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Hmmm...I see signals of both in what you say: I think the mission to make a life a little better in a specific way is a true mission. Solving a frustration th

by mchusma 13y ago

Hmmm...I see signals of both in what you say: I think the mission to make a life a little better in a specific way is a true mission. Solving a frustration that you truly hate is a common factor in many successes. That said, I also tend to see the most successful entrepreneurs much more concerned about the mission than retirement. Not sure if go on to other things meant Bill Gates style or tropical beach style. If you are truly mission oriented, then you would presumably care more about the mission than yourself. Retirement is an afterthought.

beat 13y ago
This gets back to the problem that the "mission" when we talk about software startups generally involves making a lot of money as well. If you want a software mission without promise of wealth for the work, you do open source (I actually briefly considered open sourcing this project, and I wouldn't say it is absolutely ruled out. But that's a one-way hash function, so there's no need to commit now). This past weekend, I gave up most of the time I'd normally spend working on my startup on something else instead - playing in two different bands in a jug band competition! We're talking about people who actively opposed to paying anybody anything for the work, who fight tooth and nail to win temporary possession of a freaking waffle iron! And I'd be really damned proud if one of my bands won that waffle iron, too - it's been a prize for over 30 years. What did I get out of it? My closest musical partner and I put together something of a dream band of some of our musician friends, and we jammed out Stairway to Heaven in under five minutes in front of 300 people. Financially, that's worth less than nothing. Emotionally, I'll always remember that moment. Playing good music is a mission for me. Supporting the musical community and cultural history of Minneapolis is a mission. But those aren't missions that pay my mortgage. This is what squicks me out a little about all the people marketing themselves on the internet who claim to have a "passion" to do <something boring>. They might find the work interesting and rewarding, but passionate? It sounds dishonest and self-serving. I'd like to build something that is valuable, something that lasts, something that is truly hard to build in a multi-year way. Is that a mission? Maybe. Is that a passion? NO. The desire to create something big and powerful, that's passion. But the thing I'm actually creating? That's the map, not the territory.

by mchusma 13y ago

beat 13y ago

This gets back to the problem that the "mission" when we talk about software startups generally involves making a lot of money as well. If you want a software mission without promise of wealth for the work, you do open source (I actually briefly considered open sourcing this project, and I wouldn't say it is absolutely ruled out. But that's a one-way hash function, so there's no need to commit now). This past weekend, I gave up most of the time I'd normally spend working on my startup on something else instead - playing in two different bands in a jug band competition! We're talking about people who actively opposed to paying anybody anything for the work, who fight tooth and nail to win temporary possession of a freaking waffle iron! And I'd be really damned proud if one of my bands won that waffle iron, too - it's been a prize for over 30 years. What did I get out of it? My closest musical partner and I put together something of a dream band of some of our musician friends, and we jammed out Stairway to Heaven in under five minutes in front of 300 people. Financially, that's worth less than nothing. Emotionally, I'll always remember that moment. Playing good music is a mission for me. Supporting the musical community and cultural history of Minneapolis is a mission. But those aren't missions that pay my mortgage. This is what squicks me out a little about all the people marketing themselves on the internet who claim to have a "passion" to do <something boring>. They might find the work interesting and rewarding, but passionate? It sounds dishonest and self-serving. I'd like to build something that is valuable, something that lasts, something that is truly hard to build in a multi-year way. Is that a mission? Maybe. Is that a passion? NO. The desire to create something big and powerful, that's passion. But the thing I'm actually creating? That's the map, not the territory.