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Life will always involve doing shit that you don't want to do. As an employee for a larger company, if your manager tells you to do crap you don't want to do,

by GuiA 9y ago

Life will always involve doing shit that you don't want to do. As an employee for a larger company, if your manager tells you to do crap you don't want to do, well you generally have two choices: do it, or quit. If you're running your own thing, you suddenly have a few more choices: you can reassess whether that thing needs to be done in the first place. You can suck it up and do it yourself, but perhaps you're a little more motivated than if it were your boss at $megacorp telling you to do it because you directly understand why it needs to be done. You could also delegate it to one of your employees, or to a contractor. Etc. I've been in the industry for about 10 years - at tiny startups, growing startups, mid sized agencies, large companies - and I'm realizing more and more that the odds of running your own thing seem more favorable than the odds of finding the perfect team with a delightful manager where you will only ever work on the things you want to work on, in the environment you want (maybe you want every other wednesday off to hang out with your kid. maybe you don't want meetings after lunch because that's when you're the most productive. etc.) Of course, that equation is different for everyone - depending on your priorities and interests, you might be better off just working for $megacorp, taking the good with the bad. But I find it a little mind blowing that my comment is so controversial (currently at -1, with only dismissive replies) on a board dedicated to entrepreneurship. I will also add (and I'm not saying anything new here, just parroting what 'patio11 and others have said over and over over the years) that most programmers are better equipped than they think they are when it comes to generating meaningful value that can be turned into, at the very least, a living where they get to call the shots.

s73ver_ 9y ago
You were downvoted because, quite frankly, your post, and this response, quite frankly, came off with the attitude of "If you don't start your own company, you're an idiot." That, combined with the kneejerk response of "start your own company!" combined with the fact that many of us just plain don't want to do that; we don't want the assload of hours and commitment it comes with that we'd rather spend with our families generally means that such suggestions do not contribute to the discussion. Not to mention, this is "Hacker News", not "Entrepreneur News". While there is a good deal of overlap, most of the content here is technology related, not business related. I don't see many articles being posted here on how to choose a health plan for your company, for instance.
- GuiA 9y ago
  I reread my posts carefully after reading this reply, and have a hard time seeing what part(s) of my posts convey "If you don't start your own company, you're an idiot". If you could quote said parts, that'd be helpful. "That, combined with the kneejerk response of "start your own company!" combined with the fact that many of us just plain don't want to do that; we don't want the assload of hours and commitment it comes with that we'd rather spend with our families generally means that such suggestions do not contribute to the discussion." Again, not sure what makes it a "knee jerk response"; pointers would be appreciated. As far as the "assload of hours", "never seeing your family", etc... this is exactly what Jason Fried and DHH are writing about. These are _not_ requirements to running a sustainable business. If you read Fried and DHH's writings and find yourself nodding in agreement at every word, I guess there are 2 takeaways one could get from it: the obvious "I really should work at Basecamp!", and the perhaps a bit less obvious "whoa, you can run a sustainable business without killing yourself, and those 2 guys are documenting their process - I could do the same!". I think the latter is not to be overlooked. If you feel strongly that starting a company isn't for you, nothing wrong with that. But harshly attacking HN posters who merely suggest that this could be a worthy option just defies common sense and civil discourse.
  - s73ver_ 9y ago
    When someone says, "Man, that place is great; I wish I could work there," and you respond with, and I quote from your original post, "Start your own, run it like you want it to be run," that is a kneejerk response. And you weren't "harshly attacked." You were called out for putting too much into the cult of the startup. And yes, at the beginning, you do have to put in those hours. Ask the people who started Basecamp; in the beginning they did put in those hours. Once those hours were no longer necessary, then they eased back.

by GuiA 9y ago

s73ver_ 9y ago

You were downvoted because, quite frankly, your post, and this response, quite frankly, came off with the attitude of "If you don't start your own company, you're an idiot." That, combined with the kneejerk response of "start your own company!" combined with the fact that many of us just plain don't want to do that; we don't want the assload of hours and commitment it comes with that we'd rather spend with our families generally means that such suggestions do not contribute to the discussion. Not to mention, this is "Hacker News", not "Entrepreneur News". While there is a good deal of overlap, most of the content here is technology related, not business related. I don't see many articles being posted here on how to choose a health plan for your company, for instance.

GuiA 9y ago
I reread my posts carefully after reading this reply, and have a hard time seeing what part(s) of my posts convey "If you don't start your own company, you're an idiot". If you could quote said parts, that'd be helpful. "That, combined with the kneejerk response of "start your own company!" combined with the fact that many of us just plain don't want to do that; we don't want the assload of hours and commitment it comes with that we'd rather spend with our families generally means that such suggestions do not contribute to the discussion." Again, not sure what makes it a "knee jerk response"; pointers would be appreciated. As far as the "assload of hours", "never seeing your family", etc... this is exactly what Jason Fried and DHH are writing about. These are _not_ requirements to running a sustainable business. If you read Fried and DHH's writings and find yourself nodding in agreement at every word, I guess there are 2 takeaways one could get from it: the obvious "I really should work at Basecamp!", and the perhaps a bit less obvious "whoa, you can run a sustainable business without killing yourself, and those 2 guys are documenting their process - I could do the same!". I think the latter is not to be overlooked. If you feel strongly that starting a company isn't for you, nothing wrong with that. But harshly attacking HN posters who merely suggest that this could be a worthy option just defies common sense and civil discourse.
- s73ver_ 9y ago
  When someone says, "Man, that place is great; I wish I could work there," and you respond with, and I quote from your original post, "Start your own, run it like you want it to be run," that is a kneejerk response. And you weren't "harshly attacked." You were called out for putting too much into the cult of the startup. And yes, at the beginning, you do have to put in those hours. Ask the people who started Basecamp; in the beginning they did put in those hours. Once those hours were no longer necessary, then they eased back.