As HN: What motivates you at your startup?

3 points by launchplus 14 years ago | 7 comments

Well, I was planning to put this into a longer blog post but popular platforms (Wordpress, Tumblr, Posterous, etc.) are all blocked over here.

Late last year, I was approached with an offer at a fast growing, profitable, pre-Series A startup that required me to relocate away from home.

The timing was perfect, as I was recovering from a bout of burnout and I really wanted to take a break from freelancing and working at a startup has been something I wished to do.

So I packed up, travelled 3,000 miles, got settled in quickly and started working my ass off. I had some grand plans in my mind, thinking that this is my chance to put up the highest score of my life, by helping a startup go from start to exit.

6 months on, my drive and desire at this startup is all gone. I stopped believing in the product, not that it sucks, but simply because it's not in a domain I'm interested in. My motivation previously was solely fueled by monetary desires, and we all know that that never lasts.

I'm still working at the startup, although I don't think I'll be here for long. I'm only here, because I feel a sense of responsibility to complete a few remaining tasks before leaving.

Did I ever regret the decision to come here? No, because I got to work with really smart hackers and most importantly, I met some new friends whom I'm now working on a new project with.

It's only after this experience that I started to understand why "you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards."

Oh, and this time, I'm not after monetary gains.

What motivates you?

P.S. I would appreciate it if you could take a look at the landing page I've put up (http://shallwedive.com) and tell me what you think. Sharing it with your friends who scuba dive would be awesome :)

stewie2 14 years ago |

I guess I was also after monetary gains too. But I'm at a point of changing my motivation.

I feel that Working as an employee, raising a family and getting old is the most common life path that one can vision even at his/her 20's. I can say, "if I work hard today, I will be like my manager ten years later."

But that's not exciting, because that life path sounds like determinable and planned. It's as cruel as telling a young child that he/she will never achieve anything and will end up normal.

I don't want my life to be easily visible. I don't want to easily tell how my 50's will look like when I'm 2x.

I'd be a homeless or a achiever, but I can't settle in the middle.

launchplus 14 years ago | |

"But that's not exciting, because that life path sounds like determinable and planned. It's as cruel as telling a young child that he/she will never achieve anything and will end up normal."

That's so true. Kudos to you my friend.

hacker_jumper 14 years ago |

Re shallwedive the request invite button is a bit off in ff - mid left of the email box. Works fine in the other browsers. It would be cool getting an awesome picture of the ocean as the main background (think flipboard).

To answer your question of what motivates me - vision and knowledge of what Steve Jobs once said, (along the lines of) - "what ever you see in this world was made by people no more smarter than you".

launchplus 14 years ago | |

Thanks for pointing that out, gonna fix the button.

I was thinking of putting using a full background image as well, but just couldn't find a good one.

HerraBRE 14 years ago |

Primary motivation: I want to see as many people as possible use something I built and know it has improved their lives in some minor way.

Secondary motivation: I want to have the freedom to work on things I enjoy and care about, as opposed to working for a paycheck.

exim 14 years ago |

If I ever start-up something, main goal would be to get a passive income (yes, not quite "startup-ish"). Then I'll pursue a PhD in CS.

steventruong 14 years ago |

Short answer but probably extremely cliche: working on something I have personal interest in.