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I do. (I can't believe the one night I decided to go out with friends, this is the thread that shows up on Twitter--my wheelhouse!) I built and bootstrapped a

I do. (I can't believe the one night I decided to go out with friends, this is the thread that shows up on Twitter--my wheelhouse!) I built and bootstrapped a tech company from the ground up in the Valley. Sold it in 2007 for 7 figures. Then took my personal blog and grew it into one of the top entrepreneurship blogs online. Now running a funded startup and just completed Techstars Austin. Now that I think about it, my blogger friends and my tech CEO/CTO friends do run in different crowds. Most of the blogger types end up writing books (Tim Ferriss is an example I think HN'ers would be familiar with.) I turned down a book deal to go back and do another tech company because that's what I love to do. There is a trend amongst bloggers to start software companies. Clay Collins' LeadPages is a good example; he's a crossover blogger/Internet marketer turned software company CEO. He just closed $5M in funding for LeadPages led by Foundry Group. There are a few more up-and-comers in the blog world who are crossing over into software, but so far very few have made the leap--I think because the skillset is so different. Weird to think that I'm rare, but it's an interesting viewpoint to hear from the tech community.

Cabal 13y ago
I think the OP means real companies, not startups who blog and don't seem to do much else.
- ericabiz 13y ago
  I'm not sure if you're trolling or you genuinely misread my comment--I'll assume the latter. LeadPages generates real revenue to the tune of >$3M/year and is funded by Foundry Group as well as other angels and VCs. It is a legitimate business. My company is funded by 500 Startups, Techstars, and a group of angel investors. We have one product on the market that is generating significant revenue, and are launching MarketVibe, our latest product, this month. I would agree with the general premise of "successful entrepreneurs who blog are outliers."
  - Cabal 13y ago
    Neither, actually. The OP is quite clear about what he means, probably more professionally than I put it: https://twitter.com/rabois/status/397233618449227776 https://twitter.com/rabois/status/397233618449227776 i.e. Not startup bubble companies, companies that actually produce something of value, either for society or in significant returns. "Lead generation" isn't one of those.

Cabal 13y ago

I think the OP means real companies, not startups who blog and don't seem to do much else.

ericabiz 13y ago
I'm not sure if you're trolling or you genuinely misread my comment--I'll assume the latter. LeadPages generates real revenue to the tune of >$3M/year and is funded by Foundry Group as well as other angels and VCs. It is a legitimate business. My company is funded by 500 Startups, Techstars, and a group of angel investors. We have one product on the market that is generating significant revenue, and are launching MarketVibe, our latest product, this month. I would agree with the general premise of "successful entrepreneurs who blog are outliers."
- Cabal 13y ago
  Neither, actually. The OP is quite clear about what he means, probably more professionally than I put it: https://twitter.com/rabois/status/397233618449227776 https://twitter.com/rabois/status/397233618449227776 i.e. Not startup bubble companies, companies that actually produce something of value, either for society or in significant returns. "Lead generation" isn't one of those.