4 ms·

I don't fit in those buckets. I have no external funding and no desire for it. I'm not in it to change the world or for a big exit - I'm in it for freedom. Fre

I don't fit in those buckets. I have no external funding and no desire for it. I'm not in it to change the world or for a big exit - I'm in it for freedom. Freedom to steer the business in the direction I feel is right. Freedom to work on what I choose is important. The one advantage of this approach is that my primary focus is the needs of my customers, rather than the needs of my investors.

jmduke 13y ago
If you learn a lot of corporate strategy, you'll read about the importance of aligning the goals of your customers with the goals of your investors (and then you'll suddenly read that phrase in every earnings and annual report ever.) The idea being: there's an inherent paradox in trying to serve two mistresses, one who wants profit and the other who wants value. Something that isn't touched on too much is that it's sometimes better to only have one mistress. When your customers are your investors, then your priorities and goals suddenly become a lot clearer.
- liljimmytables 13y ago
  sorry to be the guy that gets picky about words, but i think you mean contention rather than paradox
  - jmduke 13y ago
    Whoops -- yep, you're right! (In my defense, it's very early and I'm very bad at words.)
    - yaddayadda 13y ago
      I actually think "paradox" is a perfectly acceptable word in the context used. The common usage meaning - contradiction - is particularly apropos. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox edit: fixed nasty typo
      - foobarbazqux 13y ago
        But also the "paradox" in this situation is that it's perfectly doable to meet the contradictory needs of value for customers and profit for investors at once. Many such dilemmas have paradoxical both/and solutions.
      - Goladus 13y ago
        I'd say "conflict" is better term than contradiction or paradox, since we're talking interests and desires rather than logical propositions.
  - lotsofcows 13y ago
    Never apologise for trying to make sense out of the world.
- kpennell 13y ago
  good point on misalignment...
Ixiaus 13y ago
Have you raised funding before? We had a similar stigma towards VCs and Angels with our company (bootstrapped up until a year ago); that they would just end up trying to steer. Thus far (we've only raised a seed round so we haven't given out a board seat yet) after having raised about 400k in seed, my experience says the complete opposite, they don't even try to steer - I've learned far more than I ever would have dreamed of, having raised money from and talked to people that have done big and/or amazing things with their lives. If anything, you have to learn to ignore Angel's advice - some of it is good, most of it isn't pertinent to your business. BTW, you don't ever have to do anything an Angel says if you don't want to (unless you've given them a board seat). VC firms are different though because generally, in your Series A, if you raise 2M from VC firm X they will usually ask for a board seat - when someone is on your board then they DO have a say. You usually balance this out though by picking a neutral third party person that is trusted by both to hold the third board seat (or if you can, preferably someone that is more loyal to yourself).
- lotsofcows 13y ago
  "big and/or amazing things"? Raised confident, happy children while maintaining their own happiness you mean? I really can't think of anything else. Unless you're talking about fixing poverty, disease or violence on a large scale in which case I'm surprised you've got the time to procrastinate on here.
  - kbenson 13y ago
    > Unless you're talking about fixing poverty, disease or violence on a large scale in which case I'm surprised you've got the time to procrastinate on here. How does that make any sense? Unless he's raised money from or talked to people that have worked on some of the biggest world problems you're surprised he has time to post on HN?
    - lotsofcows 13y ago
      GP,WM
  - 13y ago
muyuu 13y ago
That's about as close as "changing the world" as most people can dream to get. You might feel it sounds too grandiose for your actual goals, but a lot of people have no shame in uttering it.

jmduke 13y ago

If you learn a lot of corporate strategy, you'll read about the importance of aligning the goals of your customers with the goals of your investors (and then you'll suddenly read that phrase in every earnings and annual report ever.) The idea being: there's an inherent paradox in trying to serve two mistresses, one who wants profit and the other who wants value. Something that isn't touched on too much is that it's sometimes better to only have one mistress. When your customers are your investors, then your priorities and goals suddenly become a lot clearer.

liljimmytables 13y ago
sorry to be the guy that gets picky about words, but i think you mean contention rather than paradox
- jmduke 13y ago
  Whoops -- yep, you're right! (In my defense, it's very early and I'm very bad at words.)
  - yaddayadda 13y ago
    I actually think "paradox" is a perfectly acceptable word in the context used. The common usage meaning - contradiction - is particularly apropos. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox edit: fixed nasty typo
    - foobarbazqux 13y ago
      But also the "paradox" in this situation is that it's perfectly doable to meet the contradictory needs of value for customers and profit for investors at once. Many such dilemmas have paradoxical both/and solutions.
    - Goladus 13y ago
      I'd say "conflict" is better term than contradiction or paradox, since we're talking interests and desires rather than logical propositions.
- lotsofcows 13y ago
  Never apologise for trying to make sense out of the world.
kpennell 13y ago
good point on misalignment...

Ixiaus 13y ago

Have you raised funding before? We had a similar stigma towards VCs and Angels with our company (bootstrapped up until a year ago); that they would just end up trying to steer. Thus far (we've only raised a seed round so we haven't given out a board seat yet) after having raised about 400k in seed, my experience says the complete opposite, they don't even try to steer - I've learned far more than I ever would have dreamed of, having raised money from and talked to people that have done big and/or amazing things with their lives. If anything, you have to learn to ignore Angel's advice - some of it is good, most of it isn't pertinent to your business. BTW, you don't ever have to do anything an Angel says if you don't want to (unless you've given them a board seat). VC firms are different though because generally, in your Series A, if you raise 2M from VC firm X they will usually ask for a board seat - when someone is on your board then they DO have a say. You usually balance this out though by picking a neutral third party person that is trusted by both to hold the third board seat (or if you can, preferably someone that is more loyal to yourself).

lotsofcows 13y ago
"big and/or amazing things"? Raised confident, happy children while maintaining their own happiness you mean? I really can't think of anything else. Unless you're talking about fixing poverty, disease or violence on a large scale in which case I'm surprised you've got the time to procrastinate on here.
- kbenson 13y ago
  > Unless you're talking about fixing poverty, disease or violence on a large scale in which case I'm surprised you've got the time to procrastinate on here. How does that make any sense? Unless he's raised money from or talked to people that have worked on some of the biggest world problems you're surprised he has time to post on HN?
  - lotsofcows 13y ago
    GP,WM
- 13y ago

muyuu 13y ago

That's about as close as "changing the world" as most people can dream to get. You might feel it sounds too grandiose for your actual goals, but a lot of people have no shame in uttering it.