6 ms·

to clarify: i was speaking up here in Seattle for Startup Day, and i was asked to do a talk on "Why Do a Startup". i wasn't feeling in a particularly positive

to clarify: i was speaking up here in Seattle for Startup Day, and i was asked to do a talk on "Why Do a Startup". i wasn't feeling in a particularly positive mood, and in fact i hate when people do the duplicitous inspirational talk about startups & entrepreneurship... which is usually hard & full of fail. i thought a more realistic look at the downside of entrepreneurship would be useful, so i offered some experiences from my own early startup consulting business in the late 90's, which was a lot of stress & hassle for not much return (small exit, <$1M). i think people who realistically look at the downside of entrepreneurship are more prepared for the journey, and if they still choose the path they at least know the risks. (note: there are many lightweight forms of prototyping and startup entrepreneurship that don't have these risks, but in this case i was emphasizing the typical experience).

skmurphy 16y ago
"Life is pain! Anyone who says different is trying to sell you something." Wesley to the Princess in "Princess Bride" "The truth is, start-up-land is littered with mavericks, iconoclasts, drops-outs and misfits." Matt Maroon had a good post on this topic at http://mattmaroon.com/2008/03/19/why-not-to-do-a-startup/ http://mattmaroon.com/2008/03/19/why-not-to-do-a-startup/ HN discussion at http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140602 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140602 I blogged about this at http://www.skmurphy.com/blog/2008/12/04/we-dont-encourage-individuals-to-form-a-startup/ http://www.skmurphy.com/blog/2008/12/04/we-dont-encourage-in... and Matt Maroon also offered advice in http://mattmaroon.com/2008/12/08/a-little-better-advice/ http://mattmaroon.com/2008/12/08/a-little-better-advice/