8 ms·

I have been an entrepreneur for 17 years and am now “middle aged”. In my early years, I made many, many mistakes that could probably be pegged to youthful hubri

by ttul 8y ago

I have been an entrepreneur for 17 years and am now “middle aged”. In my early years, I made many, many mistakes that could probably be pegged to youthful hubris. I also had no idea how to run a real business because I had scant experience even working for one let alone crafting anything approaching a “go to market plan”. If I were to start a new company today, I would probably lack the carefree creativity of a 23-year-old, not to mention the energy to work crazy hours. But everything about execution would be better, and as it happens, assuming you have a decent idea at the right time, execution is everything.

adventured 8y ago
I'm in my late 30s now, after two decades as an entrepreneur. My brain was quicker at 21, memory was slightly stronger (slightly faster, easier recall), and I had greater endurance at working productively in very long stretches. And despite that, due to learning how to work more effectively, how to be far more productive with my use of time, understanding what mistakes to avoid, I'm a dramatically better entrepreneur across the board. My patience has improved quite a bit, and my understanding of how to build for simplicity, reducing things down to only what they need to be, is leaps beyond what it was in my 20s. The single most important improvement I've seen, is building up a belligerent ruthlessness when it comes to complexity and general bloat. My 21 year old self just loved to build unnecessary, complex shit.
- rm_-rf_slash 8y ago
  >My 21 year old self just loved to build unnecessary, complex shit When time and energy feel infinite, the perceived cost of wasting either feels low; the real cost remains the same.
  - Alex3917 8y ago
    > the real cost remains the same. The cost is actually much higher when you’re younger because of the time-value of money. It just doesn’t feel that way because the immediate consequences are lower.
    - bendoernberg 8y ago
      I don't think the poster was just talking about money, although there may also be a time-value factor for other things (health, neural plasticity, etc).
    - pimmen 8y ago
      I however do feel that the best way to learn that you're wasting time with overly-complex solutions is to suffer the consequences for it, and the earlier you suffer them the better. So, I would say that wasting time (as long as it doesn't take long for you to realize you're the one who f'ed it up) when you're young has a high benefit, too. You learned it the hard way.
- bonestamp2 8y ago
  I met with a non-technical cofounder a few months ago who is in his early 20s. He had a great idea for a product and was looking for a technical co-founder (he also had an investor who already put up some money and he was already deeply involved in the sales channel and had two customers already sold). I have no doubt this product would very successful. Probably not a unicorn, but could make a few people quite wealthy. But, from our two hour meeting I could tell that he wanted to make all of those same mistakes I now know not to make. Your point about building complex shit is exactly his main problem, and I problem I suffered from at that age too. Yes, it might be complex one day if that's what the market needs, but simple can be so much more and it's especially the right move for an MVP. To some degree, I don't blame him and he doesn't know me well enough to trust me to guide him away from those pitfalls, but man I wish he had a little more humility -- we'd be a couple months away from an MVP at this point.
  - opportune 8y ago
    “Non-technical cofounder in early 20s” sounds like a massive red flag to me. Ideas are cheap, execution is what matters
    - billyggruff 8y ago
      He already had investor monies and two customers.
    - conductr 8y ago
      This is common sentiment but I disagree. As a tech person, I’d much rather partner with a non-tech person already selling and raising funds. Sounds like a winning combo but the parent just didn’t want to go on the path this specific person was heading down.
      - pdimitar 8y ago
