Ask HN: Following founders who have found success at an early age, and retired | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Following founders who have found success at an early age, and retired

8 pointsgreenranger147 comments

I'm in the process of selling a business for a decent chunk of cash, and under 40. I'm looking forward to an early retirement.

I want to find people I can follow online who are in a similar situation in their lives. People who have sold startups or made a ton of money on some venture, are relatively young, healthy & active, and are now spending their time traveling, doing adventures, and trying to live the rest of their life in a meaningful way (whatever that means).

I'm curious as to how these startup or business 'role models' approach a new life of financial independence - my thinking is, if these individuals were able to be so successful at their work, especially at an early age, they are likely also very good at being retired at a young age.

They don't post often, but two good examples are Tom Anderson who sold myspace (https://www.instagram.com/myspacetom) and Aaron Patzer who sold Mint (https://www.instagram.com/apatzer).

Congratulations on the sale.

You are about to discover the root of "mid life crisis" which is fundamentally the moment you realise uou are successful, and the focus of your life switches from the search-for-success to the search-for-significance.

Or to put it another way, when you have enough money you need to find another reason to get out of bed in the morning.

It will take time for you to adjust, time to experiment with different things, and time to figure out what satisfies your soul.

Broadly there are two fundamental paths here, one where you focus inwards and one where you focus outwards. Which one works for you will depend on you. Some people are jazzed by toys, travel and social status. Others live quiet lives, but invisibly (or visibly) impact the lives around them. They might bring expertise to non-profits, or mentor people who are starting out or even turn to teaching etc.

These choices are without judgement- you must find you, the thing that brings significance will be different for everyone.

Yes there will be a period of spending. You're going to travel, buy some toys and so on. Part of the success are the spoils. Enjoy this phase, uou earned it. When that season is over though you'll need to find what sparks you - what gets you out of bed.

Of course seeking out role models is a natural starting point. But perhaps there are folk around you who are living this life without posting on social media. They can be hard to find because their significance is not public adulation. But if you ask around at Churches, NPOs, usually you'll be pointed in the right direction. Crumbs ask your financial advisor, he likely knows a bunch of them.

Good luck. Well done. I wish you all the best in your next chapter.

Markus Frind, the plentyoffish guy comes to mind. Bootstrapped the biggest dating site in the US with zero employees or VC, and sold out for $500m around ten years ago. He runs a winery now.

https://www.frindwinery.com/Our-Story/Our-Team/Markus-Bio

https://www.businessinsider.com/how-markus-frind-bootstrappe...

Being yanked out of the workforce by Long Covid... I've been shocked to learn that finding meaning without work is a LOT harder to do than I expected.

I'd like the answer to this question too... but without lots of money as a solvent.

Another example is Karan Bajaj, who sold his startup and wrote the book "The Seeker's Guide" about his journey. He shares his post-success adventures and insights on living a meaningful life.

Look into Hampton w/ Sam Parr? I think most of them are still running fast, but perhaps good leads there.

/r/FatFire subreddit

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