[jgrahamc]

In short, the bliss of selling and giving up your business is overrated. It’s a long life and it’s often best spent enduring the ups and downs of pursuing something of significance. Don’t be so eager to give it up.

Hmm. Recent posts seem to be 37Signals attempting to rationalize their business model vs. recent sell outs for large amounts of money.

I'll stand up and say I'd happily take a $40m pay out so that I could be completely financially secure and get to do what I want. I have a short list of things that I would be very happy doing other than working for money.

To quote Einstein: "We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about."

But I'll take the comfort of knowing that I don't have to work, and get on with the cool stuff.

[compay]

"I'll stand up and say I'd happily take a $40m pay out so that I could be completely financially secure and get to do what I want."

I agree. Just because you cash out doesn't mean you have to retire.

[qeorge]

Just because you cash out doesn't mean you have to retire.

Exactly. You put it perfectly succinctly. A big exit should be a beginning, not an end.

[tonystubblebine]

Are people sure that the principals at 37s haven't just taken $40M out of earnings? Selling your company isn't the only way to get paid.

[pyre]

Does 37signals even make $40M in revenue?

[tonystubblebine]

Maybe. How many paying customers do you think they have? 1k? 10k? 100k?

I think $40M/year for them would require somewhere between 30k and 50k paying customers.

I suppose we're all just guessing, but when I run the numbers on their business I think that the founders are already millionaires, are on their way to being 100-millionaires, and, when you take into account that when you don't gamble your money away it has a tendency to accumulate and compound, that their model could produce a billionaire over a 20 or 30 year period.

I don't ever read their writing and think that they're jealous of other people's exits. I think they're already filthy rich and they look down on the venture industry in the same way that Warren Buffett looks down on Wall Street.

[fizx]

DHH's car says so:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/symmetricalism/2860363997/

;)

[jgrahamc]

Reminds me of a great Alain de Botton quote: http://twitter.com/alaindebotton/status/2781110491

[jseifer]

I'm not sure I totally agree with you on the 37Signals comment. I think it's actually refreshing to see that they are posting a counter point to the cash-out posts we've been seeing lately on other blogs. I doubt that some of the crew over at 37s would even have to work anymore and this could be their way of saying so. I could be way off base there, though.

With all that said, I'd also be happy to take a huge pay out and put these ideas to the test.

[natrius]

It'd be refreshing if they were well-argued counterpoints.