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Farewell

ticketstumbler.com

253 pointsjacquesm24 comments

I was making the list of people to thank for my time on HN and when visiting ticketstumbler I came across this message. It makes me both happy and sad, sad that ticketstumbler died, happy to see that Tom has moved on and is doing something new (and a great idea too!).

What a great last contribution on HN! Hope you change your mnd and get back on HN someday in not so distant future :)

Wow, thanks Jacques! I'm not convinced I've ever done something worth being thanked for, but I definitely appreciate it a lot!

Closing down TS was tough (and I squandered a few thousand dollars putting it off), but in the end I'm really glad that particular weight is off my back. Now I just need to get Swaptitude to be more of a weight, and we'll be set ;)

Thanks for the submission and the kind words.

Good luck with Swaptitude, it definitely appears to fill a need...

I'm sorry to hear about the TicketStumbler situation; out of curiosity, did you consider selling before shutting down? If so, it would be interesting to hear why you chose to shelve it instead.

I too stumbled upon this (just last night) looking for NBA tickets. Good luck, Tom.

You're quitting HN? What did I miss?

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2161427

Best of luck Tom, and thanks for sharing. I've signed up for Swaptitude so look forward to learning more.

(Some background, if anyone needs it - http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=859117)

Don't go there if you're having a good day and want to keep it that way. I don't tear up easily.

As someone in a similar situation, I gotta give you props. You lasted longer than I did. A bank would tell you that 90% of businesses in this situation fold within a few months. Add that to our already-high tech startup failure rates and you've turned a slim fighting chance into something nearly impossible to do.

Mix in the emotional motivations, and well, it's just a tough situation to be in. I applaud you for moving on and for keeping your entrepreneurial spirit alive in a new project.

Sorry for being a sap, but those lyrics at the end+that note almost made me cry. Best of luck Tom, I'm rooting for you.

Nothing better than sincerity. Best wishes.

What a great ending: "For everything that could have been, Well at least we took the ride."

Pendulum lyrics. Good stuff. :)

Cheers Tom -- shutting down must have been a tough choice to make. My condolences for you and your loss.

Was Tom not working as part of WakeMate?

Yes, I was. I left the company in early December after a year of creating / maintaining the web infrastructure and e-commerce and analytics products. I accepted a co-founder title in mid-2010 but decided it wasn't a good fit shortly after and began transitioning out in late 2010.

Probably more than you wanted to know (and barely a sliver of the story), but there it is!

Where can I send some feedback on the swaptitude web site?

Mail in electronic format may be dispatched to "info" at said domain.

Although if your feedback is on the rather poor landing page, you should wait until the new one is up ;)

It was just about a typo - but I mentioned it in my sign-up.

Oh, thanks; fixed!

Tom - good luck on your new endeavor. Your last comment reminds me of Roosevelt's Man in the Arena speech (http://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/trsorbonnespeech.html). You're in a better position because of your efforts.

It was an honor being in the same YC class as you, and I wish you the best of luck!

I heard stubhub was good, but I'm not sure if they are exactly the same.

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