4 ms·

This seems like it boils down to "if you can't find someone willing to hire you, start a company and find someone willing to hire it"? Which solves the problem

This seems like it boils down to "if you can't find someone willing to hire you, start a company and find someone willing to hire it"? Which solves the problem of not having a job, I suppose, but doesn't necessarily solve the problem of not having an income. Contract manufacturing sounds like a very specific field. Were you working in contract manufacturing before, or did you basically make a career pivot into manufacturing because that's where the opportunities were? (If so, very savvy!)

godelski 3y ago
I think it also comes off as anecdotal with no good causal relationship. I have no doubt the parent put in a lot of hard work, sacrificed much, and struggled. But I'm not convinced the strategy is repeatable. A saying I like is "the harder I work, the luckier I get." Because hard work gives you the ability to take advantage of opportunities. But at the end of the day there is a combination of hard work and luck. Maybe this is just how the world is, but we're humans so we have the power to shape it, and I think we should make hard work less reliant upon luck. But I think one of the first steps to doing that is recognizing how stochastic the system (both what we can control and what we can't) is. I'm glad this worked out for the parent and I sincerely do not want this comment to undermine their work. But I think we're often too quick to assume a repeatable process and not selection bias.
- tim333 3y ago
  I think not so much "the harder I work, the luckier I get" as keep working even if you don't get paid much for a while. Which probably is repeatable and you'll likely make money eventually if you bring value to others.
  - bobjordan 3y ago
    While I do believe in "the harder I work, the luckier I get" mentality, what you said there about "keep working even if you don't get paid much for a while" is the critical factor. I had to stop comparing what I could pay myself versus my peers and even my own post-MBA salary, as I made significantly less for a few years.
bobjordan 3y ago
My background pre-MBA was in manufacturing, not necessarily contract manufacturing, but factory operations heavy positions. If I did anything that was "savvy" was just recognizing that it was a relatively great time to start a business located inside China. I was able to manage my working capital very well in the early days by receiving credit from facilities in China, and it was easier than it would have been in America. Then, we got into GoPro camera accessories like when it was GoPro v1-2 days. That took off and allowed us to grow into a contract manufacturing company.

godelski 3y ago

I think it also comes off as anecdotal with no good causal relationship. I have no doubt the parent put in a lot of hard work, sacrificed much, and struggled. But I'm not convinced the strategy is repeatable. A saying I like is "the harder I work, the luckier I get." Because hard work gives you the ability to take advantage of opportunities. But at the end of the day there is a combination of hard work and luck. Maybe this is just how the world is, but we're humans so we have the power to shape it, and I think we should make hard work less reliant upon luck. But I think one of the first steps to doing that is recognizing how stochastic the system (both what we can control and what we can't) is. I'm glad this worked out for the parent and I sincerely do not want this comment to undermine their work. But I think we're often too quick to assume a repeatable process and not selection bias.

tim333 3y ago
I think not so much "the harder I work, the luckier I get" as keep working even if you don't get paid much for a while. Which probably is repeatable and you'll likely make money eventually if you bring value to others.
- bobjordan 3y ago
  While I do believe in "the harder I work, the luckier I get" mentality, what you said there about "keep working even if you don't get paid much for a while" is the critical factor. I had to stop comparing what I could pay myself versus my peers and even my own post-MBA salary, as I made significantly less for a few years.

bobjordan 3y ago

My background pre-MBA was in manufacturing, not necessarily contract manufacturing, but factory operations heavy positions. If I did anything that was "savvy" was just recognizing that it was a relatively great time to start a business located inside China. I was able to manage my working capital very well in the early days by receiving credit from facilities in China, and it was easier than it would have been in America. Then, we got into GoPro camera accessories like when it was GoPro v1-2 days. That took off and allowed us to grow into a contract manufacturing company.