7 ms·

Your own company? You can do it

178 points by tomh- 16y ago

swombat 16y ago
Best read along with http://jacquesmattheij.com/The+start-up+from+hell http://jacquesmattheij.com/The+start-up+from+hell as the next chapter ;-)
- hjalle 16y ago
  Kind of funny and inspiring to read these kind of stories with a "one man army"-developer although this story was an experience I hope I never will get.
swGooF 16y ago
A great story. Now you should go make a movie out of it.
maxklein 16y ago
You know what - actually the story does not make me feel like I can do it. It makes me feel like he's probably hundreds of time cleverer than me. He was handrolling assembler as a teen - back then I was doing VB6. All these programmer stories about how they developed OS kernels in x86 MMX extensions when they were 4 years old on Sinclair machines while skipping 4 grades and making hundreds selling lemonade never make me feel like I could do the same. They just make me feel like those guys will always be ahead of me - they started so much earlier. I want to hear about the talentless hack who used VB6 to clone some popular software and convinced a big company to purchase it for a few hundreds of thousands after he spent most of his teen years reading science fiction and watching movies. That would make me feel like I could do it.
- zaidf 16y ago
  The day I built my first VB6 program ranks as one of the happiest days--circa 6th grade! At the time, I couldn't believe I can build a calculator that looked just like the Windows calculator.
- tomh- 16y ago
  I want to hear about the talentless hack who used VB6 to clone some popular software and convinced a big company to purchase it for a few hundreds of thousands after he spent most of his teen years reading science fiction and watching movies. That would make me feel like I could do it. Then I suggests you read one out of many salesletters from people trying to sell their e-books to get rich quickly. They are specifically written for people who want to get rich with no innovation and quality at all. If I read stories like these, it reminds me I have to work a little bit harder to be able to compete with the talent out there who have an edge on me. Why? Because these stories tell me that hard work, curiosity and dedication pay off.
- khafra 16y ago
  Agreed. Additional parts that I can't see myself doing: - Finding guys doing cutting-edge work like eye tracking software in the 80s - Convincing those guys to invite me into their workshop and look at their code - Glancing over any unfamiliar code--let alone math-heavy code--and making useful optimizations while the author looks over my shoulder. And I find that unimaginable in Python. I can't even imagine considering the idea in assembler.
  - athom 16y ago
    I was going to comment on the eye-tracking story in my reply to Max, but it really didn't fit there. Anyway: If you read it, you'll notice that story didn't really lead to much beyond a cool experience impressing a couple of guys who ought to know their stuff. It didn't look like Jacques got much in the way of referrals or anything out of it. It also didn't sound like they took much convincing. If anything, they were probably pleased as punch to show off their cool project to someone interested enough to ask about it. As for unfamiliar code, you can probably find a terabyte of it online, and most of it probably has something, somewhere, that could be written a little better, if you want the practice. No, you won't likely have the golden experience of the author watching you work on it, but that could be as much a blessing as a curse (Or is it the other way 'round...?) If you do want to get involved with people working on cutting-edge technology, your best bet is probably hanging around some university's engineering department. If you're nice about it, and don't get in the way a lot, they might not even chase you out! ;) Seriously, though, just go where they are, and as long as you're not intrusive, you can probably make some connections.
    - tardis 16y ago
      I have to second that comment about them being "probably pleased as punch to show off their cool project to someone interested enough to ask about it." I've been invited to some cutting-edge work just because I asked and showed a bit of interest. Almost all of the researchers I've met were more than happy to talk about their work and seem surprise even to have someone as enthusiastic about their work as them. One researcher once said something along the lines that it was comforting to have someone contact him about his research - at least he knows his work didn't just disappear in the deep end.
- jacquesm 16y ago
  The temptation of seeing this depressing bullshit upvoted is too much to resist. > You know what - actually the story does not make me feel like I can do it. It makes me feel like he's probably hundreds of time cleverer than me. I'm not, it was just hard work. Lots of it. I suck at math and plenty of other subjects that would come in quite handy as a programmer, probably I'm very much unsuited to the job based on my 'talents'. It's all about persistence. > He was handrolling assembler as a teen - back then I was doing VB6. When I was a teen VB6 didn't exist for another decade or more, and assemblers were too expensive but an opcode list could be had as a 'datasheet' for free from the local electronics store. > All these programmer stories about how they developed OS kernels in x86 MMX extensions when they were 4 years old on Sinclair machines while skipping 4 grades and making hundreds selling lemonade never make me feel like I could do the same. Such stories do not exist. > They just make me feel like those guys will always be ahead of me - they