Hacker News Reader

When I started my company I asked my boss from my internship what hints he had for me, he said; "You need to have way too many expenses, it keeps you on your edge." Ofcourse he didnt mean that as, buy $100 lunches, buy overpriced crap. But buy the equipment, rent an office, buy what you need to buy, if you are afraid where you'll get the money for the next months rent you'll work that much harder to earn it.

View on HN

If I cut off my right hand, will I enjoy my left hand more, or will I just be a cripple?

(This sounds the same.)

Well, the boss suggested to invest much of what you have early on, but on things with (perceived) returns. Sure, if you can get from 0 to product with nothing more than the laptop you already have, and if your money buys the unknown amount of time you'll need, this sounds like crippling.

That's probably taking it a bit too far; but if you fund yourself by borrowing from someone who will cut off your right hand if you fail to pay him back, you just may work harder to make that money.

This is an old idea. From the Art of War: "At the critical moment, the leader of an army acts like one who has climbed up a height and then kicks away the ladder behind him. He carries his men deep into hostile territory before he shows his hand. ... He burns his boats and breaks his cooking-pots."

Reply on news.ycombinator.com