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"I know everyone isn't suited for entrepreneurial life..." Is that because they started out that way, or because society tells them they should get 9-to-5 jobs

by Qz 17y ago

"I know everyone isn't suited for entrepreneurial life..." Is that because they started out that way, or because society tells them they should get 9-to-5 jobs and be happy about it?

cookiecaper 17y ago
I think it's because they started out that way! Of course, almost any skill or desire can be learned, but everyone is born into this world with their own unique set of aptitudes and weaknesses. The unique amalgamation found in each person lends its owner to certain roles and stations in life where excellence is easier to achieve. Some people are perfectly OK working for someone else. They enjoy the labor of it, they enjoy the pay, they enjoy the company, they enjoy the security and relative comfort and anonymity. It doesn't really bother them that someone else is making 3x more off of the work performed than they are. That's OK. There's all kinds of people who are OK with this idea, too, but believe me that it's much better for some types to remain content with this than to branch out. Some people are not content with that setup. They want to change things, they want to control how they spend their time (i.e. no hard 9-5 commitment), they want to keep the money their labors produce, they want to direct and lead and organize and control the intelligences and powers for their ends. This is OK and good too. There's just different types of people in the world. We need employees, both employees on the way to independence and employees who don't mind becoming company men. It's good to have both. The real thing that should be universal is a plan to develop financial independence such that one is never forced to work a job after it turns south, and such that people do not have to live in fear of their bosses. Of course, many bosses get mad at this idea because it weakens their ability to control their employees.
- Qz 17y ago
  Some people are perfectly OK working for someone else. They enjoy the labor of it, they enjoy the pay, they enjoy the company, they enjoy the security and relative comfort and anonymity. It doesn't really bother them that someone else is making 3x more off of the work performed than they are. These people seem almost mythical... I've never met anyone like that. There's all kinds of people who are OK with this idea, too, but believe me that it's much better for some types to remain content with this than to branch out. Why should I believe you that it's okay for people to be content with that? If I met anyone who was content with that, I would try to wake them up to the reality of what's going on.
  - LiveTheDream 17y ago
    These people seem almost mythical... I've never met anyone like that. There are tons of people like this! I'm sure these people are mythical/rare on HN, but in the big company 9-5 world they are definitely real. Maybe these people are the NNPs of the world who are happy with obscurity because it hides that fact that they aren't adding value, and are just riding on the coattails of a company that's big enough to support them.
  - cookiecaper 17y ago
    >These people seem almost mythical... I've never met anyone like that. Almost all of my associates from corporate jobs are like this. Most people have no problem at all with a standard employee relationship given good conditions and circumstances, and it is nicer in general if you can stand it. There's much less to worry about, there's consistent flow of guaranteed pay, there's a lot of people to interact with and meet, etc. The majority of people are perfectly OK with this, even with the knowledge that corporate is making a lot more money off of their efforts than they are. It is okay to be content with that if everything else is good. One of my old managers just wanted to be that, but was forced into a leadership role by happenstance, and it was horrible for him and everyone under him. He cared much more about remaining non-confrontational and diplomatic than he did about being effective. This is bad; it led me to quit. Of course, not all 9-5 employees are like him, and some are great leaders. But they're content with the money and the situation so they stay with it. Some people have a hard time tolerating that, which people often become entrepreneurs. These people are good and important too. If no one was content with employment, we'd be full of one-man shops and our efficiency would be majorly decreased. Employees are important. Founders can't really get rich independently (i.e. without an acquisition) without employees; there's just no way they could do enough work on their own. Most employees understand what's going on and they're fine with it. You'd be surprised how many people stick with a "good-paying job" as their ideal. It's weird to me too, but most people are fine with it.

by Qz 17y ago

"I know everyone isn't suited for entrepreneurial life..." Is that because they started out that way, or because society tells them they should get 9-to-5 jobs and be happy about it?

cookiecaper 17y ago

I think it's because they started out that way! Of course, almost any skill or desire can be learned, but everyone is born into this world with their own unique set of aptitudes and weaknesses. The unique amalgamation found in each person lends its owner to certain roles and stations in life where excellence is easier to achieve. Some people are perfectly OK working for someone else. They enjoy the labor of it, they enjoy the pay, they enjoy the company, they enjoy the security and relative comfort and anonymity. It doesn't really bother them that someone else is making 3x more off of the work performed than they are. That's OK. There's all kinds of people who are OK with this idea, too, but believe me that it's much better for some types to remain content with this than to branch out. Some people are not content with that setup. They want to change things, they want to control how they spend their time (i.e. no hard 9-5 commitment), they want to keep the money their labors produce, they want to direct and lead and organize and control the intelligences and powers for their ends. This is OK and good too. There's just different types of people in the world. We need employees, both employees on the way to independence and employees who don't mind becoming company men. It's good to have both. The real thing that should be universal is a plan to develop financial independence such that one is never forced to work a job after it turns south, and such that people do not have to live in fear of their bosses. Of course, many bosses get mad at this idea because it weakens their ability to control their employees.

Qz 17y ago
Some people are perfectly OK working for someone else. They enjoy the labor of it, they enjoy the pay, they enjoy the company, they enjoy the security and relative comfort and anonymity. It doesn't really bother them that someone else is making 3x more off of the work performed than they are. These people seem almost mythical... I've never met anyone like that. There's all kinds of people who are OK with this idea, too, but believe me that it's much better for some types to remain content with this than to branch out. Why should I believe you that it's okay for people to be content with that? If I met anyone who was content with that, I would try to wake them up to the reality of what's going on.
- LiveTheDream 17y ago
  These people seem almost mythical... I've never met anyone like that. There are tons of people like this! I'm sure these people are mythical/rare on HN, but in the big company 9-5 world they are definitely real. Maybe these people are the NNPs of the world who are happy with obscurity because it hides that fact that they aren't adding value, and are just riding on the coattails of a company that's big enough to support them.
- cookiecaper 17y ago
  >These people seem almost mythical... I've never met anyone like that. Almost all of my associates from corporate jobs are like this. Most people have no problem at all with a standard employee relationship given good conditions and circumstances, and it is nicer in general if you can stand it. There's much less to worry about, there's consistent flow of guaranteed pay, there's a lot of people to interact with and meet, etc. The majority of people are perfectly OK with this, even with the knowledge that corporate is making a lot more money off of their efforts than they are. It is okay to be content with that if everything else is good. One of my old managers just wanted to be that, but was forced into a leadership role by happenstance, and it was horrible for him and everyone under him. He cared much more about remaining non-confrontational and diplomatic than he did about being effective. This is bad; it led me to quit. Of course, not all 9-5 employees are like him, and some are great leaders. But they're content with the money and the situation so they stay with it. Some people have a hard time tolerating that, which people often become entrepreneurs. These people are good and important too. If no one was content with employment, we'd be full of one-man shops and our efficiency would be majorly decreased. Employees are important. Founders can't really get rich independently (i.e. without an acquisition) without employees; there's just no way they could do enough work on their own. Most employees understand what's going on and they're fine with it. You'd be surprised how many people stick with a "good-paying job" as their ideal. It's weird to me too, but most people are fine with it.