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Comment by enoptix | Hacker News Reader

Is this anonymous copy-and-paste medium how people start to deal with their problems now? What happened to just talking to people or making tough decisions? I've seen more of these posts in the last year than I have in my entire time on HN.

I'm sorry you are having a tough time but you need to either 1) have a hard talk with your co-founders about your business model. present facts. make your case. they will listen.

2) if they dont, walk away and start something new. you mention you are a few years out of college. you could also go take all the technical experience you have gained over the last year and get another job. Make a decision on your own.

But really, the notion that a bunch of internet strangers will be able to give you some miracle advice is absurd.

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> Is this anonymous copy-and-paste medium how people start to deal with their problems now?

Yeah, isn't it awesome? There are sure worse ways to deal with difficult personal questions.

How did we do it before the internet and crowdsourcing? Oh yeah, there was a column in the newspaper called "Dear Abby". For the entire American syndication, she handled about two questions a day.

> What happened to just talking to people or making tough decisions?

I think he has been 'talking to people' because they've written him some checks.

> the notion that a bunch of internet strangers will be able to give you some miracle advice is absurd

While not miracle advice, I cannot think of a better venue to ask startup-related questions. I don't know anyone in real life, none of my friends do this, etc. In contrast, a substantial portion (if not the majority?) of users here have been part of a startup, and have firsthand advice.

Sure, it's not miracle advice, but the fact that these are strangers on the internet is not sufficient to discount the wisdom that many here are willing to share.

I would agree, talking with the co-founders is the best route to go. Come up with good examples and/or comparisons for why you think the business model won't be a success but also propose a solution to what route you think the business should go.

Exactly. That's something you didn't mention in your story, and it is a crucial thing to do if you really believe that the product solves real problems. Don't let the unavoidable obstacles destroy your relationships. All of you are still learning (the brick&mortar business experience isn't that easy to transfer to tech startup) and that requires mistakes and dead-ends. You can treat your adventures so far as a lessons in Lean Startup fashion and check together if there's anything you all can improve.

Yes, I think after 15 months you should have a serious discussion with them. It might take a few days to agree on a plan. Make it clear you need income to go forward. They're probably thinking the same thing as you anyhow.

> Is this anonymous copy-and-paste medium how people start to deal with their problems now?

Obviously this person wanted some advice on their situation while remaining anonymous. I don't see a problem with being able to engage the community without having their name attached to it until they're ready to sit down and have a frank conversation with their co-founders.

> But really, the notion that a bunch of internet strangers will be able to give you some miracle advice is absurd.

I'm not sure how asking for advice is expecting "miracle" advice. There is a difference between the two.

I don't think it is entire absurd that internet strangers can give good advice. That said, it is entirely impossible when given no actual information or goals, just a scrawling whine.

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