started so much earlier. Yes, just like all those hardworking kids that started even later only to go to even bigger successes. > I want to hear about the talentless hack who used VB6 to clone some popular software and convinced a big company to purchase it for a few hundreds of thousands after he spent most of his teen years reading science fiction and watching movies. That would make me feel like I could do it. Why would you like to hear about that? Maybe this article wasn't for you? It is targeted specifically at people currently stuck in jobs held back by peer pressure wondering if they have what it takes to work for themselves and to pursue their own goals in life even if they're not born in to wealth or have a natural talent for 'X', whatever 'X' is. Way to go to take a positive thing and to try to twist it around into a negative and a depressing thing. Really, stop being a negative influence and try to see that talent is in large part offset by dedication and time put in. If you want to succeed at something, anything, that does not require some kind of genetic component then go and pursue it relentlessly and be excellent, or at least as good as you can do it, whatever it is. And with that I will sink back in to retirement, congratulations to those that bet with me that I would get sucked back in, be assured this is a one time affair but I did not want to see Max undo my work.
  - David 16y ago
    On the one hand, a story like yours of success through sheer determination is awesome and uplifting. On the other hand, the idea of working that hard, for that long, is overwhelming to many. A lot of people don't think themselves (and may not be) capable of the sustained effort you put in. (Generalizing from my own case is possibly unwarranted, but it's uncomfortable to say this about myself directly. =/ )
- thinkingeric 16y ago
  If it makes you feel any better, the guy is talking about 1982. If you were 'in' to computers at all as a hobbyist during that era, it typically meant low-level tinkering. Not at all unusual. My own personal stories from that period sound today like I was a young engineering genius, but I wasn't. The same kids who learn Rails now were the ones doing assembly back then. And plain ol' luck is still as relevant today. And, of course, persistence.
  - Hoff 16y ago
    Assembly was how you coded many applications back in the 1970s and into 1980s, and tasks such as displaying output onto a serial terminal console could require as much as fifty lines of assembler on some systems. On a "nicer-architecture" box and OS and while still coding assembler, it was still ten or so lines of assembler with a system call for the core of the output. Why assembler? Well, you either didn't have a higher-level language around, or a C or Fortran compiler could cost you US$5,000 for a license, and US$36,000 for a memory upgrade from 4 to 8 megabytes. Modern environments and tools are vastly more capable. And cheaper. And the tasks and applications that are now ubiquitous are massively more advanced. Debugging state by reading the front-panel accumulator lights (because you couldn't get the debugger to work) Stinks Large. Would I trade knowing assembler? Donno. Probably. I just don't code assembler that much any more. Modern languages are vastly more capable. What you can do now with a couple-dozen lines of Objective C or Ruby code (and all the underpinnings) is massive in comparison.
- krsgoss 16y ago
  I started programming in VB after having dabbled in old school C64 Basic and some Pascal. I had zero experience and knew I wanted to be a developer one day. I got turned down from one place (a help desk job) for being "too ambitious" when I said I really wanted to get into development some day. I started in help desks, took some skills tests so recruiters could pitch me to shitty consulting gigs, and worked my way up through professional services and eventually into a fulltime dev role at real software shop with truly talented developers. I definitely wasn't handrolling assembler in my teen years (or ever), but I've been able to make a great living by scratching and clawing my way in!
- falcolas 16y ago
  While this story is uplifting, it's a lot more about being in the right place at the right time. I'd personally rather see a story about a 30-something under-appreciated corporate developer who is supporting a family with their mid-level salary and benefits striking out and succeeding. I, and many others, are beyond the point where they can strike out and fund a startup, and who simply can not survive on a raman salary. Sure, I might make more in one contract than I would normally make in a year. But the chances are probably better that I could end up with my family not having a home anymore.
  - varjag 16y ago
    > While this story is uplifting, it's a lot more about being in the right place at the right time. You read the part where he applied for the programming jobs in his bank department for 2-something years, right?
    - falcolas 16y ago
      I did. Two points - he was 20 at the time, and so likely had few health concerns, and no dependents. Perhaps I'm just associating too much risk with this kind of move, but I don't think so.
- edw519 16y ago
  I want to hear about the talentless hack... Not sure I qualify, but here goes: Teen years - flipped burgers & partied Age 21 - graduated college, flipped burgers, & partied Age 24 - touched my first computer Age 25 - wrote my first program Age 27 - touched my first PC Age 31 - wrote my first low level code Age 32 - started my first business Age 39 - started my second business Age 41 - accessed the internet for the first time Age 44 - wrote my first browser-based app Age 51 - found Hacker News Now - starting my third business It's never too late, you're never too old, and it's not whether the glass is half full or half empty. It's about getting up off your butt and filling the glass the rest of the way.
