[mockingbirdy]

I'm 20 years old and have a web and design agency with a co-founder and currently two employees (+ flexible workers). I can relate.

When I was younger (I know how this sounds) I read "The Lean Startup" and drank the Koolaid. I was feeling like a failure because I wasn't building the next big thing (tm) although I had an IQ of 152 and wrote code since ages. I think that some aspects of the startup bubble can be seriously bad for mental health. I've learned to accept myself and the world and cut the bullshit and "will to power"-esque thinking. Sometimes I still have feelings of unmet potential, but fortunately I now understand that a fast-growing startup is one of many solutions (and sometimes not even a solution at all). I can now learn to allow myself to find peace.

[mockingbirdy]

I like the egalitarian nature of the community which discourages people from talking about aspects which are only there to fuel their feeling of self-entitlement (like IQ). If I didn't say that I think that my potential is there based on IQ, there wouldn't be a downvote.

It's very telling. HN can be an unforgiven environment for specific topics such as problems with pride, ego and self-reflection. But on the other hand, it's just a downvote.