20 ms·

The good news: If you think you've done the right thing, then you have. Congratulations! The other news: - Your runway is probably 50% of what you think it

by edw519 14y ago

The good news: If you think you've done the right thing, then you have. Congratulations! The other news: - Your runway is probably 50% of what you think it is. - Your task is probably 200% of what you think it is. - It will take 200% of what you expect to get your first customer. - Your wife will get scared before you do. - Some customers will take forever to pay. - You'll probably have to backtrack on your design / architecture. - When you need to sell, you'll want to code. - When you need to code, you'll want to sell. - Your MVP will be missing something critical. - At some point, you'll question your decision. - At some point, someone will discourage you. - You may need to pivot your entire business. - In a year, you won't be who you are now. I don't mean to discourage you. I just want you to bottle that enthusiasm for later use. You'll probably need it. Best wishes! [EDIT: Changed "less than good news" to "other news". Thanks grannyg00se and untog for pointing out my "less than best choice of words". wasigh, it's all good news.]

grannyg00se 14y ago
" - In a year, you won't be who you are now. " I don't think this one necessarily gets filed under less than good news. Presumably if the guy is uprooting his life like this, becoming someone else is part of the goal.
untog 14y ago
I was with you until: In a year, you won't be who you are now. Unless you mean "you will be the wrecked shell of the person you once were", I don't think that making a startup actually changes who you are. We glamorize it, but a lot of people set up their own business every day and don't change a bit.
- andrewljohnson 14y ago
  A start-up changes a person in the same way a war does - trauma, triumph, battle, and blood. If you aren't changed after you start up, it probably wasn't your first time.
  - mehulkar 14y ago
    This sounds a bit like hyperbole. People don't die from startups.
    - robomartin 14y ago
      I know at least one person who died in 2009 due to stress caused by business problems. This happened after two years of intense pressure and suffering. Depression, not eating well, not sleeping enough and other factors converged. One morning a stroke followed by a series of heart attacks ended his life. I have personally ended-up in the hospital with intense palpitations due to a combination of stress, lack of sleep and dehydration all as a result of business issues. There's nothing wrong with me or my heart, today I regularly swim 1500m and participate in Master's competitions and training. Over time I learned to deal with business stress in various ways (swimming is part of it). So, yes, it isn't military service but don't make the mistake of thinking that stress-related disorders --and even death-- are monopolized by soldiers.
      - stickfigure 14y ago
        Also: There have been a number of high-profile suicides mentioned on HN over the last few years. Likely there have been countless lower-profile suicides never mentioned.
  - bartonfink 14y ago
    That's just insane. People working on start-ups do not, as a matter of course, risk their lives in the same way soldiers in a war do. I'd challenge you to point to anyone doing a tech startup who has lost a limb due to an IED. A start-up may very well change a person more than spending the same time at a job would, but to compare it to going through war shows an incredible amount of naivety about how horrible war actually is.
    - sliverstorm 14y ago
      Yeah, but it's so much more romantic to think of start-ups as literally comparable to being a foot soldier on the front lines.
- suren 14y ago
  To the contrary, I think startup experiences brings profound changes in the way you live. At least that happened to me in the following ways 1. Your free time is limited. You try to make the most of it. Something like work hard and play harder 2. Your emotions go through a sine curve. You can deal with stress better than most others. That could also mean you get numb to common day problems. You stop working yourself up for small issues. And on the other extreme, you start to think anything is possible if you start applying yourself. Almost everything looks like an optimization problem with 2 or 3 variables. 3. You can no longer say things like "Oh, I don't do that, a sales/PR/designer person does that". You get to do other stuff and realize you might like doing them too. 4. People fail you or you fail people - deals don't go through, you miss dinners/meetups etc etc. It hurts you in the beginning but you get used to that. May be most of it applies only to young startup people like myself but I sure did learn and change a lot over my time at startups.
