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Comment by joslin01 | Hacker News Reader

I pretty much wake up every morning and watch motivational videos on YouTube to keep me going.

I'm onto my fourth start-up, third as CTO, and let me tell you start-ups are no walk in the park. The idea that there's even walking involved is so far off what it's really like. It's non-stop sprinting and if it's not, then you're not doing it right and moving too slow. I like the idea of a work/life balance, but when you have to build every little part of a business, it's just not reasonable to get obstinate about it. When and if I make it, I'll be thanking my perseverance.

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The further I get into my startup, the more diligent I get about keeping balance. Perseverance requires actually being at your best day in and day out for years. You can't do that when you're burnt out and unhappy (newsflash: these things take time!).

Also, the whole founder/success mythos is perpetuated by people actually not running startups. These days, I just do what I think is best and work hard, and try to ignore the bullshit.

Sure, but I would argue the root feeling of perseverance should be "I can do this" not "I can withstand this," which is a victim-mentality that reinforces work = pain.

It's this mentality that causes burn-out, resentment, and a wide array of other negative feelings. Focusing on what you can do and learning to do better / more is how I think success is eventually created.

I would suggest this 'constant' sprint idea is often a sign of doing something wrong. Working long weeks cause fatigue which results in a lot of terrible choices which creates more work which 'forces' long hours. Most startups work ridiculously hard, and then fail. Some successful companies had the 24/7 mindset, but fewer than you might think.

Depending on how successful you are it really can be like that. Managing a period of exponential growth is a nightmare on all fronts and I can really relate to the 'constant sprint' feeling. The good news is that usually at some point it tapers off and normality resumes but if you're hip deep in investor money they will see that as a reason to start a push to get back into another phase of hyper growth.

Why does it have to be done at break-neck speed? If it's such a great idea and it happens in 3 years instead of 2 is this a problem? Genuinely curious. I don't understand this start-up culture of long hours.

Because it's not about the idea-the idea can (and probably is) shared by multiple companies. Ideas are easy. If you don't execute well AND fast, others will and they will win. This is especially important in startups that require network effects to survive (think social, uber, etc). If you don't build the lead first, others will, and their lead will grow by virtue of being in the lead (and not screwing up).

I think a lot of these first to market social things just aren't going to get far. For me Uber is just a messy regulation dodge. Twitter makes no money. They just seem to be trying to establish a monopoly whilst making a loss and then using the (perceived) lock-in to try and monetize before dying in flames.

Where is this tight loop of venture capital funding first to market on services that are easily replicable taking society? My guess is nowhere.

Start-ups are study in crisis management. If you watch too many motivational videos on youtube you are spending a ton of time that might be better used elsewhere. Success is a really good motivator and reflexively watching motivation videos / reading self help books / insert placebo here may work - for a while - but it can just as easily become a reason for failure by itself if done to excess. It's understandable but be careful with that.

Best of luck!

Haha come on, I just put them on while I'm in the shower! All day and all night is work! But I appreciate the sentiment

Ok cool :) I was a bit worried there, great to hear you have e that under control.

You may think sprinting is pushing you faster, but by working yourself to exhaustion, you're really going slower (and neglecting your health in the process). For your own sake, give yourself time to recharge. Work/life balance is no small thing.

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