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Companies that seem to be 'slacking' probably just haven't achieved product-market fit yet. If a company has achieved this, and is growing like a weed, I doubt

by johnrob 17y ago

Companies that seem to be 'slacking' probably just haven't achieved product-market fit yet. If a company has achieved this, and is growing like a weed, I doubt the employees will be 'coasting'. Greed will take care of that. So, I'd be willing to bet that the referenced companies are still trying to figure out what they're really going to build. Don't blame the employees, this is the job of management. I could be wrong of course. Are there companies that are growing rapidly that have problems motivating employees?

gizmo 17y ago
In Europe it's quite usual to refuse business when you're busy. A lot of small businesses never grow larger than 10/20 people; after that the owners are satisfied and have enough money for a comfortable lifestyle. Companies don't fail catastrophically fail here, they just peter out. The entrepreneur that "dreams big" is the exception. And people with entrepreneurial aspirations are themselves exceptions. I think I read an article in the NY Times a while back that over 70% of MIT students are interested in business, and that 30% or so take a stab at it. Over here in Europe many college kids subscribe to the "profit is evil" philosophy and starting a business is "something they maybe want to do some day".
- mjw 17y ago
  > After that the owners are satisfied and have enough money for a comfortable lifestyle. The entrepreneur that "dreams big" is the exception. What exactly is wrong with this? The marginal value of money decreases significantly once you have enough to live comfortably. Also big companies aren't an end in themselves; a thriving economy full of profitable small-to-medium businesses is not a bad thing.
  - gizmo 17y ago
    I wasn't even suggesting that there's anything wrong with that approach. Needless to say, if you're a VC you want to fund people who want to create a company that can get a big exit. And people with those aspirations are few and far between in Europe.

by johnrob 17y ago

gizmo 17y ago

In Europe it's quite usual to refuse business when you're busy. A lot of small businesses never grow larger than 10/20 people; after that the owners are satisfied and have enough money for a comfortable lifestyle. Companies don't fail catastrophically fail here, they just peter out. The entrepreneur that "dreams big" is the exception. And people with entrepreneurial aspirations are themselves exceptions. I think I read an article in the NY Times a while back that over 70% of MIT students are interested in business, and that 30% or so take a stab at it. Over here in Europe many college kids subscribe to the "profit is evil" philosophy and starting a business is "something they maybe want to do some day".

mjw 17y ago
> After that the owners are satisfied and have enough money for a comfortable lifestyle. The entrepreneur that "dreams big" is the exception. What exactly is wrong with this? The marginal value of money decreases significantly once you have enough to live comfortably. Also big companies aren't an end in themselves; a thriving economy full of profitable small-to-medium businesses is not a bad thing.
- gizmo 17y ago
  I wasn't even suggesting that there's anything wrong with that approach. Needless to say, if you're a VC you want to fund people who want to create a company that can get a big exit. And people with those aspirations are few and far between in Europe.