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Comment by thomasmallen | Hacker News Reader

What's so hard? You're a business owner and an entrepeneur. I always thought people admired that, especially here in America.

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For me, older relatives are way more impressed if you get a full time job at a established/well known company (Google, Cisco, etc...) than if you're a business owner.

I was employed at a small company (under 10 employees) and my Aunt wouldn't stop calling me about Cisco.

"Cisco is a really great place to work at... it's stable, good pay. Even though your Uncle just got laid off, I still think it's a great place."

I'm a recent graduate, just moved back to my hometown in Silicon Valley. All of my old buddies are so eager to land jobs at BigCo. I'm completely shocked that no one wants to work at a startup, do their own business, or even work for a small company.

Since when did "I work at Google" become a damn pick up line?

I think being an entrepreneur is only impressive after you're successful (ie. get RICH). I'm pretty sure the Reddit guys had a hard time impressing their family/friends with their startup, until they got filthy rich.

I tried it. Never works. ;)

I think family wants to see you secure. I think future spouses want to see a willingness to take on risk. So tailor those pick up lines to the audience.

(Wonder if startups got less sexy with the economy going down...)

+1 on point about family wanting to see you secure. I don't usually like quoting Paul Graham, but he really did write the best essay I've read on the subject of "Inequality and Risk".

With family it's tricky; they're not as really interested in "what you do" as "how will your chosen source of income ensure your happiness?"

I'm from Hong Kong, so the standard reply for family is usually "I do IT"; over there IT doesn't stand for Info-Tech, it is an umbrella term for all things technology related, from using accounting software to engineering boeing 747's. Implication: It's a safe desk job out of the sun and rain, it makes money, and you're fairly smart and able to take care of yourself.

Then during the bust they worry again, and I tell them nono I'm fine, my company builds buildings. The city I live in has been experiencing a massive boom in property value in both residential and commercial sectors, so then they didn't panic about my job. Plus, I'm still out of the sun and rain, so, to them things look pretty good.

So this time with the US housing melt-down, they worry again. So this time the emphasis is on what an awesome guy my boss is, that in the past even when things are slow he doesn't let anyone go, that the company is financially sound with everything paid for in cash, and all he has to pay is wages. So the office is here to stay for sure, keeping me out of the sun and rain.

PS: I work in a rough area of the city, and on my bus commute there are a lot of construction workers, day labourers, unemployed individuals, folks slightly intoxicated or look like they have had a rough night outside. I have the luxuary of telling them I work for a construction company.

yeah Chinese people try to stay indoors as much as we can

I'm not in America - I'm in Australia, There are entrepenuers here but it's not an accepted way of life like it seems to be in the US. If you have a shop front / product it seems acceptable, but people seem to have a hard time accepting that you sit at home writing software is work - and hard work, and that you can make money from it.

It actually scares a lot of people it seems, maybe it's just my family.

I'm not really suggesting this, but as soon as i got office space people's opinions of my work increased 10 fold. Even saying I was making money didn't phase people.

Of course, when i started working at home again, they were still asking me "how's your office doing?" As if, that is where I kept all my work, in folders, at an office, with desks.

Of course you could just say, we just opened an office downtown, and people will get excited for you.

It's not just your family. In much of the world, people (most especially your parents) will equate entrepreneurship with not having a job, scamming, all sorts of negative associations. But it's your family, so they will be somewhat forgiving. Show them what you're doing, point to the people in the world who have done well (de-emphasize the billionaires, and emphasize the people who created jobs for themselves). Be passionate. Like everything you do, you have to sell it to them.

I think the word "entrepreneur" has so many negative connotations because it's overused (at least in the States). Jobs are called entrepreneurial, employers are looking for entrepreneurs and MLMs like Cutco & Mary Kay consider their sales people entrepreneurs. It's sad.

I really like & use the titles cofounder or founder.

I just say "I run a small web design business," although it lacks the edge now that I'm employed as well :^)

I do think that it sounds a little off-base to call oneself an entrepeneur at least in the DC area...very self-important.

I used to live in DC. Entrepreneurs were few & far between; paper shufflers abound.

Now that you say that, until recently I resisted calling myself an entrepeneur, it does have a lot of negative connotations. I'm past that and now I probably should try and drag some of them along with the dream, they'll be kicking and screaming - at first anyway - but it's a whole lot better than grinding my teeth.

I too have noticed that being passionate about what you're doing, and getting that message across positively, really helps turn skeptical attitudes around.

When you say "much of the world," which regions are you familiar with that have this stigma? I'm curious.

I'd say anywhere where there aren't a _lot_ of successful startups compared to the number of "conventional" businesses, and a good startup community. Northern California, Massachusetts, and where I am now (Ottawa, Ca) are about the only places I can think of that don't have that stigma. But I haven't been everywhere in the world.

My father who was entrepreneur himself used to say: "Never start a company. If you really want money then go to work for the goverment".

Because high level of bureaucracy here in Russia it's really hard to start a company in a real sector. And it's hard to find a VC for tech startup. It's depressing. I even thought about moving to some other country on Phd postition and part time working for start up... but it's seems too extreme =(

If you are young, I suggest you give it some more thought. There's a big world out there, even bigger than Russia, believe it or not.

Not anymore. At least in my experience, people think you are either a naive dreamer or a burnout that can't get a real job, especially if you work with computers/internet. I just tell relatives and new people I meet that I don't know what I want to do after school.

We live in an unbelievably conservative time right now.

Teenagers even stopped to rebel.

Not all of us. Well, I'm 20, but it still counts.

Yes, but "I am going to start a company and make loads of money." differs from sixties style rebellion.

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