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If it's true that Jody took his own life, this is really hitting me hard. As an entrepreneur, I know well the need to put on the "killing it" face when asked a

If it's true that Jody took his own life, this is really hitting me hard. As an entrepreneur, I know well the need to put on the "killing it" face when asked about progress by others. But this is making me reconsider. If every interaction is superficial and full of one-upmanship, then we'll never find out about problems like these until it's too late.

VonGuard 14y ago
I find it's really important to have a core group of friends outside of work and projects. Like a support network, or a release valve. People who care about how you are doing, not your company. I think a lot of founders feel like they can't do anything but work, or else they're wasting time and money. But it's the same fallacy that pushes game companies into crunch mode. Everyone's morale suffers, and the quality of crunch work is always far inferior to the quality of non-under-the-gun work. The Valley is so high pressure. Find that release valve before you boil over.
richardlblair 14y ago
Next time you ask a fellow entrepreneur how they are, and they give you some response about killing it, or talk about their company interrupt them and ask "how are you?" I'm sure this will mean a lot to someone. Maybe not everyone, but you could end up doing it to the right person at the right time.
- ajaymehta 14y ago
  Thanks. I think that's a great idea.
neumann_alfred 14y ago
I'm not an entrepreneur, but I have a tendency to be rather open to random people, and generally I think they appreciate it a lot. Everybody has bullshit friends and knows how to be a bullshit friend, it's just not everybody dares to be an actual friend (if even just for the moment) to random people "just because"... but I rarely encountered anyone who didn't appreciate it, and not ever anyone who held it against me. There are ways to show weakness that are not weak at all, it's just honesty. Though of course there are also those who just use use other people's honesty to rob them, but you wouldn't want to stick around there anyway, right? "So be ye innocent as doves, and wise as serpents" :)

VonGuard 14y ago

I find it's really important to have a core group of friends outside of work and projects. Like a support network, or a release valve. People who care about how you are doing, not your company. I think a lot of founders feel like they can't do anything but work, or else they're wasting time and money. But it's the same fallacy that pushes game companies into crunch mode. Everyone's morale suffers, and the quality of crunch work is always far inferior to the quality of non-under-the-gun work. The Valley is so high pressure. Find that release valve before you boil over.

richardlblair 14y ago

Next time you ask a fellow entrepreneur how they are, and they give you some response about killing it, or talk about their company interrupt them and ask "how are you?" I'm sure this will mean a lot to someone. Maybe not everyone, but you could end up doing it to the right person at the right time.

ajaymehta 14y ago
Thanks. I think that's a great idea.

neumann_alfred 14y ago

I'm not an entrepreneur, but I have a tendency to be rather open to random people, and generally I think they appreciate it a lot. Everybody has bullshit friends and knows how to be a bullshit friend, it's just not everybody dares to be an actual friend (if even just for the moment) to random people "just because"... but I rarely encountered anyone who didn't appreciate it, and not ever anyone who held it against me. There are ways to show weakness that are not weak at all, it's just honesty. Though of course there are also those who just use use other people's honesty to rob them, but you wouldn't want to stick around there anyway, right? "So be ye innocent as doves, and wise as serpents" :)