|
|
|
|
|
|
by argonz
4753 days ago
|
|
|
I've got curious when you mentioned infrastructure and years to settle in the market, could you tell/elaborate your product? Love your zen but do you socialize besides customers? If not is it a trait of yours or you just choose it as the needs of your startup? |
|
|
It seems to be just how I am, I don't think about it much. Though if I were a few hours north in Silicon Valley I'd likely spend more time socializing with like-minded people. Whether that'd be productive or not depends on the people (or me?) as it seems most meetups/conferences are a waste of time and most people really don't do anything, they just like thinking and talking about it. Unfortunately, wearing the jersey doesn't make you part of the team.
I really believe that you're the average of the people you spend the most time with, so I limit my time with people I don't look up to. Unfortunately, now the only practical way to spend time with people I look up to is by reading books and listening to Mixergy and other interviews and podcasts. But from that standpoint, I have an incredible circle of friends and mentors. There is so much information out there just waiting to be consumed and our brains have incredible plasticity, they change based on their diet.
If you subscribe to the idea that you're a representation of those you spend the most time with, I think that many forget that when you read and respond to comments on HN and other places, you're spending time with those people. Is it making you better? Avoiding extensive interaction with any one community limits group think and blinders. Homogeneity makes us think small without even realizing it, imagine sitting in a dark room with a candle vs. a light bulb.
I'm pretty hard on myself in terms of achievement, fitness, and productivity, but I've learned I can be hard on others (including my wife) and judgmental to an extent, so I try to avoid such situations. I've also learned that I'm hard on people because I care and I believe they're capable of more, something I've channeled into my current startup which essentially has the purpose of making businesses better.
I don't blog or use Twitter/Facebook/whatever much either, which saves a lot of time. I think this thread is an example. I rarely share my thoughts, but when I do explaining them is time consuming. I don't mind, but I do feel guilty that I'm not doing something else. It's smart to be ruthless with your time; it's really all you have.
As a single founder this sort of independence has really worked for me, but then again I guess we'll see what happens after a few years when I have some experience under my belt. I've learned so much about the startup world in the past year, but it always surprises me how much I still have to learn. Good thing I'm always hungry.