  - kevinskii 16y ago
    Have your businesses been successful? Either way, hats off to you!
  - deleted 16y ago
    [deleted]
- athom 16y ago
  Read a little closer. Start with the beginning: "When I was 17 and a high school drop-out..." followed by the (near) ending: "I was 22 at the time and making roughly twice what she was..." So there's about five years in between the high school dropout and twice his mom's income stages. Success, but not what I'd call overnight. In between, we have... - "Burning the midnight oil..." - "...I got turned down again and again and again." - "After 18 months of me beating down the doors of the HR department..." - "Another 9 months and I got a call." - "...apply for *every* programming job in the last 2 1/2 years" and so it goes for a little more. I have to say, I leaned a little more in Max' direction when I first read it, but give it a little thought, and the real message is, don't give up hope! Getting and running your own company isn't going to be easy. You'd be crazy to think it is! BUT, if you're willing to work your ass off for it, you can get there. Even if it takes five years. Hell, it could take ten, or even longer, but if that's enough to stop you, it'll probably take forever, so why worry? As for the talentless hack, you might want to look a little closer at his story, too. He might not be so talentless, himself. The guy you describe apparently knows enough to: - Program (even if it IS VB6) - Reimplement existing software(?) (Not so easy to do without the source, and if he *had* it, then he could...) - Read other people's code (which could be even harder?!) - Talk someone in the right position at a big company into investing in it (and as if that weren't hard enough...) - Talk said someone into investing *a lot* of money in it! On top of all that, if a kid that talented spent most of his teen years reading science fiction and watching movies, I'd be very disappointed to learn he didn't at least try writing a little of either. You practically have to try, when you've got that kind of initiative. So, yeah, you can do it. You'll have to work your ass off. You'll have to keep your eyes open, and you'll probably need a boatload of patience. But don't let that stop you. [edited for formatting]
- bmelton 16y ago
  I feel your comment, and I identify 1 million percent. If you look around, you'll find plenty of average Joes who luck themselves into millions. Plenty of mediocre projects that you know you can better. Myspace, Plenty of Fish, Experts Exchange, etc. They're not all destined for failure, but they've all been mediocre products that were still able to generate tons of revenue.
- didip 16y ago
  I am not saying that photomatt is talentless hack, not at all, but he is quite normal. Needless to say, i look up to him.
pramanat 16y ago
"If a high school drop-out with nothing but a typing diploma could do it, so can you." I want to believe it, but not necessarily true. We all have different abilities. The author is very talented and has acquired (and/or was born with) the ability to do business. On the other hand, there is no way of really knowing, unless you try.
- alain94040 16y ago
  You are right, that sentence should have said: "If a high school drop-out with nothing but a typing diploma could do it, you can at least try too."
daimyoyo 16y ago
Great post. Thank you for showing me(I already knew but it's nice to see an example) that for most people business ownership is not something that happens overnight. I too work in a job I hate and burn the midnight oil learning how to program. Continued success to you and per the instructions in the article, I'm now following your tweets as well. Take care. :)
ajtaylor 16y ago
Thank you so much for your story. My dream is to have a "side" business which would make enough money to allow me and my family to explore the world. It's never too late to start! PS. If I'm lucky I'll be moving to Amsterdam next month with a new job. :)
hanifvirani 16y ago
Success is visible to everyone, but the hard work and preparation that goes into it, sometimes over the course of years, is not always apparent. So when most people see a successful person they go "He has all the luck in the world, I wish I was that lucky", or "He is a genius, I wish I was as clever". What they don't realize is the amount of toil and persistence that went into that success, either directly or indirectly, just like in this inspiring story Jacques has shared with us. Success doesn't happen overnight. There is hard work involved. You can achieve things too, provided you work for it.
cool-RR 16y ago
At the end of the story: "When I announced that I was going 'solo' my mom freaked out. I was 22 at the time [...]" Dude, after all that crap I figured you'd be around 35...
grellas 16y ago
Few can or should start their own companies but, for one who is bright, alert, and enterprising, no barrier is too great that it can't be blasted through by sheer drive, determination, and tenacity. We can listen to the world around us, with all its adhering to conventions, or to our inner voice, which dares to dream beyond such limits and to push us to try for extraordinary outcomes even at great personal risk. That is the message of this fine piece, and it is inspirational. It is also credible because it comes from one who has lived it out in his own extraordinary way.
rdl 16y ago
I hope you've let your boss and former boss know how their investment/faith in you has paid off (for society, not necessarily them personally)...

