you saying that credentials of the author have nothing to do with the article he wrote?

I think it brings important context.

Besides, the harsh part is lack of traction, not me pointing to it. Don't kill the messenger.

Re: Confessions of a 20-Something Startup CTO

#62

Post by larrys »

minikomi wrote: post #57
larrys wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The ability to lead a much more relaxed lifestyle that has people saying I look 12 years younger than people my age for one thing. I still work very hard (because I enjoy what I do) but I set my own hours and can basically do whatever I want to do. By the way I was in a non-tech grind it out type business. I didn't "hit the lottery". I built a traditional business and sold it. It is still operating today and the pers…

Interesting. In Japan, all around me are people who try to burn the wick at both ends hoping for a light at the end of the tunnel.. And they most definitely do not resemble the description you just gave of yourself..

My parents (old timers) are like that. I know exactly what that is and it's not what I'm talking about.

My comments were related to the OP attitude (from memory now) of working hard for what seemed certainly less than 2 years. It takes more than that. I'm not saying "work for 30 years and then come up for air". While I would not put a specific time on it (each situation will vary) it is definitely less than 20 and more than 2! (Of course if things don't work out by 20 years you've got some explaining to do..)

Re: Confessions of a 20-Something Startup CTO

#63

Post by larrys »

drumdance wrote: post #27
larrys wrote: post #18

"I began getting depressed about the lack of a life I had outside of work. I’d bring this bad mood to work with me, in turn making it a worse place to be. I’ve since made an asserted effort to dedicate time to my social life: going on trips with friends; going on dates; and, most importantly, getting work completely off my mind occasionally." Serious question (and my thoughts) here I'm not trying to be cute. Regardin…

You only get one youth. Goals are fine, but it's easy to fall into the trap of "once I do X, then I'll be happy." Better IME to spend at least a few hours per week discovering and doing things that make you happy now. That doesn't mean partying, just cultivating interests, practices and (most important) relationships that make you a well-rounded, emotionally healthy person.

"That doesn't mean partying, just cultivating interests, practices and (most important) relationships that make you a well-rounded, emotionally healthy person."

Agree. One of the problems with partying and socializing is that it's addicting in a way and takes your eye off the ball.

You can have fun of course but for some reason social things tend to draw you in and prevent you from focusing on what's important in growing a business at least in my experience and observation. You might like skiing and bicycling and other hobbies but they aren't so emotionally addicting that they will prevent you from achieving your goals (and in fact they are good for your health if done in moderation).

Re: Confessions of a 20-Something Startup CTO

#64

Post by larrys »

lazerwalker wrote: post #23
larrys wrote: post #18

"I began getting depressed about the lack of a life I had outside of work. I’d bring this bad mood to work with me, in turn making it a worse place to be. I’ve since made an asserted effort to dedicate time to my social life: going on trips with friends; going on dates; and, most importantly, getting work completely off my mind occasionally." Serious question (and my thoughts) here I'm not trying to be cute. Regardin…

> The best way to insure that you can live the life you want and have some fun is to put all the effort in that you can now and try to put off having fun until a bit later on. Now is when you have energy and should be able to work non-stop with very little else. (I didn't surface for air for 7 years working 6 to 7 days a week ..) There's a flip side to the coin, though: your opportunities for 'having fun' are very di…

"most normal people burn out, even the most driven and brightest of 20-somethings."

What's really important is making sure you are getting enough sleep and exercise as well as eating correctly (although that's more of a long term thing). Those are the few things to me that take priority over working. Because without that (sleep and exercise) the working hours are much less productive. And without your health you have nothing.