- kamaal 14y ago
  That's not with respect to start ups, but any 'testing task' in general. People emerge totally changed individuals during and after times of hardships. During disease, financial difficulties, tough assignments, chasing near impossible goals, during times crisis, turmoil and difficulties. You get to see who is jealous of you. Who envies you , who admires you, who is ready to help, who discourages you. You learn not just about work, but also a lot about people, places, things and life in general. That is why some people who go through life threatening diseases, fatal failures, harsh financial conditions are so successful, resilient, self sufficient, motivated and hard working.
orangethirty 14y ago
To which I add: - Time will now move at a different rate. You will get desperate when things don't happen fast enough, and you will get desperate when things are going to fast. The trick here is to find a good rhythm. Good luck.
electic 14y ago
I agree. To get to my Series A after resigning my job was nothing like I expected and it was far longer than I had anticipated. I hope whatever you're making has a revenue element to it.
buro9 14y ago
6 months in and I recognise most of that. About to make my first hire, so I guess the other half of that will come.
raverbashing 14y ago
Been there, done that, and this list is pretty accurate. YMMV however.
sigkill 14y ago
You've summarized my entire past year in these nifty points my friend... and I'm not even in the computers/IT industry (and I'm not married). But seriously, I only wish someone had told this before. I'd have tried to be better prepared for it (and I also know that you're never 'better prepared' ever).
cptnobvious 14y ago
Yawn, just link to the astrology column next time.
robomartin 14y ago
And, when you finally succeed, some asshole will tell you that you didn't actually build your business. That your success isn't due to having worked hard (because there are tons of people that work hard) or because you are smart (because lots of people are smart). No, you had nothing to do with building a successful business despite your sacrifices, risk, uncertainty, sleepless nights, good and bad decisions, family sacrifices, etc., etc. You don't matter.
- Mvandenbergh 14y ago
  Who cares? People say things that are wrong all the time, it's better to ignore them and say "How interesting, I'll keep that in mind" than to devote mental resources to getting upset about it.
  - nightski 14y ago
    Not that I feel a particular way about it, but he is the President. People tend to care what he says. Just sayin.
    - Mvandenbergh 14y ago
      The President? I had to look this up (I'm not American) and it looks like he was intending to refer to the public infrastructure that all businesses use rather than the businesses themselves. Anyway, I don't much care for the politics of any country but it's still a waste of time to pay too much attention to the minutia of political campaigning. Before November, both parties are going to say a great number of things that are untrue, out of context, and that they don't believe. If you let yourself get upset by the circus show months before election time, you'll go barking mad.
      - MBCook 14y ago
        He was, and it's perfectly clear if you listen to the whole clip. But it was one of those statements that was trivial to use out of context and perfectly fit the Republican narrative about Obama's views. I'm a Republican, and I've thought it was a pathetic tactic since I first heard it. But that's why I nearly stop listening to the news during political seasons.
ak39 14y ago
Jesus Christ! Someone ought to make a freagin poster of that! Awesome! Thanks EDW!
31reasons 14y ago
You are over dramatizing the bad part. I quit my job exactly a one year ago to make sustainable business developing iPhone apps. I have failed and I am looking for a job BUT the entire year was a lot of fun, I learned a lot. Its not the end of your life if you run out of money for a while. You will add more skills in the worst case. If you are single its easier.