178 points by tomh- 16y ago

Best read along with http://jacquesmattheij.com/The+start-up+from+hell http://jacquesmattheij.com/The+start-up+from+hell as the next chapter ;-)

hjalle 16y ago
Kind of funny and inspiring to read these kind of stories with a "one man army"-developer although this story was an experience I hope I never will get.

swGooF 16y ago

A great story. Now you should go make a movie out of it.

maxklein 16y ago

You know what - actually the story does not make me feel like I can do it. It makes me feel like he's probably hundreds of time cleverer than me. He was handrolling assembler as a teen - back then I was doing VB6. All these programmer stories about how they developed OS kernels in x86 MMX extensions when they were 4 years old on Sinclair machines while skipping 4 grades and making hundreds selling lemonade never make me feel like I could do the same. They just make me feel like those guys will always be ahead of me - they started so much earlier. I want to hear about the talentless hack who used VB6 to clone some popular software and convinced a big company to purchase it for a few hundreds of thousands after he spent most of his teen years reading science fiction and watching movies. That would make me feel like I could do it.

zaidf 16y ago
The day I built my first VB6 program ranks as one of the happiest days--circa 6th grade! At the time, I couldn't believe I can build a calculator that looked just like the Windows calculator.
tomh- 16y ago
I want to hear about the talentless hack who used VB6 to clone some popular software and convinced a big company to purchase it for a few hundreds of thousands after he spent most of his teen years reading science fiction and watching movies. That would make me feel like I could do it. Then I suggests you read one out of many salesletters from people trying to sell their e-books to get rich quickly. They are specifically written for people who want to get rich with no innovation and quality at all. If I read stories like these, it reminds me I have to work a little bit harder to be able to compete with the talent out there who have an edge on me. Why? Because these stories tell me that hard work, curiosity and dedication pay off.
khafra 16y ago
Agreed. Additional parts that I can't see myself doing: - Finding guys doing cutting-edge work like eye tracking software in the 80s - Convincing those guys to invite me into their workshop and look at their code - Glancing over any unfamiliar code--let alone math-heavy code--and making useful optimizations while the author looks over my shoulder. And I find that unimaginable in Python. I can't even imagine considering the idea in assembler.
- athom 16y ago
  I was going to comment on the eye-tracking story in my reply to Max, but it really didn't fit there. Anyway: If you read it, you'll notice that story didn't really lead to much beyond a cool experience impressing a couple of guys who ought to know their stuff. It didn't look like Jacques got much in the way of referrals or anything out of it. It also didn't sound like they took much convincing. If anything, they were probably pleased as punch to show off their cool project to someone interested enough to ask about it. As for unfamiliar code, you can probably find a terabyte of it online, and most of it probably has something, somewhere, that could be written a little better, if you want the practice. No, you won't likely have the golden experience of the author watching you work on it, but that could be as much a blessing as a curse (Or is it the other way 'round...?) If you do want to get involved with people working on cutting-edge technology, your best bet is probably hanging around some university's engineering department. If you're nice about it, and don't get in the way a lot, they might not even chase you out! ;) Seriously, though, just go where they are, and as long as you're not intrusive, you can probably make some connections.
  - tardis 16y ago
    I have to second that comment about them being "probably pleased as punch to show off their cool project to someone interested enough to ask about it." I've been invited to some cutting-edge work just because I asked and showed a bit of interest. Almost all of the researchers I've met were more than happy to talk about their work and seem surprise even to have someone as enthusiastic about their work as them. One researcher once said something along the lines that it was comforting to have someone contact him about his research - at least he knows his work didn't just disappear in the deep end.
jacquesm 16y ago
