4 ms·
I have watched a peer leave his well paying job, TC ~500k, to grind it out for 10 years trying to build a startup on what I knew was a completely stupid idea, i
by valianteffort 2y ago
I have watched a peer leave his well paying job, TC ~500k, to grind it out for 10 years trying to build a startup on what I knew was a completely stupid idea, in the hopes of getting rich. I watched him work 16 hour days, miss vacations, destroy relationships, pivot and ultimately fail. All because some VC threw him and his idiotic cofounder a bone when money was cheap.
I have to wonder if they ever think about how they'd be sitting on >$10m if they just stayed where they were, kept their equity and enjoyed the stability.
Startups are a young man's game for a reason. When you're young you're usually too stupid to realize what you're giving up, but it doesn't matter because you have all the time in the world to start over. Starting all over in your 40's is just depressing.
- notarobot123 2y agoStarting a startup to get rich is a gamble at any stage in life but starting one to be in control of your work life is much more achievable. Imagine having experience, a bit of a financial cushion and a strong sense of your own values and priorities. I can't think of a better time to give startups a go.
- The_Colonel 2y agoWhy not just build a nice small sustainable company in that case?
- notarobot123 2y agoBecause tech can scale, even without VC funding, and building a business of any size requires a similar amount of effort and luck. There's nothing wrong with staying small but scaling slowly is sustainable too.
- nunez 2y agoThat peer would've chased the grind regardless. It can even be argued that chasing the grind was _how_ they got into a $500k/year well-paying job in the first place. Some people are just wired like that.