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> However, when you are working in a startup environment, especially if you're burning through other people's money, there should be a fire lit under your ass.

> However, when you are working in a startup environment, especially if you're burning through other people's money, there should be a fire lit under your ass. "Fire lit under your ass" doesn't mean "work 16 hours a day." If you want to succeed, you should be focused on producing and maximizing the right outputs, not measuring time worked, which is simply an input. > I am always of the opinion that if you're not willing to put in a ton of hours, there's someone just as smart and focused at you that is. That might be true, but can you recruit and retain those smart and focused people? In today's market, the talented and experienced have options. Unless you're offering top-notch salary and benefits, chances are you're not going to be able to retain and recruit the best people while demanding they live in a constant crunch mode. They don't have to subject themselves to this to earn a good living. > Both my employee and I feel incredibly lucky to be working on something that we both really believe has a chance to succeed greatly, and it is so much a part of our lives that when we're not at work we're thinking of more ways we can improve our product. When you're that deep into an idea, be it a business, hobby, love interest, etc., the amount of time you spend on it always seems like not enough. I think people bristling about long work hours are doing so because they haven't found something that makes them feel this way. Is it not possible that people bristling about long work hours are doing so because they have other interests in life besides work? While your earliest employees should drink a little bit of kool aid, as you scale a company you can't reasonably expect your employees to be as invested as you are. And you should be mindful of the fact that the people who provide the level of dedication you seem to be looking for are often the ones who burn out and become the most disillusioned and resentful when you hit the inevitable bumps in the road.

fredkbloggs 11y ago
> > I am always of the opinion that if you're not willing to put in a ton of hours, there's someone just as smart and focused at you that is. > That might be true, but can you recruit and retain those smart and focused people? There's also the problem that after a month or two of 60-hour weeks, that person will be less productive than someone who works 40-50 every week and saves emergency mode for the rare genuine emergency. So even if you can attract and retain that person, you'll be overpaying for shoddy work. It's a wonderful economic outcome, in which both parties are suckers.

fredkbloggs 11y ago

> > I am always of the opinion that if you're not willing to put in a ton of hours, there's someone just as smart and focused at you that is. > That might be true, but can you recruit and retain those smart and focused people? There's also the problem that after a month or two of 60-hour weeks, that person will be less productive than someone who works 40-50 every week and saves emergency mode for the rare genuine emergency. So even if you can attract and retain that person, you'll be overpaying for shoddy work. It's a wonderful economic outcome, in which both parties are suckers.