        I don't see the disagreement with your parent. He has reservations about the age and thus the experience of the person, not if they are already actively raising money and doing sales. You can do these at 30+ as well.
- learc83 8y ago
  >I'm in my late 30s now, after two decades as an entrepreneur. My brain was quicker at 21, memory was slightly stronger (slightly faster, easier recall), and I had greater endurance at working productively in very long stretches. I'm in my mid 30s. If my brain was quicker and my memory better when I was 21, it's certainly not enough of an effect to be noticeable. This corresponds to what more current studies say about when cognitive decline tends to become perceptible. What has changed, is the demands on my time. Also, as you said, endurance. I can't sit at a computer for hours without stretching or something will start hurting.
- LrnByTeach 8y ago
  This captures the essence of mid 20s vs. 40 year old entrepreneur. > My brain was quicker at 21, memory was slightly stronger (slightly faster, easier recall), and I had greater endurance at working productively in very long stretches. > I'm a dramatically better entrepreneur across the board. My patience has improved quite a bit, and my understanding of how to build for simplicity, reducing things down to only what they need to be, is leaps beyond what it was in my 20s. > The single most important improvement I've seen, is building up a belligerent ruthlessness when it comes to complexity and general bloat. My 21 year old self just loved to build unnecessary, complex shit.
ramblerman 8y ago
Perhaps, but I would be careful to apply 'older execute better' as a general explanation for the study result. It's possible but selection bias could also be playing a huge role here. I can't imagine a more risky period to step out of a 'career' and become a founder than 45. So it's possible people making the leap at this age are a lot more certain about their chances of success before taking the plunge than younger (and much older) people who have less to lose.
- mastazi 8y ago
  > I can't imagine a more risky period to step out of a 'career' and become a founder than 45. Why? What makes age 45 more risky than 40 or 50, or 35 or 60? Or are you just comparing "age bracket where people probably have a family" vs. "people probably too young to have a family"?
  - nsomaru 8y ago
    That, and, as you get older you need your money to be more stable (reducing returns over the long term)
    - mastazi 8y ago
      Oh yes that's true. My Aussie Super (retirement scheme) was started in my 30s (that's when I migrated down under) and now I need to pay voluntary contributions besides the standard 9.5% or I won't get a decent retirement.
- wbhart 8y ago
  I'm not sure that becoming a founder at 45 is likely to be successful. It is surely because successful founders have many failures under their belt that the average successful founder is 45. This implies that stepping out at 45 is not the way to be successful.
baccheion 8y ago
To regain youthful energy/creativity, you could try increasing testosterone. Even topical pregnenolone + DHEA (5 mg : 5 mg) along with a multivitamin + D & K + chelated/TRAACS magnesium supplement may be effective. Given your age, there are also anti-aging benefits. Iodine protocol. MSM lotion. Would execution ability have been sufficiently improved by reading/observing more? What makes you now better at executing?
- nsomaru 8y ago
  Is this safe? Any guides?
  - baccheion 8y ago
    Thread about pregnenolone + DHEA: https://raypeatforum.com/community/threads/pansterone-liquid-pregnenolone-dhea-mix.7426/ https://raypeatforum.com/community/threads/pansterone-liquid....
  - bizkitgto 8y ago
    Your testicles will shrink, and your body will stop naturally producing testosterone over time as you continue with the testosterone injections - basically, once you start it has to be for life! Be careful doing this.
    - baccheion 8y ago
      I wasn't necessarily suggesting TRT.
      - bizkitgto 8y ago
        What were you suggesting? Other than topical (still stops natural growth), there's no way to significantly boost T.
- bovermyer 8y ago
  Or you could skip the dubious body hacker drug BS and just be more physically active.

