4 ms·

When people ask me if they should start a company, I do a short interview with them to understand their motivation. It's usually dissatisfaction with their job

When people ask me if they should start a company, I do a short interview with them to understand their motivation. It's usually dissatisfaction with their job combined with a grass-is-greener view of entrepreneurship. I believe in many circumstances people have a higher chance of finding happiness by pouring deliberate energy into finding a great job rather than starting their own company.

porter 12y ago
I quit a good banking job after making it through the recession and several rounds of layoffs. My friends thought I was nuts. I had friends take me out to lunch and tell me most people were looking for jobs, not quitting them. But I didn't quit just because I was dissatisfied. At the heart of it, I just felt like a caged animal and I knew I had to break free.
- acgourley 12y ago
  I don't regret taking the leap, but I also didn't need to be convinced nor did I carefully ask people what they thought. It's sort of something that needs to be done because you're the right kind of crazy.
- cageface 12y ago
  The thing I've learned from trying to be independent for four years is that you always have to answer to someone. Whether it's a boss or customers or business partners or the platform provider you depend on you are never truly "free".
  - walterbell 12y ago
    Freedom of will to choose whose will can constrain concurrency.
  - maaku 12y ago
    I don't buy this. As CEO you have the right to say "You know what Big Important Customer? You're a dick and I don't want to do business with you." That is a strategically stupid thing to do. You may not ever actually do it. But being able to do that without having to answer to anyone but yourself is enough. There's a very real psychological difference.
    - cageface 12y ago
      How is this any different from telling your boss to go fuck him/herself? Many small businesses depend on one or two big clients for their livelihood.
    - kika 12y ago
      You have the right to say this while being the lowest ranking employee in the company, not CEO. But when you're CEO, you have other people you're responsible for, you hired them and they depend on you being able to run the business so they can feed their families. Saying "fuck you" to the customer who is bringing you 10% of revenue is not what CEO can really do.
      - maaku 12y ago
        The CEO is the only person who can do that. Also, DoD you read me 2nd paragraph?
throwaway8137 12y ago
I do a short interview with them to understand their motivation. Could you please try me? I have a good job as a software engineer at a successful start up. I am introvert and somewhat shy (although less then I used to be). I don't think many people could imagine me as a CEO. Nonetheless here are the reasons I want to start a company: - I want to do something meaningful. I don't mean curing cancer, but having small, positive impact on other people though software. My current job provides that, but only in very small, indirect way. - I need to have as much control as possible over what I work on, if my work seems pointless it's a huge demotivator for me. - My father is an successful entrepreneur and I think that rolemodel influenced me. - I dream of financial independence in my 30ies (working only when I want to). I know that this is not a good reason, but nonetheless part of my motivation. EDIT: I rewrote some of this, because my I failed to express myself in my first attempt
- graeme 12y ago
  None of these sound like great reasons. I'm four years into starting a business. Here was my motivation: * A burning desire not to work for anyone else. * A desire, not to retire, but to free up time for all the other things I want to do. Chiefly learning. It is impossible to to convey, in writing, how badly I wanted these things. I had had a small taste of the working world, and couldn't bear the thought of it. I wanted to be free of my time. I had read the four hour workweek, and longed for income to that was mostly automatic. Your motives don't seem like mine. You sound like you might be a better candidate for this: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/ http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/ That's a reasonable guide to retiring in your 30s. The author was a software engineer. He just reduced his spending and saved a high % of his salary.
  - throwaway8137 12y ago
    I think made a really wrong impression in that post. Somehow I can't really find the right words to express myself right now. While I understand the appeal of passive income, I think I would rather work 24/7 on something really meaningful. Your motives don't seem like mine. That is not necessarily a bad thing. There are many types of entrepreneurs.

porter 12y ago

I quit a good banking job after making it through the recession and several rounds of layoffs. My friends thought I was nuts. I had friends take me out to lunch and tell me most people were looking for jobs, not quitting them. But I didn't quit just because I was dissatisfied. At the heart of it, I just felt like a caged animal and I knew I had to break free.

acgourley 12y ago
I don't regret taking the leap, but I also didn't need to be convinced nor did I carefully ask people what they thought. It's sort of something that needs to be done because you're the right kind of crazy.
cageface 12y ago
The thing I've learned from trying to be independent for four years is that you always have to answer to someone. Whether it's a boss or customers or business partners or the platform provider you depend on you are never truly "free".
- walterbell 12y ago
  Freedom of will to choose whose will can constrain concurrency.
- maaku 12y ago
  I don't buy this. As CEO you have the right to say "You know what Big Important Customer? You're a dick and I don't want to do business with you." That is a strategically stupid thing to do. You may not ever actually do it. But being able to do that without having to answer to anyone but yourself is enough. There's a very real psychological difference.
  - cageface 12y ago
    How is this any different from telling your boss to go fuck him/herself? Many small businesses depend on one or two big clients for their livelihood.
  - kika 12y ago
    You have the right to say this while being the lowest ranking employee in the company, not CEO. But when you're CEO, you have other people you're responsible for, you hired them and they depend on you being able to run the business so they can feed their families. Saying "fuck you" to the customer who is bringing you 10% of revenue is not what CEO can really do.
    - maaku 12y ago
      The CEO is the only person who can do that. Also, DoD you read me 2nd paragraph?

throwaway8137 12y ago

I do a short interview with them to understand their motivation. Could you please try me? I have a good job as a software engineer at a successful start up. I am introvert and somewhat shy (although less then I used to be). I don't think many people could imagine me as a CEO. Nonetheless here are the reasons I want to start a company: - I want to do something meaningful. I don't mean curing cancer, but having small, positive impact on other people though software. My current job provides that, but only in very small, indirect way. - I need to have as much control as possible over what I work on, if my work seems pointless it's a huge demotivator for me. - My father is an successful entrepreneur and I think that rolemodel influenced me. - I dream of financial independence in my 30ies (working only when I want to). I know that this is not a good reason, but nonetheless part of my motivation. EDIT: I rewrote some of this, because my I failed to express myself in my first attempt

graeme 12y ago
None of these sound like great reasons. I'm four years into starting a business. Here was my motivation: * A burning desire not to work for anyone else. * A desire, not to retire, but to free up time for all the other things I want to do. Chiefly learning. It is impossible to to convey, in writing, how badly I wanted these things. I had had a small taste of the working world, and couldn't bear the thought of it. I wanted to be free of my time. I had read the four hour workweek, and longed for income to that was mostly automatic. Your motives don't seem like mine. You sound like you might be a better candidate for this: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/ http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/ That's a reasonable guide to retiring in your 30s. The author was a software engineer. He just reduced his spending and saved a high % of his salary.
- throwaway8137 12y ago
  I think made a really wrong impression in that post. Somehow I can't really find the right words to express myself right now. While I understand the appeal of passive income, I think I would rather work 24/7 on something really meaningful. Your motives don't seem like mine. That is not necessarily a bad thing. There are many types of entrepreneurs.