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Pretty harsh. Every entrepreneur I know is on an emotional roller-coaster, but that's one aspect of our role that we don't tend to talk about. Often the toughes

Pretty harsh. Every entrepreneur I know is on an emotional roller-coaster, but that's one aspect of our role that we don't tend to talk about. Often the toughest issues might seem trivial from an outsider's perspective, or even from your own perspective after some time has passed. I recognized a lot in his account, and it was good to see someone being honest about the internal drama, even at the risk of appearing ridiculous.

mikeryan 17y ago
He's the CEO of a company that may eventually want to get funded. While I applaud his openness, I wonder if he's shooting himself in the foot by airing this much dirty laundry.
- randallsquared 17y ago
  It just doesn't seem that dirty to me. I've had such experiences over and over at various startups; it's just part of doing something none of you have ever done before. I especially found sickeningly familiar the part where everything seems to work fine when you try it, and when people try it in front you, but people who are somewhere else invariably run into mysterious problems that they can't seem to articulate. "Well, it's fine now that you're here, but earlier nothing worked!".
idlewords 17y ago
Well, you know, we've all got problems. I'm sure some people on this site have experienced hardship and risk that goes far beyond flubbing a demo.
- petewarden 17y ago
  Reading his account, 'flubbing the demo' risks losing the chance for investment, which would kill the company he's put his life savings into.
- potatolicious 17y ago
  So... you're trivializing this guy's experience because somewhere out there, someone else has it worse? His experience isn't worth writing about because, somewhere out there, someone has experienced something more interesting? I don't see the logic. I don't get the negativity here - I thought it was a well-written account of the kind of last minute ninja dance before any launch. The author certainly had a lot riding on the demo, and I didn't find it self-aggrandizing in any overt way.
  - idlewords 17y ago
    His life is on the line to the extent that he'll have to work a couple more high-paying computer jobs if he fails to get funding this time around. It's not exactly Russian roulette with three bullets in the cylinder. I found the histrionic tone and especially the title of the article to be out of all proportion with the content. I don't think my description was in any way unfair. The article does a sufficiently good job of trivializing itself.
    - potatolicious 17y ago
      "It's not exactly Russian roulette with three bullets in the cylinder." Nor did he ever claim it to be... I think you're reading far more into that post than was ever implied. It's clear that he has a large amount of personal money invested, and that this demo could be the make-or-break moment for his company - and a culmination of perhaps years of preparation and work. I think that qualifies as a big deal. You're still trying to trivialize this man's experiences.
      - Moschops 17y ago
        "Nor did he ever claim it to be" He totally did. He said he put his life on the line. What really got put on the line was his lifestyle.
    - roder 17y ago
      This says it all to me: I’ve put $50,000 into SetJam so far, and I’ll probably have to put in $50,000 more before I can hope to take in some outside money. I’ve had to spend the last 4 years saving while I built an amazing company for someone else just to have a chance to take this shot on my own again. I’ve got a wife and a baby girl and our life savings is riding on a company that, even if I execute perfectly, has a less than 50% chance of succeeding. Launching this product meant a lot.
- swombat 17y ago
  I guess you've never started a company and poured your heart and soul into it. Your nonchalance about the whole thing reads to me like: "Well, you know, if it dies, he can always make another kid." Factually correct, but rather inhuman.

mikeryan 17y ago

He's the CEO of a company that may eventually want to get funded. While I applaud his openness, I wonder if he's shooting himself in the foot by airing this much dirty laundry.

randallsquared 17y ago
It just doesn't seem that dirty to me. I've had such experiences over and over at various startups; it's just part of doing something none of you have ever done before. I especially found sickeningly familiar the part where everything seems to work fine when you try it, and when people try it in front you, but people who are somewhere else invariably run into mysterious problems that they can't seem to articulate. "Well, it's fine now that you're here, but earlier nothing worked!".

idlewords 17y ago

Well, you know, we've all got problems. I'm sure some people on this site have experienced hardship and risk that goes far beyond flubbing a demo.

petewarden 17y ago
Reading his account, 'flubbing the demo' risks losing the chance for investment, which would kill the company he's put his life savings into.
potatolicious 17y ago
So... you're trivializing this guy's experience because somewhere out there, someone else has it worse? His experience isn't worth writing about because, somewhere out there, someone has experienced something more interesting? I don't see the logic. I don't get the negativity here - I thought it was a well-written account of the kind of last minute ninja dance before any launch. The author certainly had a lot riding on the demo, and I didn't find it self-aggrandizing in any overt way.
- idlewords 17y ago
  His life is on the line to the extent that he'll have to work a couple more high-paying computer jobs if he fails to get funding this time around. It's not exactly Russian roulette with three bullets in the cylinder. I found the histrionic tone and especially the title of the article to be out of all proportion with the content. I don't think my description was in any way unfair. The article does a sufficiently good job of trivializing itself.
  - potatolicious 17y ago
    "It's not exactly Russian roulette with three bullets in the cylinder." Nor did he ever claim it to be... I think you're reading far more into that post than was ever implied. It's clear that he has a large amount of personal money invested, and that this demo could be the make-or-break moment for his company - and a culmination of perhaps years of preparation and work. I think that qualifies as a big deal. You're still trying to trivialize this man's experiences.
    - Moschops 17y ago
      "Nor did he ever claim it to be" He totally did. He said he put his life on the line. What really got put on the line was his lifestyle.
  - roder 17y ago
    This says it all to me: I’ve put $50,000 into SetJam so far, and I’ll probably have to put in $50,000 more before I can hope to take in some outside money. I’ve had to spend the last 4 years saving while I built an amazing company for someone else just to have a chance to take this shot on my own again. I’ve got a wife and a baby girl and our life savings is riding on a company that, even if I execute perfectly, has a less than 50% chance of succeeding. Launching this product meant a lot.
swombat 17y ago
I guess you've never started a company and poured your heart and soul into it. Your nonchalance about the whole thing reads to me like: "Well, you know, if it dies, he can always make another kid." Factually correct, but rather inhuman.