[niggler]

"You could have the best product, design, etc. but if you don't catch a few breaks you will be nothing."

Many people have learned this lesson the hard way.

"I am jealous of the 17 year old kid"

Why? Do you really define your personal success to be when another company buys you out?

[kcodey]

Why am I jealous? I am jealous because I would love to start a company then sell it in two years for 30 million. Very simple.. Never said anything about defining personal success.

[niggler]

"Who wouldn't want their start up acquired?"

A person who is building a sustainable business that doesn't want to see it mothballed or sullied by others.

"I mean what's the point starting your own company?"

This is a common but fallacious argument. If you wanted to make money, at median you are far better off working as an employee for another company.

Given the high failure rate (you are forgetting selection bias), you have to have something more than a profit desire to start a company. For me, I know I wasn't happy working at a company and having left that environment I don't think I ever want to go back :)

"The goal should eventually be an exit of some kind."

The goal is an exit if you think of your startup as a massive pump and dump. Plenty of people build very sustainable lifestyle businesses.

It really sounds like you need to reevaluate your life a bit, especially if you think that everyone goes into this solely to make a boatload of money. It's easier to make your first million working for a hedge fund than it is in a startup.

[trhtrsh]

> It's easier to make your first million working for a hedge fund than it is in a startup.

In fact, this is what Mr. Summly did, by way have being born to a banker.

[kcodey]

My life does not need any re evaluation of any sort. I am an entrepreneur as well, and like all other entrepreneurs making money does not drive me, rather the creation of something from nothing is what really motivates me.

That being said, an acquisition from a large company would provide some third party validation, that I am sure many others creating something from nothing, crave.

[niggler]

"an acquisition from a large company would provide some third party validation, that I am sure many others creating something from nothing, crave."

Those people who crave third-party validation are usually in startups because they hope to strike it rich, not because they are genuinely interested in creating something that they enjoy. You need to escape that paradigm of measuring your self-worth based on others.