Ask HN: Help HN, I'm being overpaid, can't build startup | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Help HN, I'm being overpaid, can't build startup

6 pointsthrww58964 comments

Long-time HN contributor, throwaway account, for reasons obvious.

I seem to found myself in a cosy local maxima problem: I'm currently getting paid a $1200+ daily rate, for building what is essentially a CRUD app, at however many days I like (statistically around 3-4 day per week, can do more, or less, just as long as products get shipped), working from home.

This seems like an ideal position to bootstrap a business from; however, I find myself in a strange lack of self-motivation which I usually had: all my senses are coming up blank.

To recap, my primary motivation with building businesses from scratch came from my aching pocket (cash); secondarily, the usual 3 creative motivators: autonomy/mastery/purpose. Currently (and for the foreseeable future), all of these are satisfied (working from home, using whatever tools I see fit, on a project that will make a couple of million dollar difference for the client). Challenge level is low, but that by itself doesn't lend itself to working on business problems specifically (eg. some machine learning ideas has a much higher challenge+reward rating).

I'm currently studying investing to figure out how to make the best of this situation long-term, and outsourcing for getting additional leverage. None of these are satisfying my intrinsic motivation of building high-impact online businesses -the core purpose I've been working on for the past 6 years.

Is there something wrong with me? Am I being maladjusted for still trying to achieve the same goals, but for obsoleted reasons? Have you been in a similar situation, and if so, what was the correct way out?

Thanks for reading.

Thanks for sharing. There's nothing wrong with you, but you obviously perceive something to be wrong about your situation.

I would suggest that the lack of self-motivation stems from a lack of challenges. My own experiences echo the conclusions of what research I have seen, that a feeling of flow comes from having challenges on par with your abilities.

A strongly related motivational tool that has worked wonders for me thoughout the years is to strive to create value, not success.

I was actually in a very similar situation to yours just three months ago (although far from making $1200/day). My mind was in a loop coming up with, as you say, "high-impact" online business ideas. Facebook scale potential was the main criteria. But that thinking kept me in a feeling of being lost, because how would I know what idea was the best bet for success?

Then I remembered that I usually proclaim my mantra to be just that, "strive to create value, not success" (which comes from an interview with Einstein in Life Magazine from 1952) and changed my main criteria from "high impact" to "best learning experience". I.e., what provides the most fun challenge?

After only a couple of weeks this sent me hell bent on a mission that now consumes most of my waking hours (when I'm not at my day job as a startup CEO). It is extremely liberating to relieve yourself from the pressure of being successful. To realize that success probably comes easiest as a by-product of doing something fun.

I still aim for the skies. But I define high impact as my secondary goal instead of primary, which is to take on a compelling challenge and grow from the experience.

Here's my opinion: Give it some time. I think you have the entrepreneur's equivalent of writer's block. Use the time to explore your interests and build up savings for when you finally feel the spark.

When you do, don't quit. Instead, break up the system into small components and outsource their development (always in technology you're comfortable with -- you'll need to know intimately how each is built), using your time to integrate these components to make the final system. And good luck.

From left field ... You're in a pretty good situation, as you realize. Studying investing is a good thing, especially from your probable motivation.

Why not take that idea, studying investing, and pursue studying. Dive in deep and wide into something that you've been intellectually curious about, but never thought it was practical to pursue. Maybe investing, maybe other things.

I've been surprised many times how I've gotten ideas and insights into "the problem at hand" from totally unrelated areas. They say we dream to sort the day's data, and I think you can get similar benefit from letting your active brain go where it may. You may gain some surprising insight into "the life at hand." You may also get some business ideas that you otherwise wouldn't. :)

I liked martinkallstrom's response too.

Seems like you need to switch your motivation to building businesses because you have ideas that can only be executed properly in that context?

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