by ttul 8y ago

adventured 8y ago

I'm in my late 30s now, after two decades as an entrepreneur. My brain was quicker at 21, memory was slightly stronger (slightly faster, easier recall), and I had greater endurance at working productively in very long stretches. And despite that, due to learning how to work more effectively, how to be far more productive with my use of time, understanding what mistakes to avoid, I'm a dramatically better entrepreneur across the board. My patience has improved quite a bit, and my understanding of how to build for simplicity, reducing things down to only what they need to be, is leaps beyond what it was in my 20s. The single most important improvement I've seen, is building up a belligerent ruthlessness when it comes to complexity and general bloat. My 21 year old self just loved to build unnecessary, complex shit.

rm_-rf_slash 8y ago
>My 21 year old self just loved to build unnecessary, complex shit When time and energy feel infinite, the perceived cost of wasting either feels low; the real cost remains the same.
- Alex3917 8y ago
  > the real cost remains the same. The cost is actually much higher when you’re younger because of the time-value of money. It just doesn’t feel that way because the immediate consequences are lower.
  - bendoernberg 8y ago
    I don't think the poster was just talking about money, although there may also be a time-value factor for other things (health, neural plasticity, etc).
  - pimmen 8y ago
    I however do feel that the best way to learn that you're wasting time with overly-complex solutions is to suffer the consequences for it, and the earlier you suffer them the better. So, I would say that wasting time (as long as it doesn't take long for you to realize you're the one who f'ed it up) when you're young has a high benefit, too. You learned it the hard way.
bonestamp2 8y ago
I met with a non-technical cofounder a few months ago who is in his early 20s. He had a great idea for a product and was looking for a technical co-founder (he also had an investor who already put up some money and he was already deeply involved in the sales channel and had two customers already sold). I have no doubt this product would very successful. Probably not a unicorn, but could make a few people quite wealthy. But, from our two hour meeting I could tell that he wanted to make all of those same mistakes I now know not to make. Your point about building complex shit is exactly his main problem, and I problem I suffered from at that age too. Yes, it might be complex one day if that's what the market needs, but simple can be so much more and it's especially the right move for an MVP. To some degree, I don't blame him and he doesn't know me well enough to trust me to guide him away from those pitfalls, but man I wish he had a little more humility -- we'd be a couple months away from an MVP at this point.
- opportune 8y ago
  “Non-technical cofounder in early 20s” sounds like a massive red flag to me. Ideas are cheap, execution is what matters
  - billyggruff 8y ago
    He already had investor monies and two customers.
  - conductr 8y ago
    This is common sentiment but I disagree. As a tech person, I’d much rather partner with a non-tech person already selling and raising funds. Sounds like a winning combo but the parent just didn’t want to go on the path this specific person was heading down.
    - pdimitar 8y ago
      I don't see the disagreement with your parent. He has reservations about the age and thus the experience of the person, not if they are already actively raising money and doing sales. You can do these at 30+ as well.
learc83 8y ago
>I'm in my late 30s now, after two decades as an entrepreneur. My brain was quicker at 21, memory was slightly stronger (slightly faster, easier recall), and I had greater endurance at working productively in very long stretches. I'm in my mid 30s. If my brain was quicker and my memory better when I was 21, it's certainly not enough of an effect to be noticeable. This corresponds to what more current studies say about when cognitive decline tends to become perceptible. What has changed, is the demands on my time. Also, as you said, endurance. I can't sit at a computer for hours without stretching or something will start hurting.
LrnByTeach 8y ago
This captures the essence of mid 20s vs. 40 year old entrepreneur. > My brain was quicker at 21, memory was slightly stronger (slightly faster, easier recall), and I had greater endurance at working productively in very long stretches. > I'm a dramatically better entrepreneur across the board. My patience has improved quite a bit, and my understanding of how to build for simplicity, reducing things down to only what they need to be, is leaps beyond what it was in my 20s. > The single most important improvement I've seen, is building up a belligerent ruthlessness when it comes to complexity and general bloat. My 21 year old self just loved to build unnecessary, complex shit.

ramblerman 8y ago

Perhaps, but I would be careful to apply 'older execute better' as a general explanation for the study result. It's possible but selection bias could also be playing a huge role here. I can't imagine a more risky period to step out of a 'career' and become a founder than 45. So it's possible people making the leap at this age are a lot more certain about their chances of success before taking the plunge than younger (and much older) people who have less to lose.

mastazi 8y ago
> I can't imagine a more risky period to step out of a 'career' and become a founder than 45. Why? What makes age 45 more risky than 40 or 50, or 35 or 60? Or are you just comparing "age bracket where people probably have a family" vs. "people probably too young to have a family"?
- nsomaru 8y ago
  That, and, as you get older you need your money to be more stable (reducing returns over the long term)
  - mastazi 8y ago
    Oh yes that's true. My Aussie Super (retirement scheme) was started in my 30s (that's when I migrated down under) and now I need to pay voluntary contributions besides the standard 9.5% or I won't get a decent retirement.
wbhart 8y ago
I'm not sure that becoming a founder at 45 is likely to be successful. It is surely because successful founders have many failures under their belt that the average successful founder is 45. This implies that stepping out at 45 is not the way to be successful.

baccheion 8y ago

To regain youthful energy/creativity, you could try increasing testosterone. Even topical pregnenolone + DHEA (5 mg : 5 mg) along with a multivitamin + D & K + chelated/TRAACS magnesium supplement may be effective. Given your age, there are also anti-aging benefits. Iodine protocol. MSM lotion. Would execution ability have been sufficiently improved by reading/observing more? What makes you now better at executing?

nsomaru 8y ago
Is this safe? Any guides?
- baccheion 8y ago
  Thread about pregnenolone + DHEA: https://raypeatforum.com/community/threads/pansterone-liquid-pregnenolone-dhea-mix.7426/ https://raypeatforum.com/community/threads/pansterone-liquid....
- bizkitgto 8y ago
  Your testicles will shrink, and your body will stop naturally producing testosterone over time as you continue with the testosterone injections - basically, once you start it has to be for life! Be careful doing this.
  - baccheion 8y ago
    I wasn't necessarily suggesting TRT.
    - bizkitgto 8y ago
      What were you suggesting? Other than topical (still stops natural growth), there's no way to significantly boost T.
bovermyer 8y ago
Or you could skip the dubious body hacker drug BS and just be more physically active.