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Ask HN: When's the time to quit a startup?
I've been working on a startup for about 3 years now. It was a fun idea, gained a bit of traction - nothing major yet, but enough to support us (founders) living comfortably as we tweak the product further.
There are 3 founders, all fairly technical and with similar experience - worked out great at the beginning. We started as a democracy - trying to discuss and plan everything between us. But as time went by I feel those best intentions kind of backfired.
We often couldn't agree on the direction of the product, pricing, marketing and features to develop - which led to heated arguments at times. The bigger problem was that it was seldom resolved - each of the founders pretty much ended up implementing their own idea. We tried addressing this a few times over the years, using different methods/products/solutions to try to plan and structure this. But after some time - things always returned to what they were.
To a point where it stopped being fun for me. I'll go on a vacation and come back to find features implemented that we never discussed or I was against. Or offers being sent out to clients with amended pricing. Meetings are now almost painful for me and I think about it so much that it kind of paralyses me from doing 'real' work.
Have considered quitting before but I poured so much of my time/craft into the product in general that I just didn't want to let go and was always postponing that decision. But I might have no choice - is just not fun any more and I don't see how it could get better in the future.
Anyone with similar experiences? How did you resolve it?
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EDIT: the company is private i.e. bootstrapped and funded by the founders (mostly client work/sales) so no issues with stock/investors. The only value in it is intellectual property (software) - and we anticipated and have a contract in place what happens when a founder leaves the company. No issues there.
- ToFab123 8y ago> [It] is just not fun any more and I don't see how it could get better in the future. There is your answer.
- ipswitch 8y agoYeah - you're probably right. Just not easy to do. I guess I was hoping someone would post some experiences on how they solved this differently or something.
- ToFab123 8y agoIt sounds like your guys cannot work together as a team and that someone has to depart for things to change. If the others are not prepared to do that... Then there is only you left to take action.
- giardini 8y agoDo you have stock options? If so, best leave before what you see happening destroys the value of your options. In one startup I worked for, the lack of a clear business direction had become hallway conversation. Seeing that, I cashed out my stock options and resigned while the stock was high. Those who remained (almost everybody else) got nothing.
- ipswitch 8y agoNo - private company. No issues around that. I've just been going back and forth between leaving something that I've poured my heart/soul into for the past few years and hoping that we could somehow repair the toxic work environment thats making me unhappy.
- duxup 8y ago>We often couldn't agree on the direction of the product, pricing, marketing and features to develop - which led to heated arguments at times. The bigger problem was that it was seldom resolved - each of the founders pretty much ended up implementing their own idea. We tried addressing this a few times over the years, using different methods/products/solutions to try to plan and structure this. So for a while at least three different products, marketing and etc? That seems like a lot of wasted cycles.
- ipswitch 8y agoNot sure what you mean - we have one product.
- Endy 8y agoAre you personally making profit? Are your paychecks coming in regularly, and your lifestyle still being supported? If that's the case, then back down and don't sweat the rest of it. I understand your idea that you want to be passionate about your work; but at the end of the day, you need to be passionate about your income. The moment the company isn't supporting your personal income needs and/or goals is when it's time to think about leaving. You can't make yourself beholden to a group that's going to end you up on the street hungry. And at the same time, you shouldn't take a risk on something that "might be" rather than something that is real. The rest of it is more or less bunk.
- ipswitch 8y agoThanks, but I can't really get behind your point of view at all. I'll go on a limb and say that startups are not typically started by people who just want their paycheque to come in. Its either people pursuing their passion, people wanting to "make it big" or both. Because honestly - as an experienced software developer living in a "western" country I wouldn't need to work double shifts in a startup - good paying IT jobs are not that hard to find.