Comment by madaxe | Hacker News Reader

Comment by madaxe | Hacker News Reader

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Balance is a pipedream. Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration - glib, but true.

We started 5 years ago - I've been on call 24/7 ever since. We've now got other people on call too, sure, but as the technical lead, I'm where the buck stops. An average week is in the region of 70-80 hours work.

I have precious little in the way of "life" - I allow myself a few hours off once a week on Thursdays, but apart from that, spend my time glued to my laptop, growing the business.

That said, I see several ways out.

1) This sucker actually works, and we retire. 2) This sucker actually works, and we grow it into a behemoth. 3) Ditto and we sell, and I re-invest the proceeds into my next mad idea.

1 is pretty unlikely. 2&3 are far more likely, which rather reflects the fact that my work is my life, and if you're doing a startup without that attitude, it's going to suffer. A startup is effectively all about selling a "regular" 20/30's for a decade (or two) of brutally hard work, high stress, and attaining financial and inventive freedom.

Sorry, I'm rambling. No coffee yet this morning.

We started 5 years ago... I have precious little in the way of "life"

I hate to be the one to point it out, but what you're experiencing is very far from my definition of "Success". I mean sure, according to your definition you're definitely perspiring, but isn't there supposed to be some form of payoff at some point?

All 3 of your potential forecasted outcomes lead to you not having a life any time soon. As such, it looks like you've set yourself up in a way that precludes success, as many of us define it.

For me, a successful software business is one that provides the maximum income (and thus free time) possible for the smallest effort. That's what software's so good at: turning tiny amounts of work into big benefits. As such, the ultimate goal is zero effort and infinite free time. You seem to have contrived the opposite for yourself.

We're strange, insofar as we've a foot in the software door, and a foot in the agency door - there's method to our madness, insofar as the agency side of things is effectively our peer-review group. We're highly profitable, but everything, other than bare-bones just-about-covers-the-cost-of-living stays in the business, or goes on staff salaries. Our goals and the market we're in both require vast amounts of dev work. Success, for us, is either absolute or absent - not interested in half measures. We've had two 8 digit cash offers for the business, both of which we've refused, as we don't plan on exiting until the product is fully baked.

Ultimately, I guess it depends on what you want out of it - if you're after a lifestyle business, what you describe is just fine. If you're after total global domination, it's back-breaking effort for a number of years (or a huge injection of capital up-front, although that's generally a good way to lose sight of what you're doing).

I'm not sure what your point is. If the parent doesn't follow the VC-driven "get big really goddamned fast at all costs" model, he's not successful?

There's nothing wrong with growing a business steadily for 5 years. Speaking for myself, we've been doing it for 4, and somehow I don't feel like a miserable failure.

Jason said nothing about VC or explosive growth.

1 is pretty unlikely. 2&3 are far more likely

It's funny you say "more likely" when the odds are still, to be blunt, stacked against you (I'm not trying to be a jerk, but you probably realize it's all still a longshot).

Ultimately I think your value function has to heavily and positively weight the work you're doing for 12 hours a day. If you're missing your free time I don't see how any rational person can voluntarily continue working those hours.

Ah, but I don't miss the free time, partially because I've rationally weighed up short-term costs against long-term benefits, and partially because I've come to realise that I actually enjoy working myself to the bone - hence the probability that even after this, I'll likely put myself straight back into the grinder with something new.

As to 2&3 - we've already had a few substantial (8 figure, cash) offers for the business, but we've passed them up, as they were the wrong buyers at the wrong time.

dude, and (knock on wood) u were to die today, u would reflect from above, "jeepers I never stopped one minute to look at the beauty around me or experience some magical places in this beautiful world we live" ... yeh I think its all good u doing something u really enjoy cause life is about living your passion... but its also about living in the present and who knows if u will be around to enjoy the long term benefits... so yeh my advice, try balance it a bit more, try like a few have suggested slowly reducing the hours, and spend those on ur family, exercise, etc... in my experience u will find urself feeling rejuvenated, in a good mood and that will reflect in all spheres in ur life, including ur work ;-)

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