Nick's Blog

“Running a start-up is like being punched in the face repeatedly.  But working for a large corporation is like being waterboarded.” –Paul Graham, founder of Y Combinator

This quote was from a recent issue of Inc. magazine, but I don’t really like it that much.  It takes a pretty negative outlook on both start-ups and “normal” jobs.  And it’s even more surprising because Mr. Graham’s company is a venture capital fund / start-up incubator / consultant specializing in fast-growing start-ups.

There are plenty of ups and downs in both the entrepreneurial and working worlds.  But when the “downs” start to outnumber the “ups,” maybe it’s time for a change.

Some of the best “ups” of entrepreneurship are the little things:

• Not having to commute in traffic
• Not having to wear a shirt and tie (especially good when it’s 100 degrees like today)
• Not having to shave everyday

The pessimistic quote above is also surprising since entrepreneurs are almost always optimists.  We have to be optimistic to look past the 90% failure rate of small businesses. Optimistic about a better future, better technology. Optimistic about changing the world.

I remember a poster from my 6th grade classroom that does a much better job of capturing the start-up mentality: “Success comes in cans, not in cannots.”

Related posts:

1. Other People’s Traffic Have you ever found yourself on the road, making great...
2. New Year’s Resolutions (are dumb) Welcome to 2010!  It sounds so futuristic. Sometimes I make...
3. Book Review: The Other 8 Hours I recently finished The Other 8 Hours: Maximize Your Free...
4. Slow Mergers Slow mergers are drivers who attempt to enter the freeway...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.