by edw519 14y ago

grannyg00se 14y ago

" - In a year, you won't be who you are now. " I don't think this one necessarily gets filed under less than good news. Presumably if the guy is uprooting his life like this, becoming someone else is part of the goal.

untog 14y ago

I was with you until: In a year, you won't be who you are now. Unless you mean "you will be the wrecked shell of the person you once were", I don't think that making a startup actually changes who you are. We glamorize it, but a lot of people set up their own business every day and don't change a bit.

andrewljohnson 14y ago
A start-up changes a person in the same way a war does - trauma, triumph, battle, and blood. If you aren't changed after you start up, it probably wasn't your first time.
- mehulkar 14y ago
  This sounds a bit like hyperbole. People don't die from startups.
  - robomartin 14y ago
    I know at least one person who died in 2009 due to stress caused by business problems. This happened after two years of intense pressure and suffering. Depression, not eating well, not sleeping enough and other factors converged. One morning a stroke followed by a series of heart attacks ended his life. I have personally ended-up in the hospital with intense palpitations due to a combination of stress, lack of sleep and dehydration all as a result of business issues. There's nothing wrong with me or my heart, today I regularly swim 1500m and participate in Master's competitions and training. Over time I learned to deal with business stress in various ways (swimming is part of it). So, yes, it isn't military service but don't make the mistake of thinking that stress-related disorders --and even death-- are monopolized by soldiers.
    - stickfigure 14y ago
      Also: There have been a number of high-profile suicides mentioned on HN over the last few years. Likely there have been countless lower-profile suicides never mentioned.
- bartonfink 14y ago
  That's just insane. People working on start-ups do not, as a matter of course, risk their lives in the same way soldiers in a war do. I'd challenge you to point to anyone doing a tech startup who has lost a limb due to an IED. A start-up may very well change a person more than spending the same time at a job would, but to compare it to going through war shows an incredible amount of naivety about how horrible war actually is.
  - sliverstorm 14y ago
    Yeah, but it's so much more romantic to think of start-ups as literally comparable to being a foot soldier on the front lines.
suren 14y ago
To the contrary, I think startup experiences brings profound changes in the way you live. At least that happened to me in the following ways 1. Your free time is limited. You try to make the most of it. Something like work hard and play harder 2. Your emotions go through a sine curve. You can deal with stress better than most others. That could also mean you get numb to common day problems. You stop working yourself up for small issues. And on the other extreme, you start to think anything is possible if you start applying yourself. Almost everything looks like an optimization problem with 2 or 3 variables. 3. You can no longer say things like "Oh, I don't do that, a sales/PR/designer person does that". You get to do other stuff and realize you might like doing them too. 4. People fail you or you fail people - deals don't go through, you miss dinners/meetups etc etc. It hurts you in the beginning but you get used to that. May be most of it applies only to young startup people like myself but I sure did learn and change a lot over my time at startups.
kamaal 14y ago
That's not with respect to start ups, but any 'testing task' in general. People emerge totally changed individuals during and after times of hardships. During disease, financial difficulties, tough assignments, chasing near impossible goals, during times crisis, turmoil and difficulties. You get to see who is jealous of you. Who envies you , who admires you, who is ready to help, who discourages you. You learn not just about work, but also a lot about people, places, things and life in general. That is why some people who go through life threatening diseases, fatal failures, harsh financial conditions are so successful, resilient, self sufficient, motivated and hard working.

orangethirty 14y ago

To which I add: - Time will now move at a different rate. You will get desperate when things don't happen fast enough, and you will get desperate when things are going to fast. The trick here is to find a good rhythm. Good luck.

electic 14y ago

I agree. To get to my Series A after resigning my job was nothing like I expected and it was far longer than I had anticipated. I hope whatever you're making has a revenue element to it.

buro9 14y ago

6 months in and I recognise most of that. About to make my first hire, so I guess the other half of that will come.

raverbashing 14y ago

Been there, done that, and this list is pretty accurate. YMMV however.

sigkill 14y ago

You've summarized my entire past year in these nifty points my friend... and I'm not even in the computers/IT industry (and I'm not married). But seriously, I only wish someone had told this before. I'd have tried to be better prepared for it (and I also know that you're never 'better prepared' ever).

cptnobvious 14y ago

Yawn, just link to the astrology column next time.

robomartin 14y ago

And, when you finally succeed, some asshole will tell you that you didn't actually build your business. That your success isn't due to having worked hard (because there are tons of people that work hard) or because you are smart (because lots of people are smart). No, you had nothing to do with building a successful business despite your sacrifices, risk, uncertainty, sleepless nights, good and bad decisions, family sacrifices, etc., etc. You don't matter.

Mvandenbergh 14y ago
Who cares? People say things that are wrong all the time, it's better to ignore them and say "How interesting, I'll keep that in mind" than to devote mental resources to getting upset about it.
- nightski 14y ago
  Not that I feel a particular way about it, but he is the President. People tend to care what he says. Just sayin.
  - Mvandenbergh 14y ago
    The President? I had to look this up (I'm not American) and it looks like he was intending to refer to the public infrastructure that all businesses use rather than the businesses themselves. Anyway, I don't much care for the politics of any country but it's still a waste of time to pay too much attention to the minutia of political campaigning. Before November, both parties are going to say a great number of things that are untrue, out of context, and that they don't believe. If you let yourself get upset by the circus show months before election time, you'll go barking mad.
    - MBCook 14y ago
      He was, and it's perfectly clear if you listen to the whole clip. But it was one of those statements that was trivial to use out of context and perfectly fit the Republican narrative about Obama's views. I'm a Republican, and I've thought it was a pathetic tactic since I first heard it. But that's why I nearly stop listening to the news during political seasons.

ak39 14y ago

Jesus Christ! Someone ought to make a freagin poster of that! Awesome! Thanks EDW!

31reasons 14y ago

You are over dramatizing the bad part. I quit my job exactly a one year ago to make sustainable business developing iPhone apps. I have failed and I am looking for a job BUT the entire year was a lot of fun, I learned a lot. Its not the end of your life if you run out of money for a while. You will add more skills in the worst case. If you are single its easier.