The temptation of seeing this depressing bullshit upvoted is too much to resist. > You know what - actually the story does not make me feel like I can do it. It makes me feel like he's probably hundreds of time cleverer than me. I'm not, it was just hard work. Lots of it. I suck at math and plenty of other subjects that would come in quite handy as a programmer, probably I'm very much unsuited to the job based on my 'talents'. It's all about persistence. > He was handrolling assembler as a teen - back then I was doing VB6. When I was a teen VB6 didn't exist for another decade or more, and assemblers were too expensive but an opcode list could be had as a 'datasheet' for free from the local electronics store. > All these programmer stories about how they developed OS kernels in x86 MMX extensions when they were 4 years old on Sinclair machines while skipping 4 grades and making hundreds selling lemonade never make me feel like I could do the same. Such stories do not exist. > They just make me feel like those guys will always be ahead of me - they started so much earlier. Yes, just like all those hardworking kids that started even later only to go to even bigger successes. > I want to hear about the talentless hack who used VB6 to clone some popular software and convinced a big company to purchase it for a few hundreds of thousands after he spent most of his teen years reading science fiction and watching movies. That would make me feel like I could do it. Why would you like to hear about that? Maybe this article wasn't for you? It is targeted specifically at people currently stuck in jobs held back by peer pressure wondering if they have what it takes to work for themselves and to pursue their own goals in life even if they're not born in to wealth or have a natural talent for 'X', whatever 'X' is. Way to go to take a positive thing and to try to twist it around into a negative and a depressing thing. Really, stop being a negative influence and try to see that talent is in large part offset by dedication and time put in. If you want to succeed at something, anything, that does not require some kind of genetic component then go and pursue it relentlessly and be excellent, or at least as good as you can do it, whatever it is. And with that I will sink back in to retirement, congratulations to those that bet with me that I would get sucked back in, be assured this is a one time affair but I did not want to see Max undo my work.
- David 16y ago
  On the one hand, a story like yours of success through sheer determination is awesome and uplifting. On the other hand, the idea of working that hard, for that long, is overwhelming to many. A lot of people don't think themselves (and may not be) capable of the sustained effort you put in. (Generalizing from my own case is possibly unwarranted, but it's uncomfortable to say this about myself directly. =/ )
thinkingeric 16y ago
If it makes you feel any better, the guy is talking about 1982. If you were 'in' to computers at all as a hobbyist during that era, it typically meant low-level tinkering. Not at all unusual. My own personal stories from that period sound today like I was a young engineering genius, but I wasn't. The same kids who learn Rails now were the ones doing assembly back then. And plain ol' luck is still as relevant today. And, of course, persistence.
- Hoff 16y ago
  Assembly was how you coded many applications back in the 1970s and into 1980s, and tasks such as displaying output onto a serial terminal console could require as much as fifty lines of assembler on some systems. On a "nicer-architecture" box and OS and while still coding assembler, it was still ten or so lines of assembler with a system call for the core of the output. Why assembler? Well, you either didn't have a higher-level language around, or a C or Fortran compiler could cost you US$5,000 for a license, and US$36,000 for a memory upgrade from 4 to 8 megabytes. Modern environments and tools are vastly more capable. And cheaper. And the tasks and applications that are now ubiquitous are massively more advanced. Debugging state by reading the front-panel accumulator lights (because you couldn't get the debugger to work) Stinks Large. Would I trade knowing assembler? Donno. Probably. I just don't code assembler that much any more. Modern languages are vastly more capable. What you can do now with a couple-dozen lines of Objective C or Ruby code (and all the underpinnings) is massive in comparison.
krsgoss 16y ago
I started programming in VB after having dabbled in old school C64 Basic and some Pascal. I had zero experience and knew I wanted to be a developer one day. I got turned down from one place (a help desk job) for being "too ambitious" when I said I really wanted to get into development some day. I started in help desks, took some skills tests so recruiters could pitch me to shitty consulting gigs, and worked my way up through professional services and eventually into a fulltime dev role at real software shop with truly talented developers. I definitely wasn't handrolling assembler in my teen years (or ever), but I've been able to make a great living by scratching and clawing my way in!
