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Comment by noelwelsh | Hacker News Reader

I think people who have never run a business believe that running say, a bakery, involves baking all day. Anyone who has ever run a business should know that is false. Running a business involves doing all the stuff around the main task (marketing! accounts! infrastructure! customer support!) so that the people doing the main task can get on and do it.

If you understand this you won't turn your hobby into a business and be disappointed.

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I've met many people who love beer and think they should start a brewery.

All I can tell them: I hope you like cleaning. Really like it, because that is what 90% of the job is.

This is how I felt when I got one of the original Roombas. It's great if you don't like vacuuming but really like robot cleaning and maintenance.

I like trying to reseat it on the charger multiple times per day.

is this still a problem?

I had a Roomba 10 years ago and that was the usual problem I had with it. That and having to pick up a rug so it wouldn't get caught.

Hah! Fortunately they've gotten a bit better now.

But instead of spending my time vacuuming, I instead spend my time picking stuff up off the floor that will get the robot stuck.

Yup. By the time you've gone around and meticulously picked up anything that might upset the Roomba you might as well have just rolled a vacuum behind you and done it yourself.

I have had a Xiaomi robovacuum for 3 years, and it works without any part change to this day. Robovacuums came a long way.

Absolutely.

Similarly, I tell them, “do you own rubber boots? Do you want to own rubber boots?”

With hobbies the expectations are usually limited to your own ability. You account for the limited external influences and you are on it for the ride. With a business you can't avoid being hopeful. You can't avoid being subject to luck as the core factor of your success. It is a miserable experience to see that thing you are most passionate about isn't yielding any success.

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