6 ms·

I run my own start-up and I have to do everything. I am the sole employee. Some days I wear my designer hat, others its server config, and others it's custome

by xpose2000 14y ago

I run my own start-up and I have to do everything. I am the sole employee. Some days I wear my designer hat, others its server config, and others it's customer service. Is it a bit crazy? Sure, but I really enjoy what I do. I don't have meetings. I don't go to conferences. I don't pitch my company to VCs. I don't try to raise money. I don't care what other companies are doing. I don't try to use the latest tech because I'm expected to. LAMP is fine. I concentrate on building the product, satisfying my customers, and increasing my revenue. Everything else is bullshit. The founder should be able to do everything. Being a developer is one of those things.

sojacques 14y ago
While I totally understand your feeling, you should be aware that this strategy wouldn't work if you wanted to start a company like Tesla or Intel. No offense, but what you call a startup might be more considered like a business by the HN crowd, and this is why you can operate this way. Not every type of company can stay out of the now traditional pitching/VC game.
- ct 14y ago
  Nothing wrong with a "lifestyle" company and making a couple 100k for yourself. No need for all the headaches of running a public company and possibly getting kicked out of your own company by VCs, boards, etc. like Jobs did.
- redguava 14y ago
  There is a lot of room between a 1-man show and Intel/Tesla. People really think it's all or nothing and there is so much room in between. It doesn't mean it's a lifestyle business either, you can have a business earning over $10 million revenue p/year in this in between and with no funding. Is that really just a lifestyle business?
  - sojacques 14y ago
    Of course there is a lot of room, but it doesn't invalidate my point.
    - soup10 14y ago
      Most people i've met seeking venture capital have zero chance of being capable of building the next giant company. Yet many have succeeded in raising capital regardless. VC's generally aren't willing to take on much risk, so you see them spending lot's on low-capital requirement companies that are +EV. And little on companies that need large amounts of capital to scale.
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
- bodegajed 14y ago
  If his business is not a "startup" then I would rather be like him than the startup of that HN crown that you're saying.
jaytaylor 14y ago
You are over-generalizing. You are in a fortunate situation where you are able to make this work. What a blessing!
- xpose2000 14y ago
  There is nothing fortunate about it. It took hardwork and over 3 years in the making.
  - antoniuschan99 14y ago
    Xpose, congrats! You're an inspiration to all of us who are working at our own stuff
  - patrickg 14y ago
    Three years? Exactly the same here. I am a one man show and I highly enjoy the current situation. Next year I'll think about hiring one or more student to help me out on minor parts, but I still wonder if I can do without. Caring about employees might not be worth the trouble.
  - jaytaylor 14y ago
    You are forgetting that some people work very hard on an idea for many years and it still may not pan out.
isalmon 14y ago
I'm in exactly the same situation right now and I ABSOLUTELY agree with you on everything. One minor thing here though that I don't call it a 'startup', it's rather a 'small business', which grows linearly, not exponentially (not yet at least).
- xpose2000 14y ago
  That's funny you say that. Over the past 6 months I started to reference more as a small business or company and less like a start-up.
jorts 14y ago
I hope that you have plans to at least grow to where there's someone else that can cover for you while you take a vacation.
jeepey 14y ago
Amen. I'm in exactly the same situation. Took me a few years to get there but now I'm totally happy with it. I actually like the fact that I have to do everything myself. That's what keeps it interesting (and challenging once in a while).

sojacques 14y ago

While I totally understand your feeling, you should be aware that this strategy wouldn't work if you wanted to start a company like Tesla or Intel. No offense, but what you call a startup might be more considered like a business by the HN crowd, and this is why you can operate this way. Not every type of company can stay out of the now traditional pitching/VC game.

ct 14y ago
Nothing wrong with a "lifestyle" company and making a couple 100k for yourself. No need for all the headaches of running a public company and possibly getting kicked out of your own company by VCs, boards, etc. like Jobs did.
redguava 14y ago
There is a lot of room between a 1-man show and Intel/Tesla. People really think it's all or nothing and there is so much room in between. It doesn't mean it's a lifestyle business either, you can have a business earning over $10 million revenue p/year in this in between and with no funding. Is that really just a lifestyle business?
- sojacques 14y ago
  Of course there is a lot of room, but it doesn't invalidate my point.
  - soup10 14y ago
    Most people i've met seeking venture capital have zero chance of being capable of building the next giant company. Yet many have succeeded in raising capital regardless. VC's generally aren't willing to take on much risk, so you see them spending lot's on low-capital requirement companies that are +EV. And little on companies that need large amounts of capital to scale.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
bodegajed 14y ago
If his business is not a "startup" then I would rather be like him than the startup of that HN crown that you're saying.

jaytaylor 14y ago

You are over-generalizing. You are in a fortunate situation where you are able to make this work. What a blessing!

xpose2000 14y ago
There is nothing fortunate about it. It took hardwork and over 3 years in the making.
- antoniuschan99 14y ago
  Xpose, congrats! You're an inspiration to all of us who are working at our own stuff
- patrickg 14y ago
  Three years? Exactly the same here. I am a one man show and I highly enjoy the current situation. Next year I'll think about hiring one or more student to help me out on minor parts, but I still wonder if I can do without. Caring about employees might not be worth the trouble.
- jaytaylor 14y ago
  You are forgetting that some people work very hard on an idea for many years and it still may not pan out.

isalmon 14y ago

I'm in exactly the same situation right now and I ABSOLUTELY agree with you on everything. One minor thing here though that I don't call it a 'startup', it's rather a 'small business', which grows linearly, not exponentially (not yet at least).

xpose2000 14y ago
That's funny you say that. Over the past 6 months I started to reference more as a small business or company and less like a start-up.

jorts 14y ago

I hope that you have plans to at least grow to where there's someone else that can cover for you while you take a vacation.

jeepey 14y ago

Amen. I'm in exactly the same situation. Took me a few years to get there but now I'm totally happy with it. I actually like the fact that I have to do everything myself. That's what keeps it interesting (and challenging once in a while).