4 ms·

I'm not a "founder" in the startup sense, but I did start my own indie development and consulting shop, and I think the startup founders can relate to my experi

by Skroob 16y ago

I'm not a "founder" in the startup sense, but I did start my own indie development and consulting shop, and I think the startup founders can relate to my experience. For example, 16, 18, even 20 hour days are common. Keeping the business going becomes the major focus in your life. You think about it all day and dream about it if you manage to get some sleep at night. You hope and you dream and scratch and claw and fight and work your butt off every single day with no end in sight. It's your idea, your vision, your baby. For an employee, it's a job. They do the work, they get paid. They may care, and they may care a lot, but they'll never have the kind of commitment you have as a founder. Someone recently asked me if when I hire my first employee, if I'll be able to double my productivity. I wish it were true, but I would never ask an employee to work the kind of hours I do. So are founders always worth 1000x more than the employees? Maybe not always, but I can sure see the argument being made.

tastybites 16y ago
You're a founder in the startup sense - just because you started a service business doesn't make it any less of a business. You have customers, employees, revenues, profits, losses, capital equipment purchases, travel expenses, etc. You probably make more money than most 'product' startups. IBM, KPMG, PwC, etc. are all service businesses that are massive and successful. There's a thousand other firms with middling market caps you've never heard of that also make billions.
bryanlarsen 16y ago
I was employee #1 at a company. I once clocked 210 hours in a 2 week period, and become super emotionally invested in the company. I spent time on the assembly line when we had orders that needed to go out. If it's just a job for your first employees, you hired the wrong employees. Because it's super hard not to become that involved -- you're working so closely with the founders who are that involved. It's pretty hard to 9-5 it when nobody else is.

by Skroob 16y ago

tastybites 16y ago

You're a founder in the startup sense - just because you started a service business doesn't make it any less of a business. You have customers, employees, revenues, profits, losses, capital equipment purchases, travel expenses, etc. You probably make more money than most 'product' startups. IBM, KPMG, PwC, etc. are all service businesses that are massive and successful. There's a thousand other firms with middling market caps you've never heard of that also make billions.

bryanlarsen 16y ago

I was employee #1 at a company. I once clocked 210 hours in a 2 week period, and become super emotionally invested in the company. I spent time on the assembly line when we had orders that needed to go out. If it's just a job for your first employees, you hired the wrong employees. Because it's super hard not to become that involved -- you're working so closely with the founders who are that involved. It's pretty hard to 9-5 it when nobody else is.