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I sold my startup a few months ago for enough cash that I never have to work or worry about money again. http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=341565 http://news.
by sivers 18y ago
I sold my startup a few months ago for enough cash that I never have to work or worry about money again. http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=341565 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=341565
I went to the most peaceful spot I could find, and relaxed. I did nothing. http://www.vimeo.com/1292105 http://www.vimeo.com/1292105
After only a couple days, it was never more clear that I was never doing anything for the money anyway, and the reason I'm always working, driving, pushing, learning, growing, and building companies is NOT about the future-goal but increasing the quality of my present moment. It's exciting! It's fun!
So, I started working again. Not because I have to, but beacuse I want to. It makes my brain spark in a way that not-working doesn't.
So here I am again, programming, excited about some new thing I'm working on, exactly the same as before I sold the company. I didn't buy anything because there's nothing I want. My debts were already paid off.
Philip Greenspun's article really does describe it best. http://philip.greenspun.com/materialism/early-retirement/ http://philip.greenspun.com/materialism/early-retirement/
So does Felix Dennis' book How to Get Rich. http://www.amazon.com/dp/1591842050 http://www.amazon.com/dp/1591842050
Feel free to contact me directly if you have any specific questions you don't feel comfortable posting on the board here. http://sivers.org http://sivers.org
- Derek
- mynameishere 18y agoNow that you have the money, maybe you should try some coffee. http://sivers.org/about http://sivers.org/about
- njoubert 18y agoAlthough it's a nice success story, you are marginalizing the majority of Americans and, in fact, the majority of people in the tech world, that has to spend a considerable amount of time and effort just to make ends meet. Paying your way through college and dealing with the current lack of jobs means that I can't necessarily just work on what I love and I have to make concessions. It has nothing to do with whether I want to contribute something of worth to society while doing something I love. Its about the hope of being able to do those things without having to wonder whether I'll make it to the end of the month.
- peregrine 18y agoI totally agree. Like I can spend all my time working on a startup when I work 20hours in a week as an intern and do a very high load class schedule. I keep telling myself someday...
- ryanwaggoner 18y agoTwo pieces of unsolicited advice: 1. You make your own choices, and there's always tradeoffs. It sounds like you've decided that a busy internship and a high load class schedule are more important to you than working on a startup. Own that decision...you'll own the consequences. If you don't feel it's the right path, change it. 2. Be careful about telling yourself someday...it can easily turn into never. Not saying there's not better times for some things than others, but lean towards taking messy plunges rather than waiting for the stars to align.
- jmtulloss 18y agoI agree. Right out of school I took the plunge and it didn't work out. Now I have a decent job and a comfortable life. I'm happy to do that for a while and then take another plunge when the Next Big Thing comes along. After all, the first one didn't kill me, why would the second?
- Tichy 18y agoI don't get it. It sounds as if somebody is forcing you to do an internship and go to class. Who is it? Who are you complaining to?
- fallentimes 18y agoWhere you are right now, is nothing more than your _own_ decisions and responses to the environment around you.
- gruseom 18y agoHow is he "marginalizing" anybody? He built a business doing something that he loved, it succeeded (<-- probably not a coincidence), and now he wants to do it again. Do you think it was handed to him on a stick? I don't. I bet he had to fight like hell. Unless I'm misreading you, you appear to be saying "that guy had options I don't have". In my opinion, that's the kind of mentality that causes a person to "marginalize" himself.
- gridlock3d 18y agoWhat I would really like to know is how much money it takes to get to that point. $5 million isn't enough according to a very interesting New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/technology/05rich.html http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/technology/05rich.html So how much does it typically take for someone in Silicon Valley to "solve the money problem"?
- ryanwaggoner 18y ago$5m invested invested fairly conservatively can throw off 8%, or $400k / year. I'm sorry, but if you can't live on $33k / month, even in the Bay Area, you've got problems. A couple of those people in the article have homes worth over $1m that they own free and clear while they work 70 hours a week to make ends meet. Not smart. Mortgage the house to 70-80% (rates are dirt cheap right now) and invest the cash at the aforementioned 8%, which adds $100k / year to your bottom line, plus the tax benefits.
- newsycaccount 18y agoPlease link to a single "conservative" investment with an 8% yield.
- gaius 18y agoRight now you can get 6% in the UK on a no-frills deposit account at Tesco (hmm, thought they were a supermarket) but that'll be taxed so it's more like 4% real. Which is barely keeping pace with (real, not official) inflation.
- weavejester 18y agoThe base interest rate in the UK is at a 57 year low at the moment, so UK banks might not be the best place to store $5 million ;)
- gaius 18y ago
- charlesju 18y agoI completely agree with you. If you're not having fun, just fold-up shop and find something that does allow you to have fun. I am a firm believer that you can make money from anything you have a passion in. Chase that.
- Fuca 18y agoDude and I am being serious, do you have a blog?