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Thank you so much for that detailed reply, especially on so personal a topic. It's obvious from the question that it is a reflection on my current predicament.

Thank you so much for that detailed reply, especially on so personal a topic. It's obvious from the question that it is a reflection on my current predicament. I'm at a place where the company is doing okay, but not great. Part of me wants to move on, but the other part - fuelled by legendary startup stories where things took off or turned around at the last minute - wants to keep going till it's officially dead. Before posting my question, I was debating whether asking the question itself served as a signal for my company's demise, but I am glad that didn't stop me. I feel like the point where I am too afraid to even consider the possibility - perhaps because then I truly know the answer - would be worse than just seeking more knowledge/wisdom. It's very useful to have a community where I can learn from very experienced people such as yourself and use that information to augment my knowledge. Thanks again for your thoughts.

__d 9y ago
That mythos of the startup was part of why I stayed so long, and worked so hard. Long after I'd been diluted to nothing, I still felt the desire to make it work, and the pressure of being one of the founders and having to seem upbeat and to find a positive way forward from every setback. I also think it's healthy to question the situation, privately, or between trusted colleagues. The failure to analyse, and plan, and act, meant that we continued down a path that clearly wasn't working long after we should have tweaked or pivoted. I think there's a delicate balance though between open discussion, and maintaining morale. My observation is that it's a personality thing: some people are fine with regular doubting and discussion, and are in fact re-energised by questioning the precepts and either confirming the current path or tweaking it to address an issue. Others find it terribly demotivating to think about this too often. I had always thought that there'd be clear point of success or failure, but my experience was that it was a very long period where it was neither yet, and impossible to tell which it would be :-)
- ephelant 9y ago
  Yes, I agree that it's quite a balancing act. I find myself teetering between those two states, more often leaning on the pessimistic side of things which I may be incorrectly categorising as being realistic. I think I might just have to improve my communication with the team to show and explain both sides of my thinking, the good and the bad. You're last sentence really resonates as I think uncertainty is sometimes the most difficult thing to manage. There's always the possibility that death or success is just around the corner but I guess that is just part of the lifestyle I chose. Thank you very much for sharing your time and your story. You have given me a lot to ponder on :)
book_mentioned 9y ago
> Part of me wants to move on If you like starting companies, there's no shame in focusing on that. Sell & repeat until success is obvious enough to warrant sticking with it!

__d 9y ago

That mythos of the startup was part of why I stayed so long, and worked so hard. Long after I'd been diluted to nothing, I still felt the desire to make it work, and the pressure of being one of the founders and having to seem upbeat and to find a positive way forward from every setback. I also think it's healthy to question the situation, privately, or between trusted colleagues. The failure to analyse, and plan, and act, meant that we continued down a path that clearly wasn't working long after we should have tweaked or pivoted. I think there's a delicate balance though between open discussion, and maintaining morale. My observation is that it's a personality thing: some people are fine with regular doubting and discussion, and are in fact re-energised by questioning the precepts and either confirming the current path or tweaking it to address an issue. Others find it terribly demotivating to think about this too often. I had always thought that there'd be clear point of success or failure, but my experience was that it was a very long period where it was neither yet, and impossible to tell which it would be :-)

ephelant 9y ago
Yes, I agree that it's quite a balancing act. I find myself teetering between those two states, more often leaning on the pessimistic side of things which I may be incorrectly categorising as being realistic. I think I might just have to improve my communication with the team to show and explain both sides of my thinking, the good and the bad. You're last sentence really resonates as I think uncertainty is sometimes the most difficult thing to manage. There's always the possibility that death or success is just around the corner but I guess that is just part of the lifestyle I chose. Thank you very much for sharing your time and your story. You have given me a lot to ponder on :)

book_mentioned 9y ago

> Part of me wants to move on If you like starting companies, there's no shame in focusing on that. Sell & repeat until success is obvious enough to warrant sticking with it!