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Ask HN: Is there something like HN for successful entrepreneurs?

• deleted 15y ago
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• polyfractal 15y ago
  Not an answer to your question, but it is pretty common for people who have "made it" to go traveling for a year or two and then realize they are bored. Then they go back to work. This is pretty common when people retire too. Retire, think they will spend the rest of their life traveling only to find out it gets pretty boring fast. A lot of people work because they like to work, whether they admit it to themselves or not.
  • some 15y ago
    > A lot of people work because they like to work Or because they are wired in a way that they dont know what else to do. I would feel like i have been fallen into a trap if I was to spend my next 10 years trying to build the next company. I want to broaden my horizon.
    • polyfractal 15y ago
      Good point. On one of the "Startups For the Rest of Us" podcast, Rob essentially said the same thing. Paraphrasing: "It took me a long time to realize I could go on vacation for a month at a time and not worry. I kept thinking 'Shouldn't I be working? Isn't there something I need to do?'"
• Mz 15y ago
  I imagine if there were such a forum, it would not be public like this because membership would imply "I have money" and that makes people a target. I think a better approach would be to join forums related to specific interests which aren't dependent upon "I have made it as an entrepreneur." An expensive hobby would likely surround you with other people in similar circumstances in terms of financial success, though they may not have made it as entrepreneurs.
  • Hyena 15y ago
    Yeah, it would rapidly be swamped by various scams intended to separate the users from their money.
  • some 15y ago
    Why wouldnt that apply here as well? Some successful guys post here. Do they get hassled?
    • Mz 15y ago
      I don't think it applies here because the focus is on making money and solving problems, not on "how can I spend my fortune?" However, that doesn't mean that some members don't get hassled. It's entirely possible they do but since I don't have money (I have nothing but debt and have said that repeatedly), I really am not someone who can say for sure if the folks who have made it get hassled by people who meet them through HN.
• effektz 15y ago
  I would love to be a part of something like that, but I don't know of anywhere currently. If you want to get away from "new" entrepreneur, why not built a site called entrepreolder.
  • deleted 15y ago
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• edwardy20 15y ago
  Quora has many entrepreneurs and intellectuals who are happy to answer questions. It's not anything like HN, but maybe it'll help you.
  • deleted 15y ago
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• randfish 15y ago
  I think http://onstartups.com http://onstartups.com run by Dharmesh Shah is probably the closest thing to what you're seeking.
  • icode 15y ago
    It looks like it also is all about making more money over there.
• rch 15y ago
  Try Aman Resorts (http://www.amanresorts.com http://www.amanresorts.com) -- I can personally recommend amansara and amandari. Then get back to work!
  • sunchild 15y ago
    I can personally recommend Amankila as well. It's one of those places that leaves you alone all the time, except when you arrive and leave. The management is there to greet you and send you off. They very graciously helped me arrange a number of things outside the normal purview of hotel staff, including a large shipment of custom furniture. They give you the feeling that you are their "boss" while you're a guest there. I also have similarly great things to say about COMO Shambala in Ubud, Bali.
• vessenes 15y ago
  Join The Entrepreneur's Organization. It's excellent, and will fulfill the desires you mention.
  • icode 15y ago
    You got an URL for that?
• nirvana 15y ago
  I've been starting businesses since I was a kid. It is like a hobby, or maybe an obsession. I once started a business without realizing I had done so![1] Once I found the pleasure in selling, I just kept doing it. Once I started having a positive income (e.g.: bringing in more money than I needed to live well) I started investing. I've been investing for a couple decades, it also is a hobby. For the past four years I've been a full time nomad-- working on a startup and traveling full time, living out of a backpack. I have built a half dozen successful businesses, and worked for two dozen startups. I've spent a fair bit of time learning about these subjects and would be happy to share my experiences. I too would like to find a site like this. The thing is, when you've become successful to some degree, inevitably, your perspective changes. The perspective of those who've achieved some success is very different from those who want to achieve success but haven't, yet. I don't mean this in an elitist way-- there's nothing I'd like more than to share what I've learned with people who are in the position I was when I was starting out. Unfortunately, Hacker News is not that place. When I've broached such subjects, the responses have not been of the "I'm interested in learning your perspective" variety, more of the "I'm going to tell you that you're wrong because authority X told me so." I'm trying to come up with some examples that won't obviously and immediately offend people. But, for instance, talking about how you can invest yourself (one of the OP's topics) often is met with "you'd be better off buying index funds" responses. It doesn't matter that I've been investing myself and getting outsized returns, and found that it really isn't that hard, and I'd love to share the techniques-- the dominant perspective is that individuals cannot beat the market. Or, if you talk about tax mitigation, the response is often along the lines of "you shouldn't do that, you owe it to society". Or if you attempt to explaining what's going on in economic terms but your perspective disagrees with the popular mainstream one (which is keynesianism, or more accurately, krugmanism) you're met with often derisive responses. You know, if economics is a science, it should be able to predict things...and good economists predicted the housing bubble. Even Ron Paul was caught on video in 2001 predicting it. Anyway, one of the big lessons of business that I've learned, is that economics is important. Perspective is important. Learning about business, and becoming successful really is about changing your perspective. Unfortunately, due to the organization of this site (stories disappear quickly, detailed discussions are a bit difficult) and the culture, it is hard to share a perspective that disagrees with the majority one. I once was told my company was not a real startup, but that it was a "lifestyle business".... this from someone that, near as I could tell, had never started a business. Hell, even if it is a lifestyle business... it gave me a fantastic lifestyle! I don't feel that people here on HN want to learn from those who have had success... and as much success as I have had, I really want to learn from those who have had MORE. HN is the closest I've found, for all the seemingly negative things I'm saying about it.... I wish there were a way to change it so that we could share these things. But if HN is too big of a ship, then I'd be keen to hang out in a private forum. Really, get just a dozen good people there- people who have started businesses and are not ashamed of being capitalists-- and you can have some great discussion. [1] I was importing tools from china, and because I didn't know their quality, and the price was so low, I tended to buy 2 or 4 of everything figuring they might break. The quality was actually good, so I'd sell the extras, but then without realizing it I started buying more and more every order. I found that keeping four drills around was convenient, as I'd just keep different bits in each one and witch tools, but the next time I ordered, I ordered 4 more drills and then sold them, then ordered 8 extra drills and sold them as well. Same thing with bit sets, and other tools. I was making great markups on the tools, but when I realized what I was doing I stopped because it wasn't really scalable.
• vaksel 15y ago
  I think it's something that would need to be built from scratch. One thing to focus on, would be to manually verify all members before granting access. Unfortunately, it would have to be made by someone who has the connections to make it happen. Because otherwise it won't it'll be dead. Although, if you've made it, you got the cash to pay for advice from experts. Instead of asking a bunch random people about tax law...you can just hire a good accountant...instead of asking which vacation spot to go to, you can find a good travel agent. etc etc
  • icode 15y ago
    > just hire a good accountant > find a good travel agent What, no more Web 2.0? Back to the old one-on-one consultations?
    • vaksel 15y ago
      web 2.0 is to make things affordable...but it's almost always subpar to getting 1 on 1 consultation from an expert + it goes down to opportunity cost...sure you could become an expert after spending hundreds of hours...or you can pay the fee and go back to enjoying your retirement.
• loumf 15y ago
  Read the NYTimes Lifestyle section -- it seems tailor-made to helping people spend a lot of money.
• astrofinch 15y ago
  On a similar note, I'd be interested to know if there's an online forum for wealthy people who are trying to figure out the most effective way to make charitable donations.