falcolas 16y ago
While this story is uplifting, it's a lot more about being in the right place at the right time. I'd personally rather see a story about a 30-something under-appreciated corporate developer who is supporting a family with their mid-level salary and benefits striking out and succeeding. I, and many others, are beyond the point where they can strike out and fund a startup, and who simply can not survive on a raman salary. Sure, I might make more in one contract than I would normally make in a year. But the chances are probably better that I could end up with my family not having a home anymore.
- varjag 16y ago
  > While this story is uplifting, it's a lot more about being in the right place at the right time. You read the part where he applied for the programming jobs in his bank department for 2-something years, right?
  - falcolas 16y ago
    I did. Two points - he was 20 at the time, and so likely had few health concerns, and no dependents. Perhaps I'm just associating too much risk with this kind of move, but I don't think so.
edw519 16y ago
I want to hear about the talentless hack... Not sure I qualify, but here goes: Teen years - flipped burgers & partied Age 21 - graduated college, flipped burgers, & partied Age 24 - touched my first computer Age 25 - wrote my first program Age 27 - touched my first PC Age 31 - wrote my first low level code Age 32 - started my first business Age 39 - started my second business Age 41 - accessed the internet for the first time Age 44 - wrote my first browser-based app Age 51 - found Hacker News Now - starting my third business It's never too late, you're never too old, and it's not whether the glass is half full or half empty. It's about getting up off your butt and filling the glass the rest of the way.
- kevinskii 16y ago
  Have your businesses been successful? Either way, hats off to you!
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
athom 16y ago
Read a little closer. Start with the beginning: "When I was 17 and a high school drop-out..." followed by the (near) ending: "I was 22 at the time and making roughly twice what she was..." So there's about five years in between the high school dropout and twice his mom's income stages. Success, but not what I'd call overnight. In between, we have... - "Burning the midnight oil..." - "...I got turned down again and again and again." - "After 18 months of me beating down the doors of the HR department..." - "Another 9 months and I got a call." - "...apply for *every* programming job in the last 2 1/2 years" and so it goes for a little more. I have to say, I leaned a little more in Max' direction when I first read it, but give it a little thought, and the real message is, don't give up hope! Getting and running your own company isn't going to be easy. You'd be crazy to think it is! BUT, if you're willing to work your ass off for it, you can get there. Even if it takes five years. Hell, it could take ten, or even longer, but if that's enough to stop you, it'll probably take forever, so why worry? As for the talentless hack, you might want to look a little closer at his story, too. He might not be so talentless, himself. The guy you describe apparently knows enough to: - Program (even if it IS VB6) - Reimplement existing software(?) (Not so easy to do without the source, and if he *had* it, then he could...) - Read other people's code (which could be even harder?!) - Talk someone in the right position at a big company into investing in it (and as if that weren't hard enough...) - Talk said someone into investing *a lot* of money in it! On top of all that, if a kid that talented spent most of his teen years reading science fiction and watching movies, I'd be very disappointed to learn he didn't at least try writing a little of either. You practically have to try, when you've got that kind of initiative. So, yeah, you can do it. You'll have to work your ass off. You'll have to keep your eyes open, and you'll probably need a boatload of patience. But don't let that stop you. [edited for formatting]
bmelton 16y ago
I feel your comment, and I identify 1 million percent. If you look around, you'll find plenty of average Joes who luck themselves into millions. Plenty of mediocre projects that you know you can better. Myspace, Plenty of Fish, Experts Exchange, etc. They're not all destined for failure, but they've all been mediocre products that were still able to generate tons of revenue.
didip 16y ago
I am not saying that photomatt is talentless hack, not at all, but he is quite normal. Needless to say, i look up to him.

