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Wade, so sorry to hear about your dad and the events affecting the other members of your team. But thank you for this post. I think so many people swimming aro

by timjahn 13y ago

Wade, so sorry to hear about your dad and the events affecting the other members of your team. But thank you for this post. I think so many people swimming around the fishbowl forget about the actual life that's happening, both on the inside and the outside. And while I agree with MichaelMartin that hunting down the most severe scenarios that could happen in the coming years isn't the way to go, I think it's important to understand that shit will happen in the coming years, and we're fools if we think that because we're working on a startup, everything else in life will just work out.

leothekim 13y ago
It's true, it's easy to not think about this kind of stuff happening to you until it does. I had similar feelings about running a startup as Wade three years ago. Then the following happened: - I was forced to vacate my apartment twice, once because of building damage and once because of owner move-in eviction. - I was suddenly let go from my job. - I suffered from chronic back problems for two years. - Five of my family members died, including my brother and my father. These things completely shook my self-confidence, and they were personal things that were beyond my control. I also have a wife and two children, and the wife recently decided to stay home full-time to take care of the kids. It wouldn't have been fair to my family to take on the risk of running a startup without guaranteed steady income and health insurance, and at the same time being a basket case around them from all the shit that was hitting the fan. I'm not looking for pity or trying to get in some sort of victim contest. I really consider myself lucky as I'm healthy, I'm working at a fun startup (not running it), my family has been great and supportive, and I've grown a bit and learned a lot from my experiences. In all fairness, I also never realistically had a startup opportunity or idea to pursue. But I was in no frame of mind to run a startup during those past few years, and if I did I would not have done so responsibly. You may be able to do so, in which case you and I are probably cut from a different cloth.

by timjahn 13y ago

leothekim 13y ago

It's true, it's easy to not think about this kind of stuff happening to you until it does. I had similar feelings about running a startup as Wade three years ago. Then the following happened: - I was forced to vacate my apartment twice, once because of building damage and once because of owner move-in eviction. - I was suddenly let go from my job. - I suffered from chronic back problems for two years. - Five of my family members died, including my brother and my father. These things completely shook my self-confidence, and they were personal things that were beyond my control. I also have a wife and two children, and the wife recently decided to stay home full-time to take care of the kids. It wouldn't have been fair to my family to take on the risk of running a startup without guaranteed steady income and health insurance, and at the same time being a basket case around them from all the shit that was hitting the fan. I'm not looking for pity or trying to get in some sort of victim contest. I really consider myself lucky as I'm healthy, I'm working at a fun startup (not running it), my family has been great and supportive, and I've grown a bit and learned a lot from my experiences. In all fairness, I also never realistically had a startup opportunity or idea to pursue. But I was in no frame of mind to run a startup during those past few years, and if I did I would not have done so responsibly. You may be able to do so, in which case you and I are probably cut from a different cloth.