3 ms·

I totally bought into the Silicon Valley dream. I moved to the bay area to work at Netflix and launch a startup. I bootstrapped my first company because I didn'

I totally bought into the Silicon Valley dream. I moved to the bay area to work at Netflix and launch a startup. I bootstrapped my first company because I didn't know how to raise VC money. That was pretty great. For my second company I raised millions of dollars from VCs. I went to exclusive parties, did press interviews and had a huge net-worth (on paper). I became the person I always envied. It was HUGELY disappointing. I remember being at the company party after we closed our series A and thinking, "Is this it?". I was expecting a much stronger sense of accomplishment. I'm curious what the experience was like for other founders. For me, I realized that what I thought was going to make me happy, didn't. Not only did it not give me the happiness and satisfaction I was hoping for, it ate up some many other parts of my life that do bring me real happiness - family life, friends, traveling, adventure. The deeper I dig into the world of startups and VC the more I realize that it's very much not what it seems.

rdiddly 8y ago
The best things in life are free. Sometimes old aphorisms are right on the money, no pun intended.
crushcrashcrush 8y ago
I had a mild exit and bought a sports car. I thought it would make me happy, it didn't. Good luck on your quest for true meaning. You won't find it here.
Konnstann 8y ago
To me it seems like taking huge sums of money from investors isn't as satisfying as bootstrapping just from the perspective of survival. VC startups burn money all the time, they aren't fighting for survival. You can't burn money if you bootstrap because then your company just dies.
smallgovt 8y ago
The disappointment you describe is either because your achievements don't actually contribute to your core values or the benefits are short lived. I recommend taking some time to figure out what your core values are. Why did you want to start a successful startup? What were you really chasing after? Some superficial answers might be financial security or social status, but you should keep asking why these things are important until you arrive at something that is important just because you feel it is. These are your core values. Once you figure out your core values, you'll find that: 1) The event that resulted in disappointment either didn't contribute to one of your core values 2) The core value that you've identified is partially out of your control, and so, your achievement made you feel good, but it was only temporary. To me, values are the measuring sticks by which people quantify success in life. Whether or not we realize it, we constantly measure our actions against our values, and how we 'measure up' determines our self-worth. Once we actually know what we value, we can either change those values (bc they are too extrinsic), or design our life to optimally fulfill them.
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y ago
  I think going about it while still retaining this concept that you have to min/max for some singular goal will ultimately defeat the purpose.
- jlukic 8y ago
  If anyone's interested in reading something along these lines from the literature. One of my professors in college who I greatly admired has written a tremendous amount around PPA (personal project analysis) a framework for interpreting motivation and happiness in relation to your core life projects. http://www.brianrlittle.com/articles/%EF%BF%BCpersonal-projects-and-free-traits/ http://www.brianrlittle.com/articles/%EF%BF%BCpersonal-proje... I find this to be a very helpful framework for engaging in a more scientifically rigorous discussions around happiness and life satisfaction.

rdiddly 8y ago

The best things in life are free. Sometimes old aphorisms are right on the money, no pun intended.

crushcrashcrush 8y ago

I had a mild exit and bought a sports car. I thought it would make me happy, it didn't. Good luck on your quest for true meaning. You won't find it here.

Konnstann 8y ago

To me it seems like taking huge sums of money from investors isn't as satisfying as bootstrapping just from the perspective of survival. VC startups burn money all the time, they aren't fighting for survival. You can't burn money if you bootstrap because then your company just dies.

smallgovt 8y ago

The disappointment you describe is either because your achievements don't actually contribute to your core values or the benefits are short lived. I recommend taking some time to figure out what your core values are. Why did you want to start a successful startup? What were you really chasing after? Some superficial answers might be financial security or social status, but you should keep asking why these things are important until you arrive at something that is important just because you feel it is. These are your core values. Once you figure out your core values, you'll find that: 1) The event that resulted in disappointment either didn't contribute to one of your core values 2) The core value that you've identified is partially out of your control, and so, your achievement made you feel good, but it was only temporary. To me, values are the measuring sticks by which people quantify success in life. Whether or not we realize it, we constantly measure our actions against our values, and how we 'measure up' determines our self-worth. Once we actually know what we value, we can either change those values (bc they are too extrinsic), or design our life to optimally fulfill them.

AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y ago
I think going about it while still retaining this concept that you have to min/max for some singular goal will ultimately defeat the purpose.
jlukic 8y ago
If anyone's interested in reading something along these lines from the literature. One of my professors in college who I greatly admired has written a tremendous amount around PPA (personal project analysis) a framework for interpreting motivation and happiness in relation to your core life projects. http://www.brianrlittle.com/articles/%EF%BF%BCpersonal-projects-and-free-traits/ http://www.brianrlittle.com/articles/%EF%BF%BCpersonal-proje... I find this to be a very helpful framework for engaging in a more scientifically rigorous discussions around happiness and life satisfaction.