pramanat 16y ago

"If a high school drop-out with nothing but a typing diploma could do it, so can you." I want to believe it, but not necessarily true. We all have different abilities. The author is very talented and has acquired (and/or was born with) the ability to do business. On the other hand, there is no way of really knowing, unless you try.

alain94040 16y ago
You are right, that sentence should have said: "If a high school drop-out with nothing but a typing diploma could do it, you can at least try too."

daimyoyo 16y ago

Great post. Thank you for showing me(I already knew but it's nice to see an example) that for most people business ownership is not something that happens overnight. I too work in a job I hate and burn the midnight oil learning how to program. Continued success to you and per the instructions in the article, I'm now following your tweets as well. Take care. :)

ajtaylor 16y ago

Thank you so much for your story. My dream is to have a "side" business which would make enough money to allow me and my family to explore the world. It's never too late to start! PS. If I'm lucky I'll be moving to Amsterdam next month with a new job. :)

hanifvirani 16y ago

Success is visible to everyone, but the hard work and preparation that goes into it, sometimes over the course of years, is not always apparent. So when most people see a successful person they go "He has all the luck in the world, I wish I was that lucky", or "He is a genius, I wish I was as clever". What they don't realize is the amount of toil and persistence that went into that success, either directly or indirectly, just like in this inspiring story Jacques has shared with us. Success doesn't happen overnight. There is hard work involved. You can achieve things too, provided you work for it.

cool-RR 16y ago

At the end of the story: "When I announced that I was going 'solo' my mom freaked out. I was 22 at the time [...]" Dude, after all that crap I figured you'd be around 35...

grellas 16y ago

Few can or should start their own companies but, for one who is bright, alert, and enterprising, no barrier is too great that it can't be blasted through by sheer drive, determination, and tenacity. We can listen to the world around us, with all its adhering to conventions, or to our inner voice, which dares to dream beyond such limits and to push us to try for extraordinary outcomes even at great personal risk. That is the message of this fine piece, and it is inspirational. It is also credible because it comes from one who has lived it out in his own extraordinary way.

rdl 16y ago

I hope you've let your boss and former boss know how their investment/faith in you has paid off (for society, not necessarily them personally)...