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That definitely is a problem marketplaces face, but it actually wasn't the problem that we had. When customers started working with us, they stayed with us - re

That definitely is a problem marketplaces face, but it actually wasn't the problem that we had. When customers started working with us, they stayed with us - repeatedly booking new lessons and packages. As strange as it feels to say it, we had a business that could grow over time, and that's something we'll always treasure. What we didn't have was something that we could grow at the rate we wanted, at the economics that we thought made sense.

stephen 13y ago
When you say it that way, it basically sounds like greed. You assert to have had a good, long-term business going; but screw that when you can take another spin of the VC wheel, right? I guess if the yard stick is always "become the AirBNB of <random industry>..."
- yabbadabbadoo 13y ago
  And this basically sounds like passing judgement. Not everyone has to share the same goals. Some want to go for the billions, others are happy with a few million. It's not your place to judge someone else's goals as greed. Just like it wouldn't be Aaron's place to judge your goals as settling.
  - stephen 13y ago
    True. I suppose I was mostly nit picking on the portrayal of "oh, hey, we had a good business, but, meh, so what." When, for a lot of people, myself included, that sounds pretty nice. E.g. (from another reply) 2-3% monthly growth is meh? I suppose... But, yes, as you said, different goals and circumstances (I of course know nothing about the company/VCs/etc.). So, yeah, akharris, sorry for being an ass--shutting down a company definitely sucks, and you have to do it in front of your friends/hecklers on HN. Good luck on the next thing.
- untog 13y ago
  You make it sound like they had a choice. They'll never be able to say it publicly, but even if they were happy with slow growth I'd bet a lot of money their VC investors weren't.
  - mbesto 13y ago
    Wait, let me understand this... You're implying that investors have more than 50% voting shares then right?
    - untog 13y ago
      It doesn't just come to voting share. You'll be taking their advice if you want that next round of funding.
      - mbesto 13y ago
        So they did have a choice...? If the business goes bust, then why do you need another round of funding?
- brandnewlow 13y ago
  Or maybe they have other things they want to do with their lives than grind it out at 2-3% monthly growth for 5 years.
- chrischen 13y ago
  With great power comes great responsibility. If they can apply themselves to something that has greater economic benefit to themselves, and thus society, they are doing a disservice to society by underutilizing their abilities. If the only person in the world who can cure cancer decides to be a janitor and nothing more, is he not greedy, or is he lazy? You're misjudging them and treating them as if they are somehow stealing money through their startup(s). Not making enough money is just a way of saying they just feel they can contribute to society in a bigger way.
rgovind 13y ago
If you think the business would grow overtime, doesn't it make sense to sell it to someone rather than shut it down?
tutoruniverse 13y ago
We've seen this same behavior @TutorUniverse, student-tutor pairs aren't as flaky as you would think. Since we have thousands of tutors to choose from the students sometimes switch between tutors to find a lower rate, different schedule, etc. but rarely do we see them going offline. Aaron, hats off to your team for doing a wonderful job building TutorSpree. Do you have an outplacement plan for your tutors? We're recruiting :)

stephen 13y ago

When you say it that way, it basically sounds like greed. You assert to have had a good, long-term business going; but screw that when you can take another spin of the VC wheel, right? I guess if the yard stick is always "become the AirBNB of <random industry>..."

yabbadabbadoo 13y ago
And this basically sounds like passing judgement. Not everyone has to share the same goals. Some want to go for the billions, others are happy with a few million. It's not your place to judge someone else's goals as greed. Just like it wouldn't be Aaron's place to judge your goals as settling.
- stephen 13y ago
  True. I suppose I was mostly nit picking on the portrayal of "oh, hey, we had a good business, but, meh, so what." When, for a lot of people, myself included, that sounds pretty nice. E.g. (from another reply) 2-3% monthly growth is meh? I suppose... But, yes, as you said, different goals and circumstances (I of course know nothing about the company/VCs/etc.). So, yeah, akharris, sorry for being an ass--shutting down a company definitely sucks, and you have to do it in front of your friends/hecklers on HN. Good luck on the next thing.
untog 13y ago
You make it sound like they had a choice. They'll never be able to say it publicly, but even if they were happy with slow growth I'd bet a lot of money their VC investors weren't.
- mbesto 13y ago
  Wait, let me understand this... You're implying that investors have more than 50% voting shares then right?
  - untog 13y ago
    It doesn't just come to voting share. You'll be taking their advice if you want that next round of funding.
    - mbesto 13y ago
      So they did have a choice...? If the business goes bust, then why do you need another round of funding?
brandnewlow 13y ago
Or maybe they have other things they want to do with their lives than grind it out at 2-3% monthly growth for 5 years.
chrischen 13y ago
With great power comes great responsibility. If they can apply themselves to something that has greater economic benefit to themselves, and thus society, they are doing a disservice to society by underutilizing their abilities. If the only person in the world who can cure cancer decides to be a janitor and nothing more, is he not greedy, or is he lazy? You're misjudging them and treating them as if they are somehow stealing money through their startup(s). Not making enough money is just a way of saying they just feel they can contribute to society in a bigger way.

rgovind 13y ago

If you think the business would grow overtime, doesn't it make sense to sell it to someone rather than shut it down?

tutoruniverse 13y ago

We've seen this same behavior @TutorUniverse, student-tutor pairs aren't as flaky as you would think. Since we have thousands of tutors to choose from the students sometimes switch between tutors to find a lower rate, different schedule, etc. but rarely do we see them going offline. Aaron, hats off to your team for doing a wonderful job building TutorSpree. Do you have an outplacement plan for your tutors? We're recruiting :)