Re: Confessions of a 20-Something Startup CTO

#65

Post by heretohelp »

justsee wrote: post #43
heretohelp wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess the problem is that we have tons of wantrepreneurs and first-time startup kids posting about their feelings here. It's a multiple-times-daily thing. Seriously. What we don't seem to get very much of is more experienced (serial entrepreneurs, experienced programmers, etc.) individuals posting anything with with the same depth in terms of substance or how personal it is. The degree to which Hacker News has beco…

You seem to have a very strong opinion of what HN should be about, and yet this bubbling animosity for the OP and his content seems very out of place here. The post's title was completely accurate, to the extent that you've admitted it's not something you want to read. Don't read it then. The fact it's bubbling up the top posts means others found some merit in it. You want to lecture people against upvoting this cont…

Although I disagree with PG on nearly everything salient to this conversation, he himself has noted the decline of the community here.

I'll take his word for it over yours.

Re: Confessions of a 20-Something Startup CTO

#66

Post by larrys »

rjdagost wrote: post #42
larrys wrote: post #18

"I began getting depressed about the lack of a life I had outside of work. I’d bring this bad mood to work with me, in turn making it a worse place to be. I’ve since made an asserted effort to dedicate time to my social life: going on trips with friends; going on dates; and, most importantly, getting work completely off my mind occasionally." Serious question (and my thoughts) here I'm not trying to be cute. Regardin…

There is no reason why business success requires you to exist in a bubble isolated from everything and everyone near and dear to you. It's definitely not something to "grow out of"- we are social animals after all. The best way to live the life you want is to start living the life you want in the capacity that you can and incrementally move towards where you want to be. It's not like there's some magic switch thrown…

"The best way to live the life you want is to start living the life you want in the capacity that you can and incrementally move towards where you want to be"

Think of it this way. Do you think the immigrants that came to America in the early part of the century (or even later) were worried about enjoyment or were they working their fingers to the bone in order to make a better life for their family? That's what it's like being an entrepreneur and making something work given the risk and the hurdles one will encounter. I'm not even saying you can't have any enjoyment at all or should work every hour like an immigrant. But as close to it as possible given getting sleep and exercise is an attainable goal in order to make something a success and provide security.

Re: Confessions of a 20-Something Startup CTO

#67

Post by [deleted] »

heretohelp wrote: post #65
justsee wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You seem to have a very strong opinion of what HN should be about, and yet this bubbling animosity for the OP and his content seems very out of place here. The post's title was completely accurate, to the extent that you've admitted it's not something you want to read. Don't read it then. The fact it's bubbling up the top posts means others found some merit in it. You want to lecture people against upvoting this cont…

Although I disagree with PG on nearly everything salient to this conversation, he himself has noted the decline of the community here. I'll take his word for it over yours.

[deleted]

Re: Confessions of a 20-Something Startup CTO

#68

Post by [deleted] »

heretohelp wrote: post #65
justsee wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You seem to have a very strong opinion of what HN should be about, and yet this bubbling animosity for the OP and his content seems very out of place here. The post's title was completely accurate, to the extent that you've admitted it's not something you want to read. Don't read it then. The fact it's bubbling up the top posts means others found some merit in it. You want to lecture people against upvoting this cont…

Although I disagree with PG on nearly everything salient to this conversation, he himself has noted the decline of the community here. I'll take his word for it over yours.

[deleted]

Re: Confessions of a 20-Something Startup CTO

#69

Post by dannyr »

heretohelp wrote: post #7
untog wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you think the article was written for you personally?

The point is that even people in the same cohort aren't seeing the value, how is it going to help everybody else?

Maybe no value to you but it is for me. Probably for other people too.

Please do not draw generalizations just based only on your own experience.

Re: Confessions of a 20-Something Startup CTO

#70

Post by BenjaminCoe »

dennisgorelik wrote: post #50

I don't see much traction here: http://siteanalytics.compete.com/attachments.me/ It looks like aqui-hire is the best option for attachments.me

Our main products are a Chrome Extension, and an iPhone application. The website itself gets a, granted small, but growing amount of traffic -- but it's mainly just there to direct people towards the clients.

I don't think that Alexa or Compete do a perfect job of reflecting our usage numbers, since the website itself is not the main way people interact with us.

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