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Thanks HN: Goodbye, Golden Handcuffs

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Re: Thanks HN: Goodbye, Golden Handcuffs

#81

Post by nostrademons »

huffer wrote: post #72
StavrosK wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How did you afford food/rent if you made no money?

I second that! I'm amazed by the fact that half the time people seem to disregard completely this fundamental obstacle in doing a startup: you need to have at least the basics covered, like food and a roof above your head. You shouldn't live like a king but even the modest living costs. Is it only people in US who think that? I don't think so, US is not particularly known for social security and such -- maybe this co…

I'm curious - what do you think is a "typical" salary for software developers, and what do you think are "typical" expenses for someone living in, say, Silicon Valley?

Re: Thanks HN: Goodbye, Golden Handcuffs

#82

Post by mtholking »

Xuzz wrote: post #16
skbach wrote: post #7

6 mos ain't enough, but otherwise, great idea.

Then again, no matter how much time you give yourself, you will find a way to fill it up. Maybe an unrealistic goal is for the best: it might increase productivity, even if it slips.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinson%27s_Law

Re: Thanks HN: Goodbye, Golden Handcuffs

#83

Post by roel_v »

toast76 wrote: post #50
jeromec wrote: post #34

Let the [work] begin. FTFY I hope you're prepared to work at least five times harder than you did at your safe job, and for little to no guaranteed reward. Actually, if you're only giving yourself six months, make that ten times harder. I would say good luck, but considering around 90% of startups fail, work hard, be persistent and expect difficulty, seems more helpful to say. The success stories appearing on HN can…

Wow. The Thanksgiving parade was last week Mr. Raincloud. Here's some positive thoughts for you! - Running your own business is quite simply the most rewarding thing you can ever do (professionally at least). - Succeed or fail, you'll come out of it better off than you started. - Don't measure your success by whether TechCrunch writes about you. Measure it by being proud of what you achieve. - Even your biggest failu…

"Succeed or fail, you'll come out of it better off than you started."

About half of the comments I read so far have said something to this effect so far, there's only so much a man can take before he needs to speak up ;) : this is bullshit. I know many (as in, 10+) people who started a company and got utterly fucked for the next decade, maybe two, because of its failure; and all they have to show for it is a period on their CV that they have to make excuses for at any interview they go to.

Sometimes, failing can bring you valuable experiences that you can apply afterward, and only if you go into a specific direction as an employee after your business has failed. This hippy bullshit 'all is great, even if your wife leaves you, you're 100k in debt and you've spend the best decade of your life not even in an office but in a spare bedroom hunched over a desk made of an old door' needs to go and be replaced with realism: spending 5 to 10 years in abject poverty, rebuilding a life at an age where most of your peers are living a happy life with their families sucks.

The potential upside is huge, and yes if you just manage to sustain your company you've been successful, but don't make it sound like it's going to be great no matter what the outcome, because it's not.

Re: Thanks HN: Goodbye, Golden Handcuffs

#85

Post by jacquesm »

gommm wrote: post #53
toast76 wrote: post #46

If I have two pieces of advice I can share, 1. Pick up some contract work - you can easily turn 6 mths into 12 mths, and then 2 years, then 3...no matter how many projects fail to get off the ground, if you have a bit of side income, it'll help in the long run. 2. Don't ever forget why you quit - if that is to "pursue your dreams, not an income". Write it on a wall above your monitors and don't ever forget it. EDIT:…

Be careful with contract work though, it's very easy to fall into the trap of taking on too much and pushing back your own project... Contract work can be worse golden handcuffs than a job in corporate

It beats personal bankruptcy hands down though.

Re: Thanks HN: Goodbye, Golden Handcuffs

#86

Post by jasonkester »

jeromec wrote: post #34

Let the [work] begin. FTFY I hope you're prepared to work at least five times harder than you did at your safe job, and for little to no guaranteed reward. Actually, if you're only giving yourself six months, make that ten times harder. I would say good luck, but considering around 90% of startups fail, work hard, be persistent and expect difficulty, seems more helpful to say. The success stories appearing on HN can…

This is what everybody says, but I just haven't found it to be true.

I work 40 hour weeks sometimes, 20 hour weeks other times, and often go entire months not doing much at all on the startup. The ball is always moving forward though, and things are always getting better.

It really doesn't take a huge amount of effort to get your first version out the door. And it doesn't take much effort beyond that to get to the point where money is coming in. Once that happens, there's no particular reason I can think of to work 60 hour weeks, unless that is something you want to do.

Naturally, it depends on what you're building. If you're a single founder though, it pays to build something straightforward that solves problems for people with money. There's lots of things like that that need building. Build one and you'll (hopefully) find it doesn't monopolize your life.

Re: Thanks HN: Goodbye, Golden Handcuffs

#88

Post by scorpioxy »

roel_v wrote: post #83
toast76 wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow. The Thanksgiving parade was last week Mr. Raincloud. Here's some positive thoughts for you! - Running your own business is quite simply the most rewarding thing you can ever do (professionally at least). - Succeed or fail, you'll come out of it better off than you started. - Don't measure your success by whether TechCrunch writes about you. Measure it by being proud of what you achieve. - Even your biggest failu…

"Succeed or fail, you'll come out of it better off than you started." About half of the comments I read so far have said something to this effect so far, there's only so much a man can take before he needs to speak up ;) : this is bullshit. I know many (as in, 10+) people who started a company and got utterly fucked for the next decade, maybe two, because of its failure; and all they have to show for it is a period o…

Part of being an entrepreneur is knowing when to change directions or abandon an idea all together. Spending a decade on an idea that is not working and won't possibly work is not all that smart.

This type of life is definitely not for everybody.

The fact that you know people who have failed also doesn't mean anything. I know a lot of people who haven't even tried and that, to me, is a lot worse.

Re: Thanks HN: Goodbye, Golden Handcuffs

#90

Post by jeromec »

jasonkester wrote: post #86
jeromec wrote: post #34

Let the [work] begin. FTFY I hope you're prepared to work at least five times harder than you did at your safe job, and for little to no guaranteed reward. Actually, if you're only giving yourself six months, make that ten times harder. I would say good luck, but considering around 90% of startups fail, work hard, be persistent and expect difficulty, seems more helpful to say. The success stories appearing on HN can…

This is what everybody says, but I just haven't found it to be true. I work 40 hour weeks sometimes, 20 hour weeks other times, and often go entire months not doing much at all on the startup. The ball is always moving forward though, and things are always getting better. It really doesn't take a huge amount of effort to get your first version out the door. And it doesn't take much effort beyond that to get to the po…

I certainly agree that's possible, but not everyone finds the road rosy. See here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1961429. Better to overestimate the difficulty and be pleasantly surprised than vice versa IMO (especially in the context of a 6 month deadline).
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