Why I'm an Entrepreneur(maxlynch.com)
maxlynch.com
Why I'm an Entrepreneur
http://maxlynch.com/blog/why-im-an-entrepreneur/
9 comments
I'm seriously thinking about getting rid of everything I have just to try and start a business. Might as well do it while I'm young (28).
For me, its not really the money (although, I do like money). My approach to programming isn't to just solve problems and earn a paycheck. I want to make something cool. Something that affects the world in a positive way. An awesome product. We are essentially inventors of our world. To me it doesn't make sense to waste that mindset.
Money is a powerful factor in this decision, however. You do not want to leave a well paying job just to go out there and fail miserably, or not even get the chance to get your idea off the ground.
For me, while I'm still getting paid at my job, I think the smart thing is to get the basic idea up and running before I go out to Silicon Valley and see what I'm made of. The web is good about letting folks test the waters first before diving in. So, I will continue to punch away at this idea.
Its so scary to think about doing this. Perhaps, being scared is a good thing...
For me, its not really the money (although, I do like money). My approach to programming isn't to just solve problems and earn a paycheck. I want to make something cool. Something that affects the world in a positive way. An awesome product. We are essentially inventors of our world. To me it doesn't make sense to waste that mindset.
Money is a powerful factor in this decision, however. You do not want to leave a well paying job just to go out there and fail miserably, or not even get the chance to get your idea off the ground.
For me, while I'm still getting paid at my job, I think the smart thing is to get the basic idea up and running before I go out to Silicon Valley and see what I'm made of. The web is good about letting folks test the waters first before diving in. So, I will continue to punch away at this idea.
Its so scary to think about doing this. Perhaps, being scared is a good thing...
Well, moving out to SV and trying to raise VC is certainly an option. I've decided that's not the kind of company I want to run, so I'm bootstrapping and couldn't afford to live there anyways. There are benefits to not being in the valley, and there are tons of benefits of being there, depending on what you're looking for.
Great post! I think it's always important to take a step back every now and then and look at the reasons why one does things - whether its your career, your habits, or with respect to major events. That kind of introspection can help you validate (or invalidate) what you're doing, and gives you a chance to grow as a person. So good on you, man!
Thanks :) I really think the turning point for me was getting someone to pay for something I made, that really changed the game for me and made me realize this is viable way to live. I guess I'd like to inspire other people to try that challenge and see how they feel after overcoming it.
I started my company out of the opposite need: No one would hire me.
I was fresh out of university in 2004, in the middle of the second IT bubble, living in a not-so-hot city job market wise. I must have applied to over a hundred job ads.
I had a short gig at a very small company without a salesperson, until they could no longer afford having me. Then I worked on an assembly line until 2006, when a friend needed a dynamic website for his employee.
I quit my day job in 2008, but it's not until the last year or so it's been starting to go well. An I still have a long way to go until I reach a normal developer income level.
But I have learnt so much during those years! I really don't regret starting my own. I have seriously considered getting a 9-5 job, but the freedom I enjoy makes it hard to imagine not working for myself.
I was fresh out of university in 2004, in the middle of the second IT bubble, living in a not-so-hot city job market wise. I must have applied to over a hundred job ads.
I had a short gig at a very small company without a salesperson, until they could no longer afford having me. Then I worked on an assembly line until 2006, when a friend needed a dynamic website for his employee.
I quit my day job in 2008, but it's not until the last year or so it's been starting to go well. An I still have a long way to go until I reach a normal developer income level.
But I have learnt so much during those years! I really don't regret starting my own. I have seriously considered getting a 9-5 job, but the freedom I enjoy makes it hard to imagine not working for myself.
"It's a truly special thing to convince someone to pay you for something you've made", this is what non-entrepreneurs do all day as well. There is a subtle difference, but I am yet to understand it.
It isn't only entrepreneurs who get paid for their craft, is it only entrepreneurs who often don't??
It isn't only entrepreneurs who get paid for their craft, is it only entrepreneurs who often don't??
I think the difference is an entrepreneur has orchestrated the whole process and isn't just a sales person. They are a dreamer building their dreams in to reality. Anything that reflects the achievement is massive. If you love carpentry, then seeing somebody love your table will be the same. Selling tables at Ikea will probably not be.
Thanks for this yesimahuman - it was incredibly timely for me. Today was my last day at a corporate job, and the first day of being a full-time entrepreneur. I know that I've got a roller coaster of emotion ahead, but it's encouraging to know the highs are higher than the lows are low.
Congrats! May the patience be with you!
Great post. It is a hard thing to sum up. I think this HBR article (http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/09/entrepreneurship_as_disease....) talking about it as a disease is one of the best I read.
Good Stuff. It also important to do the math on your item or idea. Calculate all costs. A lot of people just jump in assuming they are in the green and end up in red.
But the highs are so fucking high that it makes it all worth it. The big paying account, the customer that loves your product, and the connections you make with the outside world. The personal growth, seeing yourself overcome challenges you used to be too afraid to face. There is truly nothing like it."
This is it.